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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!

A single slice of naturally sweetened Pecan Pie on a white plate.

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.

A single slice of Pecan Pie on a white plate with a fork resting next to it.

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.
Large egg 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

A slice of naturally sweetened pecan pie on a white plate.

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

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 45

Servings: 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 Customary – Metric

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