We taste-tested seven pumpkin pies from popular grocery chains, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and Costco. Our winner is Kirkland’s Signature Pumpkin Pie, but we also crowned one other runner-up.
Pumpkin pie is an essential part of my Thanksgiving celebration, as it is for many others. Though I’m a stickler for homemade pie, that may not be a realistic option for everyone. You may find making pie too daunting, have too much else to cook on your to-do list, or simply want a backup plan in case your homemade pie doesn’t turn out. That’s when a store-bought pie comes in handy. But which grocery store pie is worthy of a place on your holiday table?
To find the best pumpkin pie, our editors taste-tested seven pies from popular grocery chains, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and Costco. We sampled them in random order without knowing which was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, along with one other worthy runner-up.
The Criteria
Pumpkin pie should consist of a silky-smooth custard encased in a crisp, flaky crust. It should have a hint of warm fall spices—such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and/or cloves—but not be overwhelming or unpleasant. There should be just enough sweetness to enhance the natural flavor of the pumpkin or squash, without being cloying. Pumpkin pie shouldn’t be grainy, mushy, or have a soggy bottom—each bite should be balanced, creamy, and velvety.
Overall Winner
Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie
While our editorial director, Daniel, found the pie slightly bitter, he enjoyed its custardy texture. “Flavor of both filling and crust is actually pretty good,” our associate editorial director, Megan, wrote. “Crust is crispy at the edges, which is nice. This one has by far the best crust.” Our associate culinary editor, Laila, thought this was “pleasant overall.” She noted, “The squash flavor comes through clearly, unmasked by heavy spice,” and the crust was “basic but well-executed.” Though our associate visuals director, Amanda, thought this offering was slightly too sweet, our visuals editor, Jessie, found the opposite: That it “tasted natural, not too sweet,” and especially liked the crumbly crust.
Runner-Up
Whole Foods Market Pumpkin Pie
Daniel was a fan of the heavy nutmeg here, though he also found it “lightly bitter,” a little dense, and dry. “My favorite filling,” Megan wrote. “It tastes—dare I say?—squashy. And it’s not revoltingly sweet.” Jessie appreciated that it was “gently spiced, not too sweet,” though Laila found the filling slightly chalky. Amanda thought it had a “nice creamy sweetness.”
The Contenders
- Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie
- Marie Callender’s Pumpkin Pie
- Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie
- Whole Foods Market Pumpkin Pie
- Sara Lee Pumpkin Pie
- ShopRite Store Baked Pumpkin Pie
- Stop & Shop The Bakery Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
All of the pumpkin pies we tasted are made with pumpkin, sugar, water, palm and/or soybean oil, and spices. Except for our runner-up, every single pie we tasted contained eggs. Many of the pies we sampled contain thickeners, stabilizers, and emulsifiers, such as modified food starch, maltodextrin, xanthan gum, and carrageenan, as well as preservatives and artificial sweeteners.
Our winner, Costco’s Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie, has the shortest ingredients list, and is the only pie that contains shortening—an ingredient high in saturated fat that likely gives the crust its nice crumbliness. Though our runner-up, Whole Foods Market Pumpkin Pie, is not marketed as vegan, the pie contains no animal products, and its filling is made with tofu—an unexpected ingredient likely meant to give the custard a smooth, creamy texture.
Generally, our editors found most of the pies much too sweet and overly spiced. If you don’t enjoy cloyingly sweet desserts, you’re likely better off purchasing a store-bought crust and making your own filling, which will allow you better to control the sweetness and seasoning of your pumpkin pie. Or you could serve your grocery-store pumpkin pie with a big dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, which may help balance the dessert.
Our Testing Methodology
All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.
