This mini pecan pies recipe is everything you love about classic pecan pie, but in bite-sized form! Pecan pie minis are easy to make ahead, travel-friendly, and ideal for sharing at parties or holiday gatherings. The buttery cream cheese pastry and spiced, nutty filling combine for a dessert that’s rich but never heavy.
These simple little pecan pie mini versions are something I’ve been making for years. They’re always popular, maybe because a mini dessert that people can just grab and enjoy is less intimidating than cutting slices from a whole pie? I don’t know, but these two-bite delights are always one of the first things to disappear from the table when the sweet dishes are put out.
I first started baking this mini pecan pies recipe as a steam oven demonstration dish. My then-colleague Diane found a similar recipe and we both loved the ease of the cream cheese pastry. We adapted the ingredients and method thinking it would be a great way to show off how fast combi steam baking could be – they were an instant hit and although both of us have long moved on from that job I’ve continued to bake, and tweak, the recipe into what it is today. I’ve baked these pecan pie minis in a regular oven too; they work very well given a few minutes extra cooking time.
A mini pecan pies recipe is easier and faster to make than a larger pie, so they’re something I turn to often as a last minute recipe when I have to take a share plate.
The pies are sturdy enough to keep and travel well, so if you have to drive or even fly to a Thanksgiving event, then mini pecan pies are the perfect take-along dessert.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make, with simple steps and no need for special equipment.
- The cream cheese pastry is tender, forgiving, and bakes perfectly in a mini size. There’s no rolling out and cutting of pastry. Instead you’ll just form the dough into logs and pop it in the fridge for a while, then slice it into little discs which are easy to squash into the patty pan or muffin trays for baking.
- Ideal for travel, gifting, or bringing to a potluck – they hold up beautifully.
- Can be made ahead and frozen, making them a go-to for busy holiday prep.
- Delicious warm or at room temperature, and never too sweet – the pastry is not sweetened at all, which is a lovely counterpoint to the brown sugar filling.
Why does this mini pecan pies recipe work well in a steam oven?
Mini pecan pies work beautifully in a steam oven because the controlled humidity helps the pastry bake evenly while keeping the filling glossy and tender. Low humidity baking prevents the pies from drying out, ensuring the pastry stays delicate without becoming crumbly.
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Ingredients and substitutions
See the recipe card further down for full method and ingredient quantities.
- Cream cheese: Adds richness and tenderness to the pastry. If you’ve never tried cream cheese pastry you’re in for a treat! It’s so easy to work with and very forgiving, molding to any shape you like and remaining delicate and short after baking. Full fat cream cheese only please – low-fat varieties won’t behave the same and can make the pastry tough.
- Unsalted butter: Keeps the pastry short, delicate and flavorful. You could substitute margarine but I don’t like the texture it creates.
- All-purpose flour: Wheat flour gives the pastry its structure – make sure to measure properly for best results. I really prefer to use weights instead of cup measures for all my baking, it’s much more consistent.
- Brown sugar: Use dark brown for deeper flavor, or light brown for a milder sweetness and color.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves give the filling its warm holiday feel; adjust to taste if you love spices, or leave one out if it’s not your favorite.
- Pecan nuts: Roughly chopped for texture. Try walnuts, or a mix of nuts, if you want a change.
- Bourbon (optional): Adds a grown-up depth of flavor. You can leave it out or substitute with vanilla extract.
Mini pecan pies recipe variations
Variation 1 – Mixed nut pies. This is an easy swap; just switch up the pecans (or some of them) for walnuts, cashews, peanuts or any other nut you enjoy.
Variation 2 – Date and pecan pie minis. Swap about a third of the pecans for chopped dates, this adds a beautiful texture and caramelly sweetness to the pecan pies. Don’t use too many dates or your filling will be too sweet!
Variation 3 – Mini chocolate pecan pies. We love these so much that I tweaked the recipe into a whole other post! Here’s where to find my chocolate pecan pies recipe.
How to make my mini pecan pies recipe
View, save and print the recipe card further down in this post; read on for the visual walk-through.
Tips for success
- Chill your pastry well before pressing into pans – this keeps it from becoming sticky.
- If the dough softens too much while shaping, refrigerate for 10 minutes and continue.
- Don’t overfill the pastry – a steady hand here makes for easier unmoulding later.
- Use a thin knife to gently loosen any stuck pies once cooled.
- Double the pastry recipe and freeze half for an even faster future batch.
