27 Pecan Pie Recipes That Are Ooey, Gooey Perfection

We love all kinds of pie, from blueberry to lemon cream to chocolate meringue. But during a certain time of year, there is one type of pie recipe that rises above. When it comes to Thanksgiving desserts, the pecan pie is one of the most beloved of all fall treats. Whether you like your pecan pie with whole nuts or chopped, chocolate or classic, all-butter or shortening crust, we have the perfect recipe for you.

If you don’t know where to start, opt for this classic pecan pie recipe. The buttery crust is perfect for beginners, thanks to a helpful suggestion to make it in a food processor. Once the crust is par-baked, the caramel pecan filling is ready to add in. It’s an airy version thanks to lightly beaten eggs that give the filling a bit of lift.

Equal parts brownie and pie, this dessert has a layer of chocolate fudge brownie that bakes on a sheet of store-bought pie crust. After baking, it’s topped with a stovetop version of toasted pecan pie filling. Serve it warm, paired with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream.

Most pecan pie recipes use a heavy pour of light or dark corn syrup to help create that syrupy, gooey texture. This version swaps some of that out for honey to give the pie a more natural sweetness. There’s also a splash of honey whiskey to keep it from tasting too sweet.

While we aren’t about to turn away a slice of this unbeatable pecan pie, the real magic lies in the whiskey maple cream sauce. This dreamy sauce can be prepared ahead of time and won’t melt or deflate like ice cream or whipped cream. Keep it cold until just before servings then drizzle it all over your warm slice of pie.

Ree Drummond uses a mix of vegetable shortening and butter for her pie crust recipe to give the dough the right blend of texture and flavor. Once that’s done, the pecan filling takes just a second to stir together. This is a great recipe to start with if you’re new to the world of pie baking.

Skip the pie altogether and go for these cupcakes flavored in the style as the classic dessert. The cupcake batter is full of toasted ground pecans and tangy sour cream, while the fluffy buttercream is whipped with nutty browned butter. Each finished cupcake is topped with a spoonful of dulce de leche and a single toasted pecan half so that each bite is swirling with toasty caramel flavor.

Out of corn syrup? No problem. This recipe does away with the ingredient altogether in favor of maple syrup and plenty of brown sugar. Don’t worry, the filling still ends up wonderfully gooey and packed with toasted pecans.

This is our test kitchen’s best pecan pie, after many rounds of testing. It starts with a flaky, all-butter crust that uses an egg to give the dough some pliability. Baked into the crust is a delicately sweet filling that’s flavored with a touch of bourbon and vanilla, plus plenty of toasted pecans.

Chocolate lovers will rave over this rich, bourbon-spiked pecan pie. The recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate so it’s not too sweet. It all bakes in a light, buttery crust that’s infused with finely ground pecans to add an extra nutty texture.

Thanks to this handy recipe, everyone can enjoy pecan pie even if they have to avoid gluten. Our time-tested gluten-free flour blend creates a flaky, crisp crust that bakes up perfectly. The filling uses a blend of coconut sugar and maple syrup to give it a salted caramel flavor with a hint of something extra.

This version of pecan pie draws on the flavors of a gooey tray of homemade cinnamon rolls. There’s cinnamon sugar baked into the crust as well as plenty of light brown sugar in the filling. A final drizzle of cream cheese glaze seals the deal on this gorgeous dessert.

This brownie recipe doesn’t have pie crust but is topped with a sweet, crunchy layer of pecans to evoke the flavors of your favorite pecan pie. The pecans are tossed with brown sugar, light corn syrup and a splash of bourbon. The brownie layer bakes first so that it becomes firm enough to stand up to the hefty pecan layer.

Start with a prepared piece of refrigerated pie dough and fill it with this simple pecan pie mixture that incorporates vanilla, butter, sugar and a touch of milk. The entire pie uses crunchy pecan halves, included a gorgeous circular pattern pressed into the top.

