Clean Eating Pecan Pie Recipe (2024)

ByTiffany McCauley

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This naturally sweetened pecan pie without corn syrup is made with REAL FOOD ingredients and no refined sugar. It’s a healthy pecan pie recipe that makes the perfect holiday dessert!

Clean Eating Pecan Pie Recipe (1)

Lighter Holiday Dessert

You asked for a naturally sweetened pecan pie recipe, but I won’t sugarcoat this for you. This pie may be lighter than the typical holiday dessert, but it’s definitely not conducive to losing weight. It is, however, technically clean.

Pecan Pie Ingredients

This pie recipe is a little bit healthier and lighter for the fact that it doesn’t call for any corn syrup. No refined sugars is a good thing! Not just that, but there are hidden dangers in high fructose corn syrup.

However, any time you have pecans, you’re going to get a lot of fat. There’s no way around that. Even this pie has a lot of fat. But the difference is, all the ingredients are real, whole food. So your body actually gets nutrition from it. Plus, the fat from the pecans is a healthy fat. So even though this is still high in fat, it’s far better than the stuff you buy or get in a restaurant.

Clean Eating Pecan Pie Recipe (2)

What You’ll Need

  • Whole wheat pie crust– You can purchase whole wheat or whole grain crust, but there are usually unwanted added ingredients. And it’s so easy to make your own! My whole wheat pie crust recipe makes a tad over 2 pie crusts. So, top and bottom for one pie, or bottom for 2 pies. Plus a little extra to cut out and make pretty shapes to put on top of your pie if the urge grabs you.
  • Honey– You can adjust the amount of honey you use to get your desired level of sweetness. A ¾ cup will give you a middle-of-the-road, medium sweetness. A ½ cup will be lightly sweetened and let the nutty flavor come through more. 1 cup will give you that super sweet, make-your-teeth-hurt, kinda sweet that some people like. Adjust accordingly.
  • Largeegg whites– Whipped with a fork until frothy
  • Light-flavored oil – This can be any oil such as liquid coconut oil, grapeseed, or safflower oil. Use what you feel comfortable using.
  • Raw pecan pieces– chop finely after measuring. These little bits will fill in the gaps between the halves and help this pie truly stick together without corn syrup.
  • Raw pecan halves – These are the “meat” of your pecan pie. Use raw nuts or they will be overdone after baking.
  • Pure vanilla extract – I use bourbon vanilla, but use whatever real vanilla you have on hand.
  • Ground cinnamon – This is technically optional, but gives the pie wonderful flavor.
  • Whole wheat pastry flour – It’s not much, but it’s an important ingredient here. You can use regular whole wheat flour, but your pie will change a tiny bit in texture. A good middle-ground flour that is easier to find in stores is white whole wheat flour if you can’t find the pastry variety.

How To Make Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
  • Pour batter into raw pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for 20-25 minutes. The pie should raise in the oven and have small cracks in the top when it’s done.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool overnight.

Other Naturally Sweetened Pies

  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Apple Pie

Naturally Sweetened Pecan Pie Recipe

Clean Eating Pecan Pie Recipe (4)

Naturally Sweetened Pecan Pie (No Corn Syrup!)

Do you love pecan pie but don't like all that corn syrup? Try this naturally sweetened Pecan Pie recipe! It's the perfect Thanksgiving holiday dessert!

3.69 from 29 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings (a single 9 inch pie)

Calories: 171kcal

Equipment

  • Standard-size pie pan

Ingredients

  • 1 batch pie crust recipe (see link above – makes 2 pie crusts)
  • ¾ cups honey (for medium sweetness – ½ cup for less sweet – 1 cup for super sweet)
  • 3 large egg whites (whipped with a fork)
  • 2 tbsp. light flavored oil
  • 1 cup raw pecan pieces (chop fine after measuring)
  • 1 cup raw pecan halves
  • 4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° F.

  • Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

  • Pour batter into raw pie crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for 20-25 minutes. The pie should raise in the oven and have small cracks in the top when it's done.

  • Remove from oven and allow to cool overnight.

Notes

NOTES ON THE HONEY: Please note that increasing or decreasing the honey will give you more or less filling. Using ¾ cups honey is just right for filling a 9-inch pie. When I made my pie, I only used ½ cup honey and I have to say that it was plenty sweet. But I know that by other people’s standards, it would be hardly sweet at all. I enjoy the natural sweetness from the nuts. So I didn’t feel the pie needed much. So just be aware that if you go up to 1 cup of honey, you are really, honestly going to get a pie that is sickeningly sweet by my standards (which some people like).

