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.

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.

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.

Yes. Because pecan pie is an "egg-rich" pie, the USDA recommends you store it in the fridge after it has cooled. Unless you plan on serving the pie within two hours of baking, it shouldn't stay out at room temperature.

Apple. There are five states they prefer apple pie to other flavors. Apples came to the United States with Europeans. Apple pie has English origins, according to Smithsonian magazine, but the dessert is an American classic.

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.

While pumpkin pie reigns supreme in the majority of American households, sweet potato pie is still the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert in the South.

Thanksgiving pies are a traditional part of Americans' modern-day feast, with harvest flavors dominating the country's favorite pies. Pumpkin pie is Americans' top choice for a Thanksgiving pie — with pecan pie, apple pie, and sweet potato pie right behind it.

On Thanksgiving, the favorite pie of American consumers is pumpkin pie. In a 2022 survey, approximately 23 percent of U.S. consumers stated that pumpkin pie was the favorite pie they would like to see on the table for Thanksgiving.

Is it OK to leave pecan pie out overnight? ›

You can leave a pecan pie out of the fridge for up to four hours—just be sure to refrigerate it after that. If you've just baked your pie, be sure to let it cool completely before refrigerating—this is also an important step for food safety, as you don't want to put a piping hot pie in the fridge.

If going by the USDA rules about "egg-rich" pies, you should still refrigerate a pecan pie from Costco. Some pies contain preservatives, including the Costco pecan pies (though their pumpkin pies claim to be preservative-free.)

You can only keep it at room temperature for two hours. Since pecan pies contain eggs, they have more chances to get bad and make you sick. So, if you have kept your pies in the fridge, put them back within two hours. On the other hand, store-bought pies contain preservatives that keep them from spoiling.

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.

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. You could also take a sliver of both pies.

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.

Pumpkin Pie: This one is our winner! When in doubt, choose pumpkin pie. In competition with those mentioned above, it offers the fewest calories, and least fat and added sugar. It's also loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, phosphorous, calcium, and iron.