Low Calorie Pecan Pie Recipe

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

It only takes a few healthy ingredients to prepare a healthy pie....

 

Over the years many variations of pecan pie have been tested in the Diet Bites humble  kitchen in an effort to produce a skinnier, lower calorie pecan pie but to be frank - the challenge is formidable.

The basic ingredients in pecan pie are naturally high in calories due to the sugar and fat gram content:

- corn syrup
- butter
- sugar
- pie crust

There is one product that has come to the rescue and provided an excellent, lower calorie base for our pecan pie recipe. That stellar product is KARO Light Corn Syrup.

It contains 0 grams of high fructose corn syrup, and only 120 calories per 2 Tablespoons. That's about 1/8 of a cup - so this is quite impressive where corn syrup is involved. And of course it contains zero fat grams - along with 30 mg of sodium and 30 total carbohydrate grams.

The regular syrups at the market contain about two times this amount of calories, so the KARO Light Corn Syrup makes an excellent choice for French Toast, pancakes and waffles.

Pecan Pie Recipe, Lower Calorie

Diet Pecan Pie Recipe

The Recipe Ingredients

1 Cup of KARO Light Corn Syrup

3 Large Eggs (we did not experiment with egg substitute, but you might give it a try to determine results)

1 Cup of Splenda (the type that measure cup-for-cup to sugar)

2 Tablespoons of Reduced Fat Margarine, Melted (bring to room temperature for use in recipe or raw eggs will cook)

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

2 Cups of Chopped Pecans

1 Unbaked 9-inch Pie Shell, Deep Dish Variety

How to Prepare This Recipe

In a deep bowl, stir together the corn syrup, eggs, Splenda, vanilla and the margarine. Add the pecans and pour into the pie crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about one hour.

We made a little rim of aluminum foil to cover the pie dough surrounding the pie so that we wouldn't end up with an over-cooked crust. An hour in the oven exposed to 350 degree heat is apt to turn the outside, visible crust into golden dust.

The pie should be 'set' in the center when it's done with no visible liquid oozing. Remove when done from the oven because if you leave it inside, the remaining heat will continue to cook the pie. It's going to cook a while longer on its own as it cools.

Allow the pie to cool 2-3 hours. If you enjoy your pecan pie cold, transfer to the refrigerator once the pie reaches room temperature and not before that as it could possibly sweat when the hot meets cold - causing a watery pie filling.

Pecan Pie Tips for Dieters

Although this is a reduced calorie pecan pie recipe, it's still substantial in caloric content so limit servings to one slice. This recipe serves eight generously, so enjoy 1/8 of the pie.

If you make your own pie crust, the thinner the crust - the less fat grams and calories contained therein.

If the pie is store-bought, check the labels for caloric content as they vary by recipe. Calories may vary greatly by hundreds of calories per slice.

Another diet-wise solution (other than skipping the pecan pie) is to enjoy pecan tassies. They are small, taste just like pecan pie and are better controlled. They can be prepared using our recipe for the filling above. Substitute the large pie crust for a tiny tart or tiny muffin tin. Spray the tin so that the dough doesn't stick, then line the holes with the dough, pressing lightly so that if forms to the shape of the pan. Pour the filling into the dough pockets.

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