Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup

This pecan pie recipe is thickened and sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of corn syrup. No weird ingredients in this pecan pie! The filling gets poured into a homemade pie crust that is buttery and flaky. And the best part about this homemade pecan pie without corn syrup is you can make the day before!

So when it comes to my life I try to avoid weird chemicals, preservatives and eat organic about 99% of the time. It’s been a bit of a long road to get here. I grew up on a farm and we ate our own pasture-raised meat and our own home grown vegetables. Sugary cereal was a once in a great while treat.

Of course going to college I went a bit off the rails. I relied on way too many Diet Cokes and Lean Cuisines then I’d like to admit. After college, I kept up those bad habits when I was trying to drive from Boston to my first job as a teacher. Convenience was the name of the game. I figured I worked out and ate low calorie that counts as healthy right?

But when I found my love of baking and using real ingredients, I started to progress away from all those chemicals and convenience foods. And not just with my food, but in all aspects – cleaning to makeup you name it. So when it came to dreaming up a pecan pie recipe for the blog I just couldn’t bring myself to using corn syrup like a traditional pecan pie. Enter this homemade pecan pie recipe made without corn syrup!

I figured if f I don’t want to eat it, how can I make it for someone else and serve it?! So instead of corn syrup, this homemade pecan pie uses brown sugar and maple syrup. And I thought if we could use maple syrup anyway why bother with gross corn syrup? Pure maple syrup brings a lovely level of sweetness making for a thick, creamy pecan pie filling without all that added junk.

Hi. I’m Heather and I like my pecan pie without corn syrup.

Why You Will Love This Pecan Pie Recipe Without Corn Syrup

• Make Ahead – The best part about this pecan pie recipe without corn syrup is that you can make ahead of time. You can make the pie dough up to 3 days ahead of time and keep in the fridge. And this pecan pie can be made the day before (keep stored at room temperature). Let it cool before covering. You can also make the pie filling the day before and keep in the fridge.
• No Corn Syrup! – This pecan pie recipe uses brown sugar, and maple syrup to sweeten the pie instead of corn syrup. All sorts of goodness with zero weirdness. I used Grade A pure maple syrup.

To Toast Or Not To Toast?

The pecans that is! You don’t have to toast the pecans first, but you definitely can take the extra few minutes to toast the pecans. Toasting the nuts helps to bring out the oils and flavors. It really enhances the flavor of the pecans. I’ve made this pie both ways with great success, but definitely worth the extra few minutes of effort.

Homemade Pie Crust Ingredients

For this pecan pie made without corn syrup, you can make a homemade pie crust, or use a single store-bought pie crust. Homemade is always best in flavor and texture, but nothing wrong with taking a quick shortcut and use a store-bought!

Pecan Pie Filling Ingredients

• Brown sugar – I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar would also work for this maple pecan pie.
• Maple Syrup – A grade B or grade A works fine, just make sure it’s the real deal here not the fake pancake syrup kind.
• Pecans – You want to roughly chop the pecans.
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract – I prefer pure vanilla extract, but imitation will also work!
• Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter, but salted butter can also work. You will want to omit the extra salt if you do.
• Eggs

How To Make This Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup

1. Make the pie crust

1. Make the crust. In a food processor, or mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. You can also do this by hand if you want, but I find using my food processor is just SO much easier and quicker. And I’m all for that during the holidays.
2. Add butter pieces. Scatter butter over top. Make sure your butter is cold and cubed up so it’s easier to work in.
3. Cut in the butter. You want to incorporate the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. If using a food processor, I pulse until the piece are pea-sized. If doing this by hand, then you can rub the butter between your fingertips or use a pastry cutter.
4. Add ice cold water. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture.  If making by hand, stir dough together using a spatula, until dough sticks together. Or pulse if using the food processor. Test the dough by squeezing some together with your fingertips. If it sticks together, then do not add more water. If it does not, then add the remaining tablespoon of water.  Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

2. Roll Out The Pie Crust

Once the dough has chilled I roll it out and place it inside the pie plate. I do like to let it chill for about 15 minutes in the fridge again to chill it once more, so I end up with a buttery flaky crust that doesn’t shrink when it bakes. While the pie dough is chilling, I preheat the oven and place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to also warm up that I set the pie on top while it bakes to help make sure I get a crispy bottom crust.

1. Roll out dough and place in pie pan. Using a lightly floured surface and rolling pin, roll out the pie crust to a 12″ circle. Fold the pie crust in quarters or roll it over your rolling pin. Unfold (or unroll) the dough into your pie plate tuck into the bottom.
2. Fold the edge under.
3. Crimp the edges. Fold the edge under and flute the edges by pressing the crust between your index finger and thumb and index finger of your other hand.
4. Chill the for 15 minutes.

Don’t Want To Crimp? Crimping can be a bit more difficult for beginner bakers, so if you’re new to baking pies and not ready to tackle the crimping you can decorate your pie crust edges in lots of easier ways. The easiest way it to press the crust edge down with a fork to make crimped edge. Or try one of these other fun ways to decorate your pie crust edge.

3. Blind Bake

1. Place pie crust into pan. And crimp. Preheat your oven to 375^oF.
2. Place parchment paper into the pie plate. You can also use tinfoil but I prefer using parchment paper. You want a big enough piece to cover the whole pie.
3. Fill with pie weights. You can use store-bought pie weights or use dried rice or beans. I like to use dried beans/rice because it’s cheaper! Make sure to fill up to the top of the pie crust or your pie crust might shrink down the sides if it’s not fully weighted down.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Go ahead and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 375^oF then take it out of the oven and remove the parchment paper and pie weights.

3. Make The Maple Pecan Filling

1. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt, maple syrup, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Stir in the chopped pecans. You want pecans that are roughly chopped but in still good sized pieces. I know some pecan pies are covered in whole pecans before baking, but I prefer chopped pecans completely as it’s easier to cut and bite into.
2. Pour the filling into the pie. Pour the syrup mixture into the par-baked pie crust. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for an additional 20 minutes until the filling is set but still has a little jiggle to it. If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minute or until set. Pie will continue to set up as it cools. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool for several hours or overnight.  

More Recipe Tips

• Blind Bake. Blind bake your pie crust so you don’t end up with a soggy pie bottom for your pecan pie, nobody wants that!
• Use A Pie Shield. If your pie crust edges on your maple pecan pie are browning too much then be sure to cover them with a pie shield (or you can simply use some aluminum foil).
• Use PURE maple syrup. Not that fake stuff! Yes I grew up on the fake stuff too, but for this pecan pie made without corn syrup splurge and get the good stuff.

How To Tell When Your Pecan Pie Is Done

When baking your maple pecan pie, you want to bake the pie until the pie crust edges are golden brown, and the filling is set but still has a little jiggle to it.

If you give the pie a little jiggle when the timer goes off, you should see the edges are set but the center still jiggles a bit. It will continue to firm up as it cools.

Pecan Pie Recipe FAQ’s

Serving Suggestions

Of course you can enjoy a warm slice of this maple pecan pie on its own but I figure it’s the holidays so why not make it even extra special. I love serving with a dollop of whipped cream, but ice-cream is also wonderful!

• Homemade whipped Cream
• Vanilla Ice-cream
• How To Make Stabilized Whipped Cream

More Recipes To Try

• Key Lime Pie
• Cherry Crumb Pie
• No Bake Turtle Pie
• Nectarine Pie (with Almond Crumb Topping!)
• Triple Berry Pie