This Maple Pecan Pie without corn syrup is hands down the easiest and best tasting pecan pie around! Maple syrup and a hint of molasses are the perfect corn syrup substitute to make an ultra-smooth filling that's not too sweet and ready to bake in just 15 minutes. Bake in your favorite flaky crust with chopped pecans for a pie that slices beautifully for every holiday gathering!
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Pie is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season! There are a lot of great dessert recipes we've shared, but this time of year pie is my first choice... and pecan pie especially!
But pecan pies are often disappointing… they are so sweet that I can’t eat more than a few bites, plus the filling often has a slightly curdled texture that is definitely not my favorite. And, although whole pecans make a pie look beautiful, they cause major cracking when you slice… so you end up with a less-than-appealing pile of brown mush on your plate. 😬
🥇 Why it's great!
This Maple Pecan Pie without corn syrup is the solution to ALL my woes. It’s a slightly modified take on America’s Test Kitchen recipe and they got it right!
- This recipe uses no corn syrup. The best corn syrup substitute for pecan pie is maple syrup and a hint of molasses. They make the filling sweet and flavorful, but not too sweet and still ultra-smooth.
- The pie is cooked at just the right temperature for a smooth texture - no curdled filling here!
- It uses chopped pecans instead of whole pecans so you can have clean, pretty slices. Plus it's easier to eat without pecans ending up on your face.
- If all that wasn’t enough, this recipe is also ridiculously easy to make. 😏
🍂 Ingredients
- Pie crust: Make a homemade pie crust, buy a refrigerated one, or use a frozen pie crust.
- Pecans: Start with whole nuts or halves, then toast them to bring out more flavor. Then chop them - I promise pecan pie with chopped pecans is superior 😉
- Pure maple syrup: No corn syrup! Real maple syrup adds amazing flavor that compliments the pecans, but isn’t too sweet.
- Light brown sugar: Rounds out the flavor.
- Heavy cream: Cuts the sweetness of the filling.
- Molasses: Dark molasses is best because it has more flavor, but you can substitute light molasses if needed.
- Salt: As with most desserts, a little salt helps pull it all together.
- Butter: I use salted butter, but unsalted works just fine.
- Egg yolks: Add at the very end to finish the filling.
🔪 How to make Maple Pecan Pie without corn syrup
Maple syrup pecan pie is honestly not that hard to make, even though it tastes like a culinary masterpiece. Here's an overview of the process. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven. First, place an oven rack in the lowest position and place an empty sheet pan on the rack. Close the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Prepare pie shell. Roll your homemade or store-bought pie crust. Roll your dough into a 12-inch circle, then gently fold it in half, then in half again to form a rough triangle shape. Place the point in the center of the pie dish and unfold the crust, pressing it into the pan and trimming the overhang. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Toast the pecans. On the hot sheet pan in the oven, toast the pecans at 350° for 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout. Pecans should be fragrant, but not burned. Remove from the sheet pan and chop.
- Increase the temperature. Place the empty sheet pan back in the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
- Make the filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, heavy cream, and molasses over medium heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, then cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter and salt, then add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.
- Assemble. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the filling over the pecans.
- Bake. Immediately place the pie on the sheet pan in the oven on the lowest rack. Immediately reduce the temperature to 325°F. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the filling is set and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken.
- Cool and serve. Cool pie on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This recipe serves 8 people at a minimum and more if you do small slices. If you need to make two pies, I prefer to make them one at a time. I prep my pie crusts and put them in the fridge. Then I make the filling for the first pie and bake it right away. Once it is out of the oven, I repeat the process for the second pie.
If you must, you can bake them at the same time. But make sure to rotate the racks they are on halfway through the baking. My most important tip: Make sure to wait to pour the pie filling into the crust until right before baking. Otherwise the crust will get soggy.
🙋 Questions and Answers
To check if your pecan pie is done, gently shake the pie pan. If the filling appears to be set on the edges but just barely jiggles in the center, then it is done. If it jiggles a lot in the center, it is not quite finished.
Pecan pie filling does not thicken very much as it is cooling, so it is important to make sure it is baked enough to begin with.
Yes, you can make the pie and refrigerate it for up to 2-3 days in advance. Make sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap after the first 3 hours in the fridge. You can also freeze the pie ahead (see my freezing instructions below).
Yes, you can freeze pecan pie easily, but only after baking. Allow the pie to cool for 1 hour at room temperature and then refrigerate for 3 hours. Then wrap it carefully in plastic wrap and foil (or store in a large air-tight container) and freeze for up to 3 months. Before serving, thaw it overnight in the fridge and then bring to room temperature before slicing.