A twist of lemon zest and juice gives this pecan pie a uniquely citrusy flavor. The acid from the lemon helps cut through the deep sweetness of the brown sugar pecan filling, leaving an overall balanced flavor profile. It bakes as a slab in a standard baking sheet, giving it a much thinner profile than a standard round pie—a plus for crust lovers.

This pecan pie is corn syrup-free, opting instead for a mix of light brown and white sugar. A few tablespoons of milk help give the filling a super smooth texture and a flavor that’s reminiscent of pecan praline. Use chopped pecans in the filling and save the pricier pecan halves for the decorative topping.

If your family is split between pecan and pumpkin pie lovers, make this recipe and appeal to everyone. Start with a standard pie crust, either this recipe or a store-bought version, then fill it with a pumpkin mixture flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar and date puree. Once the filling is set, the whole pie is topped with a warm pecan toffee sauce.

The salty, crunchy goodness of pretzels is the secret ingredient that sets this pecan pie recipe apart from the rest. Lightly crushed sourdough pretzels flavor the pie crust and a few bake into the filling as well. Overall, it gives the pie a subtle touch of something extra without much hassle.

This pecan pie takes on a boozier flavor thanks to a hefty pour of bourbon. The alcohol keeps the pie from tasting too sweet while still complementing the brown sugar filling. The harshness of the alcohol bakes out in the oven, leaving behind a smooth taste.

More of a cheesecake fan? Now you can have your cake and eat it, too. A silky caramel pecan topping for creamy cheesecake offers the flavors of pecan pie without sacrificing that smooth cheesecake texture. The cheesecake sits on a simple graham cracker crust, so you can do away with the pie dough hassle altogether.

This pie combines rich, buttery pecans with a silky-smooth toffee filling to make a pecan pie that’s a cut above the rest. The golden, flaky crust amplifies each bite and isn’t too fussy to work with thanks to some help from an added egg yolk. A handful of toffee bits thrown into the filling add a surprising extra touch of toffee goodness into each bite.

Southerners know that sorghum syrup makes for a wonderful ingredient in baking, with more flavor than corn syrup and less richness than molasses. This pecan pie recipe uses a mixture of sorghum syrup and bourbon to flavor the pie filling. It’s an airier filling than you might be used to with a surprise layer of chocolate on top of the crust.

Not sure about making pie crust from scratch? This simple recipe calls for an easy store-bought crust. Even baking novices can manage the filling, which features a decorative whole pecan topping to give it that homemade touch. If you can spring for it, opt to get the whole vanilla beans which lend a much stronger flavor than extract.

If your biggest issue with pecan pie is that there’s never enough of it, then you might love this recipe. The pecans are tossed with a buttery maple syrup mixture before piling on top of a prebaked pecan pie filling. It all bakes in a flaky deep-dish pie shell until the pecans are toasted and brown.

Give your pecan pie a south-of-the-border makeover with this Mexican chocolate-infused recipe. Along with the corn syrup, brown sugar and butter, this recipe adds Mexican cream and chopped Mexican chocolate to create the filling. The chocolate has a much richer flavor than other domestic chocolates and is flavored with a touch of cinnamon.

This pecan pie delivers on the classic flavors and textures of your favorite holiday pie — sweet, brown sugar, a touch of vanilla and a generous addition of toasted, crunchy pecans. There's also a hint of bourbon to add a smokey, caramel note. But don't worry, everyone can enjoy this pie because the alcohol cooks off as it bakes. And not to mention, the all-butter crust adds ideal flakiness and a crisp vessel for the decadent filling. Serve as-is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an impressive and nostalgic holiday dessert.

This cake is for all those pecan pie lovers who find pecan pie just a little too sweet after a big meal. Chiffon cakes are similar to angel food but use whole eggs rather than whites and usually have some oil to enrich them — making them the perfect foil to the richness of the gooey pecan topping.