10 Of The Best Store-Bought Pecan Pies, According To Reviews

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When Thanksgiving rolls around once more, the battle of the pies begins again. Apple, pumpkin, sweet potato, chocolate, and pecan pies all jostle for a central place on the holiday table, with each guest having their own favorite. But in the South, pecan pie is arguably king. Commonly combining eggs, a sweetener like brown sugar, molasses or corn syrup, and of course pecans, this pie has been around since the 19th century but only started becoming widely known in the 1930s and 40s, when established recipes started to be more commonly shared. Fast forward to the 21st century, and almost one in five people include pecan pie as a regular part of their Thanksgiving feast, according to a survey conducted by Delta Dental.

But there's no denying that pecan pie can be tricky to make, and it has an annoying tendency to burn and become bitter. So, more and more people are saving themselves the hassle, by picking one up from the store. But which is the best? We decided to put it to the customers. In this article, we gathered a selection of the best store-bought pecan pies, basing our choices primarily on reviews that focused on taste, texture, price, and size.

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Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie

Marie Callender's is a commonly-seen brand around Thanksgiving, thanks to its widely available frozen pie selection. Amongst the huge choice of other pies it offers, its Southern Pecan Pie stands tall. This pie is an all-around winner due to its ease of storage, reasonable price, and great taste. As it's a frozen pie, it can be bought weeks in advance and stashed away until needed, and on the big day, all it needs is to thaw fully.

Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie nails it on the flavor front, and crucially, manages to avoid its pecans tasting old or musty. Instead, the nuts used on top taste fresh. They also don't skimp on the amount they use, providing a generous amount of pecans per serving. There's a hint of smokiness and complexity to the pie that keys into its Southern branding, and which stops it from just being purely sweet. The crust, meanwhile, remains flaky and delicate (no mean feat for a frozen pie), and isn't too thick, so you don't have to chew your way through a big lump of dough. If you don't want your pie cold or at room temperature, you can also warm it up in the oven before serving. ‌

Buy Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie at Walmart for $5.92.

Heartland By Tippin's Pecan Pie

If you want a pecan pie that hits the spot without breaking the bank, Heartland by Tippin's Pecan Pie is the one for you. A Kansas City staple, Tippin's has been producing pies for almost 40 years, and it pours all of its expertise into its pecan offering. This pie embeds an abundance of pecans into a caramelized coating and then layers them on top of a toffee-esque filling. The crust of the pie is thick and generous, ensuring that none of the fillings fall out when you're digging in.

Customers love this pie for its quality-to-price ratio, and we can see why. Available for just under eight dollars at Target, the 19 oz. pie gives you a good amount of food for the cost. Despite being available in large stores, these pies routinely taste fresh and are clearly made with high-quality ingredients to avoid the taste being one-note or simple. Heartland by Tippin's Pecan Pie is also highly freezable, so you don't need to worry about it going stale if you pick it up a few days before. Just make sure you buy more than one, as these things are moreish. "My boyfriend and I finished in one night. I've never felt the need to leave a review but this slaps so hard," says one reviewer (via Target).

Buy Heartland by Tippin's Pecan Pie from Target for $7.99.

Scott's Cakes Pecan Pie

Confectioner and piemaker Scott's Cakes has a pie for pretty much every occasion, but its Pecan Pie is what we're here for, and it's the real deal. This pie is crafted with care and attention and is made using Georgia pecans for an authentic Southern experience. Instead of plowing its pie full of white corn syrup, Scott's Cakes instead opts for dark syrup to give it extra caramelized notes and a depth of flavor.

And this flavor is what people love about it. "This is an excellent pie. Very sweet and rich filling, strong brown sugar taste, and a slight buttery taste as well. Plenty of chopped pecan bits on the top, and all of it tastes quite fresh," one happy customer said, per Amazon. Others have pointed out that it's pretty much the best pecan pie they've ever had, with many customers being repeat purchasers – a testament to the quality of this dessert. Additionally, folks who are worried about the pie turning up on their doorstep having been beaten and battered by the delivery process need not worry. Scott's Cakes packs its products securely to account for any postal mishaps, and to make sure that your pie arrives intact and delicious.

