This is not your average Pecan Pie recipe! First we brown the butter, then we adds toffee bits (which melt into a glorious caramel filling), and THEN we top it off with a supremely buttery streusel that I promise is not too sweet, but instead adds the perfect crunch. You are going to WIN Thanksgiving this year my friends. Originally published November 12, 2018.

a slice of streusel topped pecan pie on a white plate.
Table of Contents
  1. You will love this Recipe for Pecan Pie!
  2. Best Pecan Pie Recipe with streusel
  3. Homemade Pecan Pie Ingredients
  4. My secret to making the Best recipe for Pecan Pie
  5. How to make a Pecan Pie
  6. Tips for making The Best Pecan Pie Recipe
  7. What to serve with Homemade Pecan Pie
  8. How to store Pecan Pie
  9. Recipe for Pecan Pie FAQs
  10. More pies to make for Thanksgiving!
  11. Homemade Pecan Pie with Streusel Topping Recipe

The other night Eric and I settled in for our Netflix and chill. For us that means new episodes of The Good Place or reruns of The Office (because it just never gets old). And also whatever treat I’ve been working on lately for the blog.

I was snuggled in with a blanket and Eric asked, do you want a slice of pecan pie? (I’ve been testing this recipe all week.) I said yes please! so he brought me a slice of pecan pie. Just the regular kind. No streusel. The first pecan pie recipe I tested.

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gooey pecan pie with streusel topping.

I said, um, what is this. He said, pecan pie. I said, there is no streusel on this pie. Eric, once you streusel, there is no going back!

It’s the truth though, right? (When was the last time you had a streusel-less muffin? It’s just sad.) I sent Eric back to the kitchen for a slice of The Real Pecan Pie, the one you see in these photos. (He’s a catch ladies. Although I suppose I am the one who made the pie, so he hasn’t done too bad either.)

a slice of streusel topped pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.

You will love this Recipe for Pecan Pie!

Pecan pie is of course the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving, not only because it’s traditional, but because it’s best made 1 day ahead. The flavors have time to marry, and the pie has a chance to cool off 100% (seriously, you will have a mess if you cut into a hot pecan pie). Plus it’s super easy.

Best Pecan Pie Recipe with streusel

Streusel fulfills two purposes in my mind: it adds sugar and it adds CRUNCH. It’s perfect for a not-too-sweet muffin. But Pecan Pie is already SO sweet, so we are adding a minimal amount of sugar to our streusel, just 1/4 cup. It’s actually mostly flour and butter. It crisps up into a beautiful, gorgeous crumb topping that will make your Pecan Pie recipe the star of the show. Seriously, once you streusel, you will never go back. (Kind of like how I’m never going back to regular pumpkin pie after torching the top of it like a crème brulée.

a slice of streusel topped pecan pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Homemade Pecan Pie Ingredients

Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Butter-flavor Crisco
  • Eggs
  • Brown sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Milk
  • Vanilla
  • Lemon juice
  • Toffee bits
  • Pecans

My secret to making the Best recipe for Pecan Pie

Before I thought of adding streusel on top, my goal was to make the best pecan pie recipe ever. So I did a bunch of research and compared tons of recipes. Here’s what I came up with for the most flavorful, perfectly textured pecan pie recipe: a combination of sugar and corn syrup to get that caramel-y filling, browning the butter to add even MORE buttery flavor, a touch of lemon juice to balance all the sweetness, a bit of flour to thicken the filling a bit, and finally: TOFFEE BITS.

When I tested this pecan pie recipe the first time, I thought the toffee bits would stay hard, and each slice of pie would have little crunchy bits in it. (Who can say no to crunchy toffee bits?) But that’s not what happened. They melted into the brown sugar filling, giving it an even deeper caramel-toffee flavor. YASSSS.

browned butter with a ladle in it.

And if you don’t know about the secret of browned butter, let me share with you. BROWNED. BUTTER. WILL. CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE. It adds SO much flavor. You can take any average recipe and brown the butter and make it into an AMAZING recipe.

