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There's nothing like Southern Pecan Pie. Delicious toasted pecans, sweet and sugary pie filling! It's perfect for the holidays.

It's a favorite at Thanksgiving, Christmas along with Turtle Cookies with Homemade Caramel Sauce that are nostalgic of this pie! Chocolate cream pie is another favorite for the holidays that the whole family loves!

Southern Pecan Pie in a pie dish with a top layer of pecans and golden brown crust.

Pecan Pie is one of my all time favorite pies. It's sweet and salty, gooey and crunchy. After trying a bite then you'll understand why it's a classic.

This pecan pie recipe is super simple. You can use a frozen pie crust or raw homemade crust. This pie is ready to go in no time with very few ingredients!

Once you make this recipe you'll never go without it!

If you like pecans then you will also love my Pecan Upside Down Cake! It's a moist vanilla bourbon cake with gooey pecan pie filling on top!

A few other holiday recipes that would go great on your dessert table are Perfectly Spiced Pumpkin Pie, Southern Sweet Potato Pie, Dutch Apple Pie, Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie and Apple Pie Stuffed Cheesecake. These are staples at our house and I can't live without them!

Jump to:

Can I make Pecan Pie ahead of time?
How to freeze Southern Pecan Pie
Ingredients you'll need
Tips for Southern Pecan Pie
Why is pecan pie southern?
How to make Southern Pecan Pie
Southern Pecan Pie

Can I make Pecan Pie ahead of time?

Yes, absolutely! Southern Pecan Pie is such a great pie for making ahead of time. There are a couple options.

You can make the Southern Pecan Pie then store it in the fridge for up to 2 days ahead of time. The pie will keep an additional 3 days after that for a total of 5 days.

Simply set the pie out on the counter to come to room temp a few hours then serve. This works great for pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust too!

You can also freeze Southern Pecan Pie. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaws beautifully.

How to freeze Southern Pecan Pie

Make the Southern Pecan Pie as directed then let cool completely. Wrap the pecan pie in 3 layers of plastic wrap then put it inside a large zip lock bag.

Store the Southern Pecan Pie in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight then bring the pie to room temp for a few hours on the counter just before serving.

Ingredients you'll need

Pie Crust - You can use a homemade pie crust or store bought.
Eggs - Eggs help the Southern Pecan Pie set up.
Karo Syrup - It's got to be the Blue Label Karo for me. The light corn syrup just isn't the same.
Kosher Salt - Because what is sweet without salt?
Vanilla Extract - Using a good quality pure vanilla extract is a must with this recipe since there aren't many ingredients.
Granulated Sugar - This gives the pie that sugary kick.
Butter - I use unsalted butter so I can regulate the salt level in the pie myself.
Pecans - The star of the show! I love to use pecan halves for big pieces, the same as I use for Pecan Pie Cobbler.

Tips for Southern Pecan Pie

Use the Blue Label Dark Karo syrup!!! Your pie won't be the same if you use the lighter version
Don't over bake. The pecan pie will be a little jiggly in the center when it's finished
If you want the top of the pie to be a little prettier you can arrange some of the pecans on top in whatever kind of design you'd like
Let the pie cool and set completely after baking before you cut it. That way each slice will stay together
Southern Pecan Pie can be eaten at room temp but LOVE to eat mine cold! I eat my slices straight from the fridge. That is probably a personal preference but my husband is the same way so it's definitely worth a shot!
You can use either homemade crust for this Southern Pecan Pie or you can use store bought. Generally I prefer homemade but sometimes the holidays are crazy and easy is best
You can top this pie with a little flaky sea salt or whipped cream if desired

a slice of southern pecan pie with ice cream on top

Why is pecan pie southern?

Pecans have always grown along the areas watered by the Mississippi river. After the Civil War several varieties were brought into Georgia to be grown. Georgia is now the leading producer of Pecans in the U.S..

The earliest pecan pie recipes were found in cookbooks originating in Texas in the 1870's. The pecan pie recipe we know today was written just before the turn of the century in 1898. It was found in a church cookbook in St. Louis but had been sent in by a Texas woman.

Eater has an article called "A Brief History of Pecan Pie" which is where I found my information if you'd like to read a more in depth explanation.