Butter rich or easily dairy free, these Mini Pecan Pies are fun to make, easy to share and freezer friendly! Made without corn syrup, with a hint of bourbon (or apple cider) and molasses, these mini pies have a soft and creamy custardy center.

The buttery crust is whipped up in a food processor, making for quick work. Make ahead and freeze these little pies; they thaw beautifully and are ready for sharing when you are. | This post is brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill.

Mini Pecan Pie for the Holidays

Growing up in Texas, pecan pie was always on the holiday menu. Whether full-size pecan pie or mini pecan pie, it’s just not the holidays without it! They’re easy to share and perfect for those finger food gatherings the holidays are so famous for.

Best of all, the pastry to gooey pecan filling ratio is on point! With every bite, there’s a equal balance of crispy-crunch to custardy pecany goodness. A texture adventure, I might add.

These mini pecan pies are inspired by my no corn syrup Bourbon Pecan Pie. No cloying sweet pecan filling here! Just smooth, creamy, and with a hint or bourbon or apple cider, molasses, vanilla, and brown sugar.

This Recipe Is

make ahead ready
freezer friendly
crispy crust with soft, creamy, custardy interior

If you enjoy making homemade pies, you’ll love this scrumptious treat!

Ingredients for this Mini Pecan Pie Recipe

For the Pastry

Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour – mild in flavor, it creates a tender crust with consistent results. I use Bob’s Red Mill
Unsalted Butter – for a buttery rich flavor. You can use dairy or plant butter.
Fine Sea Salt – just a bit offers interest and brings out the flavor of butter.
Cane Sugar – adds a touch of sweetness and aids in browning.
Milk – just a touch to add moisture and richness. You can use dairy or plant milk – I use Homemade Cashew Milk.
Apple Cider Vinegar – a touch of acidity relaxes the gluten and helps make the dough more pliable (easier to work with).

For the Filling

Brown Rice Syrup – a rich and thick syrup that offers a creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor (I use it instead of corn syrup). See variations in recipe notes that makers of my Bourbon Pecan Pie used instead (this is a sometimes hard to find ingredient).
Brown Sugar – adds interest, sweetness and depth. I use light brown sugar.
Blackstrap Molasses – it wouldn’t be pecan pie without it! It gives these mini pecan pies their authentic flavor and aids in thickening the custard.
Unsalted Butter – adds richness and flavor to the custard. You can use dairy or plant plant butter (see notes*).
Bourbon or Apple Cider/Juice – flavors the pie, and adds interest. The bourbon isn’t overwhelming, but rather just a hint adds caramel flavor. You can substitute apple cider or juice.
Pure Vanilla Extract – adds earthy flavor and depth.
Eggs – aids in richness and that custardy texture we’re after.
Pecans – offer flavor and crunch!

Quick Guide: How to Make Mini Pecan Pies

Mini pecan pies are simple to make, but you’ll need to plan ahead since the pastry needs to be refrigerated for at least one hour prior to rolling it out. The pastry can be made up to two weeks in advance for freezer storage or two days in advance for refrigerator storage.

But the mini pies themselves can be completely assembled and baked, then frozen so all that’s left to do is thaw them at room temperature before you’re ready to share. Here’s how to make these mini pies (see recipe card for details):

First, whip up the pastry in a food processor. Wrap snugly and rest in the fridge for one hour.
Second, grease your muffin pan, roll out the pastry and cut into 12, 4″ discs (I use the largest pastry cutter in this set) and cut out any leaves too, for decorating. Place the pastry in the freezer for 15 minutes and preheat the oven.
Third, par bake the pastry and toast the pecans.
Fourth, whip up the filling and chop the pecans.
Next, fill the pastry cups with chopped pecans and spoon the filling into each cup.
Last, reduce the heat of the oven and bake the assembled mini pecan pies.

For a 9 inch version of these minis, see my Bourbon Pecan Pie or for a dairy and egg free version, try my Vegan Bourbon Pecan Pie.

High Quality Ingredients

These mini pecan pies are made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. I’m excited to share their pantry staples with you, highlighting a brand I trust for high quality ingredients to create fabulous recipes to share with my family and friends. Bob’s Red Mill offers a wide variety of ingredients including whole and milled grains to suit a variety of dietary needs.

I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic All Purpose Flour in many of my baking recipes. It’s of the highest quality, unbleached and unenriched, making my pies, cookies and cakes tender, light and delicious every time.

Why Par Baking Matters

Because pecan pie is a custard based pie, the interior needs to be soft set, nice and creamy! Par baking the crust before filling it allows the crust to bake until golden and crisp at a high temperature. Once the crust is par baked, the temperature is reduced, then the par baked pastries are filled and baked at a lower temperature so that the custard can gently bake to a soft set. Otherwise, if baked all together, the crust isn’t as crisp and there’s potential for soggy bottom.

And no one wants a soggy bottom! Oh the horror. It’s worth the little bit of extra time. Promise!

Pro Tips

Freezer Friendly? Yes please! Fully assembled and baked mini pecan pies can be frozen up to two weeks! Thaw at room temperature for about 45 minutes. At this point they can be gently reheated in a 325F oven for about five minutes. They are fabulous shared with a bit of ice cream or whipped cream.
Dairy Free? Yes please! I tested this recipe with Earth Balance, only reducing the salt by 1/2 tsp in the pastry. The pastry baked up beautifully.
For cutting the pastry, I use the largest pastry cutter in this set (4″/10cm), but an inverted bowl and pastry wheel works too.
To bake the cups, I use this standard muffin pan.
If having trouble finding Brown Rice Syrup, several makers left comments about what they used in my scaled up version Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe instead. Here are a few of their notes:
- Annie said: ” I used agave syrup and it turned out fine. A lovely fragrant pie!”
- Charlotte said: “I substituted the brown rice syrup for honey and maple syrup. This worked perfectly for my pie.”
- Kristin said: “I substituted with Corn Syrup and Vanilla Extract.”

More Holiday Pie Recipes to Try

For more recipes using Bob’s Red Mill Organic All Purpose Flour and many other pantry staples, head to their website.

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Mini Pecan Pies