6 Store-Bought Pumpkin Pies Ranked Worst To Best

As we begin to rocket through November, everyone is probably preparing their kitchens for the incoming food holidays; Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both holidays are well known for their wide assortment of dishes, with a heavy focus on what you'll be having for dessert. This time of year is one of my absolute favorites. As autumn really sets in, the leaves change their colors, and the incumbent winter chill fills the air, I find myself ready to enjoy all those fall dishes I've been waiting for all year. Whether it's an autumnal breakfast, a fall lunch, a cozy harvest dinner, or the best of them all, pumpkin pie.

I have been a fan of pumpkin pie since I can remember. I would ask for it on my birthday instead of cake, made sure I had a couple of slices at Thanksgiving, and would saved room for a few choice cuts after Christmas dinner, as well. I know pumpkin pie. I may not be a master baker, but I am an expert on eating pumpkin pie. Not every pumpkin pie is created equal, of course. Whether you're a baking newbie who doesn't want to risk a dud dessert or a long time baking expert looking to take a little off their plate, I went and tested store bought pies to see which one is worth adding to your seasonal lineup.

Walmart has surprised me in the past. The Great Value brand managed to sneak into the top three when ranking canned beef stews, so I wasn't concerned about a Walmart pie. I was in for an unpleasant surprise upon unboxing this particular pumpkin pie. The tin was slick and oily to the touch, and the pie itself ended up splitting at the center. It was not holding itself together very well. Cutting into it was another challenge because the crust just kept disintegrating off the edges. Even getting it out of the box was like playing a particularly finicky game of Operation.

So far, the Walmart brand was not behaving itself. Once I removed the wedge I'd fought to cut free, I didn't notice too many issues. The filling stayed put and didn't ooze out of the pie shape, and the crust on the bottom of the pie, where it had been moistened, seemed to hold itself together better than the crust on the edges. Actually eating the pie was... fine, I guess. As someone who really likes pumpkin pie, this was just disappointing. It was mostly pumpkin, with little to no spice, so overall it was a pretty bland flavor. What really puts this in last place among the other purchased pies is that this was the only pie that left a strangely sour aftertaste on my tongue. That's not what I want from a dessert. Throw this on the list of Walmart products to avoid.

I enjoy a good sojourn into an Aldi location now and then. I do have to prepare myself for the difference in layout and atmosphere, as I find the store's system a little more chaotic than I normally prefer. However, going in with a specific goal is a tip I've not yet found on any essential list for shopping at Aldi, but it sure helps me. Despite fears that Aldi may be out of stock, I was finally able to procure a pumpkin pie from Aldi from the Bake Shop brand of products. It came in a circular plastic carrying case, so it's not as convenient to store as some, but it did its job in containing the pie.

Right off the bat, the crust was coming apart. I was sweeping crumbs away any time I looked at the pie, let alone when I moved it. I was gratified when I sliced into the dessert, as I was able to easily retrieve the wedge. It smelled, looked, and, thankfully, tasted like pumpkin pie. However, what I could not get over were the textures present. This pie is so sticky. The filling basically pasted my mouth shut for a moment, and the crust was soft and chewy. I checked the packaging and it said it was ready to eat right out of the container, but maybe if you warm it up in the oven it would crisp the crust and lower the glue factor of the filling.

There are a lot of ways to accidentally screw up a pumpkin pie. It's the main reason why I don't make them myself. I just love pumpkin pie too much to accidentally make a bad one. Whether it's the filling, flavoring, crust, or accessories, there are a lot of fail points for a seemingly simple dessert. Even a bake-from-frozen pie has suggestions on the side for how to avoid things like burnt edges. Well, with Mrs. Smith's bake from frozen pumpkin pie, it seems not even those suggestions could save it from the wrath of my oven.

Mrs. Smith's said to bake at 375 F for 65 to 75 minutes. I set a timer for 65 minutes and when I checked, even with the wrapped tinfoil edges, I could see the crust had gotten a little over toasted. Beyond that, the filling had bubbled over one side of the pie. It was a bit of a mess. After letting the pie cool down for three full hours, I was able to easily cut a slice. I will say this: Even if the crust was a little charred, it was absolutely divine. It was flakey and buttery without being crumbly. The filling on the other hand could not get itself together. I felt like I was eating a pumpkin aspic. There was no texture and a very bland and muted flavor to the filling of the pie. Such a shame for a nearly four hour investment. At least it didn't taste burnt.

