Healthy Pecan Pie Recipe (without the corn syrup, butter, and cream!) (2024)

FAQs

What can you substitute for corn syrup in pecan pie? ›

For every one cup of corn syrup that the recipe calls for, use one cup of maple syrup instead. The great thing about maple syrup is it has some nutritional benefits. Maple syrup contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, such as Vitamin B6, calcium, niacin, potassium, and riboflavin.

It is quite possible to make pecan pie with brown sugar, white sugar, maple syrup or a combination. Corn syrup sweetens pecan pie and gives it a smooth texture by preventing the crystallization of the sugar when baking. It also acts with the eggs to thicken. It can be replaced with maple syrup and flour.

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.

Each one varies in taste as well. Some will have a floral flavor while others will have a more bold taste. When substituting honey for corn syrup, using equivalent amounts is recommended. For every one cup of corn syrup, use one cup of honey instead.

The best corn syrup substitutes for baking are brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave, tapioca syrup, honey, golden syrup, and black treacle. Whether you're avoiding using corn syrup, are allergic to corn, or don't have it on hand, there are a ton of substitutes for corn syrup to try instead.

Karo syrup is a popular brand of corn syrup, which is obtained from corn starch that is derived from maize. It is a concentrated solution of several sugars, such as glucose (dextrose), derived from corn starch. Because of various sugars, corn syrup has a naturally mild sweet taste.

The flavor of your pie will definitely be different. But maple and pecan is a popular combination, and most the maple syrup you buy in store is just corn syrup with flavoring anyways. You may want to cut the maple syrup with some corn syrup or honey so maple flavor isn't too overpowering.

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

The worst ... apple and pecan pie. "When apples are baked into a buttery crust and covered with sugar and butter, they go from a healthy fruit to a fattening heart attack," says Cohn.

What is the healthiest pie in the world? ›

But the apple pie takes the cake when it comes to fiber and potassium, and it has less added sugar. So what's a pie aficionado to do? Well, if you want to consume fewer calories, go for the pumpkin—it almost always has fewer because of the single crust.

Because corn syrup plays an important role in developing texture for many recipes, it's best not to leave it out. Instead of omitting it altogether, choose an alternative as a worthy swap.

"The main difference between corn syrup and golden syrup is in the manufacturing," explains Zeratsky; corn syrup is made from corn starch, while golden syrup is made from sugar. In the U.S., golden syrup is usually sold under the name of light treacle, but it's not readily available in many grocery stores.

In fact, a large percentage of honey is adulterated – meaning it's been diluted with other ingredients like corn syrup, glucose or beet syrup.

Aunt Jemima is a fenugreek-flavored corn syrup. For some reason, the industry has decided that fenugreek tastes like maple syrup, and uses it to make “pancake syrups” like Aunt Jemima, Log Cabin, etc. There's a vague similarity between the fenugreek flavor and maple, but it's not really a convincing substitute.