Pies, cakes and cookies are among Americans’ favorite desserts for Christmas, new research has shown.
In a December survey of 1,000 Americans conducted for Newsweek by Talker Research, nearly half (40 percent) chose pumpkin pie when asked what they typically have for dessert during Christmas. That was followed by two other pie staples—apple pie (chosen by 27 percent) and pecan pie (25 percent)—as well as cake (22 percent), sugar cookies (21 percent) and chocolate chip cookies (18 percent) in the top six ranking of America’s favorite Christmas desserts.
Katherine Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef based in New York City who is the host of the podcast and digital series Sprung On Food, told Newsweek: “I’m actually a bit surprised about such a large percentage leaning toward pumpkin pie as their favorite Christmas dessert. I think it’s usually the star of Thanksgiving, but apparently people want it back on their tables.
“I think that pumpkin pie is really seen as such a seasonal and novel item, whereas when I think of apple pie, I think summer time and the Fourth of July.”
America’s Most Popular Christmas Desserts Revealed
America’s Most Popular Christmas Desserts Revealed
Photo Illustration by Newsweek/Getty Images
Another pie to make the list was cherry pie (10 percent), while gingerbread cookies were also favored by 11 percent of those surveyed. Brownies and hot chocolate were chosen by 16 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
Towards the bottom of the list were cinnamon rolls, which had 10 percent of the votes, followed by cupcakes (8 percent), fruit cake (7 percent) and yule logs/Swiss rolls, which was a favorite among 4 percent of those surveyed.
Some 4 percent also opted for none of the desserts noted in the survey, while another 4percent said they don’t typically have Christmas dessert.
A Brief History of America’s Favorite Christmas Treat
According to Sprung, pumpkins had already been a staple in indigenous meals and settlers thought to use it in a pie, “likely because pies were already such a staple in English cuisine.”
She explained: “They’d hollow out a pumpkin, fill it with milk, honey, and spices, then bake it in the ashes – this iteration was likely very, very different, but as most foods do, it’s since evolved.”
The first “legit” pumpkin pie recipes appeared in Hannah Woolley’s book The Gentlewoman’s Companion in 1675, with a spiced pumpkin pie recipe, Sprung noted.
Fast forward to the 1827 novel Northwood in which Sarah Josepha Hale wrote about pumpkin pie and campaigned to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. “Abraham Lincoln made it official in 1863, and pumpkin pie was already ready for Thanksgiving tables,” the pastry chef noted.
“The real spike in popularity is also thanks to canned pumpkin in the late 1800s and early 1900s,” the podcast host noted, explaining that Libby’s, the American food company producing canned goods, “made pumpkin pie much faster and accessible.”
A file photo of a woman bringing a pie to a table during a Christmas dinner gathering. Pumpkin, apple and pecan pies are among America’s favorite Christmas desserts.
A file photo of a woman bringing a pie to a table during a Christmas dinner gathering. Pumpkin, apple and pecan pies are among America’s favorite Christmas desserts.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Why Do Americans Love Pumpkin Pie?
Sprung said: “I think for pumpkin pie specifically, it has to do with the novelty of the flavor of the pie itself, and the seasonality, although it’s really an autumnal item.”
However, “pies have typically, over time, represented abundance and usually make their way into big gatherings and feasts,” she added.
The pastry chef also believes it could also be down to a matter of efficiency, “where a pie not only can look very impressive and beautiful, but easy to feed many people by just slicing it up.”
She added: “I think we can also thank the media for presenting imagery of pies on dinner tables with holiday foods, inspiring others to make this a staple at the holidays.”
America’s Favorite Christmas DessertsPumpkin pie (chosen by 40 percent)Apple pie (27 percent)Pecan pie (25 percent)Cake (22 percent)Sugar cookies (21 percent)Chocolate chip cookies (18 percent)Brownies (16 percent)Hot chocolate (15 percent)Gingerbread cookies (11 percent)Cherry pie (10 percent)Cinnamon rolls (10 percent)Cupcakes (8 percent)Fruit cake (7 percent)Yule logs/Swiss rolls (4 percent)
Source: A 2024 survey conducted from December 2 to 6 for Newsweek by Talker Research.
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