I Tested All the Supermarket Pumpkin Pies and Would Definitely Serve These Six at Thanksgiving

Stacey Ballis
·3 min read
3

Getty / Russell Robinson

I'm going to admit something. I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan. I don't dislike them, I just don't love them enough to choose them over say, apple when it comes to my holiday pie eating choices. As such, I have never really learned to bake them, always relying on the guests who do love them to bring one along to my holiday celebrations.

Related: I Made Pies with Every Grocery Store Pie Crust I Could Find and Here Are the Best

Weirdly, this makes me the perfect person to guide you on choosing a store-bought pumpkin pie for your own meal: If I recommend them as a non-lover, you better believe they are worth eating! I tested all the available fresh and frozen store-bought pumpkin pies, and here are the six I would gladly serve at my own Thanksgiving table.

Courtesy Marie Callendar's

Best overall: Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie

This pie couldn't be simpler: just bake straight from frozen. Really good crust, no soggy bottom, and the filling is well-spiced but not too sweet with good pumpkin flavor. Frankly, your guests might not even know you didn't make it from scratch, and I am not going to tell you not to hide the box in the bottom of the garbage can.

Buy it: Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie ($7.49), Instacart.com

Courtesy Sara Lee

Best frozen: Sara Lee Pumpkin Pie

Consider this option a strong second to the Marie Callender's frozen pumpkin pie, which can be tricky to find. I felt the filling was slightly too sweet for my personal taste, but some unsweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would help to balance that out.

Buy it: Sara Lee Pumpkin Pie (price varies), Instacart.com

Courtesy Instacart

Best for a crowd: Costco's Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie

The manhole-sized pumpkin pie at Costco will serve a good 24 people (it weighs nearly 4 pounds!), making it a great option for bigger gatherings. The crust is nicely flaky and the filling well-balanced. My recommendation is to cut into squares and not try to get wedge slices out of this thing; it is just too wide to make that easy.

Buy it: Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie ($7.45), Instacart.com

Courtesy ALDI

Best bargain: ALDI's Bake Shop Pumpkin Pie

At $4, you cannot beat this pie, and the filling was one of the best I tasted. The crust has good flavor but suffers a bit texturally, so I do recommend giving it a quick 10-12 minutes in a 400-degree oven to re-crisp it a bit.

Buy it: Bake Shop Pumpkin Pie (price varies), Instacart.com

Courtesy Instacart

Best old-fashioned flavor: Entenmann's Pumpkin Pie

This seasonal treat just takes me back. There is something about Entenmann's that is just the flavor of my childhood, and I had a dear friend whose mom used to just keep one on the counter from Thanksgiving through Christmas for snacking. It is a smaller pie, so good for gatherings of 4-8.

Buy it: Entenmann's Pumpkin Pie (price varies), Instacart.com

Courtesy Kroger

Honorable mention: Kroger Bakery Fresh Goodness Pumpkin Pie

This was a very serviceable pie. The filling is a nice flavor and texture, but the crust can feel a little pale straight out of the package. Just re-crisp a little in your oven, though, and you'll be in business in no time!

Buy it: Kroger Bakery Fresh Goodness Pumpkin Pie (price varies), Kroger.com