Pumpkin Pie, Who? These Are the Best Pecan Pie Recipes for Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

What's better pumpkin pie or pecan pie? ›

If you're looking for a dense and chewy crunch, pecan is your target. If you're looking for a smooth and custard-y bite, pumpkin is the winner. But if you're looking for the most decadent and dessert-y pie of them all, pecan probably comes out on top. It's just RICH.

Pumpkin Pie Is The Must-Have Fall Dessert That Reigns Supreme.

Pick a pumpkin that is heavy for its size—this means lots of sweet flesh inside. Treat your pie pumpkin just like a butternut squash: the best flavor will be from roasting in the oven. Get it ready for baking any way you'd like.

This orange-golden-crusted pie is more than just a staple of the Thanksgiving table. Pumpkin pie, which has been growing in the Americas for centuries now, symbolizes the gratitude and appreciation our ancestors once experienced each harvest season.

The clear winner for the United States as a whole was (not surprisingly) apple pie with more than 27% of sales going to the traditional flavor.

The clear winner for the United States as a whole was (not surprisingly) apple pie with more than 27% of sales going to the traditional flavor.

In general, pie reigns supreme as a Thanksgiving dessert. While some families have their nice selections of pie servings, tradition says apple, pumpkin pie, and a southern pecan pie are the go-tos, typically made with a buttery pastry pie crust.

Use the fork only if the pie is served without ice cream. Use both the fork and spoon if the pie is served ala mode (topped with ice cream). Place the fork in your left hand, tines down to secure the pie on the plate. Then with the spoon in the right hand, eat both the pie and ice cream.

Bake at the correct temperature.

It's a good idea to use an oven thermometer ($7, Target) to ensure the temperature is accurate. Cooling pumpkin pie too quickly also causes cracks. Once your pie is done (there should be a slight jiggle to the center), allow the pie to fully reach room temperature before serving.

According to the experts at Libby's Pumpkin, if you bake the pie too close to the oven's top heating element, the filling can "skin" and crack as it bakes. This can also cause the filling to settle while cooling and pull away from the crust.

Why do we eat pecan pie on Thanksgiving? ›

The Southern pecan pie has been a staple part of the Thanksgiving table since the 1930s when recipes for a syrup-based pecan pie appeared on the labels of Karo syrup bottles. Because of this, the pecan pie became a popular treat to make in southern states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.

Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.

Yes, the actual pumpkin in the dish is quite healthy, but the butter and flour in the crust as well as the cream and sugar needed for the filling add a good dose of saturated fat and calories. But a healthy pumpkin pie is possible!

The pumpkin pie wins on calories, saturated fat, protein and calcium. But the apple pie takes the cake when it comes to fiber, sugar (both total and added) and sodium. So what's a pie aficionado to do? Well, if you're watching calories go for the pumpkin-it almost always has fewer because of the single crust.

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.

It does not require a scoop of ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream, or, God forbid, something like a slice of cheddar (another knock against apple pie). Pecan pie is a pie that stands on its own. It has the gooeyness of a candy bar, the crunchy texture and warm flavor of toasted nuts, and that flaky, buttery crust.