I have been making this Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe for years, but am finally getting around to sharing it. This Pecan Pie is loaded with toasted pecans, has a rich and creamy maple pecan pie filling, and is topped with a delicious hint of Bourbon whipped cream. It's the perfect dessert for your holiday meal!
Pecan pie is popular around the holidays, especially at Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. Although, it really is a great pie any time of the year. It pairs exceptionally well with any holiday dinner, including my Thanksgiving Menu. It's also a nice alternative to pumpkin pie.
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My testers (my family) gave this recipe a 10/10 and it's become one of their favorite pies.
🥧How to make the best pecan pie
Since pecan pie can be tricky to make, here are some things I learned after a couple of my own early fails:
- use a glass pie pan
- place your glass pie plate on a baking sheet
- use pecan halves
- toast your pecans before putting them in the pie
- whisk the hot syrup into the eggs quickly
- measure doneness by internal temperature (use an instant-read thermometer)
- don't fill the pie shell too high
🥘Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients in this pecan pie recipe:
- 1 cup real maple syrup *See variations and substitutions
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
- 9-inch unbaked deep dish pie crust *I use Tenderflake if using store-bought and my No fail pie crust dough for homemade
- 1 cup whipping cream (aka heavy cream)
- 2 tbsp confectioners' sugar (aka powdered sugar or icing sugar)
- 1 tbsp bourbon *I use Wild Turkey bourbon
🔪Instructions
PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and grease a 9-inch glass pie plate (see equipment)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread pecans in single layer.
Toast pecans in oven for 7- 10 minutes on 350 degrees F. Keep a close eye and shake the pan halfway through, to avoid burning pecans.
In 3 quart saucepan, cook maple syrup, granulated sugar, and butter over medium heat until mixture boils.
Reduce heat to medium- low and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
In a large bowl, with whisk, beat eggs slightly.
Slowly whisk in the hot syrup mixture, while whisking quickly. Then stir in vanilla.
Keep whisking syrup into eggs until fully incorporated. *Do this quickly to avoid 'cooking the eggs'.
Place toasted pecans in unbaked pie crust.
Pour the egg/syrup mixture over the pecans.
Be careful not to fill too full. *Depending on how deep your pie shell (and the brand) you may end up with some leftovers and that's okay.
This is how much I had leftover
*You can use the little bit you have leftover to make pecan pie tarts (see variations and substitutions)
Place the pie on a cookie sheet.
Bake pie for 40 minutes or until filling is just set. The internal temperature should read 200 degrees F (see Equipment)
Place on cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 hour. *You can speed this up a little by placing in the fridge after 20-30 minutes.
Beat whipping cream to soft peaks, then add powdered sugar and bourbon.
Beat whipping cream mixture to stiff peaks
Decorate with a dollop of whipped cream and a pecan half to the top of the pie (on each slice/divide into 8 slices). Serve cold.
Hint: A serrated knife will (affiliate link) will cut through pecan pie better than a chef's knife.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Bourbon - you don't have to use bourbon. You could skip it and use vanilla instead (reduce to ½ teaspoon in whipped cream) or a bourbon extract (affiliate link) or a non-alcoholic rum extract. But again, if you use an extract, you only need a small amount (½ teaspoon).
- Maple Syrup - you can substitute regular table syrup/pancake syrup. Simply add a ½ teaspoon of maple extract to it.
- Sugar - you could substitute dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar) for the white sugar
- Pie Crust - You can use a homemade pie crust- my No Fail Pie Crust Recipe (Cold Water Pastry) is the best! Or you can use a store-bought pie crust. *If you use a pie shell from the grocery store, see TOP TIP
- Pecan Pie Tarts - you can make these into tarts by using tart shells and cooking for about half the amount of time
- Whipped cream - you could use Cool Whip, an aerosol whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream instead of whipped cream.
- Dairy-free - use vegan margarine instead of butter and a dairy-free whipped topping (such as Nutriwhip)
- Gluten-free - try Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet's delicious gluten-free flaky crust
🥗 Meals to Serve with Pecan Pie
Pecan pie is the ultimate holiday pie and this Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe pairs perfectly with a holiday meal, such as my Picnic Ham with Orange Glaze Recipe
🍽Equipment
You will get the best results using a 9-inch glass pie plate (affiliate link)when you are making a pecan pie because glass heats up gently and evenly. Personally, I have had the best pecan pie results when I made it in a glass pie pan. You can read more about the differences between pie plates HERE. You
You'll also need an electric hand mixer, a large mixing bowl, a baking sheet, a trivet, a medium-sized pot, a rubber spatula, a whisk, a serrated knife will , a pastry bag and a 1M tip are useful too (affiliate links). If you are making your own pie crust, you'll need a rolling pin as well.
