8 Fast Food Chain Pies, Ranked

Nothing compares to a home-baked pie made with love, but you might be surprised to learn that many fast food pies are quite tasty. They are undeniably convenient and most of them are handheld too, so no cutlery is needed to enjoy them. Heck, if you use the drive-thru you don't even have to get out of your car if you don't want to. As you probably suspect, some fast food pies are much better than others, even if they seem pretty similar at first glance. 

To get to the bottom of it, I tasted all the popular fast food dessert pie options and ranked them from worst to best, so you can stick to the good stuff. After driving around town and picking up eight fast food pies, I took them home and tasted them all — yum! Then, I considered taste, texture, filling, price (as of February 2025 and dependent on location), and overall quality to determine my ranking. I'll explain my methodology a bit more at the end, but for now let's dive into the flaky, gooey revelations I had while tasting.

Keep reading to learn how eight pies measured up in a head-to-head competition, so the next time you crave a quick sweet treat, you'll know exactly which fast food chain to head to and why.

KFC's Cherry Pie Poppers are cute little bites of pie full of cherry filling. They come in orders of four or eight pieces, which are great for sharing. However, they truly fell short when compared to all of the other fast food chain pies I sampled. First of all, they are on the more expensive side as far as these types of treats are concerned. An order with four poppers costs $2.49 plus tax, but you really don't get very much pie.

As for flavor, KFC's Cherry Pie Poppers taste kind of like funnel cake, which isn't a bad thing, but the quality is quite low. The dough is also somewhat soft and far from crispy, although it won't flake all over you while eating. It is also much greasier than other fast food chain pie options. Even though the filling is meant to be cherry, the taste is more sugar than anything else. Plus, the ratio of filling to pie is not great, as I would have preferred much more filling to complement the amount of crust. All in all, the poppers just taste cheap to me, and are by far my least favorite of the bunch.

Some people think McDonald's Baked Apple Pie tastes irresistible, but I'm sorry to say it didn't win me over, especially when compared to the other tasty fast food chain pies on this list. I know the flavor is nostalgic for some, and there's no arguing with that, but for me, it wasn't enough to give it better than a second-to-last-place ranking.

I'll admit, when I first tasted McDonald's Apple Pie I recalled some fond childhood memories, but really, it's just okay in my book. It is super sweet and there's definitely a strong, pleasant apple taste, but even so, I think it relies on sugar to do most of the heavy lifting. There is a touch of cinnamon flavor at the end, but I wish it was more front and center. The crust on the pie is nice and constructed with a pretty lattice top, which gives the overall concoction some aesthetic appeal. However, the lack of a complete covering results in an imbalanced filling to pie ratio. I wouldn't say the crust is flaky by any means either.

All this being said, McDonald's Apple Pies are proudly made with plant-based ingredients, so even vegans can enjoy them, which offers a distinct draw. Still, at $2.69 plus tax, it is the most expensive product on this list, so it only earned a seventh-place ranking.

Coming in sixth place is the Pumpkin Cheesecake Fried Pie from Church's Texas Chicken. If you've never heard of it, that's because it is a limited time flavor, which made me excited to try it — after all, pumpkin pie is a classic. Sadly, it doesn't measure up to the competition, hence its position on the lower half of this list.

Church's Texas Chicken Pumpkin Cheesecake Fried Pie only costs $1.99 plus tax, so it's tied as the least expensive product (the other one also comes from Church's). Even so, the filling is lacking overall. Upon cutting the pie in half, it's clear that the pumpkin and cheesecake elements are not mixed together. As for the taste, there's barely any pumpkin flavor at all. I had hoped for a rich pumpkin flavor but this was disappointing. Instead, it's more like a creamy cheesecake, and honestly, there isn't much filling as a whole. Bummer!

The best thing about this pie is the crust. It is really fluffy and crispy and provides a nice contrast to the smooth filling inside. There is simply too much of it though considering the meager amount of filling. Something tells me this limited time option won't stick around for long.

Arby's may call its sweet treats turnovers, but they are basically handheld pies, just like you get from other fast food chains. I'm happy to say this is where my list takes a turn for the better (no pun intended).

Arby's Apple Turnover is somewhat messy to eat because of the flaky pastry dough, but I didn't care, because it is the first pie I truly enjoyed. The pastry dough is super flaky and crispy, yet simultaneously thick and airy, so there's lots of yummy texture with each bite. In addition, Arby's includes a drizzle of icing over the dough which gives it a nice burst of sweetness and a certain aesthetic appeal. The apple filling is also super sweet and there is enough to nicely balance out the thicker crust. 

My only complaint about the filling is that it lacks a ton of apple flavor. I wanted a bit more to balance out the sugary icing, but it just doesn't have the iconic American apple pie flavor I was looking for. Even so, everything else about this turnover hits the mark regarding taste and texture. It is also priced on the lower end of the spectrum and it should only run you about $2.09 plus tax. Not bad at all.

