Vegetarian Recipes

Pecan Pie

I’ve been on a bit of a dessert kick recently, so I think it’s about time to share my go-to recipe for Pecan Pie! This delicious and indulgent dessert is nostalgia in a pie dish and it always reminds me of the holidays spent with family. The rich, nutty flavor and gooey filling make it the perfect way to end your Thanksgiving feast (no offense, pumpkin pie lovers!). Because I use a store-bought pie crust, it couldn’t be easier to make. Make this southern Pecan Pie recipe the day before for stress-free entertaining, or whip it up as a weekend treat this fall!

If you read my blog posts often, you already know I was born in Georgia. Some of my favorite ingredients of all time hail from there, including these pecans! They’re harvested in the fall, which makes this the perfect time to incorporate them into your holiday baking. Pecan pie has been a fall and winter staple for so long now, and it boasts multiple textures in every bite: a flaky crust, crunchy pecans, and a custard-like creamy center made from butter, eggs, and corn syrup. There’s nothing quite like it! (Except for Canadian butter tarts, which I feel are a cousin to this pie, but I digress…)

If you aren’t convinced yet that pecans are deeply ingrained in our culture as Americans, you should know they were taken to the moon by our astronauts. Yes, they took pecans to the moon during the Apollo space missions! So, let me be truly dorky by assuring you that this budget-friendly, super-easy pecan pie recipe is also out of this world.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the best pecan pie recipe ever:

Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar: Both sugars add sweetness and moisture to the filling, but brown sugar also has molasses, which helps give it a deeper flavor.
Light Corn Syrup: This helps create the signature gooey filling and stops the sugar from crystallizing (no one wants a grainy pie!)
Cinnamon: I love the warmth that cinnamon adds to this pie. It’s not overpowering, but just enough to make it more interesting.
Salted Butter: Essential for both flavor and texture.
Vanilla Extract & Salt: Flavor enhancers! A little bit of vanilla extract goes a long way in making this pie taste extra delicious. And don’t forget a pinch of salt to balance out all the sweetness.
Eggs: Helps the filling set and hold its shape.
Pecan Halves: You’ll need 1 ½ cups of chopped pecans for this recipe.
Pre-Made Pie Crust: Makes life easier without compromising flavor! You can also use our 3-ingredient pie crust if you prefer homemade.

Do I Have to Use Corn Syrup?

Whether you love it or hate it, there isn’t really anything that works as an equal substitute for corn syrup in this recipe. It’s a must-have ingredient for setting the pie filling and creating its gooey texture. Other liquid sweeteners, like maple syrup, are too runny to use as a 1:1 substitute and it’s also more expensive.

If you’re certain you want to try this recipe without the corn syrup, you could experiment by making a date paste. Blend pitted Medjool dates and water until smooth, adding more water as needed to thin it out until it matches the texture and thickness of corn syrup. The amount of dates needed would depend on their size, and it would also work out to be more expensive than buying corn syrup. It may also alter the flavor and texture of your finished pie. If you do try this, let me know how it turns out! I use a dates a lot in my vegan desserts, so I support your mission to give it a try. If you have dates leftover, whip up a batch of my granola bars!

How to Tell When Pecan Pie is Done

Your homemade pecan pie is done when the edges are set and golden brown, but the center still jiggles slightly when you move it. Take care not to overbake your pie; the filling might become too firm, crystalize, and lose its gooeyness.

Spray your measuring cup lightly with cooking spray before measuring out the corn syrup. It’ll slide out much easier and won’t stick to the measuring cup as much!
Let your pie cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving (if not longer!). The corn syrup and eggs work together to help set the filling as it cools. If you cut into the pie too soon, it’ll be runny and won’t hold its shape.
While many recipes offer the alternative of using walnuts instead of pecans, that’s a no-go for old fashioned pecan pie! …But that said, I challenge you to a taste test the next time you have both walnuts and pecans on hand! Walnuts are crumblier and have a more bitter “tannic” taste than pecans, which are naturally sweeter and have a softer chew to them. I’m a nerd for ingredients, but you already know this!
Serve your pie with a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or even a drizzle of caramel sauce for the ultimate indulgence.

