Old Fashioned Pecan Pie Recipe without Corn Syrup
You will need one unbaked pie crust to make this pie.
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The first time I tasted an Old Fashioned Pecan Pie I was hooked, a true blue pecan pie lover. It was crispy and chewy, and the flavor was out of this world delicious. I didn’t know it then but I was tasting a no-corn syrup pecan pie!
Then I tried to make my own, following a popular corn syrup-based pecan pie recipe. My first pecan pie was too sweet. That began the long hunt for a good Pecan Pie recipe. I wanted a Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup, but I didn’t know it at the time.
Best Pecan Pie Recipe?
When I first started looking for a Pecan Pie Recipe that wasn’t too sweet and had a lot of flavors I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for. All I knew was that I just hated the overpowering sweetness of the corn syrup. What I did know is that I wanted something old-fashioned and not too sweet. I found it in an old Betty Crocker recipe book from the 1940s, with a few tweaks it’s been my go-to for a Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup ever since.
Ingredients needed:
- brown sugar
- melted butter but cooled to room temperature
- eggs
- sugar
- flour
- pecan halves or chopped pecans
- sea salt or regular don’t use kosher
- milk
- vanilla extract
Tools You Need
- wooden spoon
- large bowl
- pie pan
- saucepan
- wire rack
- piece of aluminum foil
Substitute for Corn Syrup in Pecan Pie
I was surprised that the traditional pecan pie recipes didn’t call for molasses or pure maple syrup as a corn syrup substitute. Nope. They called for brown sugar and just a little white sugar. And that’s IT!
No 2 cups of corn syrup in this pie that’s for sure! Occasionally I’ve added a dollop of molasses instead of
Will my Pecan Pie Be runny if I don’t use Corn Syrup?
I get this question A LOT. If you leave the corn syrup out of your pie you don’t have to worry about the pecan pie filling being runny. The egg in this recipe AND the flour work together to make a perfect filling that sets up as the pie cools.
It’s not runny at all and it’s perfectly set every time. If you’re worried about your pie not setting up pop it in the fridge for an hour or so. That will really help it set up. But I’ve never had one of these pies be runny unless I messed up on the ingredients.
I’ve never made a pie before!
If you’ve never made a pie before I’ve got the best pie crust recipes for you to use. But IF the thought of making a PIE CRUST has you worried try my Pecan Pie Bars. No corn syrup in my bars!
And if you’re going to make a pie why not use my All Butter Pie Crust Recipe?? It is truly easy with a food processor and I have two different videos walking you through making it. I think its flavor makes it the best crust for a pecan pie.
Once you start making homemade pie crusts you’ll never go back. Also if you don’t like an All-Butter Crust try my Easy Homemade Pie Crust recipe that uses shortening! And not to worry you can make it in a food processor too.
My recipes will give you perfect crusts made in under 10 minutes. Oh but do remember you should definitely chill them for at least 4 hours before baking them off.
Store-bought crusts are also fast but you run the risk of a cracked pie crust when you use them. You can also use a frozen pie shell if that makes it easier for you!
Tips for making a great pie dough/crust:
- KEEP EVERYTHING COLD
- The secret to quick and easy pie dough?? A food processor!
- don’t stretch your dough to fit the pan, it will shrink
- No baking room-temperature pie dough, it’ll puddle up in your pan
- MAKE ONE BEFORE YOU HAVE TO SHARE A PIE, don’t try to make a pie crust for the first time if you want to impress people, try to make one in advance so you know how it works!
What size Pie Pan should I use??
This is an old-fashioned pie and it’s made to fit best in a 9-inch pie pan. No deep dish, nothing super fancy. I use and love this Pyrex Pie Pan. But you can use a metal pie pan too if you want to super chill your pie crust before baking! I have them linked below in the recipe card if you want to see what they look like,
Want to Make Variations like Mini Pecan Pies?
You can!
- Try this recipe for Mini Pecan Pies without Corn Syrup. They’re compact, packable, and perfect for sharing!
- Or I just perfected my Maple Pecan Pie, you should totally try it!
- Want to make cookies? Try my Pecan Pie Cookies they also are made without corn syrup
Is this THE BEST PECAN PIE RECIPE??
I think it is! But here’s what other people are saying about this recipe:
“I have only had a bite of pecan pie here and there. It always looked too nauseatingly sweet! I decided to try your recipe yesterday for Thanksgiving. Oh. My. Stars. It is wonderful! Everybody loved it! Thanks so much!”
From a reader in response to another comment
“I’m allergic to corn…thank you soooo much!!!! And I’ve missed, missed, missed the delectable confection of the most wonderful nutpie on the planet! Thank you, thank you!!”
from a happy reader who found a recipe she can eat
Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup
You will need one unbaked pie crust to make this pie.
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pie crust fitted in a 9-inch pie pan no deep dish pans needed!
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup melted butter cool but not cold
- 2 TBSP milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup pecans
Instructions
- preheat oven to 375˚
- place prepared crust in the fridge if you haven’t already done that
- mix the sugars, flour, and salt together, set aside
- mix the butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla together
- pour over the sugar mixture and beat well
- fold in pecans
- pour in prepared pie crust
- bake at 375˚ for 40-50 minutes until the pie is set and the crust is nicely browned
Notes
- You will need one single pie crust for this recipe. Use my Easy Pie Crust Recipe for the best results!
