This Southern pecan pie recipe with brown sugar is called Cast Iron Skillet Pecan Pie because, well, it's made in an iron skillet! It may just be the best and easiest pecan pie recipe you'll ever bake.
This post is sponsored by my friends at Whaley Pecan Company.
For this recipe, I tweak a traditional Southern pecan pie filling recipe and pour it into a crust made with refrigerated pie crust dough.
It's so easy to make a pecan pie in a cast iron skillet. Also, it frees up a pie plate if you want to two pies and only have one pie plate.
Don't get me wrong, I love pie of all kinds. Like my Shortcut Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Shortcut Caramel Apple Pie, and Shortcut Chocolate Cherry Pie (Galette).
Pecan pie is one of my very favorite pies, especially when it's made with pecans from Whaley Pecan Company in Troy, Alabama. Y'all know I'm big on shopping local and supporting Alabama farmers.
With Whaley's pecans, I know I'm getting this year's top quality crop. Read more about this family-owned business after the step-by-step recipe.
Shortcuts
- Use pecan halves and skip the step of chopping. You can also buy large pieces.
- You don't even have to crimp the pie crust in the cast iron skillet. Just drop it in and smooth out the edges to fit the iron skillet. Done.
- Another bonus is not having to start at a high temperature and remember to reduce the temp to a lower one like with a fluted pie crust edged pie.
Ingredients
What you will need to make this cast iron skillet pie recipe.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- One refrigerated premade pie crust dough from a box of two.
- Salted butter
- Light or dark brown sugar adds an extra depth of flavor with the richness of molasses
- Large eggs
- Light corn syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Pecan halves or large pieces
If you're a pecan pie lover like me, you may also like my Maple Pecan Tassies. They are easy little mini pecan pies, perfect for holiday food gifts. Also made with shortcuts.
How to make Cast Iron Skillet Pecan Pie
Baking pecan pie in an iron skillet will change how you think about pie baking for the holidays. It's that good. It's that easy.
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Melt butter in a medium-size microwave safe bowl. (Or in a saucepan on the stove and transfer to the bowl.)
- Stir in the brown sugar and push this mixture to one side. This cools down the butter.
- Then lightly beat the eggs on the other side of the bowl. This saves washing another bowl.
- Add the corn syrup and vanilla, stirring well. Then stir in the pecans.
- Gently place the smoothed out pie dough in a seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- The pie crust dough will form a natural-looking wavy edge. Sort of a rustic appearance.
Tip: Don't press the pie crust too firmly into the bottom and sides of the iron skillet. Unless your crust is larger than 11 inches, it shouldn't fall forward into the filling. The filling will rise up to meet the edges of the crust, perfectly.
- Then, pour the pecan pie filling into the prepared crust. You can flip the pecan halves up, if you like.
No need to shape, flute, or crimp edges. The pie crust will naturally create a slightly wavy design.
Now that's a shortcut! I can never remember to set my timer to reduce the oven temp on recipes that call for that.
- Just bake this iron skillet pecan pie all the way through at 350F degrees all the way through, according to the time on the printable recipe below. No need to start at a high temp, then lower it.
- Let it cool to room temperature to get a good slice out of it.
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Perfect every time.
Pecan halves create a showy, impressive appearance. Pecan pieces can also be used and makes the pie slice easily.
Pro tip: If you are having trouble telling if your pie is done, the center should register 200F degrees with an instant read thermometer.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this cast iron pecan pie recipe.
- Chocolate Pecan Pie - It's as easy as stirring in ½ cup mini or regular semisweet chocolate chips. You can also melt them first and stir in the melted chocolate...or do both and gild the lily!
- Butter- If you only have unsalted butter, add ⅛ teaspoon table salt or ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt.
- Homemade pie crust- If you want to make your own pie crust, that's ok, too. Just roll it out to an 11 inch circle and fit it in. No need to crimp the edges.
- Boozy pie- I may be a teetotaler, but if you like the taste of a Bourbon Pecan Pie, stir in 2 tablespoons of your favorite bourbon. Baking time will not change.