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible. Data does not include pie crust. See that recipe for that data.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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Clean Eating Pecan Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How healthy is pecan pie? ›

Pecan pie is considered a high-calorie and high-fat food. A single slice of pecan pie typically contains around 400-500 calories and 20-30 grams of fat. The majority of the calories come from the crust and the filling. The crust is made of butter and flour, which are high in calories and fat.

What is the healthiest type of pie? ›

When in doubt, choose pumpkin pie. In competition with those mentioned above, it offers the fewest calories, and least fat and added sugar.

Which is healthier, pecan pie or pumpkin pie? ›

Pecan pie contains more calories but offers you plenty of nutrients that you can't find in any other pie. On the other hand, pumpkin pies have a lower calorie content. But pumpkins contain fewer nutrients compared to pecans. Hence, both of these pies are healthy in their own way.

What can you use instead of pecans in pecan pie? ›

Thankfully, I've found out that you can make pecan pie without any nuts. Simply use oatmeal, and you can still have that sticky, caramel filling, and flaky pie crust, but with oats instead of pecans. And to really take it over the top, spread a layer of chocolate on the crust before adding the filling.

Is pecan pie healthier than apple pie? ›

With an astounding 620 calories per slice, pecan pie dominates the contest from a caloric standpoint. Pecans themselves provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals and are thought to be healthy for the heart.

Can a diabetic eat a slice of pecan pie? ›

Pumpkin or pecan pie

With the crust, butter, and sugar needed, pies are a danger to blood sugar. Limit the serving by splitting a slice at the table with a family member. Pumpkin pie is a healthier choice than pecan pie which can have triple the amount of calories.

What is the healthiest Thanksgiving pie? ›

In the pumpkin pie, calories, carbs and sodium are lower, while protein is higher. But the apple pie takes the cake when it comes to fiber and potassium, and it has less added sugar.

What makes a pie unhealthy? ›

Sadly, they're not great as a regular part of your diet. An average individual meat pie provides around 450kcal, but the biggest problem is the 12g of saturated fat inside it – that's more than half the daily guideline. If you have buttery mashed potato or chips on the side, the fat content of your meal is even higher.

What kind of pie has the least sugar? ›

Pumpkin, unlike pecan, only has 15 grams of added sugar, only half of pecan's added 30! The pie with the next least amount of sugar is apple pie.

What is the least popular pie in the United States? ›

The least popular types of pies were salted caramel, gooseberry, blueberry and peach, all being the most popular in only one state each.

Why is pecan pie so good? ›

Some people might say what makes the pecan pie so good is the number of sweet ingredients you add to it. However, the ultimate focus should always be on the pecan nuts you add. After all, without the pecans, your confectionary dessert is just sugar, butter, and crust.

Is light or dark Karo syrup better for pecan pie? ›

Light and dark corn syrup can be used interchangeably in almost every instance, with slight flavor variances. In a pecan pie, for example, light corn syrup will contribute sweetness and a hint of vanilla, but that's about it. Dark corn syrup, in addition to sweetness, will add color and a more robust, toasty flavor.

What makes a pecan pie not set up? ›

If runny pecan pie fillings are a chronic problem, check your oven temperature. It may be running too cool and not be sufficiently hot for the custard magic to take place.

What kind of pie pan is best for pecan pie? ›

Which pie pans brown crusts the most evenly? Metal pie pans bake up the most even crusts, since metal is a great thermal conductor. While stoneware can bake up a good pie, the material isn't as conductive and retains heat better, which can result in less evenly browned crusts.

Are pecans healthy or fattening? ›

Pecans are a great source of healthy fats but are high in calories, so it's important to watch your portion sizes. A serving of pecans is 1 ounce, which is a little less than one-fourth cup or 19 pecan halves. Roasted pecans sold as prepackaged snacks are often coated in unhealthy oils and sugar, adding empty calories.

Does pecan pie have a lot of sugar? ›

The average slice of pecan pie has over 500 calories, 30 grams of fat, 60 grams of carbohydrates, and 30 grams of sugar. Not to mention, it is loaded with butter, corn syrup, and sugar.

Is pecan a superfood? ›

According to researchers at Texas A&M University, pecans may help prevent obesity, reduce inflammation, and increase energy consumption; and together with their high nutrient content, these benefits put them in the superfood category.

Why is pecan pie good? ›

Incredible texture: The pecans on top get all toasty while the nuts underneath have a melt-in-your-mouth chewy texture. The pecans' flavor and texture, paired with the flaky pie crust, the filling's vanilla, butter, and cinnamon… it all just makes this my favorite pecan pie recipe.

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