This maple pecan pie is a flavorful and cozy twist on the classic dessert. Brown sugar and maple syrup create a deep, rich flavor paired with toasted pecans and a buttery crust.
This is a pecan pie recipe worth getting excited over. I used my maple pecan pie bars as inspiration and came up with this incredible maple pecan pie without corn syrup.
I am obsessed with all things “pecan pie”. If you are too, you have to try my: chocolate pecan pie, pecan pie cake, and pecan pie cookies!
Jump to:
What sets this recipe apart
Maple syrup instead of corn syrup – The richness of pure maple syrup adds fantastic flavor, color, and sweetness to this pie. No corn syrup at all!
Brown sugar – Instead of white sugar, light brown sugar lends additional sweetness and a subtle molasses flavor.
Toasted pecans – Lightly toasting the pecans prior to adding them to the pie intensifies their flavor and makes them extra crunchy.
Salt – Pecan pie is very sweet, and adding salt (both in the pie and sprinkled on top) creates a noticeably salty-sweet balance.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Pie crust
Line a pie plate with a standard pie crust. Use my pie crust recipe or your favorite homemade or store bought crust.
Filling
Cook the maple-brown sugar filling on the stovetop. Cool slightly then and add eggs, salt, and extract.
Assembly
Add the pecans to the bottom of the pie plate and pour the filling over the top.
Bake
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
My recipe testing tips
Oven rack position: Bake in the middle to the lower third of the oven. Baking the pie on an upper oven rack can cause the top to get too dark.
Underbake slightly: When you pull it from the oven the edges should be set but the very center will still have a slight jiggle to it. It will firm up as it cools.
Serving temperature: Chill the pie for a firmer filling. Serve at room temperature for a softer filling. This pie slices neatest when it is chilled.
No sticking: Spritz your pie plate lightly with non-stick spray before adding the crust. This ensures that your slices come out easily.
Recipe
Maple Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Pie crust (or use your favorite 9-inch deep dish unbaked pie crust):
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup ice water, plus more, if needed
Filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract OR 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted, if desired*
- non-stick baking spray
- flaky finishing salt
For serving:
- vanilla ice cream, I love Tillamook
Instructions
Pie crust:
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour, doing so until the butter is broken down into pea-sized pieces. Add ¼ cup ice water and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough starts coming together. Then use your hands to bring the dough together. If necessary, add another tablespoon of cold water. The dough should just be sticking together. Try not to overwork it.
- Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten it into a disc and wrap it up. Roll the edges of the crust on the countertop (like a wheel) to smooth out the edges. Transfer to your refrigerator for 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Note: If you're planning on toasting your pecans, now would be the time to do it.
- Let the pie crust sit at room temperature for several minutes until it is no longer rock-hard, but still cold (this will depend on how long it was the fridge). Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is a 12-13 inch circle.
- Lightly spritz a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with non-stick spray, then transfer the crust to the pie plate. Trim and fold/crimp the excess crust around the edges. Place the crust in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center to lower third of the oven. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and maple syrup and whisk until smooth and combined. Bring the mixture to a low simmer (bubbles forming around the perimeter of the pan), then remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into a bowl to cool for 15 minutes.
- Add eggs, salt and extract to the syrup mixture, whisking until combined.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans in the bottom of the uncooked pie crust. Pour the syrup mixture over the pecans, rearranging the pecans if necessary. Lightly spritz a piece of foil with non-stick spray. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for another 15-25 minutes (approximately), until the edges are set but the very center of the pie is still a bit jiggly (like gelatin).
- Sprinkle the top of the pie with a few sprinkles of flaky finishing salt. Place on a wire rack to cool completely (several hours).
Notes
Serving and storage
Serve this pie at room temperature for the best texture. Leftovers should be refrigerated and brought to room temp before serving. The warmer the pie is the more gooey the filling will be. When cold the filling will be much firmer.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Jane says
My first time ever making maple pecan pie and I’ve had to bake one three times in ten days! Everyone loves it. Thank you for the recipe.
Allison Mattina says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for sharing your experience with this recipe. 🙂
Traci Merrell says
I made one yesterday for my dad and one today for my husband because it got rave reviews at our Father’s Day dinner. Delicious, not overly sweet, a good amount of pecans, and easy to make. Love this recipe!
Allison Mattina says
That’s great to hear. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Jennifer says
I’m in the middle of making this pie. Is it just me or is the crust recipe slightly off with the flour ratio? I made it as written but when I compared to other pie crust recipes they had the same amount of butter and double the flour. I added more flour bc my dough was super wet and not like what I’d seen before for any crust dough. Am I already off to a bad start? Help!
Allison Mattina says
Hi, Jennifer. This is a standard pie crust recipe. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup (one 8-tablespoon stick) of butter. Did you accidentally use 1 cup of butter?
Tish says
Wondering why you don’t prebake your pie crust? Is there a difference?
Allison Mattina says
Hi! It’s not necessary for this recipe. I recommend baking in the center to the lower third of the oven so that the bottom gets baked thoroughly. Enjoy!
Noam says
Followed the instructions exactly. Came out perfectly!
Allison Mattina says
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. 🙂
Megan says
I don’t think I’ve ever left a review of a recipe, but i had to for this! This was probably the best pecan pie I’ve ever had! Definitely recommend toasting the pecans and the maple syrup adds extra warm flavor! Absolutely delicious
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Margaret Paul says
I’m not sure what I did wrong but when I cut into the pie it was watery and not set. I followed the recipe to the tee. I even left the pie in for 15 minutes longer than the recipe said. I let it cool for a hr. Maybe next time, I won’t put tinfoil on it the first thirty minutes… maybe just edges so it doesn’t burn. Oh well, better luck next time
Allison Mattina says
Hi, Margaret. I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s highly likely that it’s because it wasn’t fully cool. Even an hour after baking it will still be holding some residual heat in the center which will make the filling thin.
Debra Wilson says
Best pie and easy for me to make! Tips were very helpful. Everyone said it was really delicious and ask that I make another one for Christmas!
Allison Mattina says
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Jenny says
This was delicious. I have made maple recipes before and they’ve been kind of bland but this one was a winner. I will say I think I should have baked the crust before hand for a few minutes or taken more care to make sure it was evenly rolled out as I had a very minor variation in thickness (maybe 1/8th in) in one section and that part was a little underdone. That’s likely on me though and it was delicious anyway. I will use convection next time as well.
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Mj says
This was really good. I used brown sugar Splenda to cut down the sugar for my husband.
Allison Mattina says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