I have been making this Maple Pecan Pie (with Bourbon Whipped Cream) recipe for years and 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 table!
Pecan pie is popular around the holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. Although, it's 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. My testers (my family) gave this recipe a 10/10 and it's become one of their favorite pies~!
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If you love southern pies, be sure to check out my Sweet Potato Marshmallow Pie. And if you also love classic pies, this Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie and my Classic Lemon Pie will be right up your alley!
Tips for Success: How to make the best pecan pie
Since pecan pie can be tricky to make, as an experienced baker, 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
🥘Ingredient Notes
You'll need the following ingredients in this pecan pie recipe:
- Real maple syrup. Use pure maple syrup for the best maple flavor! *See variations and substitutions
- Eggs and butter. Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature for best results.
- Pecan halves. You'll get a more classic look using 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.
- Whipping cream (aka heavy cream). Be sure your whipping cream is 33% - 36% fat
- Confectioners' sugar (aka powdered sugar or icing sugar)
- Bourbon *I use Wild Turkey bourbon
📖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
🔪How to Make THE BEST Pecan Pie!
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 a single layer.
Toast pecans in the oven for 7- 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Keep a close eye and shake the pan halfway through, to avoid burning pecans.
In a 3 quart saucepan, cook maple syrup, granulated sugar, and butter over medium heat until the mixture boils.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
In a large bowl, with a 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 the pie in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the filling is just set. The internal temperature should read 200 degrees F (see Top tips)
Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 hour. *You can speed this up a little by placing it in the fridge after 20-30 minutes.
Beat whipping cream to soft peaks, then add powdered sugar and bourbon.
Beat the 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.
🥗 Meals to Serve with Pecan Pie
Maple Bourbon Pecan pie is the ultimate holiday pie and this Maple Pecan Pie recipe pairs perfectly with a holiday meal, such as my Picnic Ham with Orange Glaze Recipe, Scalloped Potatoes (without cheese), Carrot Casserole (with Stovetop stuffing) and Green Beans.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover pecan pie in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If it's just being stored overnight, cover it with plastic wrap, and don't add whipped cream until just before serving.
Freezing: 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 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 Tips
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can freeze maple 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!
🥧More Thanksgiving Desserts
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📋Maple Pecan Pie Recipe (with Bourbon Whipped Cream)
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
- 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.
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.
nancy
i love anything pecan. this one with bourbon was amazing!!! Totally adding this to my holiday menU!
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!
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!
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!