Pecan Pie (gluten-free)

With a buttery, crispy crust, and a soft yet crunchy pecan, brown sugar, and maple syrup filling, this gluten-free Pecan Pie is a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert MUST HAVE!

Does the idea of making homemade Pie make you nervous?

If you said yes, I’m in the same club as you.

For some reason, the simple beauty of a classic, homemade pie is daunting. Cookies? Easy, no big deal. But pie?? What if the crust falls apart? What if the filling doesn’t set?! WHAT AM I DOING?!

Especially if you’re making a gluten-free pie crust! That makes me nervous, times ten.

All that being said, I’m not even a big pie girl myself. I’d much rather have a cookie. Or at least, that’s what I thought, until I had this Pecan Pie. I haven’t had pie in years because of the crust, and because I didn’t trust gluten-free flour enough to nail down a great pie crust recipe.

This year, I told myself, would be different. I’ve heard from a few of you that you needed a solid, reliable gluten-free pie crust. So, I made it my mission. And… I’m beyond psyched to share this recipe.

Like… I ate half of this pie myself. And, I have zero regrets. 😉

First, let’s start talking pie crust.

The scariest part first!

This crust recipe is made with the use of a food processor. Did you know you can make an entire pie crust in your food processor?! You could cut the butter in with a tool by hand still, but a food processor makes the whole thing so incredibly quick and easy. It’s amazing!

To begin, you’ll add your gluten-free flour, salt, and cut up chunks of butter to your food processor with the s-blade on. Pulse your flour mixture till your butter is evenly dispersed throughout the flour, till the flour mixture sort of looks like thick sand.

Next, add one tablespoon of water, pulse again, and continue till all of your water has been added in. You should have a nice, crumbly looking pie crust pile in your food processor now.

So, here’s the fun part. Take a large piece of parchment paper (bigger than your pie pan) and dump your pie crust crumbles out onto it. Gently push your crumbles together to form one round pie dough ball. Take another piece (the same size) of parchment paper and place it on top of the pie dough.

Using a rolling pin, roll your dough out, evenly around till it’s at least two inches larger than your pie pan all the way around. That way you have crust up the sides of your pie! I like to double check by placing my pie pan on top. If there isn’t enough crust sticking out around the pan, keep rolling!

Most important step is next: Get your pie pan and spray it with non-stick spray.

Now, remove the top piece of parchment paper from your pie crust, slowly and gently. Put your hand under the bottom piece of parchment paper, in the middle, and gently yet quickly, flip the crust into your pie pan in the middle. Gently and slowly remove the top sheet of parchment paper and press the pie crust evenly in around your pan.

Crust Questions…

Too much crust sticking out? Trim or tear the edges off.

Not enough crust in one part? Try and use the edges you trimmed off, place them in the spot that’s missing, and then gently press the dough together. Patch work! 🙂

Crust not high up enough all the way around the edges? I would gently push the crust around, up and towards the top.

Crust didn’t quite make it into the middle? Flip the crust back out, gently push it back together if it’s cracked in a few places, and then try flipping it into the pan again.

I’ll let you in on a secret. The last time I made this pie… I forgot the non-stick spray. WHAT?! #mombrain. Thankfully I remembered, but it wasn’t until after I had already put the crust in the pan. I flipped it back out, fixed a few cracks in the crust, then flipped it back in AFTER spraying my pan down. Good as new. Lesson learned.

You can finish off the top of your pie crust however you like. Pretty crimping, simple straight edge.. whatever your heart desires.

Now, you’ll want to wrap your crust in plastic wrap and place it in your fridge for at least 4 hours (and up to 24 hours). This ensures your crust will bake properly and helps the butter flavor to get “soaked up” into the crust more.

Ready for the pecan filling now?!

I know I am! The pecan filling is incredibly easy, so nutty, buttery, sweet and delicious.

First, in a small bowl you’ll want to whip your eggs separately. Whip them for a few minutes till they’re frothy, light and fluffy!

Then, in a large mixing bowl you’ll add your brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and stir them together. Add your eggs to the bowl and gently stir them in.

Scatter your pecans evenly across the bottom of your pan, and pour your wet mixture across the top. That’s it.

Bake in the oven at 350 for 40-50 minutes, or till the top of the pie is set (and has puffed up a bit – it will settle back down) and there’s only a slight jiggle in the center. As the pie cools it will set entirely.

Check your pie about half way through the baking time to see if your crust is getting too dark. If it is, tent foil over the pie to keep it safe!

Be sure your pie cools entirely before cutting into it or you’ll literally have a hot mess! It’ll take several hours for your pie to cool.

This gluten-free Pecan Pie isn’t healthy, but it’s made just a tad healthier with no corn syrup and a little less butter than most. Still entirely decadent and the best classic Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert around.

P.S. You can use this crust recipe with other pie fillings inside, like pumpkin pie, that also only has a crust on the bottom and bakes for a similar amount of time.

Take some deep breaths, trust yourself, and give this gluten-free Pecan Pie a shot! It’s really not as hard as it looks. 🙂

Need more Holiday dessert ideas, just in case? I’d recommend my gluten-free Snickerdoodle Cupcakes, (grain-free and vegan) Thumbprint Cookies, or Skinny Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes.

The recipe for this pie crust was based off of this recipe.