Pecan Pie Bars — Why I Make These Instead of Pecan Pie for a Crowd
When I Need to Feed a Crowd, I Skip the Pie
These pecan pie bars are what I make when I need to feed a crowd. My pecan pie is delicious, but one pie only goes so far, and a whole 9×13 pan of pecan pie bars gets you at least 24 good-sized bars. There’s a buttery pecan shortbread crust on the bottom and a sticky, gooey filling packed with pecans on top. I tried a lot of recipes before I found this one, and I have never looked back. It is honestly one of my favorite things to eat, and I’ve been waiting to share it with you.
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Watch me make these pecan pie bars from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
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Pecan Pie Bars
Start CookingIngredients
- 1 ¾ cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup salted butter softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup pecan pieces chopped
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- 6 tablespoons King Arthur all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups white Karo syrup
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups pecan pieces chopped
Don’t Want to Plan? I Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week’s Weekly Meal Plans!Equipment
Method Start Cooking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, 1/3 cup chopped pecans, sugar, and flour. Mix until it is good and crumbly and everything is worked in.
- Press the crumbly mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9×13 pan. It looks dry, but it presses down nicely.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden brown. It goes back in the oven later, so you don’t want it too crispy on the first bake.
- While the crust bakes, stir together the brown sugar, flour, salt, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans until everything is well combined.
- Pour the filling over the baked crust and spread it out evenly, scraping every last sticky pecan out of the bowl.
- Bake for another 30 minutes at 350°F.
- Let the bars cool, then cut into 24 bars, or 18 if you want them big.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Four Weeks of Family-Friendly FoodWhen people gather, I cook. Four weeks of the dinners my crowd asks for — planned, tested, and shopped for. Come see what’s in the cookbook →Why These Pecan Pie Bars Work
These pecan pie bars turn out every single time I make them. This recipe is not finicky and it is not picky. The crust is just softened butter, flour, a little sugar, and a handful of chopped pecans, mixed until it’s crumbly and pressed into my Pyrex 9x13 . It bakes for 20 minutes while you stir the filling together, and then the filling goes right on top for another 30. You don’t roll out a pie crust, you don’t crimp an edge, and you don’t need a candy thermometer.
The reason I make pecan pie bars instead of pie for a crowd is simple math. A pie gives you eight slices. A 9×13 pan of pecan pie bars gives you 24, or 18 if you like them ginormous. They are easy to pick up with your fingers, they travel well, and they are made for a teacher lunch, a church potluck, a holiday party, or any time you need one dessert to go a long way. And if there are any left the next morning, a pecan pie bar with a cup of coffee is a very good way to start the day.
What makes these special is that little bit of chopped pecan in the shortbread crust. You get pecans in every layer, so every bite tastes like pecan pie, all the way down. The filling is the classic corn syrup, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla combination, with a few tablespoons of flour stirred in so it bakes up gooey and still cuts into clean bars.
A Few Things That Make Pecan Pie Bars Even Easier
- Don’t worry when the crust looks dry. Once the butter, flour, sugar, and pecans are worked together in a big mixing bowl , it looks like a bowl of crumbs. That is exactly right. Dump it in the pan and press it down firmly with your fingers, and it packs into a nice even crust.
- Pull the crust when the edges are just turning golden. It goes back in the oven for another 30 minutes once the filling is on, so you don’t want it too crispy on the first bake.
- Stir the filling together while the crust bakes. Everything goes in one bowl: brown sugar, flour, salt, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, and the rest of the pecans. Measure the corn syrup in my measuring cups and don’t forget the vanilla. I almost skipped it in the video!
- Get every last sticky pecan out of the bowl. Pour the filling over the crust, scrape the bowl, and spread it out evenly so every bar gets its share of pecans.
- Want a deeper pecan flavor? Toast the nuts first. The bakers at King Arthur Baking have some great tips for pecan pie, including toasting your chopped pecans in the oven for a few minutes before they go into the filling. It is an easy extra step for a holiday batch.
Pecan Pie Bars FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake pecan pie bars?
Everything bakes at 350°F. The crust goes in by itself for 20 minutes, then you pour the filling over it and bake the pecan pie bars for another 30 minutes at the same temperature. That’s 50 minutes of total bake time, plus about 15 minutes of hands-on prep.
How many pecan pie bars does one 9×13 pan make?
I get 24 good-sized pecan pie bars out of one 9×13 pan. If you want them big, cut 18. For a really big crowd, make two pans. It’s the same work twice and it disappears just as fast — and if you are doubling the filling, my big stainless steel mixing bowl holds the whole thing in one go.
Why does my crust look so dry?
It’s supposed to! The shortbread crust is just butter, flour, sugar, and pecans, with no liquid, so it looks like crumbs in the bowl. As long as the butter is softened and worked all the way in, it will press down into the pan and hold together once it bakes.
Can I make pecan pie bars ahead of time?
Yes, and for a party that’s the way to do it. They need to cool before you cut them anyway, so bake them the day before, let them cool, then cover the pan and cut them when you’re ready to serve.
Can I use dark corn syrup instead of light?
I use light Karo corn syrup , but dark corn syrup works too. It gives the filling a deeper, more molasses-like flavor and a darker color, so it just depends on how you like your pecan pie.
Do I have to let them cool before cutting?
Yes. The filling is soft and gooey right out of the oven and it firms up as it cools. Cutting too soon gives you a delicious mess instead of neat bars, so give them time on the counter before you slice.
Short on time? Here’s the whole pan of pecan pie bars, start to finish.
🛒 Complete Shopping List
Everything you need to make these Pecan Pie Bars — click any item to shop on Amazon.
Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour — for the crust and the filling, I love King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose — shop direct →
Equipment
More Crowd-Pleasing Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Pecan Pie — when you do want the whole pie, this is the dump, stir, and pour version.
- Southern Butter Pecan Pound Cake — because I am butter pecan everything, and this cake proves it.
- Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars — another shortbread-crust bar, bright and tart instead of gooey and sweet.
- Chewy Oatmeal Cookie Bars — my mom’s recipe, and another 9×13 pan that makes 24 bars.
- Desserts for a Crowd — all my big-batch sweets for potlucks and parties, gathered in one place.
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Pecan Pie Bars — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.