Bourbon Pecan Pie Recipe (2024)

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Mark

I love this recipe and completely agree on less sugar and using brown sugar. I like to soak pecans in Bourbon while I am preparing the pie and layer them on top after I sprinkled them lightly with a sanding sugar. Don't forget to finish off the Bourbon to eliminate waste.

s leinweber

I make a pecan pie every year, from my grandmother's recipe. It has been requested by many, and the only 2 differences between it and this recipe is the lack of bourbon and 1/2 cup of the sugar. 1/2 cup of sugar is MORE than enough, please don't use 1 cup!!! (And she always put in 2-3 T of flour, but that is not essential.

Winifred

I incorporated the half sugar comment using light brown sugar and the double nuts comment. Absolutely the best pecan pie I have ever eaten!

Kayla

I have made a similar recipe from Martha Stewart for years. But I use rum instead of bourbon, Lyle's syrup instead of corn syrup, and less of it, and a big glug of local maple syrup too. Dark brown sugar instead of white, 2 T vanilla too. 2 Cups of pecans. Gives a much richer, deeper flavor, less sweet. It is always a hit. The only part of Thanksgiving I really like.

María

Totally agree with many reviews. Less sugar (decrease by 25%), more pecans (increase by 25%), a little more Bourbon (increase by 25%) and more time in the oven (10-15 min).It is a great recipe! I had made it several times and the results with those changes are very consistent and amazingly good!

Leslie

Lightly toast the pecans first before adding to the filling. There's MUCH more flavor! I do that with all added nuts - to bread, cookies, cakes, etc.

Ibid

I use Grand Marnier and orange zest instead of bourbon.

Try adding zest of orange to any pecan pie. You will keep doing it every time you bake one.

Jim

Wonderful recipe. Pie set up perfectly. I used 3 Ts of bourbon. The rest of recipe as written. Also had a bourbon with one ice cube while I enjoyed a slice of the pie.

Don't sweat the corn syrup!

It's not important at all to use half light and half dark when it comes to corn syrup. Just have it equal a cup. I have used all dark, all light, and combinations that are not 50/50 and it always turns out great.

SundayCook

I've baked this many, many times and I agree with you 35 - 45 minutes is NOT enough time. I've found success at 60 minutes. I also cut three strips of foil and put it around the pie crust before I start to bake it. This prevents the crust from burning. I too use a little more than a 1/2 cup sugar with good results. Good luck if you try this again. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hedy

LOVE this recipe with 3 tweaks:1) used less sugar and mixed types just for kicks - 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated white sugar 2) double the bourbon - used 4 tablespoons of Jim Beam bourbon whisky3) a bit more pecans - 1 1/4 cups as called for in the recipe plus a handful - plus arranged whole pecans in 2 concentric circles floating on top as one cook suggested - it was lovelyMaybe I'll do a Mayan calendar pecan arrangement next year.

Thanksgiving 2016 best pie

Brother-in-law deemed it "heaven in a pie pan" ... Took advice in other comments: cut sugar to 1/2 cup and used light brown. Also added extra nuts. This is going to become my legacy pecan pie!

Ouijian

Try this: Separate the eggs. Beat the whites until stiff, then gently fold them into the mixture with a spatula. The pie will have a thin, wonderfully crispy merengue-like crust on top.

Shawn Morningstar

This pie was one of the best things I have EVER MADE. Everyone loved it and raved over it. I followed what others said to do and used Brown Sugar instead of white....doubled the pecans and used a frozen pie crust. It was terrific!

maria

Fabulous pie. Used Jack Daniels instead of Bourbon, because that's what we had on hand. As someone who often falls prey to Thanksgiving pie recipes with lots of doo-dads, extra this and special candied ginger, and cookies in the crust, etc., etc., I really appreciated the simplicity of this recipe. Will definitely make it again. I made Melissa Clark's all-butter crust. My 14-year-old daughter did the filling. Delicious and successful mother-daughter project.

Julie B

Just as you can make brown sugar by adding molasses to white sugar, so, too, can you make dark corn syrup from light. I put a couple of tablespoons of molasses in the bottom of my measuring cup before filling with light corn syrup for an added depth of flavor.

Alysa D.

I made this recipe yesterday with the modification of reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup after reading the comments and checking other similar recipes. It came out plenty sweet. Was a little lacking in bourbon flavor, but otherwise good. I may increase that just a bit next time.