How to make a Pecan Pie

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this pie. Scroll down to the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

For the crust:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
  2. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the butter and Crisco. In a small bowl beat one egg. Pour out half. Add 1/4 cup ice water to the half beaten egg. Beat it together with a fork, then add it to the flour mixture. Stir until it is just coming together, then use floured hands to knead it once or twice. 
  3. Divide the dough in half. Shape one half into a disc, put it in a ziplock, and stick it in the freezer. Roll the dough with a rolling pin, using as much flour as you need so that it doesn’t stick. Invert the parchment paper onto a 9-inch pie pan and gently peel off the paper. 
  4. Arrange the pie crust and fold any excess crust underneath. Crimp as desired and place the pie pan in the freezer or fridge while you make the filling.
pouring cold water and beaten eggs into dry ingredients for pie crust.
pie crust dough in a bowl, then shaped and fluted in a pie pan.

Here’s a pie crust refresher.

For the filling:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven on a center rack.
  2. Place the stick of butter in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter starts to foam. Keep stirring until you see dark brown spots start to swirl in with the foam.Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. 
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the eggs. Add sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup and beat again. 
  4. Add the slightly cooled butter and beat well. Add the milk, vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and flour. Beat well, scraping the sides and bottom.
  5. Fold in the toffee bits and chopped pecans, then pour the filling into the chilled pie crust.
  6. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Once the pie is in the oven, immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, make the streusel topping. Whisk together flour and brown sugar. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter. Put the streusel in the fridge or freezer until you need it. 
  8. Fold a pie-size square of aluminum foil in half, then in half again. Use scissors to cut a circle out of the center. When you open the aluminum foil, you should have a square piece of foil with a circle cut out of the middle. This will be your crust shield. 
  9. After the pie has baked for 30 minutes, carefully remove it from the oven and add the streusel all over the top of the pie. Carefully place your foil pie shield over the crust of the pie and fold around the edges. Put the pie (on the baking sheet still) back in the oven.
  10. Continue baking for another 30-37 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature. 
pecan pie mixture dripping from a whisk, measuring toffee bits in a measuring cup.
pouring pecan fie filling into a pie crust, then the baked pecan pie.

How to thicken Pecan Pie Filling

Pecan pie filling should include flour or cornstarch to help it thicken. My recipe includes flour. But the real secret to thickening your pecan pie filling is just letting it bake long enough. See the section below on “How to tell if Pecan Pie is done.” 

How to make the Streusel Pecan Pie Topping

Streusel topping is easy to mix together. You’ll whisk together flour and brown sugar, then cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork. The goal is for the streusel to look like coarse sand with some larger chunks of butter throughout. You can also use your hand to squeeze the streusel together into nice chunks. 

How to tell if Pecan Pie is done

To make sure that the filling is cooked and your pie is done, do one or all of the following:

  • Jiggle it. The center 3-4 inches should still jiggle, but the edges should be firm. 
  • Stick a knife in it. It should come out clean.
  • Tap it with a spoon. When the back of a spoon taps the center of the pie, it should spring back, like Jello.
  • Take its temperature. The pie should be 200 degrees when it’s ready.

Tips for making The Best Pecan Pie Recipe

cutting a triangle out of a tinfoil square to make a pie shield.
adding streusel to the top of a pecan pie, then adding a tinfoil pie shield.

Here’s how to make a homemade pie crust shield. Your crust WILL burn if you don’t cover it for the last half of the bake time.

streusel topping baked on top of a pecan pie.

Voila!

What to serve with Homemade Pecan Pie

I love serving this pie with vanilla ice cream, but you could definitely serve it with whipped cream instead. Either way, the creaminess is just what you need to contrast with the rich sweetness of the pecan filling and streusel topping. 

a slice of pecan pie on a plate with streusel topping.

How to store Pecan Pie

Can Pecan Pie be left out?

Pecan pie can be left out for 2-3 days without a problem. After that, you may want to refrigerate it to make sure that it stays fresh.

Does pecan pie need to be refrigerated?

