Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post.
This Maple Pecan Pie is made with brown sugar and maple syrup, creating a deep, rich flavor. It has a buttery crust and sticky-sweet pecan filling balanced with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Are you ready to be the holiday MVP? Today I’m sharing a Maple Pecan Pie recipe and the perfect accompaniment to serve along with it: Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream. You’re guaranteed to end your holiday celebrations on a high note with this incredible dessert combination.
I set out to create a Pecan Pie recipe worth getting excited over (hint: no bland corn syrup here). I used my Maple Pecan Pie Bars as inspiration and came up with this rich and flavorful, sweet and salty Maple Pecan Pie. Once I had the perfect pie, I had to add the perfect topping: Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream.
Try the chocolate version, too: Chocolate Pecan Pie.
Jump to:
I am a seriously devoted Tillamook fan. Tillamook ice cream is the best ice cream I have ever tasted, and the only ice cream I buy for my family. Tillamook uses more cream than air in their premium ice cream, making each bite incredibly smooth and creamy. If you’re looking to upgrade your holiday desserts, topping them with Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream is the most delicious way to do it.
Once you have your ice cream, you can shift your sights to creating the best Pecan Pie.
How to make maple pecan pie
- Line a pie plate with a standard pie crust (use my homemade recipe or your favorite pie crust). Place the pie crust in the refrigerator while you assemble the filling.
- Heat butter, brown sugar and maple syrup in a small saucepan until smooth and combined.
- Whisk eggs, maple extract, and salt into the syrup mixture.
- Sprinkle pecans over the bottom of the unbaked pie crust, then pour over the liquid mixture.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
What makes this recipe the best
Several things set this recipe apart from most traditional pecan pies. Here’s what elevates this recipe:
- Maple syrup instead of corn syrup – The richness of pure maple syrup adds fantastic flavor, color, and sweetness to this pie.
- 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.
- Texture – A combination of flaky crust, gooey filling, crunchy pecans, and ultra-creamy vanilla ice cream take this dessert over the top.
Recipe tips
- 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 just 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.
- Chill for a firmer filling, serve at room temperature for a softer filling. This pie slices neatest when it is chilled. When served at room temperature the filling will be softer (as pictured).
- Spritz your pie plate lightly with non-stick spray to ensure that your slices will come out easily.
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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:
- Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
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. 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 in the center to lower third of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for another 15-25 minutes (approximately), until the edges are set but the 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 the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature with Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream.
Notes
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!
Carolyn
Your pie looks delicious ?. We live on the west coast & agree with you, Tillamook ice cream ? is the best
Allison
Thanks, Carolyn! Happy to (virtually) meet another Tillamook fan. 🙂 Take care!
kathleen
This was excellent! Got tons on compliments. Made it twice already within one month. I toasted the pecans and think it made a difference, too.
Allison
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
LaCherese
The best pecan pie!
Allison
I agree. 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Hinda Rubinstein
I just made this delicious pie. Thank you! I used half a cup of sugar and half a cup of maple syrup. I ground some of the nuts up too and mixed them in. I also added a tablespoon of molasses.
Donnie B
Allison,
The recipe tastes phenomenal!
Unlike yourself, I’m a retired old man that started “messing” in the kitchen for fun(?) The crust had wonderful flavor and texture, but I found that I didn’t have as much “material” for the crust to make it as think as I would like. Could I increase everything exponentially to make more of it? Will that Work? What would you suggest? Thanks
Allison
Hi, Donnie. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. You could try increasing the crust by half, using these measurements:
1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if using table salt I’d stick with 1/2t)
3/4 cup cold butter
6 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy baking!
Debra
Do you have to cook the maple syrup can you just pour it in the mix like you do the karo?
Allison
I cook it because it helps make the brown sugar dissolve.
Racky
This is my first time to follow your recipe an it’s perfect in my humble opinion. Pecan pie is a favorite of mine as well as my daughters. I’ve tried several recipes but I found that yours is the best. I followed your instructions, however I used a store bought frozen pie crust and I toasted the pecans at 400 for 3 minutes. When I sliced the pie I was not able to get the bottom crust . Any suggestions on how to correct this?
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed the pie. Did the bottom crust stick to the bottom of the pan? You can try lightly spritzing the pan with nonstick spray before adding he crust. Thanks for stopping by!
Amelia
Is this 506 calories per slice (1/10th) of the pie, or is that 506 calories for the entire pie? Thank you in advance 🙂
Allison
Do you really want to know? 😉 Haha. It’s per serving/slice.
Luanne Burke
Hi.! Do you have any recommendations for making this pie in high altitude? Thank you.
Allison
Hi, Luanne. I don’t have any personal experience baking at high altitude. You can try this resource: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Carolyne Spackman
I used a store bought 9 inch pie shell and this filling would not fit. I had to remove one cup of syrup covered pecans after searching other recipes and discovering they used only 1 cup of chopped pecans, not 2 cups of chopped pecans. This almost ruined my Thanksgiving as it was just unneeded stress on top of all the other preparations.
Allison
Hi, Carolyne. The recipe states one 9-inch deep dish unbaked pie crust. I made this exact recipe (in a store bought crust) for my Thanksgiving this year and it came out fine. I’ve also seen pecan pie recipes from reputable sources like Smitten Kitchen and Sally’s Baking Addiction call for 2 cups (or more) of pecans.
Ottawa_Guy
Hi Allison! Being as biased as I can be, as a Canadian, the maple syrup brings this recipe to a new level. The measurements in your recipe are perfect, and the tips you provide are very useful. The end result is exceptional. Cheers and happy holidays, from our family to yours!
Allison
Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Wanda
Yes I made this pie and it is the best pecan pie I’ve ever tasted!😊
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