Lindy

I make this recipe just as is, except that I use pecan halves, rather than chopped pecans, and lay them out in (reasonably) tidy patterns. I use all the sugar as that was how I first made it, and it is loved and requested so regularly that I dare not change it!

Kbrjbr

As someone who usually doesn't reach for pecan pie, I tried this for Thanksgiving. Everyone LOVED it! The tips from others make this a success, toast the pecans, then soak them in the bourbon while prepping the rest. Substitute the white sugar for 1/2 cup of brown sugar. The result is such amazing flavor and it's not to sweet as some can be. Loved it. Will make this again.

Lorri

Fantastic! Definitely the go to pecan pie for Thanksgiving!

Penny Desmond

This was just ok for me; I missed the depth that a little brown sugar adds; I didn't think there was anything special about mixing syrups. And I have better success with a lower temp and longer bake time, it sets up better; on this one the top burned while it was still raw, even with tenting. I use this filling in Alton Brown's pecan tart shell, it's delicious! (and pretty!)

Beth S

I neglected to say that I used Melissa Clark's Pie Crust with Plugra butter for the Bourbon Pecan pie with very good results. I used a 10" deep pie plate, so I increased the amt. of ingredients by 50% in order to be sure I had enough dough. I chilled that dough an hour, but feel I could have gone longer than that. I will wait longer next time. I only do a pie or two around Nov. and Dec. I wanted to up my crust game, I suppose. I used the 10" deep pie pan because I'd increased pecans.

Beth S

I've made this pie 3x to date. While I do think you need less sugar, I love the pie either way. My husband not so much - too sweet. I reduced the sugar by 1.5 Tbl & increased the amt of pecans by abt 1 cup +. While he didn't complain, he still finds it too much. I plan to make it again but use half the amt of sugar. The next time I'll also write down precise amt of nuts since I increased those - and I almost never change a recipe. That 2 TBL of bourbon worked very well though! Good pie!

CC

Fantastic pie...made the filling exactly as written, used my own pie crust recipe and it was a total hit for Thanksgiving dinner. The bourbon (used Bullet Bourbon) and two kinds of corn syrup made it special...and that is A LOT coming from a KY Bourbon Country gal

TheKraken

This was a big hit at Thanksgiving this year (2023). Per the comments, I substituted 1/4 c each of light and dark brown sugar for the white sugar, and increased the pecans to 2 c. I also toasted the pecans the day before. Everything else was according to the recipe. Definitely saving this one.

Rebecca B

I found it! - the perfect tasting pecan pie - rich and nutty, buttery, chewy throughout - without all that clotty, sicky-sweet gel that plops out of other pecan pies. Thank you all for the notes - I doubled the chopped pecans and toasted them, halved the sugar (and used all light brown - medium packed), with 3 Tbsp good bourbon. I stayed with the recipe’s equal amount of light and dark syrup. I used Rose Beranbaum’s cream cheese pie crust recipe. Truly delicious and balanced pecan pie!

Art

I made this for Thanksgiving and followed the recipe exactly. 2 people in the party said they didn't particularly like Pecan Pie but they loved this one. The only thing I did was bake it for an extra 7 minutes to get it to set around the edges.

Michele P

My family and I loved this pie. I substituted molasses for the dark corn syrup. We topped it with whipped cream with bourbon.

Christine VB

This reminded me of the bourbon balls my mother-in-law used to make. Very rich and tasty. Needless to say, my husband absolutely loved it. I did read the comments and so added only half the sugar. A keeper!

snapdragon

Try it with half sugar and bake an hour. 1st time with full directions it was very runny

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Bourbon Pecan Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long do you soak pecans in bourbon? ›

The Longer The Soak, The Stronger The Flavor

Whether you choose pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, or a mixture of many different types of nuts, you need to soak them in bourbon for at least 30 minutes. Before soaking, the nuts must be lightly toasted in the oven to intensify the nutty flavors.

What can you substitute for bourbon in pecan pie? ›

Vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar have often been used to mimic the taste of bourbon in recipes, but you can clearly tell when they are used as substitutes.

Can you freeze a bourbon pecan pie? ›

If you want to store pecan pie for longer, you can wrap it and freeze it for up three months. The filling is low in moisture, which helps pecan pie hold up in the freezer, as long as you wrap it well. Once the pie is cool, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and freeze.

