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This Gluten Free Pecan Pie is the ultimate dessert treat! With a buttery gluten free shortcrust pastry, syrupy pecan filling and crunchy pecan nuts, it doesn’t get much better than this. And my easy gluten free pecan pie recipe is actually really easy to make! Nobody will know it’s gluten free.
A slice of homemade pecan pie really is a sweet-lovers treat, and I cannot get enough of it when it comes to autumn.
It’s traditionally a great gluten free Thanksgiving dessert, but also a great option for a gluten free Christmas dessert or centrepiece for any gathering or celebration.
The homemade gluten free shortcrust pastry is buttery and so easy to work with, and the pecan filling is the perfect combination of sweet and crunchy.
I use vanilla and maple syrup in my easy pecan pie filling for the best flavours – this is probably one of my favourite American desserts alongside Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie.
Serve up a slice of warm gluten free pecan pie with vanilla ice-cream or some whipped cream for the perfect crowd-pleasing dessert!
And if you love this, be sure to try some of my other favourite dessert recipes, like my Gluten Free Treacle Tart or my Gluten Free Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Ingredients
There’s a printable recipe card for this Gluten Free Pecan Pie recipe below. But for the shopping list you will need…
For the gluten free pastry:
I follow my gluten free pastry recipe (check out that post for a far more detailed method and tips on how to make it). But I have outlined the recipe in this post too!
- Plain Gluten Free Flour: You’ll need a plain flour blend – I use the FREEE gluten free plan flour as its readily available in UK supermarkets.
- Xanthan Gum: This is essential for replicating the texture of the gluten and getting a pliable gluten free pastry dough.
- Butter: Cold, unsalted butter is needed for this pastry. Emphasis on the cold.
- Egg: I use one large UK egg, which would be an XL egg in the US.
For the pecan pie filling:
- Pecan Halves: I roughly chop the majority of these into pecan pieces, but keep a few halves intact to decorate my pecan pie.
- Butter: For the pastry you need cold butter, but for the filling you need softened or melted butter.
- Light Brown Sugar: Essential for that deep colour and caramel flavours.
- Eggs: This is what helps to set the toffee pecan filling.
- Golden Syrup: This is readily available in UK supermarkets but harder to find in the US. A light corn syrup is probably the closest alternative.
- Maple Syrup: I’ve tried this recipe with and without maple syrup – and with is 1 million times better. Trust me.
- Vanilla Extract: This is usually gluten free but always double check.
How to make gluten free pecan pie
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this Gluten Free Pecan Pie is to make.
First you will need to make the gluten free pecan pie crust. I have outlined the steps here but my gluten free shortcrust pastry recipe post goes into far more depth.
If you’re short on time you could use a shop-bought gluten free pastry but trust me, making your own is super easy and SO much better!
To make the gluten free pecan pie crust:
Add the flour and xanthan gum to a large mixing bowl and stir together.
Cut the cold butter into cubes and then add to the bowl. Using your fingers, rub the mix together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Crack the eggs into a bowl or mug and add the cold water. Whisk together until just combined. Then add to the mix and use a fork to start to ‘mush’ the mixture together. You’ll see it start to form a sticky dough.
Once it becomes harder to use the fork to mix, use your hands to bring the mixture together into a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
To blind bake the pecan pie crust:
Once chilled, preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4 . Knead the pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is pliable, then roll out to around 4-6mm thick.
Use your rolling pin to carefully transfer the pastry into a deep, loose-bottom pie dish.
Use your fingers to press the sides of the pie into the ridges of the dish. Trim the excess pastry and prick the bottom all over with a fork.
Place a piece of baking paper over the top of the pastry and fill with baking beans (or dried rice/lentils).
Bake for for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the baking paper and beans, then bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden.
To make the pecan pie filling:
While the pastry case is baking, cream together the softened butter, sugar, maple syrup, golden syrup, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
Roughly chop 150g of the pecans and add to the filling, stirring to combine. Reserve the rest of the pecans for topping.
Once the pastry case is baked, remove from the oven. Pour the filling in (being careful not to overfill it so it spills out) and then decorate the top of the pie with the remaining pecans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges of the pie are firm but the centre still wobbles.
Remove from the oven and cool for at least 1 hour before serving warm, or allow to cool completely and enjoy cold.
Storing and Freezing
This easy pecan pie recipe can happily made be made ahead of time – I recommend making it the day before serving if you’re doing this.
Store your pecan pie in the fridge and bring out to room temperature for an hour before serving. The pecan pie should last 3-5 days in the fridge.
Slices of leftover gluten free pecan pie can also be frozen. I recommend freezing them between sheets of parchment paper to stop them sticking together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this gluten free recipe for pecan pie. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
Pecan nuts are naturally gluten free, but some packs may have a ‘may contain’ warning where there is a danger of cross contamination from wheat. Always double check the pack ingredients to ensure you’re using coeliac-safe pecans.
This pecan pie filling is dairy free anyway, but you’d have to make a swap to the gluten free pie crust recipe to make this a gluten free dairy free pecan pie. Simply switch the butter for a vegan butter in the pastry – ideally one which is quite hard. Sadly due to the amount of eggs in this recipe I don’t yet have a vegan replacement to make it egg free as well.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Pecan Pie
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 170 g plain gluten free flour
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp water
- 110 g unsalted butter, cold
For the filling:
- 200 g pecan halves
- 50 g butter, softened
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 100 g golden syrup
- 50 g maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the pastry:
- Add the flour and xanthan gum to a large mixing bowl and stir together.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes and then add to the bowl. Using your fingers, rub the mix together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl or mug and add the cold water. Whisk together until just combined. Then add to the mix and use a fork to start to ‘mush’ the mixture together. You’ll see it start to form a sticky dough.
- Once it becomes harder to use the fork to mix, use your hands to bring the mixture together into a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry:
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 180’C / Fan 160’C / Gas Mark 4 . Knead the pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is pliable, then roll out to around 4-6mm thick.
- Use your rolling pin to carefully transfer the pastry into a deep pie dish. I used a 20cm, loose bottom tin for ease when getting it out!
- Use your fingers to press the sides of the pie into the ridges of the dish. Trim the excess pastry and prick the bottom all over with a fork.
- Place a piece of baking paper over the top of the pastry and fill with baking beans (or dried rice/lentils).
- Bake for for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the baking paper and beans, then bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden.
Make the filling:
- While the pastry case is baking, cream together the softened butter, sugar, maple syrup, golden syrup, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
- Roughly chop 150g of the pecans and add to the filling, stirring to combine.
- Once the pastry case is baked, remove from the oven. Pour the filling in (being careful not to overfill it so it spills out) and then decorate the top of the pie with the remaining pecan halves.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges of the pie are firm but the centre still wobbles. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 1 hour before serving warm, or allow to cool completely and enjoy cold.
Notes
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this gluten free pecan pie recipe should look at each stage.
- Storing, Making Ahead and Freezing: Check out the post above this recipe card for more information on how to store this pecan pie.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Gluten Free Pecan Pie!
Nutrition
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