It can be difficult to judge when your pecan pie is done by simply looking at it because it needs to be 'set'. I have found that the very best way to check for doneness is internal temperature, with an instant read thermometer (affiliate link). When inserted, the thermometer should read 200 degrees F or 65 degrees C. For me, this was exactly 40 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees F.
This tool is a great investment because you can use it in so many recipes; it's great for everything food-related!! Use an instant-read thermometer (Thermapen) (affiliate link) to assess the doneness of food without ever having to cut into it. And it's on sale for 30% off right now!
🌡️Storage
Store leftover maple pecan pie in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If just storing overnight, cover with plastic wrap, and don't add whipped cream until just before serving. This pie can be made in advance and frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container
👪 Serving Size
This delicious pecan pie with maple syrup recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll just need additional pie plates.
💭Top tip
If you are using a store-bought crust and want to transfer it from the aluminum plate it comes in, to a glass pie plate (which I highly recommend) do this when it's frozen.
Flip it over and gently pry the plate off around the rim.
Gently turn it over upright and place it in the greased glass pie pan
Let it defrost for 10 minutes (or according to package directions)
🦺Food safety
- Cook pecan pie to an internal minimum temperature of 200 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw eggs
- Wash hands after touching raw eggs
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Never leave cooking food unattended
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze bourbon pecan pie. Do NOT add the topping before freezing. I recommend wrapping it in a strong plastic wrap (like Glad Press n' Seal) and then placing it in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Yes, because pecan pie is egg-rich, you need to store it in the refrigerator after cooling.
I recommend using Wild Turkey Bourbon.
I recommend using pecan halves instead of chopped pecans, for a classic look. The main difference is that pecan halves are a little harder to cut through, but using a serrated knife can solve that issue.
So if you're looking for an amazing pecan pie, you'll love this pecan pie with maple syrup and bourbon!
📋Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup maple syrup *See variations and substitutions
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
- 9 inch unbaked deep dish pie crust
Bourbon Whipped Cream
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon confectioners' sugar/powdered sugar/
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
Instructions
- *NOTE: The photos in this recipe card will NOT print unless you set them to print by selecting "recipe image"
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C ), and grease a 9-inch pie dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread pecans in single layer.
- Toast pecans in oven for 7 minutes on 350 degrees F. Keep a close eye and shake the pan.
- In 3 quart saucepan, cook maple syrup, granulated sugar, and butter over medium heat until mixture boils.
- Reduce heat to medium- low and cook 5 minutes, stirring.
- In large bowl, with whisk, beat eggs slightly,
- Slowly whisk in the hot syrup mixture. Then stir in vanilla.
- Keep whisking syrup into eggs until fully incorporated
- Place pecans in pie crust.
- Pour syrup mixture over pecans. *Be careful not to fill it too high. Depending on your pie plate and crust, you may have leftovers (you can make tarts with them, if you desire).
- *This is how much leftover I had
- Place unbaked crust on cookie sheet.
- Bake 40 minutes or until filling is just set. The internal temperature should read 200 degrees F (approximately)
- Cool pie on wire rack for at least 1 hour. *You can speed this up by placing it in the fridge after 20-30 minutes.
Bourbon Whipped Cream
- Beat whipping cream to soft peaks and add powdered sugar and bourbon.
- Beat to stiff peaks
- To serve, add a dollop to each piece of pie and a half pecan.
Bernice
This is my favourite pie too so I always wonder why I only make it once a year! It always flies out of the pie plate, then I'm left wanting more. The bourbon is a must!
Markus
I have a delicious bourbon barrel aged maple syrup that would be just fantastic in this. I'll have to test it out and see!
Marie B
I need to try to make one of those this Xmas! Thanks for the added tips, the roasting of the nuts before end I didn't know. Lovely recipe!
nancy
i love anything pecan. this one with bourbon was amazing!!! Totally adding this to my holiday menU!
Kristen
This is such a delicious treat. My husband absolutely loves pecan pie, so he's going to be very pleasantly surprised when i make it for him this weekend.