Find Scott's Cakes Pecan Pie at Scott's Cakes for $19.95.

Whole Foods Pecan Pie

You can usually rely on Whole Foods to provide quality, fresh food, and its pecan pie definitely delivers the goods. This thick-filled pie glistens with whole pecans across its top, which hold their taste well and avoid becoming too chalky or bland. There's a caramel coating that edges itself out onto the exterior crust, giving the whole thing a glossy, abundant appearance. It's held together by a crust that is fairly thin but remains sturdy, leaving you with a product that doesn't skimp on the main event — the filling.

The Whole Foods Pecan Pie filling is dense, but not so much so that you can't maneuver the pie properly, and the whole thing gives it a feeling of richness and leaves you feeling satisfied. All of these things have caused it to be a hit amongst customers looking for a quick way to serve up dessert on Thanksgiving. Its luscious flavor, which is bolstered by vanilla extract, is loved by purchasers online, with one customer who bought the pie via Amazon saying "This Pecan pie was amazing. The best Pecan pie I have ever tasted." It's hard to find reviews that are more glowing than that!‌

Find Whole Foods Pecan Pie in-store at your local Whole Foods.

Kroger Bakery Fresh Goodness Pecan Pie

Like several other big-name supermarkets, Kroger offers its own version of a pecan pie. But while it can be easy to get snobby about own-brand options, here the retail company really sticks the landing and offers a pecan pie that feels truly homemade. This generous 10-inch pie has a particularly dark appearance, which hints at the mellow flavor contained within. Its crust has a good color to it, giving it the appearance of a pecan pie that was baked in your very own kitchen and is flaky and tender enough to get a fork through.

Each of the whole pecans on this pie retains its crunch well and adds that quintessential nutty flavor to the pie. But the filling's the clear winner here. "The crust is buttery, but the filling is what really does it for me. It's nutty and gooey and not insanely sweet (sometimes, pecan pie can be so sweet it hurts), and it tastes like cookie butter," states a review via Sporked. "It's the best store-bought pecan pie for a classic pecan pie experience without the classic pecan pie hassle."

Buy Kroger Bakery Fresh Goodness Pecan Pie at Kroger for $12.99.

Favorite Day Mini Pecan Pie

While the joy of a huge pecan pie cut into generous slices can't be overstated, sometimes, people just aren't in the mood to share. And for those occasions, the Favorite Day Mini Pecan Pie should be your go-to choice. These smaller pies, offered by Target, come in a four-inch-round size, with each one comprising a full portion. Covered in chopped pecans, each pie is baked to mid-brown perfection, with the buttery crust giving it a luscious flavor.

These pies come in at just under $1.50 each, making them a steal, and are the ideal option for the one person at your dinner table who craves pecan flavors. And if you're expecting them to be lower in quality just because they're smaller, that's definitely not the case. "I'm picky about pecan pie. It has to be just right so I didn't have high hopes for this but it was $1.50 so I figured I'd try it out," says one pleased purchaser, per Target. "So glad I did, it's one of the best pecan pies and the perfect little size. Buttery good crust and the filling is so good."

Purchase Favorite Day Mini Pecan Pie at Target for $1.49.

Marketside Pecan Pie

Pecan pies achieve their moreishness through a combination of nuttiness, saltiness, and a heavy dose of sweetness. But sometimes, these pies can lean too heavily into their sugary notes, and end up being tooth-achingly sweet. This, luckily, is not the case with Marketside Pecan Pie. A Walmart exclusive, this pie is, at 10 inches, one of the bigger store-bought pies available on the market today, and it avoids overdosing on sugary ingredients, creating a flavor that's mellow, yet definitely a dessert.

