Whether it’s the holiday season or just a reason to celebrate, nothing beats the gooey goodness of homemade pecan pie. If you’re ready to get baking, you might be wondering — what types of pecans make the best pecan pie in the world? Here’s what we say:

1. Desirables

Desirables have surely earned their name. As one of the largest pecan varieties, they’re great for decorating the top layer of your pie and achieving that picture-perfect, mouthwatering look. They also have a buttery, sweet taste and a firm texture that holds up beautifully through baking. If your pecan pie needs to look amazing and be irresistibly scrumptious, this is your go-to.

2. Elliots

Don’t let the smaller size fool you — Elliot pecans pack a lot of punch when it comes to flavor and crunch. These nuts have exceptionally high oil content, which brings a more intense buttery sweetness to your pie. They also add a touch of hickory, which helps balance the sugary custard’s flavor. These oil-rich pecans keep their snap even after time in the oven, making every bite even more satisfying.

3. Stuarts

Stuart pecans are medium to large, though slightly smaller than Desirables. They’re loved for their firm texture, delicate flavor and satisfying crunch. Their milder taste helps balance rich pie ingredients like vanilla, brown sugar and butter, making them a solid choice when you want the filling’s sweetness to stand out without losing that classic pecan bite.

How Do You Choose the Best Pecans for Pecan Pie?

To pick the perfect pecan for your particular recipe, consider:

Flavor and texture: Do you want bold pecan flavor and a hearty crunch, or something milder that lets the other ingredients do the talking? This choice will point you to the right variety.
Freshness: If you want the freshest pecans for baking, look for nuts most recently harvested. We harvest ours in October, November and December every year. That said, our pecans are prepared for lasting freshness, so you can enjoy that peak-season taste any time.
Quality: The tastiest pies start with the highest quality pecans. Look for pecans with a plump shape and light golden color, and always get them from a trusted source. P.S. — We happen to know one.
Shape: Want pecan halves for a beautifully decorated pie? Pecan pieces are also perfect for packing nutty flavor into every bite. You can always grab pecan halves for the top layer and chop the extras for the filling, too.
Preparation: Do you want to toast raw pecans before tossing them in your pie? Toasting can bring out a deeper, nuttier flavor and extra crunch. If you’d rather skip that step, you can also use Roasted & Salted Pecans. Their saltiness can balance out your pie’s sweetness deliciously. You may need to adjust your the salt level of your filling a bit if your recipe includes salt.

Where Do You Buy Pecans for Baking?

Most supermarkets sell raw pecans for pecan pie in the baking aisle, and you can usually find roasted pecans in the snack aisle. But if you want the plumpest, most naturally sweet pecans around, you’ll want to get them straight from us. We have retailers nationwide and sell our irresistible pecans online, too.

Bake Your Dreamiest Pie With Pecan Nation

Whether you want your pie to be the talk of the next gathering or have been dreaming of biting into a homemade masterpiece, we have the pecans to make it happen. For over five generations, we’ve been meticulously growing and harvesting the tastiest pecans from our orchards in Georgia. Visit a local store or shop online today and taste what pecan perfection is all about.