23 Best Pecan Dessert Recipes

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie in a glass pie dish
Photo by My Hot Southern Mess. Photo: My Hot Southern Mess

Pecans play such a tasty part in autumn baking. We crave their rich, buttery flavor and crunchy texture in pies, cakes, muffins, and more. Here are twenty-three of our favorite, top-rated pecan dessert recipes. For more, check out our collection of Pecan Recipes, including sweet and savory recipes.

01 of 23

Dulce De Leche Bars

"A creamy center fills a shortbread-like buttery crust with a crumble-pecan coconut topping," says Cori, the recipe submitter. "This is a favorite with my family, boyfriend and at my workplace (a bakery!). Best served cool or room temperature."

02 of 23

Pecan Pumpkin Pie II

A delicious way to combine two great flavors of fall. "This was amazing!" raves Jessicalr. "Made for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it."

03 of 23

Autumn Cheesecake

"This recipe is easy, quick and provides a nice deviation from the same old type of cheesecake," says Tracy Logelin. "I never thought I would be able to make a cheescake. I plan to make it for our Thanksgiving feast -- and hope to make it a tradition."

04 of 23

Pecan Sandies

"I used these for my holiday goodie gifts and everyone just went nuts!" says Sheila Broumley. " I'm afraid I won't be able to go back to store-bought now."

05 of 23

Mary's Salted Caramel-Pecan Bars

"SOOOOO good! I can't stop eating them," raves Janice Timmins. "And when I'm not eating them, I'm thinking about eating them. I doubled the pecans as recommended by others."

06 of 23

Pumpkin Roll with Ginger and Pecans

"This is a great dessert, especially nice for holidays, but it can be served anytime of the year," says Tammy Elliott. "The pumpkin roll is not as hard to make as it sounds. Be sure and use plain canned pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie mix."

07 of 23

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

"If you like pecan pie, you'll love these cupcakes!" says SuthernGrl07.

08 of 23

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie

"This delicious pie is a hit at Thanksgiving, or anytime, really!" says Loriq. "It's a combination/adaptation of the Basic Flaky Pie Crust, Apple Pie by Grandma Ople, and Upside-Down Apple Pecan Pie."

09 of 23

Salted Pecan-Maple Ice Cream

"This ice cream tastes like the very best butter pecan ice cream you can find," says Beverly Barr Hughes. "I sometimes replace part of the half and half with whipping cream, because it makes a richer and smoother ice cream."

10 of 23

Easy Chocolate Pecan Pie

"My family LOVES pecan pie, and this one is fabulous!" raves Elizabeth Ketchem. "The chocolate on the bottom was such a surprise but the flavors blended in a wonderful way. Great twist on the same ole same ole."

11 of 23

Maple Pecan Shortbread Squares

Maple Pecan Shortbread Squares
Photo by Allrecipes. Allrecipes

"These squares are my husband's favorite," says Tracey Lafave Kessler. "We get some real, pure maple syrup from back home in Ontario, Canada, and they are just to die for."

12 of 23

Old Southern Chocolate Pecan Sheet Cake

"I received this recipe from an old Southern cook," says Leslie41, "a wonderfully rich (yet surprisingly light) chocolate sheet cake topped with a cooked chocolate and pecan frosting. This cake has an incredible homemade taste, yet is foolproof!"

13 of 23

Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Photo by Chef John. Chef John

"For me, the best part about coffee cake is the crispy, crunchy, buttery crumbs," says Chef John—so his version has extra pecan streusel inside and out!

14 of 23

Pecan Carmel Clusters

Pecan Carmel Clusters
coOkInGnUt

"This recipe was awesome," raves Stephanie Veselka. "I switched out milk chocolate for the dark chocolate and it was completely delicious. Dark chocolate tends to melt better so I will definitely try this recipe with dark chocolate too. I Will make this again for Thanksgiving and after. This is now my go to recipe."

15 of 23

Sweet Potato Cake with Maple-Bourbon Pecans

"If you love sweet potatoes, try this cake recipe enriched with a little bourbon and sweetened with maple syrup, plus the crunch of pecans," says Bibi.

16 of 23

Pecan Pie Bars I

"Even better than pecan pie," says cocoa. "It has the same flavor but less topping. This is very good and easy to make! It was a hit with the family."

17 of 23

New Orleans Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

"My family loves this pie at Thanksgiving, Christmas or really any holiday of the year," says tracy918. "The chocolate chips and the bourbon add a delicious change to the normal pecan pie. Top with whipped cream and enjoy." For more pies, check out our complete collection of Pecan Pie Recipes.

18 of 23

Cranberry Upside-Down Coffee Cake

"Delicious! A sweet, flavorful cake with caramel covered pecans and occasional bursts of tart berries," says RueBarbe. "Looks beautiful."

19 of 23

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

"I make this every Thanksgiving and there is never a slice left," says JULSNBEEB. "Even if you don't like cheesecake or pumpkin pie, you will love this. I always double the pecan and brown sugar topping...I like it to completely cover the pie."

20 of 23

Banana Coffee Cake with Pecans

"Moist cake with nice banana flavor," says MrsPea. "The trick is using very ripe bananas for best flavor. Delicious! Will definitely make this again."

21 of 23

Candied Pecans

Candied pecans on a plate
Baking Nana

"Crunchy, sweet, salty, and AMAZING!" says Alix. "You can't eat just one."

22 of 23

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

"Who doesn't like sweet, spicy, and nutty sticky buns? These are loaded with pecans, cinnamon, and sweet gooey goodness," says White Lily.

23 of 23

Pecan Sour Cream Pound Cake

This sour cream pound cake is baked in a Bundt pan lined with chopped pecans. "This was an incredible cake!" raves LynnQuilts. "The pecans in the pan, plus the glaze, gave a wonderful light crunch to the outside of the cake. I'm going to make this for my Thanksgiving meal."

Was this page helpful?