Yes, pecan pie should be refrigerated and not left out more than a few hours. Store it in an air-tight container or wrap the pie plate in plastic wrap before refrigerating.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Prep the ingredients before you start. In my opinion, taking 5 minutes at the beginning to have everything measured makes the rest of the process stress free.
- Dissolve the sugar all the way. Otherwise the filling will be grainy.
- Bake the pie as soon as you pour the filling into the crust. If it sits in the crust for even a few minutes you could end up with a soggy crust.
- Don't forget to lower the oven temperature! Right when you put the pie in, lower the temperature to 325°F.
- Slice the pie with this serrated swiss knife (affiliate). It is our favorite knife for cutting clean, straight lines in all kinds of desserts!
📖 Other great dessert recipes
- Caramel Apple Slices
- White Chocolate Sundae with Blondie Sauce
- Cake in a Cast Iron Skillet
- Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake
👋🏻 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
Amazing Maple Pecan Pie (Without Corn Syrup)
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust store-bought or homemade
- 1½ cups pecans
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dark molasses (We use the brand Grandma's Molasses. If you opt to use a black strap molasses, know that it will be darker and more intensely flavored.)
- 4 tablespoon butter cut into ½ inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 egg yolks lightly beaten
Instructions
Prepare Pie Crust
- Roll your dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle that is about ⅛-inch thick.1 pie crust
- Gently fold the pie crust in half, then in half again to form a rough triangle shape (think pizza slice). Pick up the folded dough and place the point in the center of a 9 inch pie dish. Unfold the crust to cover the dish, leaving a 1-inch overhang on all sides.
- Gently press the dough into the pan, trim the overhang to about a ½-inch on all sides, and use the overhang to form a crimped edge if desired. Refrigerate uncovered until firm, about 1 hour.
Toast Pecans
- Place an oven rack in the lowest position and place an empty sheet pan on the rack. Close the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Once hot, add the pecans and toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout. Pecans should be fragrant, but not burned. Remove from the sheet pan and chop roughly.1½ cups pecans
- Place the empty sheet pan back in the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
Make Pecan Pie Filling
- In a medium saucepan, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, heavy cream, and molasses over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes.1 cup maple syrup, 1 cup light brown sugar, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon dark molasses
- Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the butter and salt. Last, add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.4 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 6 egg yolks
Assemble and Bake
- Remove the pie shell from the fridge and sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly on the bottom. Pour the filling over the pecans.
- Immediately place the pie on the sheet pan in the oven on the lowest rack. Close the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 325°F.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the filling is set and the center jiggles just slightly when shaken.
- Remove pie from oven and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Before serving, bring pie to room temperature and top with whipped cream.
- We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.
Notes
- Prep the ingredients before you start. In my opinion, taking 5 minutes at the beginning to have everything measured makes the rest of the process stress free.
- Dissolve the sugar all the way. Otherwise the filling will be grainy.
- Bake the pie as soon as you pour the filling into the crust. If it sits in the crust for even a few minutes you could end up with a soggy crust.
- Don't forget to lower the oven temperature! Right when you put the pie in, reduce the temperature to 325°F.
- Slice the pie with this serrated swiss knife (affiliate). It is our favorite knife for cutting clean, straight lines in all kinds of desserts!
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Wanda says
I have been making this recipe for years. Hand down is my favorite pecan pie recipe. I love using the Pillsbury Refigerated Pie Crust because I think they are excellent and so convenient. I use a 9 inch ceramic pie pan that is deeper than traditional 9 inch glass pans but I always have trouble fitting the pie sheet into the pan such that it doesn't shrink on one side or the other. This recipe makes a lot of filling (and I like using it all because I like a thicker pie) but if I put all of it in, I think that contributes to the crust shrinking. Do you have any suggestions regarding this issue?
Danielle says
Crust shrinking is due to many factors, but my first thought is that the premade dough circles are not meant to fit in a deeper pie pan. Stretching it to fit can definitely contribute to the dough wanting to shrink during baking. We have the best luck putting this in a standard 9 inch pie pan and filling it will all the filling. Hope that helps!
Cheri says
Pecan pie is my son and son-in-law's favorite! I've always just bought them from the store because I was too scared to make one. But not anymore!! I got brave and tried this recipe, which turned out to be easy! I will never buy a store-bought pecan pie again! Both my son and son-in-law loved it! I did make the mistake of using black strap molasses instead of regular. This gave the pie a deeper flavor. But I can fix that issue and be on my way to another amazing pecan pie! Outstanding recipe!
Misty says
So happy you tried it!! Even with darker flavor, so delicious!
Amber says
Oh. My. Goodness! This was amazing! My nephew said he will request it every year for his birthday.