Storage Instructions

Store your pie in the refrigerator within 2 hours of baking (as you should with any ‘egg-rich’ pie). It’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when wrapped in plastic wrap or foil. You can also freeze the whole pie or individual slices for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight and then serve as desired. This pie is delicious cold or slightly warmed in the oven or microwave.

Side view of a slice of pecan pie on a white plate with a fork taking some.

Pecan Pie Recipe

This Pecan Pie recipe uses simple, no-fuss ingredients to create a classic dessert for the holidays. Easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Total Cost $9.65 recipe / $1.20 serving)

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Chill Time 20

Total Time 1 15

Servings slices

Calories 463kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Glass Pie Plate

Ingredients

½ cup sugar $0.17
½ cup brown sugar $0.34
½ tsp ground cinnamon $0.04
½ tsp salt $0.01
½ cup light corn syrup $0.56
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract $0.87
¼ cup salted butter, melted $1.03
3 eggs, beaten $0.93
1 ½ cups pecan halves $4.32
1 pre-made pie crust $1.38

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt together.
In a separate bowl, add light corn syrup, vanilla extract, melted salted butter, and beaten eggs and mix until combined.
Pour wet mixture into the dry sugar mixture and mix until consistent throughout.
Fold in pecan halves.
Roll out a pre-made pie crust in a 9″ pie dish and gently pinch the edges to make it pretty!
Pour wet mixture into pie crust.
Tent the edges of the pie all the way around the pan with tinfoil so your crust does not burn. You will remove the tinfoil when you have about 15-20 minutes left of baking time.*
Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees (keep the pie in the oven) and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the middle of the pie is still a little jiggly.
Remove and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Some people start their pie in the oven without the tinfoil tent and add the tinfoil tent later if they notice the crust starting to burn, but to avoid burning myself, I do this step first! If you remove the tinfoil and notice the crust is still starting to burn (every oven is different), you can re-tent the crust if needed. It will still cook and be safe to eat!

Nutrition

Pecan pie in a glass pie dish with a slice missing.

how to make Pecan Pie – step by step photos

White sugar. brown sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix ½ cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, and ½ tsp salt together.

Melted butter and beaten eggs in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, add ½ cup light corn syrup, 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract, ¼ cup melted salted butter, and 3 beaten eggs and mix until combined.

Wet ingredients being poured into dry ingredients in a mixing bowl for pecan pie.

Pour wet mixture into the dry sugar mixture and mix until consistent throughout.

Pecans added to the filling for pecan pie in a mixing bowl.

Fold in 1 ½ cups pecan halves.

A hand crimping the edges of a pie crust in a pie dish for pecan pie.

Roll out 1 pre-made pie crust in a 9″ pie dish and gently pinch the edges to make it pretty!

Pecan pie filling added to pie crust in a glass pie dish.

Pour wet mixture into pie crust.

A hand adding a foil tent to a pecan pie in a glass pie dish.

Tent the edges of the pie all the way around the pan with tinfoil so your crust does not burn. You will remove the tinfoil when you have about 15-20 minutes left of baking time.

Overhead view of a freshly baked pecan pie.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees (keep the pie in the oven) and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the middle of the pie is still a little jiggly. Remove and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Side view of a slice of pecan pie on a white plate.

This easy pecan pie recipe will be a hit at your next holiday gathering! It’s simple to make but always impresses with its rich buttery flavor.

These easy Mini Pecan Pies studded with dark chocolate make the perfectly balanced and pre-portioned dessert for all of your holiday gatherings. Budgetbytes.com

Mini Dark Chocolate Pecan Pies

$5.23 recipe / $0.44 each

Maple Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie

$4.70 recipe / $0.59 serving

Apple Pie

$6.94 recipe / $0.87 serving

Sweet Potato Pie

$4.71 recipe / $0.59 serving

The post Pecan Pie appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

If you’re not familiar with homity pie, let me introduce you:

Homity pie is a traditional British recipe, which is essentially a cheesy potato and leek pie. It’s just the sort of thing we Brits do perfectly – simple ingredients, combined to make incredible comfort food. Say what you like about British food, but it’s hard to argue with buttery sautéed leeks, cheesy crushed potatoes, and a flaky shortcrust pastry case.