Nope! You can leave it on the counter. I would throw it in the fridge if it’s not gone by day 3. But I’m not sure who could have this pie sitting on their counter staring them in the face and it not be gone within 3 days. I know I don’t have that kind of will power!

Can you freeze Pecan Pie?

Yes! Pecan pie freezes just great. The only challenge here is that the streusel topping will soften and won’t have that same amazing texture it did before. If you can live with this, go right ahead and freeze leftover pie (or, better yet, invite the neighbors over for a slice and watch as they become your new best friends). 

How long does Pecan Pie last?

Your pie will be good in the freezer for 3-4 days. If there’s more left after that, you can either freeze leftover slices or share it with your friends. Better yet, just send leftover slices home with your guests so everyone can feel the pecan love.

a slice of gooey toffee pecan pie with streusel being lifted from the whole pie.

Recipe for Pecan Pie FAQs

How do you make Pecan Pie Crust not soggy?

Pecan pie crust can get soggy if the filling is underbaked. If you’ve cooked it until it’s actually done, a soggy crust shouldn’t be a problem. If soggy crust is a real problem for you, consider whisking up an egg white and brushing it on the unbaked crust, then popping the crust in the oven for about 7 minutes before adding the filling and baking as usual. 

How do you keep Pecan Pie from being runny?

Pecan pie needs two things to avoid being runny: a thickener and enough bake time. We’re adding flour as a thickener in this pie, so let’s check off number one. Number two can be more challenging, because I know you don’t want to overbake your pie. To make sure that the filling is cooked and your pie is done (but NOT overdone), do one or all of the following:
Jiggle it. The center 3-4 inches should still jiggle, but the edges should be firm. 
Stick a knife in it. It should come out clean.
Tap it with a spoon. When the back of a spoon taps the center of the pie, it should spring back, like Jello.
Take its temperature. The pie should be 200 degrees when it’s ready.

What else are you guys making for Thanksgiving this year?? I’ve got an easy cranberry sauce coming your way soon, plus the perfect appetizer you never knew you needed. Check out the Homemade Green Bean Casserole I just posted (soo good), and the Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon and Sage, which is the only stuffing I will make from now on, or variations from it. Cornbread ftw.

Happy menu planning!

More pies to make for Thanksgiving!

Cheesecake Pecan Pie << this is the only other Pecan Pie I will make besides today’s recipe. Because CHEESECAKE, hello.

Crème Brulée Pumpkin Pie << here’s another classic pie that we are taking up a notch!

Apple Custard Pie with Cinnamon Streusel << see? Streusel really does make everything better. I’ve broken it down for you here ;)

Chocolate Cream Pie << the chocolate pie to end all chocolate pies.

Praline Pumpkin Pie from Spend with Pennies

Cinnamon Cream Pie with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream from A Spicy Perspective

Cranberry Gingersnap Pie from View From Great Island

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Homemade Pecan Pie with Streusel Topping

4.67 from 12 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 7 minutes
Total: 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings: 8
This is not your average Pecan Pie recipe! First we brown the butter, then we adds toffee bits (which melt into a glorious caramel filling), and THEN we top it off with a supremely buttery streusel that I promise is not too sweet, but instead adds the perfect crunch. You are going to WIN Thanksgiving this year my friends. 

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, chopped (1 stick)
  • 6 tablespoons butter-flavored Crisco
  • 1/2 egg
  • 1/4 cup ice water

For the filling

  • 1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
  • 3 large large eggs
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits
  • 2 cups pecans, chopped (toast them if you want!)