Other great Thanksgiving recipes for sharing:
Easy Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Steamed Pumpkin Cheesecake
Four Ingredient Chocolate Truffle Cake
Mini pecan pies serving suggestions
These mini pecan pies are perfect for gifting or as part of a dessert spread. They’ll keep at room temperature for two to three days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze them, well sealed, for up to four weeks. Thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours. To refresh, reheat at 160°C/320°F for 5–8 minutes (or 4–5 minutes in a steam oven with 30% humidity). Serve them warm for that fresh-from-the-oven feel.
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Happy cooking, see you here again soon.
Mini Pecan Pies Recipe
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 4 oz cream cheese cold and cubed
- 4 oz unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
For the filling
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup brown sugar firmly packed (I use dark brown sugar, light is fine)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp bourbon whiskey optional
- 1 cup pecan nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
Make the pastry
- Put the cream cheese, butter, flour and salt into a food processor and process just until it forms a mass. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple of times just to bring the dough together.4 oz cream cheese, 4 oz unsalted butter, 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt
- Split the pastry dough in half and form each piece into a log about 1½-2” (4-5cm) in diameter. Wrap in wax paper or cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the filling
- While the pastry is chilling, make the filling. Put the eggs, sugar, spices, salt and bourbon into a bowl and whisk well with a fork to combine. You need the eggs to break up as much as possible; the mixture should be shiny and smooth. Set aside.2 large eggs, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp salt, 2 tsp bourbon whiskey
Assemble and bake the pies
- For conventional oven baking, preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. For steam oven baking, preheat oven to Combi Steam, 350°F/180°C, 30% (low) humidity. Lightly grease two 12-hole patty pan trays or muffin trays.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and slice each log into 12 thin discs. Press a disc into each hole of your patty pan or muffin pans, squashing and manipulating it to make an even-thickness pastry base. In muffin pans the pastry will only come ½-¾” (1½ -2cm) up the sides of each hole, not all the way up. If you're using muffin pans, make sure you press the dough well into the corners to ensure they cook properly. This is a fairly forgiving pastry, so if there are any small holes or tears, just squash it back together to make a smooth surface.
- Divide the chopped pecans evenly between the pastry lined holes. Give the filling a final quick stir to make sure it’s mixed properly, then carefully spoon it over the pecans so it comes almost to the top of each piece of pastry. It’s worth taking your time with this step – if you overfill the pastry so the filling leaks over the edges it can be hard to remove the cooked pies later.1 cup pecan nuts
- Bake the pies until the pastry is golden and the filling puffed (it’ll sink down again once you remove the pies from the oven, which is fine). In a conventional oven this will take about 15 minutes; in a steam oven it will be about 12 minutes. Cool the pies to warm in the trays, then turn out and serve warm or at room temperature. If any pies are stuck in the baking tray, a thin bladed knife, very gently run around the edges, should be enough to loosen them.
- Mini pecan pies will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container at room temperature. They freeze well for several weeks, just defrost at room temperature for a couple of hours. If you want to refresh the pies and serve them warm, reheat at 320°F/160°C for 6-8 minutes, or in your steam oven using Combi Steam, 320°F/160°C, 30% (low) humidity for 4-5 minutes.
Notes
- Quantities. This recipe is easily doubled. In fact I always make double the amount of pastry to use up a full brick of cream cheese. If I don’t need that many pies I just form the extra pastry into logs, wrap well and freeze for up to a couple of months. Having the pastry already on hand makes another batch of pies incredibly fast to put together.
- Patty pans for baking. I use these patty pan trays for my pecan pies, mini quiche and and fruit mince pies. They get a lot of use in my house so they were worth the investment! You could also use shallow mince pie pans. If you don’t have either of these, you can use regular muffin pans, just don’t press the pastry all the way up the sides. You’re making small, shallow pies rather than deep-filled ones.
- Soft pastry. If you’re in a hot climate and the pastry becomes too soft to work with when you’re pressing it into the pans, just put the whole lot in the fridge for 5-10 minutes then try again.
- Variations. These little pecan pies are adaptable in all kinds of ways! Use a mix of different chopped nuts if you want a change from just pecans. Turn them into pecan and date pies by reducing the pecans and using chopped dates instead (I go for 2/3 pecans and 1/3 dates or the pies get too sweet). Or make my chocolate pecan pies recipe with chocolate chips in the filling.
One Response
Omg these are super yummy, I’m old fashioned so rolled out my pastry and used a fluted cutter, which made 18 plus a small oblong. Don’t think they’ll last long 😋😋😋 I took a photo but don’t seem to be able to post it on here