- OR use a prepared pie crust from the refrigerated section. Or use a frozen pie crust! They all work!! Be sure to use 9-inch pie pan for best results, no deep dish pie pans are needed!
Hooray!
A pecan (walnut) pie recipe we can give to our Mongolian friends where they don’t have to worry about not being able to even find corn syrup!
Does a prepared crust mean a baked crust or just a pie crust that’s been already put in the pie pan and crimped, but not yet baked?
Oh good point! Let me fix that! And to answer your question it means a pie crust ready to fill! Not baked yet.
Can this be made ahead and frozen? I freeze my karo Pecan pies but would like to use your recipe this year. I love overseas and no karo available plus I don’t love it.thanks
I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.
Yes it can 🙂
This recipe is my go-to. Add a handful of chocolate chips, semisweet work best. You will not regret it.
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for this recipe, I will be trying it out for the first time this Thanksgiving. I am so looking forward to it.
I am trying this today for Thanksgiving. I forgot to buy Karo syrup. Thank you for this recipe! It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without pecan pie!
YEAHHHHH I love to hear it!!
Can this pie be left at room temperature? My daughter wants to make it for a fair.
It’s probably safe for a day? It does have eggs in it. DOn’t they typically have food brought in and judged on the same day so they’re fresh??
I love pecan pie. I hate corn syrup. Corn allergy, you know. For years I have looked for a pecan pie recipe that didn’t use corn syrup (using the ubiquitous Karo brand). I abandoned the search, finally.
This year I decided to search again. Countless corn syrup recipes came up. Then, I found your recipe. It offered a chance to have my beloved pecan pie after years of denying myself.
I thought the recipe would be hard. Nope, easy.
I thought the flavor wouldn’t match memory. It didn’t. This recipe created a pie that exceeded my expectations. Wonderfully decadent and without a lingering sugary aftertaste.
Thank you so much for searching out this recipe and posting it. This pie was by far the best pecan pie in my memory.
I’ve been looking for a great old fashioned pecan pie recipe, thanks for sharing.
Love this recipe! This is my second time making it and for some reason there’s a lot of butter swimming and bubbling underneath the crust. I used only 1 stick which is 1/2 cup. I doubt the pie will be bad but just wondering if I did something wrong? Thanks for all you do!
I wanted some pecan pie. I had no Karo syrup. I found this syrupless recipe online made it. I cut the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup because 1/2 just seemed like a lot of butter. The result tasted great to me, definitely not as sweet, not that sweet is a problem to me.
I agree w/Joe, I think this is way too much butter….I am going to make this recipe as I seem to have lost my ex MIL’s wonderful pecan pie recipe that I have made for YRS! She was a great cook! I don’t remember her’s having this much butter in it at all….
Because there is no other liquid beyond eggs and a little milk in this pie if you cut down on the butter you’re going to have a really dry pie. But you do you.
How long does this take to set?
Several hours, it needs to cool completely. Once cool it should be set up.
Thank you so much for the clear and simple directions for this delicious pie – can’t wait to make it again for company!
This tasted so amazing! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make recipe! Fam really loves it! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Made this today and we were extremely happy with the results. I did use dark brown sugar. Very good. A keeper!
Is the butter measure by weight (4 ounces) or by volume (melt and pour butter into measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup)? Or does it matter? I love pecan pie, but gave it up because of the overwhelming sweetness, so I’m looking forward to trying your pie (and the bars!).
When I made it I used stick or a half a cup of butter cold straight out of the fridge. Cut it in tablespoon size slices. Melted it. And use that.
I will add this information to the post because it’s a GREAT question!
I am very happy to see a recipe with NO corn syrup (ick – all that goo)! I
made two of these pies this morning – one with light brown sugar and one with dark brown sugar. They are for Thanksgiving (tomorrow) so I haven’t tasted them yet. They look delicious, but here’s my question: the pie shells look only half full. I measured to make sure the pie dish is standard (1.5 inches deep), but there is a whole lot of crust above the filling. I’d be happy to send a photo, but I don’t see a way to do that. I can’t figure out what is going on. Should I have used twice the filling?
No, it’s just a regular old pie. Not overfilled or anything. Your pie pan may have been wider. In a regular 9-inch pyrex, this pie is just a little below the crust.
I made this pecan pie and it was absolutely the very best I ever had. WE Absolutely Loved it! My only complaint was the filling was not abundant and didn’t quite fill the pan like I expected. Fast forward, I tried another recipe that also had no corn syrup, and it was just ok. Nowhere near as good as this recipe. This one is a keeper. (Is there a way to “half up” the recipe so I would 1.5 x the filling ingredients? I may try it to see if I get the same results with a little fuller pie. )
Thanks for sharing this!
I made this pie just as it says except for adding more pecans. I added 1/2 cup more pecans. It makes the pie a little fuller with more nut taste of course. My family loved it. They request this pie all the time. So glad I found this without corn syrup.
Seriously, the best pecan pie I have ever had
Laura thank you for the recipe! We love it!! The only change I made was browning the butter! It turned out delicious! Happy Thanksgiving!
I initially made this recipe because I planned a pecan pie and then realized that I didn’t have corn syrup. Honestly, I wouldn’t make pecan pie any other way now. By using brown sugar, you take away some amount of looseness that traditional pecan pie has. This pie is gooey and delicious without the mess of dealing with corn syrup.