Salted chocolate pecan pie is a fresh take on a classic pecan pie recipe. Browned butter, a bit of sea salt, and lots of chocolate will make this pie the star of any table! The filling is made with sweetened condensed milk instead of corn syrup and the flavor is truly out of this world.
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The Recipe that Turned Me Into a Pecan Pie Lover
Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t grow up ever having pecan pie! We were firmly a pumpkin or apple pie family. It wasn’t until I met my husband (and discovered his love of pecan pie!) that I finally tried my hand at making it. To be honest, I didn’t love the corn syrup aspect of it (am I the only one weirded out by corn syrup??), so I made my pecan pie bars with sweetened condensed milk and I’m never making them another way now!
After tackling the classic recipe, I had to mix things up because that’s what I love to do. So, I created this salted chocolate version and my husband and I were blown away by how good it was! The rich chocolate and buttery pecans pair so well together and the hint of salt really balances out the sweet flavors. Add in a buttery pie crust and it’s truly heavenly.
This recipe feels like if you combined a brownie and a pecan pie. The texture is so fudgy and rich and it’s just begging for a scoop of ice cream on top. If you’re looking to mix things up this holiday season, this pie will make all your dessert dreams come true!
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Key Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Pecans. I like to buy pecan halves. I crush most of them for the filling and leave some intact for decorating the top of the pie. This is totally optional!
- Butter. Browning butter gives the filling a depth of flavor that regular pecan pie just doesn’t have.
- Chocolate. I use both bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder to really enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Sweetened condensed milk. Instead of corn syrup, I’m obsessed with using sweetened condensed milk. The flavor is so good and the texture is much better than using corn syrup.
- Brown sugar. A bit of brown sugar adds balance to the bittersweet chocolate.
- Eggs. Eggs really make this filling almost brownie texture and give the filling its body.
- Pie Crust. You can follow the instructions to make my all-butter pie crust or swap in store-bought.
- Salt. The balance of salty/sweet here is amazing! Opt for a flaky sea salt over kosher or iodized.
How to Make Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie
Jenny’s Tip: I tested this recipe by both partially blind baking the crust and without and the blind-baked version won by a mile! It’s an extra step but it keeps your pie crust flaky and crisp and never soggy. I use small-format dried beans and rice instead of pie weights for all my blind baking. You can read more about making homemade pie crust and blind baking here.
- Roll out the crust and partially blind bake it. On a well-floured surface you want to roll the crust out to about a 12-13″ circle (so it fits in the pie pan with overhang). You’re looking for the crust to be between 1/4 and 1/8th inch thick.
- Brown the butter. The brown butter adds tons of flavor and helps to melt the chocolate.
- Whisk the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and sugar. Make sure that you whisk this really well so that the eggs are totally incorporated and the brown sugar feels almost dissolved.
- Whisk in the chocolate mixture. After you’ve whisked the eggs and condensed milk, whisk in the sifted cocoa powder and chocolate until it’s really smooth. Then, switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the salt and toasted pecans.
- Pour the filling into the crust and bake. Make sure to spread the filling in an even layer into the partially blind baked crust. Then, bake until the filling is shiny and puffed in the center, about 40-45 minutes.
- Cool and chill the pie. The hardest part is waiting! Make sure to cool the pie to room temperature and then chill it for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
I always provide timing for my bakes, but depending on your oven your pie may take more or less time. You want the pie to be puffed around the edges and the internal temperature should be about 200 F on a probe thermometer. The center will be a little gooey (that’s good!).
How to Brown Butter
Making brown butter is so easy and it’s the perfect way to level up your baking.
- Melt the butter. Start with a shallow saucepan and melt your butter over low heat.
- Bubbling. After the butter is melted, it’ll start to bubble a bit. You’ll notice the color will change and the butter will get much clearer.
- Foaming. Next, your butter will start to get foamy. I like to swirl the pan every minute or so while this is happening. The butter will start to brown and you’ll smell the change.
- Browning. Keep a close eye at this stage because it’s easy to burn! You want the butter to just be golden brown at this point.
Once the butter is golden brown, remove it from the heat immediately. Transfer it to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool a bit. For this recipe, you’ll whisk the chocolate into the brown butter so the residual heat will melt the chocolate.
Storage Instructions
The best part about this salted chocolate pecan pie is that it can be made in advance, making your Thanksgiving prep that much easier. I actually recommend making it ahead because the pie needs to cool to room temperature and then be stored in the fridge for 2 hours before serving for the best possible texture.
To store, simply wrap your pie in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the baked pie after wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap. Defrost completely in the fridge before serving.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes
Pecan Pie Bars
Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Apple & Pear Crisp
Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Puddings
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
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Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe all-butter pie crust
- 2 1/4 cups roughly chopped pecan halves, plus more for arranging on top if desired
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Roll the pie dough out to between 1/4 and 1/8th inch into a large round on a lightly floured surface. You shouldn’t need much flour, if your dough is sticking, you likely added too much water. Lay the pie crust into a pie pan, pressing it into the edges, trim the excess, and crimp the edges if desired. Use a fork to dock the pie crust all over and transfer the dough-filled pie pan to the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 400 F.
- Place the chopped pecans on a small parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast the pecans in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until they're fragrant and lightly browned. Let the pecans cool.
- Place the chilled pie pan on a baking sheet. Line the pie crust with crumpled parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or small format dried beans. Make sure the weights/beans fill the crust all the way to the top. Bake for 15 minutes, then gently remove the parchment and pie weights and bake 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let the pie crust cool slightly.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350 F.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter is golden brown and nutty smelling. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate until it's melted. Set aside to cool slightly. If you need to speed up this process, transfer the melted chocolate to a heat-safe bowl and transfer to the fridge, stirring it every few minutes until barely warm.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter mixture, cocoa powder, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the filling into the partially baked pie crust and smooth it into an even layer. Arrange the remaining pecan halves on top in a pretty circular design, if desired. Place the pie on a baking sheet and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is mostly set and is puffed around the edges and middle (look for an internal temperature of 200°F). Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cool to room temperature for 1 hour and chill for 2 hours before serving.
Notes
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Rate & Review This Recipe
I’m not a baker AT ALL and I’m happy to say that this pie was easy to tackle! I’m one of those people who stress at cooking multiple things at once and the ease of finishing the dough first before the filling made my stress melt away! One thing I wish I had was more pecans for decorating, buy more than 8oz. folks! It was a delicious chocolately pie which is right up my alley since I’m not a big fruit pie person.
Add this to your thanksgiving table this year, you won’t regret it!!!
[…] Kitchn! If you’re looking for more recipes that have browned butter in them, check these out: salted chocolate pecan pie, gingerbread cookie sandwiches, old fashioned sour cream donuts, and Nutella Linzer […]
What I loved about this recipe was that it’s not super sweet and by adding the flecks of salt it really helps enhance the chocolate flavor. I ended up using frozen pie crust and it still came out great.