Kentucky Derby Pie

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

12 Comments

5 from 4 votes
10 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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Kentucky Derby Pie is a rich and creamy pie made with pecans and chocolate chips, baked in a flaky pie crust. Try for a party or any time!

If you love Chocolate Pecan Pie, then you’re sure to love this rich, sugary, buttery pie with pecans. It’s the ultimate Southern Dessert Recipe that’s perfect for any holiday or celebration!

Sabrina’s Kentucky Derby Pie

This classic Derby Pie recipe is a surprisingly easy dessert to make. It’s a simple matter of whipping together the buttery filling ingredients, then folding in the chocolate chips and pecans before baking it. The semisweet chips add some melted chocolatey goodness, while the pecans bring a nice crunch to this delicious dessert. Kentucky Derby Pie is easy enough to make year-round, but delicious enough to serve it for the holidays.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Kentucky Derby Pie Recipe

Kentucky Derby Pie is a rich and creamy pie made with pecans and chocolate chips, baked in a flaky pie crust. Try for a party or any time!
Yield 10 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Kentucky Derby Pie slice on plate with whipped cream
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/4 cups pecans , chopped
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 deep dish pie crust , 9-inch, unbaked

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk eggs, brown sugar, light corn syrup, flour, butter, white sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth.
  • Fold pecan pieces and chocolate chips into the egg mixture until combined; pour into prepared pie crust.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until the pie is set 45-50. Serve warm or chilled.

Nutrition

Calories: 583kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 3mg

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About this Recipe

There are other similar pies, such as regular Pecan Pie. However, Kentucky Derby Pie has more of a rich, baked filling outside of the pecans. Along with that, the chocolate chips make it a chocolate lover’s dream. To make an even more decadent dessert, top the Derby Pie off with Vanilla Ice Cream or Chocolate Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, and some chocolate syrup.

Traditionally, the recipe calls for bourbon, but this pie is just as delicious and full of caramel vanilla flavor without the booze. If you want to keep it alcohol free, but have that bourbon flavor, add an extra teaspoon of vanilla, or they even make non-alcoholic bourbon extract, but it might be hard to find.

Chef’s Note

This classic southern pie was first made at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky, in 1950. Since it was made in Kentucky and called Derby Pie, it’s often associated with the Kentucky Derby, so this pie is perfect for a Derby Watch Party! Keep it kid-friendly with this booze-free recipe, or spike it up with some bourbon. Serve with Mint Juleps and have guests wear fancy hats for a fun, festive afternoon!

How to Store

  • Serve: To keep your pie fresh as long as possible, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Cover the Derby Pie Tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap to store it in the fridge. If it’s nicely-sealed the pie will stay good for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze: If you make the pie in advance or have plenty of leftovers, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. Make sure the foil is tightly covering the dish so no moisture gets in. To reheat the frozen pie, let it defrost in the fridge overnight. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and pop the pie in for 15-20 minutes right before serving. It will be warmed-through and taste as good as if it was freshly baked.

Variations

  • Sweeteners: The recipe calls for brown sugar and granulated sugar, but you can always swap in sweetener substitutes. Try using maple syrup or molasses in place of the brown sugar. Coconut sugar or honey make good alternatives for white sugar.
  • Nuts: For some different mix-ins try different kinds of nuts. Walnuts, cashews, or almonds would all taste great in the Kentucky Derby Pie recipe.
  • Bourbon: Traditional Derby Pie is often made with a dash of bourbon. The bourbon adds a little extra flavor with its sweet caramel, vanilla, and oak undertones. You can add a little bourbon at a time and taste the pie filling to see how you like it.

More Delicious Pies

Pie slice on plate with whipped cream collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I just came across this recipe and I plan to make it for my potluck group on Saturday. If I make it ahead of time, what is the best way to reheat it? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this out 🙂

    Reply

    1. Freeze: If you make the pie in advance or have plenty of leftovers, you can freeze it for up to 2 months. Make sure the foil is tightly covering the dish so no moisture gets in. To reheat the frozen pie, let it defrost in the fridge overnight. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and pop the pie in for 15-20 minutes right before serving. It will be warmed through and taste as good as if it was freshly baked.

      Reply

  2. Excellent recipe. My oven isn’t accurate so I had to bake mine for 54 minutes total. I also blind baked my frozen gluten free crust for 8 minutes. The pie turned out wonderfully. I’ll make this again for sure. Thank you Sabrina!!

    Reply

    1. 5 Healthier Substitutes for Corn Syrup
      Maple syrup. Derived from the sap of the maple tree, maple syrup is a natural sweetener known for its distinct taste and aroma. …
      Honey. Honey is a popular sweetener that has been lauded for its health benefits. …
      Stevia. …
      Golden syrup. …
      Molasses.

      Reply

    1. I haven’t tested it with a graham cracker crust but there are those who have and have enjoyed it. It would be a different flavor than the flaky crust called for in this recipe but would still be yummy! Let us know how it turned out!

      Reply

  7. We tried this Kentucky Derby Pie at home last Christmas and it was a hit! It tastes so good. Everyone loved and enjoyed it. It tastes so good. Would probably make this again.

    Reply