If you love pecan pie but find it a little too sweet, here's a less sweet pecan pie made with sour cream. The sour cream does not make the filling creamy, but rather curbs the sweetness. Plus the recipe has less sugar than most, so that helps too.

I really like this pie. It's not runny, but the filling is softer and less stiff, so it squishes down a little when you cut it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you want a really stiff pecan pie this is not it. Here's a texture shot of the pie right out of the refrigerator.

And here's another shot of the pie after being frozen and then cut. It's interesting how freezing pecan pies smooths out the filling.

If you want to give the pie a try, here are some notes on what I used for this one.

Pie Pan

The recipe works best in shallower pecan pie dishes or the disposable type. I haven't yet tested it in a glass dish, but I'm sure glass would be fine.

Sour Cream Crust

You can certainly use a frozen or refrigerated pie crust, but this homemade crust has sour cream in it and goes well with the filling. I've switched from making it by hand to using the food processor.

Partially Baking Pecan Pie Crust

I've never blind baked or partially baked pie crust for pecan pie, but for this recipe I tested once with a partially baked crust and once with an unbaked. Partially baking the crust made the bottom stiffer, but the edges browned a bit too quickly. I made the pie again without partially baking the crust and felt it was just fine (though I still needed to shield the edges).

Pecan Pie Filling

Toasted Pecans -- I like the texture of pecan halves rather than chopped pecans, so I dump in the halves without chopping. Toasting seems to improve the flavor and texture of the pecans in the pie, so I throw them in the oven as soon as it preheats and let them bake for a quick 6 to 8 minutes or so. Feel free to toast them at a lower heat or do it over the stove if you prefer. The pecans in the filling should be toasted, but if you choose to decorate the top with more pecans, use un-toasted pecans for the decorative top layer
Eggs -- Large, and brought to room temperature so that they blend easier with the sour cream and butter
Sugar -- You only need ½ cup granulated
Corn syrup -- Dark for a little more flavor, but you can use light
Sour Cream -- Curbs sweetness, softens filling and rounds out flavor
Butter -- Curbs the sweetness, adds smoothness to the filling and adds flavor
Salt & Vanilla -- Salt counteracts the sweetness and vanilla adds more flavor

Other Good Pecan Pies

If you've read all this and have decided that using sour cream in pie is not for you, here's a similar recipe called Mom's Pecan Pie that is also less sweet.

Recipe

Less Sweet Pecan Pie

Sour cream and less sugar make for a not-too-sweet pecan pie. This recipe works best in a shallow pie dish such as a 9 inch aluminum kind or shallow metal.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Cooling Time 3

Course Dessert

Cuisine Southern

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour 140
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold 85 grams
¼ cup sour cream 60 grams
Filling
1 ⅔ cups pecan halves
3 large eggs room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
¼ cup sour cream room temperature
2 tablespoons butter melted
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in a food processor to mix. Add chunks of butter and pulse until coarse. Add sour cream and pulse until mixed. It will still look crumbly, but it will be moist.
Turn mixture out onto a pastry mat and knead it all together with your hands. It should go from a powdery looking mixture to a firm mass. Using a bench scraper, scoop it up and wrap it in plastic. Chill for about an hour (this helps relax the gluten).
Remove dough from the refrigerator and let it stand for about 10 minutes so that it's not so stiff. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a circle big enough to cover a 9 inch pie pan. Line the pan with the dough and put the lined pan in the freezer until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 7 minutes or just until they are aromatic.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and corn syrup together in a bowl, then whisk in the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla and salt. Add toasted pecan halves.
Pour mixture into the pie shell and set on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 35 minutes or until filling appears set. Cover the pie loosely with a sheet of foil during the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent the crust from getting too brown.
Let the pie cool completely, then chill for a few hours. Bring back to room temperature and serve. Alternatively, you can skip chilling, but the pie will be softer. You can also freeze the pie, then bring it back to room temperature before serving.

Keyword pecan pie

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