Kentucky Sawdust Pie has a quirky name but it’s an absolute dream come true for anyone who loves coconut and pecans. This rich, gooey pie is loaded with texture and flavor, and the best part is that it comes together in hardly any time at all.
Despite its unusual sounding name, this pie tastes nothing like sawdust. It’s only called sawdust pie because of their similar appearance.
Instead, this fabulous pie from the Bluegrass State is rich and gooey, with crunchy pecans, sweet graham cracker crumbs, and shredded coconut all in a flaky, buttery pie crust. If you love the frosting part of German chocolate cake, then this is the pie for you!
Sawdust pie was created in 1977 by Patti Tullar in the small town of Grand Rivers, Kentucky for her ice cream parlor turned restaurant. It gained family when Bon Appetit magazine published Patti’s recipe in 1983.
When I was testing this recipe, I made a slight change by using four whole eggs instead of seven egg whites, which makes the pie slightly richer and gooier. It also means your don’t end up with 7 egg yolks. The only time I make this pie with the original egg whites is when I’m also making homemade ice cream or a chocolate cream pie that uses just egg yolks and I have lots of extra egg whites on hand.
What You’ll Need
This is a brief overview of the ingredients in this pie. For specific amounts and instructions, scroll to the printable recipe card below.
- Pie crust: You can use a store-bought pie crust or make my flaky pie crust recipe and freeze half for later.
- Pecans: I like buying whole pecan halves from Costco because they are so much cheaper that way. Walnuts would also work well.
- Shredded sweetened coconut: Adds a wonderful chewy texture and coconut flavor.
- Graham crackers: You’ll need one full package of graham crackers crushed into crumbs for the filling.
- Eggs: I recommend letting them come to room temperature for the most even bake.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and binds the filling together.
- Vanilla: A little vanilla extract rounds out all of the flavors and adds depth to baked goods.
- Salt: Just a bit to balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
How to Make Sawdust Pie
- Blind bake the pie crust. This step wasn’t included in the original version of this recipe, but as I was testing the recipe I found that you get a crispier, fully cooked crust by parbaking for 15 minutes before filling and baking the pie the rest of the way. You can skip, if you want, but the pie bottom might be a little on the soggy side.
- Toast the pecans. This extra step makes a big difference, especially in this pie. The easiest way to taste pecans is to scatter whole pecans on a baking sheet and bake them in a 300℉ (149℃) oven for 22-25 minutes until they deepen in color a bit and take on a nutty, toasted aroma. If your nuts are pre-chopped, you can toast those the same way, just decrease the bake time to 16-18 minutes so they smaller pecan pieces don’t burn.
- Make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Then stir in the chopped pecans, crushed graham cracker crumbs, and shredded coconut. The filling mixture will be very thick.
- Bake. Bake the pie for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown on top and just set. The filling will still jiggle in the center when you jostle the pie but you don’t want to overbake or you will lose the gooey quality that makes this pie so wonderful.
- Slice, top, and serve. Let the pie cool for about an hour before slicing so it has a chance to set up. We think this pie is best served warm with a generous dollop of sweetened whipped cream and sliced fresh bananas on top, just like they do at Patti’s 1880 Restaurant, but you can also enjoy it room temperature or chilled from the fridge. It’s also delicious with a scoop of ice cream!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Substitutions: If you have a nut allergy, chopped pretzels typically make a great substitute, but bear in mind that they won’t hold up as long, so you will want to eat the pie fresh. You could also make this pie with gluten-free pretzels and your favorite gluten-free pie crust for an allergy-friendly version.
- Patti’s Original Version: If you want to try the recipe as it was originally written, the only changes I made were switching to 4 whole eggs in place of 7 egg whites, adding vanilla and salt, and increasing the bake temp and time. The original version only called for the pie to be baked in an unbaked pie crust for 25 to 30 minutes at 325°F, but I found that the resulting pie was a little too underbaked for my taste.
- Chocolate Variation: Try adding 1 cup of chocolate chips to the filling for a chocolate version of this pie.
More Pie Recipes
Kentucky Sawdust Pie
Kentucky Sawdust Pie has a quirky name but it's an absolute dream come true for anyone who loves coconut and pecans. This rich, gooey pie is loaded with texture and flavor, and the best part is that it comes together in hardly any time at all.
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked pie crust (½ batch of my flaky pie crust recipe)
- 4 large eggs (or 7 large egg whites)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole pecan halves (or 1 ½ cups chopped pecans)
- 9 whole graham cracker sheets crushed (about 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
- Sweetened whipped cream for serving
- Sliced bananas for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (204℃).
- Prepare your pie crust and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link) and crimp the edges. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes until thoroughly chilled.1 unbaked pie crust
- Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15-18 minutes to parbake the crust (this will help prevent a soggy bottom crust). Remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Decrease the oven temperature to 350℉ (177℃)
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt.4 large eggs, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the chopped toasted pecans, graham cracker crumbs, and coconut. Stir until everything is evenly moistened (the mixture will be thick).2 cups whole pecan halves, 1 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut, 9 whole graham cracker sheets
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Bake at 350℉ (177℃) for 25 to 35 minutes until the filling is lightly browned on top and the center of the pie still jiggles slightly. Do not overbake – the center should be gooey, but set. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 1 hour before slicing.
- Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled with whipped cream and sliced bananas on top.Sliced bananas, Sweetened whipped cream
Notes
- How to toast pecans: To toast the pecans, preheat the oven to 300℉ (149℃). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scatter the pecans on the baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 18 minutes (if already chopped) or 25 minutes (if using whole pecan halves). The pecans should darken slightly in color and take on a toasty, nutty fragrance. Cool, then chop if using whole pecan halves.
- Graham cracker crumbs: To crush the graham crackers, transfer them to a large food processor and pulse until about the size of Panko breadcrumbs, or add them to a large ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. You don’t want to crush them too fine or they will soak up more of the liquid from the pie.
- Storage: Leftover pie should be kept covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make this pie 1-2 days in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to serve. Before serving, warm in a 300℉ (149℃) oven for 10-15 minutes for warm slices, if desired, or serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Freezing: You can bake this pie, cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then unwrap and warm in the oven before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 597kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 339mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg
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