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I didn’t appreciate pecan pie until I was older. Mostly because as a kid I wanted nothing to do with nuts, unless they were peanuts in the form of peanut butter. I remember my grandma would bring her homemade pecan pie to our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, but no matter how much my mom tried to convince me to take a slice, I wouldn’t. If only I could go back—I’d grab the whole pie for myself and run! Even though I’ll never get a slice of her pecan pie, I know there are plenty of great pecan pie recipes on the site worth giving a try. So that’s what I did, and I found my favorite!
Which Pecan Pie Recipes Did I Test?
I take taste tests seriously and that means I only test the recipes that have at least a 4.4 star rating and plenty of great reviews.
One recipe includes a layer of chocolate and another is made without a single drop of corn syrup. One uses evaporated milk to create a custard-inspired filling and two others remind me of the pecan pies I’ve sampled when visiting friends and family in Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia.
How I Judged the Pecan Pie Recipes
I never judge alone, so I enlisted the help of a few family members and friends to figure out which pecan pie was the best. I asked them to focus mainly on the filling since I had used the same store-bought pie crust for each pie. They were to consider flavor and also texture. Finally, I wanted them to think about the pecans—both the amount and type—before deciding a favorite.
The Results
The ‘Easy-To-Make’ Pie
- The recipe: Southern Pecan Pie submitted by Nikki
- Average rating: 4.7
- Rave review: “We make this pie every year around the holidays. My family and I absolutely love this pie! We give it 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a👍🏽 👍🏽 up!” – Mrs. Pots
When it comes to preparation, this recipe was one of the easiest on the list. In less than 10 minutes, I had the filling made and ready to pour into my unbaked pie shell. While I appreciated the easy-breezy nature of the recipe, what my tasters and I didn’t love was the overly sugary, gooey nature of the cooked pie. We all agreed it was far too sweet and, thanks to 1 cup of corn syrup, too sticky to enjoy. After only a few bites, we set our forks down in defeat.
The Best Pecan Pie for When You Don’t Want to Use Corn Syrup
- The recipe: Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup submitted by Elaine Helms
- Average rating: 4.8
- Rave review: “I was nervous about the filling setting properly, but it turned out amazing! My only regret was that I didn’t make 2! It got gobbled up before I could get more than a tiny piece!” – ShinyGrill4035
Most traditional pecan pie recipes use corn syrup in some amount to get their signature rich, caramely texture, so I was intrigued to see how one made without it would fare in this taste test. Interestingly, preparing the pie was much easier than I thought—it was simply a matter of dumping and stirring before pouring into the pie shell. The resulting pie was delicious and received rave reviews from testers—one even proclaiming, “this tastes like a classic pecan pie!” Everyone nodded in agreement, confirming the pie was just sweet enough. It had the gooey filling they craved, but without the stickiness. Who needs corn syrup? This pie was perfect without it.
The Less-Gooey Alternative Pecan Pie
- The recipe: Custard Pecan Pie submitted by Deanna Gates
- Average rating: 4.4
- Rave review: “Best pecan pie recipe! Tried a whole bunch over the years – this one is by far the most delicious. Make it every year now for Thanksgiving. Usually make 2 at a time because it goes so fast.” – Irina R
If a gooey pecan pie isn’t what you’re after, perhaps a custard-based filling is a good option. This recipe skips the corn syrup and instead increases the brown sugar, uses three eggs (versus the usual two), and incorporates one cup of evaporated milk to create a creamier filling. It took longer to bake than the 35 to 40 minutes recommended in the instructions and was the hardest to tell when done. Overall, my testers liked it. They thought it was sweet, but balanced, likely because of the evaporated milk. They also enjoyed that it was very “pecan-forward” and liked the pecan halves on top as garnish. There was a bit of a struggle with the texture, though: some people didn’t mind the custard, but others missed the traditional filling. It’s a decent pie, but it wasn’t our favorite.
The Best Pecan Pie for Chocolate Lovers
- The recipe: Chef John’s Chocolate Pecan Pie by John Mitzewich
- Average rating: 5
- Rave review: “I make this every year at thanksgiving and Christmas, and it’s a huge crowd pleaser. Everyone’s favorite pie!” – EagerPea5794
I’m a big fan of chocolate, so I was excited to give Chef John’s recipe a try. Overall, the recipe was easy to make and didn’t require much heavy lifting. After whisking a few ingredients together, I was ready to assemble the pie. I added in a layer of semi-sweet chocolate chips followed by the prepared filling and then baked until the crust was golden and the filling was set. My testers loved this pie. The layer of chocolate made it unique and the filling had a delightful caramelized texture. It was easily one of the favorites on the list. The only change I’d make is to add a touch of salt to bring out the flavors even more.
The Best Pecan Pie
- The recipe: Pecan Pie submitted by Linda Seay
- Average rating: 4.7
- Rave review: “I have been using this recipe for years, taste just like my grannies. I substitute the dark syrup for the clear Karo as my granny did. That’s it. It’s easy and tastes great!” – Jen
Thanks to the proper balance of ingredients, this pie is a winner! There’s just a touch of corn syrup (¼ cup); along with three eggs and a bit of cornstarch it’s got the right ratios to keep the interior perfectly rich without being overly sweet and sticky. My testers loved the texture of the pie, too, which was smooth and “luscious” but also crunchy thanks to “the perfect smattering of chopped pecans” scattered throughout. It was a close competition, but this is the craveable pie we’ll all make again.