A slice of homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie).

I’m not going to lie, this homity pie is a bit of a labour of love. It’s not a quick weeknight meal like most of my recipes – this cheesy pie is definitely one to save for a special occasion (it would be perfect for a vegetarian Christmas dinner!).

Since cooking this pie takes a bit of time and patience, don’t try to cook it against the clock. Give yourself plenty of leeway – perhaps an afternoon where you’ve not got much else on. That way, it doesn’t matter if the potatoes have to sit for a little while so you can finish cooking the leeks, or if the pastry case is ready to fill before the filling is actually cooked – you can just potter away at your own pace, and it can all be assembled when you’re ready.

Overhead shot of a cheesy pie with a slice pulled away.

What’s in Homity Pie?

There are three parts to this recipe:

garlicky sautéed leeks and onion
buttery crushed potatoes (with a cheesy topping)
a crispy pastry case

These 3 elements can all be prepared simultaneously, or one at a time, depending on how good you are at multitasking. I’ve written the recipe in 3 separate parts, but if the timings work out (or if you have someone else helping you in the kitchen), you can prepare them all at the same time.

Once all three parts of the recipe are ready, they can be assembled, and baked one last time to complete your cheesy homity pie.

And by the way, I am 100% not a pastry expert. You may think my homity pie looks decidedly… rustic. But I like it that way If I wanted it to look perfect, I’d have saved myself a couple of hours, and bought one in a shop.

Becca’s Top Tip

Any extra scraps of pastry can be baked on their own, and eaten spread with strawberry jam – my kids love it when I cook with pastry as they always get little jam tarts!

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

Sign up to get recipes by email, and get a FREE e-cookbook!

(1-2 emails per week, no spam)

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

leek – It’s hard to get the scale from the picture, but the leek I used was absolutely enormous – a proper monster (probably as big as my forearm!). If your leeks are a more normal size, you’ll probably need at least two.
potatoes
shortcrust pastry – I used a ready-rolled sheet of shop-bought pastry, as making pastry is not my forte. Feel free to use homemade pastry if you prefer!
cheddar cheese – If possible, use freshly grated mature cheddar cheese rather than the pre-grated stuff, as it melts more nicely.
onion – I used red onion, but regular onions would also be good.
fresh parsley
egg
garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar because I hate chopping large amounts of fresh garlic.
curry powder (optional, but it does add a lovely hint of warmth)

Becca’s Top Tip

If you’re using shop-bought pastry, take it out of the fridge an hour or so before you need to use it. This helps it to soften a little, and means it’s less likely to crack as you unroll it.

Recipe Video

Equipment

I like to use a loose bottomed springform cake tin for homemade pies. It works really well because:

The clip on the side and the loose bottom make it so easy to remove the pie from the tin once it’s finished baking.
It gives a nice tall pie, which looks great, and also gives a wonderfully thick layer of filling.
The metal heats up nicely and helps to crisp up the pastry.

You can use a shallower pie tin to make homity pie if that’s what you have, but I would always recommend a cake tin if you have one.

Here’s a similar one on Amazon, with great reviews:

8-Inch Springform Cake Tin

I love using a loose-bottomed springform cake tin to make homemade pie. If you’re in the UK or Australia, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ to view a local product.

A slice of homity pie with sautéed leeks, potatoes and cheese.

Printable Instructions

Homity Pie (Cheesy Potato and Leek Pie)

How to make the classic British recipe homity pie (cheesy potato and leek pie!) – a tasty vegetarian pie made with shortcrust pastry.

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, English

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 427kcal

Author Becca Heyes