This gooey Bourbon Pecan Pie is the best pie for your holiday table! Made without corn syrup, this recipe gets its flavor from bourbon, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla. It’s the most decadent pie you can make, and easy to assemble too!
Pecan pie tends to be the start of the dessert show when it comes to Thanksgiving. And there’s a reason why, it’s insanely addicting with every bite between the brown sugar-flavor filling and crunchy pecans.
We make this Bourbon Pecan Pie without corn syrup and swap it for maple syrup and brown sugar instead. Let us just say, it is the best version of a pecan pie you will ever have. All of our friends and family ask for the recipe every single year.
With a prep time of just 15 minutes, most of this pie recipe is just waiting around for the crust to chill, the filling to bake, and the pie to cool. This frees up time to make all of the other recipes for your Thanksgiving table!
If you’re looking for some more delicious fall dessert recipes, we love making them! Try our pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin pie cookies, and sweet potato bread.
What is the Best Bourbon for Pecan Pie?
As we always say, the best bourbon is one you like. And while that remains true here, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, most of the flavor of the bourbon will cook out during baking. So don’t use a super expensive bourbon that you generally save to sip on.
Use a middle of the road bourbon such as Bulleit or Knob Creek. (You’re only using 5 tablespoons for this recipe, so buy a bottle you will like to use in cocktails like the Bourbon Smash, Apple Bourbon Smash, or the Old Fashioned.)
Lauren’s Tip
Adding bourbon to the pie crust. We add a splash of the alcohol to the pie crust. Why? It makes it extra tender and flaky as it evaporates when baked. Plus, there’s an hint of bourbon flavor too.
Ingredients
- Bourbon: use any middle of the road bourbon you have on hand. We like Bulleit, but anything you have on hand will work!
- Pecan halves: make sure you buy pecan halves. Do not buy chopped pecan pieces.
- All-purpose flour: for the best pie crust, fluff the flour, spoon it into your measuring cups and level with a flat edge. Or better yet, use a food scale for ultimate accuracy.
- Granulated sugar: just a tablespoon is needed to lightly sweeten the pie crust.
- Dark brown sugar: if you only have light brown sugar on hand, use an extra teaspoon or so of molasses.
- Molasses: use bold-flavor molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses.
- Pure maple syrup: instead of using dark corn syrup and/or light corn syrup, we’re making this pecan pie with maple syrup! Pure maple syrup imparts way more flavor and nuance than corn syrup would. To make up for the thick consistency of corn syrup, we pair the maple syrup with dark brown sugar and molasses.
- Kosher salt: sea salt can also be used.
- Shortening: The best pie crust is made with a combination of butter and shortening. Period.
- Unsalted butter: if you’re using salted butter, decrease the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
- Eggs: to ensure you have enough filling to fill the pie crust, use eggs labeled as large. One egg, without the shell, should weigh 50 grams.
- Vanilla extract: pure vanilla extract is best!
How to Make Bourbon Pecan Pie
Start with the Pie Crust
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl then add the chilled butter and chilled shortening. Cut the fats into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender. This step requires a bit of patience! Keep cutting the butter in until the butter pieces are about pea-sized.
Mix together a couple tablespoons of cold water and chilled bourbon, then drizzle over the flour mixture. Mix the dough together using a rubber spatula, pressing the mixture together until a dough forms.
A Quick Chill
Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
Roll it Out
When you’re ready to start baking, roll out the dough and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate.
Gently press the dough into the plate and crimp the edges. Freeze the dough-lined pie plate until solid, about 1 hour. This is important for blind baking. If the crust is frozen solid it is less likely to droop down the sides of the pan.
Blind Bake the Crust
It is incredibly important to pre-bake (aka blind bake) the pie crust for pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Remove the pie plate from the freezer and line with parchment paper then fill with dried beans or pie weights.
Blind bake until the crust is set then remove the weights and parchment and brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg white. Bake the crust again until golden.
Meanwhile, Make the Filling
Cook the maple syrup, brown sugar, and molasses in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Then remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt.
Gradually whisk in the eggs until the mixture is smooth. Add chopped pecans to the filling and pour into the baked and cooled crust.
For a shiny top, toss the remaining pecan halves with bourbon and maple syrup then arrange them over top of the filling.
Bake it Off
Bake the pie until the filling is set and center is slightly jiggly, this will take about an hour.
Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting and serving—this will take about 4 hours.
Expert Tips From the Test Kitchen
- For a shiny top, toss the pecans with some maple syrup and some bourbon before arranging them over top of the filling.
- You can prep the pie dough in advance in a few different ways. Make the pie dough, form it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For longer storage, store the plastic-wrapped dough disk in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Make sure your pie crust ingredients are cold. This is important so that the crust is sturdy as well as flaky with each bite. The cold water and butter produce steam when baked to make nice layers.
- Brushing the blind-baked pie crust with egg white creates a thin “seal” of sorts over the crust. This thin layer of egg white will act as a barrier between the wet filling and the crust, keeping the crust crisp and flaky.
Storing and Freezing
As if this pecan pie without corn syrup couldn’t get any better—it freezes beautifully! You can freeze and entire pie or leftovers. Wrap the cooled pie in plastic wrap followed by foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow the pie to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before letting it come to room temperature and serving.
For a shorter storage stint, refrigerate the pie in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
FAQs
Yes, the alcohol will bake out of pecan pie, leaving just flavor and nuance behind. If you’d prefer to skip the bourbon altogether, that’s totally fine! The only change you’ll need to make is to use an additional tablespoon or so of water in the crust.
We use a mixture of brown sugar, maple syrup, and molasses to make the gooey texture.
Yes you can! Just wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a couple of hours.
Bourbon Pecan Pie (without Corn Syrup)
Description
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 tablespoons cold shortening, cubed
- 3 tablespoons ice water
- 2 tablespoons chilled bourbon
- 1 large egg white, beaten
Filling
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, divided
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons full-flavor molasses
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 tablespoons bourbon, divided
- 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted, divided
- whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
Crust
- Whisk together 1 ½ cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cut in 6 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons shortening, using a pastry cutter, until pea-sized.
- Combine 3 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons bourbon, then stir into flour with a rubber spatula, lightly pressing, until dough holds together.
- Shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle; transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing into bottom.
- Trim all but 1-inch overhang, fold edge under, and crimp. Prick bottom of crust with a fork; freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204ºC) with rack in lowest position. Line crust with parchment paper, fill with dried beans or pie weights, and bake until crust is set, about 25 minutes; remove beans and parchment and brush bottom and sides of crust with egg white. Bake crust until golden, 10 minutes; let cool completely.
Filling
- Whisk together 1 cup maple syrup, 1 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons molasses in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook filling, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes; let cool 5 minutes.
- Whisk in 4 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons bourbon, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in eggs until incorporated. Roughly chop 1 cup pecans and add to filling; pour into prepared crust. Toss remaining 1 cup pecans with remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 tablespoon bourbon, then arrange over top of pie. Transfer pie to oven and decrease temperature to 325°F (162ºC).
- Bake pie until filling is set and center is slightly jiggly, 60–65 minutes. Transfer pie to a rack and let cool completely, 4–5 hours. Serve pie with ice cream.
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Video
Notes
- You can prep the pie dough in advance in a few different ways. Make the pie dough, from it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, store the dough disk in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Alternatively, you can line your pie plate with the pie dough, freeze until solid then double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Photos by the talented Megan McKeehan
I love ZK, so many good recipes, but this one truly is a winner! Best recipe on the site so far! I will never make a pecan pie any other way and I’ve converted my whole family too. Thanks so much for all the deliciousness!