Helpful Information
This is quite the debate but according to USDA, egg-rich homemade pies, including pecan pie, must be stored in the refrigerator after baking and cooling. These nut pies can sit at room temperature up to 2 hours.
Yes and no, mostly no. Hot cast iron skillet should not be placed in a cold refrigerator because it may crack the skillet and the glass shelving. Room temperature cast iron skillets can be stored in the refrigerator for short periods of time due to the moist atmosphere.
Whaley Pecan Company
Started in 1937, Whaley Pecan Company is a family-owned and operated business in Troy, Alabama.
Whaley's has a modern shelling plant that was fascinating to watch first hand. My husband and I toured the facility recently and met the whole family. We were impressed with the shelling and sorting process as well as their health department score card of 100!
Check out this cool pecan sizing chart of all the products they sell. I use the smaller, Elliots variety of halves in my Cast Iron Skillet Pecan Pie. They sell pecans in sizes from Mammoth halves to pecan meal.
I buy my Whaley's pecans at my local Foodland, but if your grocery store doesn't have them, no worries. They sell them online! Here's where you can order your own Whaley's pecans and pecan goodies from Troy, Alabama.
What to serve with pecan pie
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream served with warm pecan pie is amazing.
- Homemade whipped cream, Cool Whip, or Reddi Wip topping
- Caramel or chocolate syrup
How to store Cast Iron Skillet Pecan Pie
Pecan pie is an egg-rich pie, so according to the USDA, the PIE must be stored in the refrigerator. The iron skillet...not so much.
Although a cast iron skillet can be stored in the refrigerator for short periods of time, it's best to cut the pie into serving pieces or large portions and store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an air tight container.
You can freeze pecan pie but a cast iron skillet doesn't need to be stored in the freezer. Transfer leftover pie from this iron skillet pie to an air tight container before freezing.
Can I make this pie if I don't have a cast iron skillet?
Yes. It is possible to make this pie with the same instructions in a 9-or 10-inch deep dish pie plate.
If you only have a 9-inch pie plate or pie pan, you will need to fold over the edges of pie crust dough and flute or crimp the edges. You may have to cover the edges of pie crust with pie crust shields or aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.
If you make this recipe I'd love to see it! Tag me on social media with #gritsandgouda or @gritsandgouda. Leave a comment below the printable recipe if you have questions or tell me how you liked the recipe. Don't forget to rate it 5 stars if you love it!
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Want more shortcut fall dessert recipes?
- 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Minis
- Sweet Pumpkin Spice Dumplings (Made with Crescent Roll Dough)
- Mini S'Mores Pies
- Easy Air Fryer Apple Pie Bombs
Cast Iron Skillet Pecan Pie
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 rolled-up, refrigerated pie crust dough (from 14.1-ounce box of two)
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves or pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F°. Let the pie crust dough sit at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium-size microwave safe bowl at HIGH for 30 seconds. Or, melt in a saucepan on stove and transfer to a bowl.
- Stir the brown sugar into the warm butter and push this mixture to one side. Add the eggs to the other side of the bowl and lightly beat with a spoon or fork. Now, combine the mixture. This saves washing another bowl.
- Stir in the corn syrup and vanilla, then add the pecans.
- Unroll the pie crust dough and smooth out any ridges. Fold the crust in half and gently transfer the crust to a seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet. Unfold the pie crust and loosely fit it into the cast iron skillet. No need to press the crust too firmly into the skillet and no crimping or fluting necessary.
- Pour the pecan filling into the prepared pie crust. The pecan filling will rise while baking to reach close to the top of the crust.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is puffed and set when jiggled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Scott Phillips
This is one of my favorites!
Kathleen
Mine too! Easy to make. Looks impressive and uses my cast iron skillet!
Scott Phillips
This is one of my favorites!!
Ann Getwan
This was the favorite dessert at Thanksgiving this year! It was delicious!!
gritsandgouda
That is fantastic! So glad your family loved it! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!