Cheap and cheerful, Church's Texas Chicken Apple Pie is miles ahead of the company's limited time Pumpkin Cheesecake Fried Pie. The brand kind of failed flavor-wise with the limited release pie but the same can't be said for the Apple Pie. Not only is the ratio of crust to filling much better, but the overall flavor is much more honed in. The bright apple taste is immediately evident, and it is sweet with a nice tang. There is also plenty of cinnamon and sugar, giving it a true apple pie flavor.

The crust on Church's Texas Chicken Apple Pie is also much better than any of the previous options. Interestingly, it is thinner and tastier than Church's Pumpkin creation. As a result, the texture ratio is seriously improved. It is also crispier, so there is simultaneously a blend of crunchy and gooey textures in every bite. For a fast food pie, I have to say it is pretty darn tasty. It only costs $1.99 plus tax too, so it is my top pick if you are pinching pennies. I'm not saying you should make a special trip just to pick it up, but I definitely recommend snagging one the next time you are at Church's Texas Chicken.

As noted, Arby's calls its sweet treats turnovers, but they are eerily similar to what other fast food chains call pies. Regardless, Arby's Cherry Turnover is a shoo-in for third place in this ranking. The flavors and textures combined are far superior to the bottom five pies on this list. At just $2.09 plus tax, it is also on the less expensive end of the spectrum, so it makes a solid choice no matter how you look at it.

What I like most about Arby's Cherry Turnover is its classic cherry pie filling flavor. When I took a bite I instantly recognized the taste as the one you get from a canned filling, but in a good way. It reminded me a bit of my great grandmother's pies and what could be better than that? There is also plenty of it, and the mix of crispy and gooey textures provides a fantastic mouthfeel.

Just like Arby's Apple Turnover, the cherry one has a perfectly flaky crust that somehow manages to be dense and airy all at once. For a finishing touch, the pastry is also drizzled with icing, which turns up the sweetness without overpowering the tartness of the cherry filling. All in all, I am actually kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I'm not the biggest fan of cherry-flavored products but Arby's proved me wrong.

Every other fast food chain apple pie takes a back seat to Popeyes Cinnamon Apple Pie. Is it the cheapest? No, it costs $2.36 plus tax, but it sure is the yummiest. At first taste, I knew it outshined not only the other apple pies I tried, but just about every other product across the board — minus first place of course. All of the elements come together in perfect harmony to create a handheld pie worthy of nothing less than second place.

Even before you break open Popeyes Cinnamon Apple Pie, you can tell it isn't like the others because the crust is dusted with an appetizing blend of cinnamon and sugar. After biting into it, it's clear that the coating seriously turns up the flavor. While a bit messy, it also gives a nice crunch to the texture. That's not even the best part about the crust though; what really stands out is how much buttery goodness is baked into it, giving it more of an authentic pie crust taste.

The filling in Popeyes Cinnamon Apple Pie is sweet and rich, just how I like it. There is a good amount of it too, so you get a delicious blend of gooey and crispy in every bite. If I had one recommendation for Popeyes, it would be to add more apple flavor, but that's just me being picky. When it comes to fast food chain pies with a fruit filling, there's no better pick.

Now it's time for my number one pick: Burger King's Hershey's Sundae Pie. For me, there was no competition after I had my first bite. It is hands down the absolute best fast food chain pie around. It costs $2.69 plus tax, but honestly I would pay double or even triple for it — that's how unbelievably drool-worthy it is. Full disclosure, chocolate is pretty much always my first pick, but even if it isn't yours, this pie has what it takes to leave you wanting more.

The Burger King Hershey's Sundae Pie is built with drool-worthy layers of airy chocolate supported by a chocolate crust. There's a bit of whipped cream and chunks of chocolate on top too — and every little detail made my mouth rejoice. It has a tasty mousse-like texture that is creamy, smooth, and light, just like a French Silk or chocolate cream pie should be. It is also refrigerated which gives it a delectably cooling mouthfeel. In addition, the flavor is deep, rich, and, of course, super chocolatey. 

If I didn't know better, I would have easily thought this pie came from a nice sit-down restaurant. I'd make a special trip to Burger King for a Hershey's Sundae Pie and nothing else, no questions asked. In fact, my mouth is salivating just thinking about it. Do yourself a favor and give it a try if you haven't already. This Burger King and Hershey's mash-up is one you don't want to miss.

For me, there was no better way to evaluate and rank the collection of fast food chain pies you find above than personally tasting them, so that's what I did. Happily, I might add. After driving around and picking up all the pies I could find, I rushed home and gave them all a try.

Considering how similar many fast food chain pies are, I had to come up with a good system to determine my ranking. The two main criteria I focused on were crust and filling. For the filling, I paid close attention to the flavor and quantity. Ideally, the ratio of filling to crust offered lots of gooey and flaky textures all at the same time. I also considered the texture of the crust. Was it flaky, doughy, or crispy? Or maybe all three? 

While not quite as important, I also focused on price, although each of the eight options was pretty inexpensive (under $3), so that didn't affect the ranking much. After considering all of these traits, the overall quality was pretty apparent and my ranking reflects exactly that.