This pie has a generous outer crust and a relatively thin one underneath, which means that you get a good combination of pastry crunch while also not having to fight through a dense bottom. The filling itself is a dark, toffee-colored affair, both looking and tasting solid. In fact, if you took this pie out of its metal tray and served it in a decorative dish, your guests might have a difficult time telling that it was store-bought. "One of the best store-bought pies I've had, great crust, creamy filling, and huge pecan pieces," says a customer via Walmart, who also remarked that it tastes like it was homemade. ‌

Buy Marketside Pecan Pie from Walmart for $7.98.

Table Talk Pies Old Fashioned Pecan Pie

Let's face it: Around the holidays, we want meals that are traditional, homely, and comforting. And this is something that Table Talk Pies clearly gets, with its Old Fashioned Pecan Pie being the result. The family-owned pie company, which has been making desserts for approximately a century, has pulled no punches with this mini pecan pie, which is reasonably priced and packed with flavor.

The pies sport an old-fashioned appearance straight off the bat, with a thick, rustic topping of tightly-packed pecans. And Table Talk Pies succeeds pretty much everywhere else. "The filling is rich and caramelized. The crust is buttery and crumbly and just a touch salty. Each of the mini pecan pies comes topped with lots of chopped pecans on top for terrific texture," states a glowing review (per Sporked). The smaller size of these pies means that they're perfect for stashing several away in your freezer, pulling them out whenever a pecan pie lover comes to your house. Or, buy each of your guests their own personal dessert pie, by investing in some of Table Talk's other mini desserts like its blueberry, cherry, or chocolate eclair pies.

Find Table Talk Pies Old Fashioned Pecan Pie at Kroger for $1.49.

Edwards Georgia Style Pecan Pie

Frozen pies can be slightly hit-and-miss, and we can understand why you might want to avoid nut-based ones. But before you swear off them forever, give the Edwards George Style Pecan Pie a try. This pie is as good as frozen pies get, with a generous pecan topping and a custard filling that has just a touch of vanilla in it. Available at around the six-dollar mark, it's an excellent choice for people who are looking for a reasonable dessert that remains delicious in every bite.

Despite being in the freezer section, the Edwards Georgia Style Pecan Pie tastes as though it was made yesterday, a trait that customers love. "Our family loves pecan pie and was very impressed by the Edwards Georgia Style Frozen Pecan Pie. It tasted like it was freshly baked, lots of pecans and great texture. You can warm it up or eat cold either way is great," says a buyer, per Walmart. Others point out the tenderness and flakiness of the crust. This pie has a notably darker color than a lot of other pecan pies available out there, but this gives it a toastiness and a slightly more developed flavor, which is particularly enjoyable for a frozen option. ‌

Buy Edwards Georgia Style Pecan Pie at Walmart for $5.97.

Tootie Pie Whiskey Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a dessert with a multifaceted flavor, but it's still not complex enough for some people. However, the Texas-born Tootie Pie Co. has seen that challenge and raised the stakes, with its Whiskey Pecan Pie. At 11 inches, this pie is one of the biggest options out there and is an excellent choice if you're catering to a crowd (there's a reason why it's available at Costco, after all). Flavored with Rebecca Creek Whiskey, the liquor is shot through the sweet custard filling, as well as mixed into the glaze that adorns the pie.

Its alcohol content gives it a luxurious taste, with one customer describing it as "decadent" in their five-star rating of the pie (via Costco). Each pie is topped with a generous sprinkling of caramelized pecans, with the crunch offsetting the gooeyness of the inside. The crust on this pie is a handmade affair, and isn't too thick, but still leaves room for a generous rim. And the best part is that if you have any leftovers, you can save them in your freezer for up to six months.

Purchase Tootie Pie Whiskey Pecan Pie from Costco in a 2-pack for $89.99, including shipping and handling.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.