For the streusel

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup butter, cold (half stick)

Instructions

For the crust:

  • Fill a small bowl with ice and water so it is ready when you need it.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
  • Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the butter and Crisco. I find it’s easier to chop the butter up a bit with a knife before adding it in. Cut with the pastry cutter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Don’t overdo it! You want pea-size chunks of butter. See photo.
  • In a small bowl beat one egg. Pour out half (into the sink or into another container, or heck, into a frying pan). You can just eyeball it.
  • Add 1/4 cup ice water to the half beaten egg. Beat it together with a fork, then add it to the flour mixture. Stir until it is just coming together, then use floured hands to knead it once or twice (only to make it come together). Divide the dough in half. 
  • Shape one half into a disc, put it in a ziplock, and stick it in the freezer. Save it for another pie another day! 
  • Generously sprinkle flour onto a sheet of parchment paper or a pastry cloth (or the counter). Roll the dough with a rolling pin, using as much flour as you need so that it doesn’t stick. Invert the parchment paper onto a 9-inch pie pan and gently peel off the paper. (Or if you are not using paper, roll it up gently on the rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan.)
  • Arrange the pie crust and fold any excess crust underneath (I don’t believe in trimming it off. Just fold it under!) Crimp as desired.
  • Place the pie pan in the freezer or fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven on a center rack.
  • Place the stick of butter in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter starts to foam. Keep stirring until you see dark brown spots start to swirl in with the foam. The mixture should have a nutty scent that is richer than the smell of regular melted butter. It should take about 5ish minutes. See photo. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. (Transfer the butter to another bowl if you think it will start to burn in the pan.)
  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat 3 eggs for 2 minutes.
  • Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup corn syrup. Beat for 1 more minute, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • Add the slightly cooled butter and beat well.
  • Add the milk, vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and flour. Beat well, scraping the sides and bottom.
  • Fold in the toffee bits and chopped pecans. You can take a moment to toast your pecans before adding them in, it’s never a bad idea!
  • Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust.
  • Place the pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Once the pie is in the oven, immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F.
  • Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the streusel topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Use a pastry cutter to cut in 1/4 cup cold butter. Do you best to cut it into a mixture that looks like coarse sand with some larger butter chunks. There is a lot of flour in this streusel, so eventually I used my hand to squeeze it together and make chunks. Put the streusel in the fridge or freezer until you need it. 
  • Fold a pie-size square of aluminum foil in half, then in half again. Use scissors to cut a circle out of the center. When you open the aluminum foil, you should have a square piece of foil with a circle cut out of the middle. See photos. This will be your crust shield. 
  • After the pie has baked 30 minutes, carefully remove it from the oven (it will be quite wobbly). The top should be lightly browned.
  • Add the streusel all over the top of the pie.
  • Carefully place your foil pie shield over the crust of the pie and fold around the edges. 
  • Put the pie (on the baking sheet still) back in the oven.
  • Continue baking for another 30-37 minutes. Total time in the oven for my pie was 67 minutes. This is going to vary depending on every oven! The pie will still be quite wobbly in the middle, but the edges should only jiggle a little bit. 
  • Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature. If you cut into this pie while it is warm, it’s going to be a liquidy mess! I put mine in the freezer for 1 hour before taking the photos for this post (and the center did fall in a bit.) 
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream! The caramel-y topping on the ice cream that you see in some of the photos is the filling from the pie spooned on top. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 993kcal | Carbohydrates: 102g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 764mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 1183IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 993
Keyword: pecan, pie, streusel
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This looks amazing! 2 quick questions— Do you chill the crisco before making the crust? And about how thick do we roll out the dough to be? Can’t wait to try it!

    1. Hi Josephine! No, the Crisco doesn’t need to be chilled before making the crust; the crust will be chilled after placing it in the pie pan. And the pie crust should be rolled out to about 1/8 inch. Enjoy your pie making!

  2. The pie was so amazing everyone at work fell in love with it!!!!! Thank you for sharing!! My question is can this be made into bars?? If so please let me know still have ingredients but would like to try bars.

    1. Hi Claire! This recipe calls for a regular pie crust, not a deep dish pie crust. If you choose a deep-dish pie crust, your pecan filling and streusel may not fill the crust all the way to the top, and the edges of the crust may get deep brown or even burned. I recommend using a homemade or pre-made regular single crust intended for a 9-inch pie pan. Enjoy!

  3. Hi! Can I use this recipe without Crisco? Or how should I replace it? This product is not sold in my region :) Thanks!

