Healthy Pecan Pie (Without Corn Syrup!)

This homemade pecan pie made with a healthy pie crust and simple pecan pie filling is so easy and delicious. It’s awesome to enjoy a family favorite without sacrificing your healthy eating goals!

Somehow, I made it until my early thirties until I ever tried a pecan pie.  It always seemed so strange to me to fill a pie with…nuts.  So, I went for years without ever even trying one.  Which is kinda crazy, if you think about it.  I mean — how did I not just TRY a kind of pie before?

This is ME we’re talking about.

It’s pie. P.I.E.

Then, one day a few years ago, when we were out with the family enjoying a day trip to Fredericksburg (<—- LOVE BTW), we stopped into a super cute and sweet pie shop.  The lady at the front counter boasted about how their Orange Bourbon Pecan Pie was recently featured in Sunset Magazine and it was world-renowned.

Okay okay okay, it was time to finally try pecan pie.  How do you say no to that?

So, we ordered a slice of the world famous pecan pie (aaaaaand a few other slices of other pies) and I went for it.

It was then that I realized I had been missing out on a whole amazing kind of pie my entire life.

Pecan pie was amazing! And that orange hint — puh-LEASE.

Note: To all other kinds of fruit pie, I still love you very, very much.

Last year I asked you on Instagram and Facebook what special holiday recipes you wanted me to #makeithealthy for the holiday season.

Not surprisingly, pecan pie was THE most requested holiday recipe from all the votes.

Pecan pie is amazing – so why not make it into something we can enjoy on a healthy diet, am I right?!?

So, for all you pecan pie lovers who want to keep up your healthy lifestyle, this holiday season and throughout the year, I hope you enjoy this healthy pecan pie recipe as much as we do because it’s not only a low sugar pecan pie and a low-calorie pecan pie but also a delicious dessert perfect for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. It’s really a shame not to make it.

IS PECAN PIE HEALTHY?

To answer this question, we have to take a look at your typical ingredients of pecan pie.

We typically will have:

• Refrigerated pie crust or homemade pie crust made with shortening and all-purpose flour --> not healthy;
• Eggs – a great source of protein --> healthy;
• Corn syrup --> not healthy;
• Brown sugar --> not healthy;
• Pecans --> healthy.

Overall, normal pecan pie is not so healthy. But, here's the good news.  Pecan pie can be made healthy. It’s super easy to substitute unhealthy ingredients for healthy ones.

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY HOMEMADE PECAN PIE

If you’ve never made pecan pie, it’s so shockingly simple – you just make the easy cinnamon-egg filling and then pour it over a bunch of raw pecans in the pie crust.  Pop it in the oven and it rises and bakes like a miracle.

That’s right: a miracle.

• Making this pecan pie healthy was not too hard at all, thanks to my trusty healthy pie crust, which uses whole wheat pastry flour and coconut oil instead of butter. More about it later. But nom.
• Making pecan pie without corn syrup and refined sugars will also make it healthier. A great substitute for corn syrup in pecan pie is raw honey. And let me tell you something, using raw honey sweetens the pie and works beautifully. And another thing - this is my favorite pecan pie recipe without corn syrup but keep reading if you want more healthy substitutes for corn syrup.

HOW TO MAKE PECAN PIE WITHOUT CORN SYRUP

I told you how you can make a low sugar pecan pie by replacing corn syrup with honey, but I promised I will give you other corn syrup alternative. Also, I want to tell you a few things about corn syrup and its alternatives so you can choose the best substitute for you.

Corn syrup is actually considered more unhealthy than sugar. Can you believe it?

So let’s find healthier corn syrup alternatives. To make this pecan pie recipe, no corn syrup is required. Nope.  Zilch.  Zero.  None.  You need, however, something to sweeten the pie. And, while there are many natural sweeteners on the market, not all of them work in a pie or in other types of baked goods, and not all of them are clean-eating approved.

To make this pecan pie without corn syrup, you can use:

• Raw honey – has a mild flavor but intense sweetness and replaces corn syrup without altering the taste of the pie.
• Pure Maple syrup – pure maple syrup is also good in this pecan pie but it will give the pie a strong maple flavor that not all people like.

Raw honey is my favorite corn syrup substitute.

HOW TO MAKE PIE CRUST WITHOUT BUTTER

We managed to make healthy pecan pie filling. Yay! But we can’t forget about the pie crust. We have to make pecan pie crust healthy too, right? Of course.

To make healthy pie crust, you just have to:

1. Replace butter with coconut oil;
2. Use coconut sugar instead of refined sugar.

Check out my healthy pie crust recipe where I explain in detail how to make pie crust without butter.

HOW LONG TO BAKE PECAN PIE

Baking pecan pie is a 2-step process. It takes 30-35 minutes for the pecan pie to bake but follow these 2 steps if you want to make sure the healthy pecan pie is baked to perfection:

1. Place the pie in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake the pecan pie for another 20-25 minutes.

Pecan pie is done when is no longer giggly and it has small cracks on top.  Oh yea, and it will look GORGEOUS.

I mean...

HOW LONG DOES PECAN PIE LAST?

If any of the pie makes it past dessert, it lasts for…

• 2 days at room temperature;
• 4 days in the fridge;
• up to 4 months in the freezer.

MORE THANKSGIVING DESSERT RECIPES!

You learned how to make homemade pecan pie. Congratulations! Do you want to learn how to make another Thanksgiving dessert that is healthy and delicious? I bet you do! That’s why I have one more Thanksgiving dessert recipe for ya.

SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO PIE

Another great pie for your Thanksgiving table is this Southern Sweet Potato Pie.

Sweet potato pie is similar to pumpkin pie, however, there are a few noticeable differences as well. For example, sweet potato pie is made only with cinnamon and nutmeg so it has a lighter spices flavor compared to pumpkin pie.

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