When I buy a premade pie from a store, I expect only a few things. The first is that it will taste like the advertised pie. The second is that it is not going to be overcooked. Now, as my oven can attest to, it is easy to over bake a pie. I'm sure the toasted section is the reason this pie was still available since, after the other two locations I had visited, it was the only Shaw's that had not been completely sold out. It's certainly nowhere near as burnt as the bake-at-home pies I purchased, but for store-bought, I was a little surprised.

Out of all the pies on this list, the pumpkin pie from Shaw's Marketplace had the smoothest cut. I barely had to apply pressure, but it still held its shape perfectly. While the texture on the filling was serviceable, it was just over the line into too smooth. I could totally get over it, but when you're comparing so many pies in one go, the differences stick out. Sadly, the reason this isn't higher on the list is that it's a bit bland. It's a very mellow flavor that doesn't really build at all, and the crust was all but devoid of flavor. This pie was instantly helped by a quick spritz of whipped cream but, considering that's a simple trick for making any store bought pie better, I'm not sure that it's that much of a win.

I will freely admit that Stop & Shop is one of the grocery stores I frequent. As such, when I'm craving pumpkin pie out of season, I usually pick up half a pie from my local Stop & Shop. Aside from the wider seasonal offerings I would consider Stop & Shop's the standard to which I hold other store-bought pies. I did my best to set aside any pre-conceived notions I had about the brand and rated it using the exact same criteria as all the rest. Imagine my surprise when it didn't receive top billing.

The first thing I noticed after cutting off a slice of the Stop & Shop pie was that the whole slice was wobbly. The crust was not giving the filling enough structure to hold its own weight. Pair that with the slightly burnt edge of this pie, and it was not off to a strong start. The flavor saves this pie, as it has the perfect blend of spices that starts off mellow but builds quickly and leaves your mouth warm and full of seasonal splendor. The crust is fine, not remarkable, but it does taste like a crust instead of just being a vehicle for the pie filling. If you're looking for the best store bought pie that you don't have to bake yourself, I highly recommend poking your head into your local Stop & Shop. It will free up your oven for the other Thanksgiving staple – roasted turkey.

Sometimes you want to do some baking yourself but don't want the hassle of a ton of mixing, blind baking, or not knowing what to do with a ton of leftover filling. I get it, and so does Marie Callender's. With the same baking instructions and helpful tips as Mrs. Smith's pie, this bake-from-frozen dessert gives you all the benefits of home baking a pie — the intoxicating smell of a baking pie, the warmth in your home, and that little bit of extra effort to impress — without the hassle of a messy kitchen or a ton of leftovers.

Despite using the tinfoil method on this pie, the edges got a bit crisp. My oven really does love to scorch. However, the extra color did not seem to affect the overall experience. It had a rougher cut than some of the other pies — I had to actually engage my forearm muscles a little to slice through the bottom crust to retrieve the piece. But the flavor is lovely, and the feeling of the filling was absolutely perfect. There's a little tackiness to the top, but I am going to chalk that up to the caramelization, as the rest of the filling was the exact right texture. While the crust is nothing to write home about, it didn't detract from the experience. Really amp it up with a little whipped cream to serve a pie that will having people thinking you made it from scratch!

When constructing my rating criteria for this article, I knew I had to take into account flavor and texture. After some consideration, I also made notes on how easy it was to cut and serve a slice of the pie, and on the convenience of the pie. Convenience does not just mean how easy it was to buy, and then serve (if that were the case, the two pies I had to bake would have come in last). Convenience in this case speaks to how easy it was to get the pie into my home, and how much of a mess the dessert created as I removed it from its packaging.

A pumpkin pie is not a cream pie, and it needs to have texture to it to really pop. Without actual texture to the filling, the whole thing becomes a flimsy congealed mess. The crust of any good pie should be easy to cut and hold itself together. The flavor should be pumpkin-forward with all the good pumpkin spices necessary to make the pie what it is. After all, pumpkin pie is the progenitor of the pumpkin spice fanfare. I also had my final bite of each piece with some canned whipped cream — it's how I prefer my pieces of pie to be served — to see if that would impact the overall experience. Regardless of the final results, I had a blast rating all these pies and am set for desserts at least until 2026.