    1. Hello Dionne! You can substitute the Crisco in the crust with an equal amount of butter. Make sure to use cold butter. Since the recipe already calls for a stick of butter (8 tablespoons), you’ll be using 14 tablespoons of butter total. Enjoy!

  4. 5 stars
    This was an amazing pie! Thank you so much for sharing. I just made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Matter of fact I had to go and cut me a slice, after eating a piece already and put up for later because it was going that fast. Again thank you so much, I love finding new recipes that are so good and they become our new staple’s for the holidays. 

    1. Hi Melissa! No, you don’t have to use toffee bits. They add an even deeper caramel-toffee flavor to the filling but aren’t 100% necessary. Enjoy the pie!

  5. Did you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe? I assume salted? It looks delicious and I’m planning to make it for Thanksgiving! 

    1. Hi Emma! Yes I used salted butter, but either kind will work. I like a little salt in my baked goods :) I’m so happy you’re making it, enjoy!

  6. This is a delicious recipe
    Can it be made as mini tarts,if so how long would
    they need to be baked 

    1. Hi Shaz, so glad you like the recipe! I haven’t tried it as mini tarts so can’t tell you how long it would bake. Good luck, let me know how it goes!

  7. Do you have any alternatives to the flour to make this Gluten free? Are all the other ingredients gluten-free? I would love to make this for my granddaughter, who has Celiac disease, if I can figure that out. Thank you.

    1. Hi Barbara! I would look up a gluten free pie crust (or find one pre made at the store) and use that. The flour in the filling and the streusel will need to be gluten free, just use the 1:1 blends you can find at the store. Hope this helps!

    2. Hi Barbara,

      I just made a GF version of this (also Celiac). I bought a premade crust from Whole Foods, they also have them at Kroger, or you could make the crust recipe here with 1 for 1 flour. Bobs Red Mill 1 for 1 is a good choice (and found in most grocery stores), as is Pamela’s, Cup for Cup, and many others. Karo brand corn syrup is gluten free as are Hershey’s Health toffee baking bits (found with other baking chips). It’s always a good idea to check the other incredients for cross contact in processing like the pecans. Good luck!

  8. OMG, you are so right, this is the most incredible pecan pie!! While I did overcook it a bit, it was marvelous. Smooth, rich, and a wonderful caramel flavor. If you want to impress…this is the pie to serve.

    1. Hooray! I’m so glad it was a hit Linda! It’s really hard to be a good Pecan Pie :) Thanks so much for reviewing!

  9. Hey this looks amazing could I use a deep dish crust or do u not recommend with the same filling ingredients? Should I add more filling

    1. Hey Jennifer! I actually made this in a deep pie dish and it worked out great. I think it would work in either. enjoy the pie!!

  10. I made your pecan pie for a pie contest at work and won!!! It was the first time I’ve ever made a crust from scratch. I made two so I could have one for home also. Everyone just loved it! Thank you for sharing. 

    1. That is so awesome Karin! I’m so happy to hear you won, and that you were smart enough to make two so that you could eat one at home :) I’ll be making two of these pies tomorrow too! Happy Thanksgiving!

    2. I made this but because I have a “stomach cancer” and can’t eat whole nuts, I had to pulverize the pecans. So I decided to experiment a bit and put one cup pulverized pecans in the mix and then added the second cup of pecans (also blended to s***) into the crumble and it turned out amaaaaazing!!! Thank you for this recipe! The crust was perfect and I loved pecan pie before I was diagnosed and can finally enjoy it again! You rock.

  11. Karen, this looks amazing! I’m going to make one small all change, though. My moms recipe uses dark corn syrup, which I love and has a delicious caramelly flavor which I believe adds more depth. I love the browned butter and the topping. This is a definite improvement over regular pecan pie!

  12. This looks fabulous, I’m definitely a crusty, strudel type of pie eater . Filling has always been secondary for me.
    I’m pinning… Thanks for posting

    1. Right? Strudel and crusties forever! Always the best part of a pie. I hope you get to make this soon! Thanks Wendy!

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