Is Crown Royal a bourbon? ›

Specifically, Crown Royal is a Canadian whisky, and even though this technically uses a bourbon mashbill (64% corn, 31.5% rye, 4.5% malted barley), bourbon can only be made in America. Though the TTB originally approved the label, they reversed their decision and forced the brand to stop using the name 'Bourbon Mash'.

Does bourbon pecan pie need to be refrigerated? ›

According to the USDA, any pie that is egg-rich (such as pecan, pumpkin, lemon meringue, and any custard pie) must be kept in the fridge after baking and cooling. The exception here is some store-bought pies, which may contain preservatives that will allow the pies to be left unrefrigerated.

Should pecans be soaked overnight? ›

Soak your nuts and seeds anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 or 3 hours, or even overnight in the refrigerator. In general, harder nuts will take longer to soften. If your recipe calls for soaked nuts or seeds and you are low on time, try to squeeze in 20 minutes minimum, or just do a really good job rinsing them.

Why do you soak pecans in water? ›

"Essential nutrients like iron, protein, calcium, and zinc are better absorbed by the body when you soak the nuts. The water removes the phytic acid present in acids which causes indigestion. So, soaking nuts helps in digesting them properly and reaping the benefits of these nutrients.

Is it better to soak pecans before eating? ›

Your body can better absorb nutrients if you soak nuts and seeds. Nutrient-dense nuts and seeds include nutrient inhibitors that guard and guarantee the survival of those nutrients. By soaking nuts and seeds, you can reduce or get rid of the harmful and nutritious inhibitors that are absorbed into the water.

Can kids eat pie with bourbon in it? ›

Not enough to taste (you do taste the bourbon), and certainly not enough to harm a child, who will most likely be eating a smaller serving. It's my understanding that baking anything with alcohol in it safely evaporates (or “cooks out”) any alcoholic content.

Why is my homemade pecan pie runny? ›

A pecan pie is essentially a custard pie, and a liquid center is almost always the result of underbaking. The Karo Classic Pecan Pie recipe calls for baking the pie for 60 to 70 minutes at 350 degrees. In some ovens, however, the pie can take 75 minutes or more.

Can kids eat bourbon pecan pie? ›

Made with no corn syrup with just as good results. The bourbon flavor is not too prominent in this pecan pie, it is just enough to enhance the flavors. Naturally, if you are feeding children, you can leave it out. The bourbon just adds a richness to the pie and increases the nuttiness.

Can I eat pecan pie that was left out overnight? ›

You can only keep it at room temperature for two hours. Since pecan pies contain eggs, they have more chances to get bad and make you sick. So, if you have kept your pies in the fridge, put them back within two hours. On the other hand, store-bought pies contain preservatives that keep them from spoiling.

Is it better to freeze a pecan pie baked or unbaked? ›

It's best to start with a fully baked pecan pie to help avoid a major mess in your freezer. (Pecan pie filling is very liquidy before it's baked, and could leak or lean in the pie crust if you put it in the freezer unbaked!) You'll also want to make sure the pie is cooled before you put it in the freezer.

Why is my pecan pie hard on top? ›

Pecan pie can become hard if it is left in the oven for too long or at a higher temperature than necessary. This could happen due to an inaccurate cooking time, temperature or failing to cover with aluminum foil for part of the baking time.

What kind of bourbon do you use in baking? ›

Ruffenach says she chooses which bourbon to add to her recipes based on flavor profile. “I think about sweetness versus spice,” she explains. “My go to for most of my baking is Old Forester 86 or JTS Brown [from Heaven Hill]. If I want to have a little extra spice or punch, I might use Old Grand-Dad Bottled in Bond.”

What type of bourbon is best for cooking? ›

High-rye is spicy and pairs well with beef dishes. Wheated bourbon is a favorite for desserts and grilled foods. If you are looking for the best bourbon to cook with these are the three you will want to try. Jim Beam is a low-proof bourbon that tastes great in just about any dish.

What kind of bourbon do you cook with? ›

A wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark is sweeter and warmer, enhancing desserts, jams, jellies and sauces that pair with smoky flavors. Spicy, peppery high-rye offerings like Four Roses Single Barrel work well with dressings and fruit-based dishes and have the brightness to offset rich and creamy ingredients.

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