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Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie made with a silky smooth brown sugar butter filling with crunchy pecans. Baked in a buttery flaky pie crust and topped with homemade whipped cream. A classic Southern Pecan Pie recipe. www.modernhoney.com

Pecan Pie

Old-fashioned pecan pie with a brown sugar filling in a buttery pie crust with fresh whipped cream

Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie and pecan pie are like Christmas without the tree. It just goes together like pb+ j.  Well, at least in our family.  Pecan Pie just shouts from the rooftops, “its the holidays!”

An Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie makes the pecans the star of the show and the filling a close second.  So what makes a pecan pie filling so special? It starts with cooking the butter, brown sugar, and light corn syrup on a stove for several minutes until it is super smooth.

Once it slightly cools, the eggs and vanilla are added which give it a creamy richness. Then here come the pecans! They add the crunchy goodness to the pie to offset the brown sugar sweetness.

This Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie Recipe is beyond easy. It literally takes no time at all to put together and is basically foolproof. It pairs perfectly will a homemade all-butter pie crust. Click here for the butter pie crust recipe.

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie made with a silky smooth brown sugar butter filling with crunchy pecans. Baked in a buttery flaky pie crust and topped with homemade whipped cream. A classic Southern Pecan Pie recipe. www.modernhoney.com

To make the filling, start by melting butter in a saucepan. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and whisk until smooth. Let cook for 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and silky smooth. Remove from heat and chill until it reaches room temperature — about 15 minutes.

Check to see if it is cooled down enough to add the eggs. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture is glossy.  Stir in pecan halves. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake until filling is set and edges are lightly golden brown.

This recipe makes enough filling for a traditional pie pan. If you are using a deep-dish pie pan, I would suggest to 1 1/2 times the recipe to have enough filling to fill the pan. I also swear by a pie shield to keep the pie crust from becoming too brown.

Homemade whipped cream is a must to pair with the old-fashioned pumpkin pie.  It is so simple to make and can transform a pie. Say no to Cool Whip. Just do it. Homemade whipped cream is made with only two ingredients — heavy cream and powdered sugar. You can add vanilla if you fancy it but it is perfection on its own.

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie made with a silky smooth brown sugar butter filling with crunchy pecans. Baked in a buttery flaky pie crust and topped with homemade whipped cream. A classic Southern Pecan Pie recipe. www.modernhoney.com

If you are making this in a deep dish or larger pie pan, I would suggest to 1 1/2 times the recipe to ensure there is enough filling. 

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4.84 from 6 votes

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie

By: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey
Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie made with a brown sugar buttery filling and crunchy pecans topped with homemade whipped cream.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients  

Pecan Pie Filling:

  • 6 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Light Karo Syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 cups Pecan Halves

For a Deep Dish Pie Plate:

  • 9 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups Light Karo Syrup
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
  • 4 large Eggs
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 3 cups Pecan Halves
  • All-Butter Pie Crust --
  • https://www.modernhoney.com/butter-flaky-pie-crust/

Homemade Whipped Cream:

  • 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla optional
  • Notes: This recipe makes enough filling for a traditional pie pan. If you are using a deep-dish pie pan I suggest to 1 1/2 times the recipe.

Instructions 

  • Make pie crust according to directions -- https://www.modernhoney.com/butter-flaky-pie-crust/
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar and light Karo syrup. Cook for 5 minutes or until silky smooth and glossy.
  • Remove from heat and chill for 15 minutes or until it cools to room temperature.
  • Add vanilla and eggs and whisk well to combine.
  • Stir in pecan halves.
  • Pour into prepared pie shell. Put on baking sheet.
  • Bake for 45 - 55 minutes or until filling is cooked and pie crust is lightly golden brown. Check halfway through cooking time and add pie shield or foil to cover pie crust to prevent too much browning. If you are using a deep dish pie pan, you may need to cook it 5 minutes longer.
  • Let it come to room temperature to set-up. This can be refrigerated to chill and firm up. Serve with fresh whipped cream. 

Whipped Cream:

  • In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. 

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Servings: 8
Keyword: pecan pie
Like this? Leave a comment below!Jump to Comments

Click the links below for more pie recipes:
Caramel Apple Pie

White Chocolate Macadamia Chocolate Ganache Pie
Double Chocolate Marble Pie
The BEST Pumpkin Pie 
Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie
Sweet Cherry Pie
Traditional Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Caramel Banana Cream Pie

PIN later for PINTEREST. Find all of Modern Honey’s Thanksgiving Recipes in one place — www.modernhoney.com/thanksgiving. Check back as new recipes are added daily!

Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie made with a silky smooth brown sugar butter filling with crunchy pecans. Baked in a buttery flaky pie crust and topped with homemade whipped cream. A classic Southern Pecan Pie recipe. www.modernhoney.com

I hope you love this Old-Fashioned Pecan Pie! Happy Baking, my friends! xo Find more Thanksgiving recipes here at Modern Honey’s Thanksgiving. More recipes added every single day!


Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler!

I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

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Recipe Rating




9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love this Pecan Pie recipe; however, I made mini pecan pies in my mini muffin pan! Melissa, I need your help! I am having a problem with my pies sticking to the pie plate. I use a top quality deep dish ceramic 10” pie plate or a 9 – 1/2” that are both nonstick, but I also spray it with the Baker’s Joy spray with flour to ensure it won’t stick. One is Farberware Ceramic Deep Dish 9-1/2” and the other pie dish is Pioneer Woman Ceramic Deep Dish 10”. I ALWAYS use your recipe for the buttery pie crust as it’s my favorite, especially for my chicken pot pie! My Thanksgiving pies all stuck to both dishes. I tried to see if it would help by not spraying one and I did spray the other one. Both crust stuck and I was embarrassed and in tears with disappointment as we had a lot of family and friends over for Thanksgiving. I blind baked one crust for my Hershey Cocoa Chocolate pie and the crust was gorgeous. Both pie dough are also wrapped in cellophane and put into the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to rolling out into the pie crust. Melissa, can you help me and tell me what I am doing wrong? Thank you in advance!

    1. Yes, you can! It refrigerates really well and can be made days ahead. Just cover it well and it will stay fresh.

  2. 5 stars
    I made this pie w/ dk corn syrup and 2 tsp of vanilla for a richer flavor and cut the brown sugar to 3/4 c. and it was perfect, w/ your all butter crust. This will be my go-to recipe for pecan pie. My family loves pecan pie, but we don’t like it super sweet. This recipe is perfect for us!!

  3. 4 stars
    I tried this recipe today and wish it had been a tad bit sweeter. Would you recommend more brown sugar or adding white sugar to sweeten it up a bit more?