If you need an apple pie to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, Friendsgiving, or a work potluck, but don’t have the time (or skills) to make one from scratch, a store-bought pie can be a great solution in a pinch. When it comes to deciding which store you should swing by to purchase a pre-made pie, we made it easy for you by conducting a taste test in the Southern Living office and choosing the best one.
How We Tested
To conduct this apple pie taste test, we purchased the pies from the bakery section of six popular grocery stores in Birmingham, Alabama. The pies were removed from their packaging and cut into small slices for testers to be able to try each one without seeing any of the branding.
Tasters were tasked with ranking each of the pies on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. After tasting each pie, they were asked to choose their overall favorite.
The Contenders
Publix Bakery Apple PieSam’s Club Member’s Mark Honeycrisp Lattice Apple PieWalmart Freshness Guaranteed Apple PieTarget Favorite Day Apple PieCostco Kirkland Signature Apple PieWhole Foods Apple Pie
How Each Pie Scored
Publix Bakery Apple Pie
The flavor of this pie was described by several editors as more savory than others in the test, and the filling was also described as “syrupy” in several comments. Though this pie landed near the middle of the group based on the numeric rating, this pie from the Publix Bakery was chosen by one editor as their favorite of the group.
Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Honeycrisp Lattice Apple Pie
The first thing most editors commented on about the Member’s Mark pie was the crust. “I love the crust on this one–it’s nice and indulgent and thick,” said one tester. This pie from Sam’s Club was chosen by several editors as their overall favorite pie in the taste test, with one who chose it summing it up by saying, “Thick crust, good flavor, slight crunch to upper crust.”
Walmart Freshness Guaranteed 10 Apple Pie
A few testers noted that they liked the texture of the apples in this pie, with them remaining more firm and crunchy, instead of soft and mushy. While some were fans of the apples, most editors were not impressed by the crust, noting that it was soft and doughy, giving them the impression it was almost undercooked. No editors chose this pie as their favorite in the test.
Target Favorite Day Apple Pie
Another pie that was not selected by any testers as their favorite was the Favorite Day pie from Target. Testers noted that the filling was strongly spiced which some liked, but was too overpowering for others and gave it an almost artificial taste that overwhelmed the crust.
Costco Kirkland Signature Apple Pie
Almost all editors gave Kirkland Signature’s apple pie a rating of a 4 or a 5. Testers especially loved the filling of this pie from Costco’s bakery, noting that it was more caramelized and had a good level of spice. “This pie is fall in a bite,” wrote one editor.
Whole Foods Apple Pie
Tasters quickly noticed that the filling of this pie was more tart and tangy than others in the test, noting it was sharp almost like a cheese or cheesecake. To some it was offputting, but a couple editors were fans of the filling. One tester also noted that the crust was the prettiest of the group.
The Winner
Costco Kirkland Signature Apple Pie
Credit:
Morgan Hunt Ward, Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
With the most first place votes, Kirkland Signature’s Apple Pie from Costco was the clear winner of this taste test. “This has the best combo of apple and cinnamon flavor filling AND well-bodied sugary crust,” shared one editor who chose the Kirkland Signature pie as their favorite. Another wrote, “This is my favorite because it reminds me of my mom’s apple pie. It has a good amount of spice, tender apples, and tangy crust.”
The Runner-Up
Member’s Mark Honeycrisp Lattice Apple Pie
Credit:
Morgan Hunt Ward; Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
The Member’s Mark Honeycrisp Lattice Apple Pie came in as the runner-up in our taste test, with several testers selecting it as their favorite. One editor who selected this pie as their favorite said they were doing so “mainly because the crust is most important to me when it comes to apple pie.”
Dining and Cooking