McDonald’s Holiday Pie Is Back, So I Made A Homemade Version To See How It Stacks Up

McDonald’s Holiday Pie first appeared on menus in 1999 and quickly became a seasonal tradition thanks to its colorful sprinkles and creamy filling. This year, the fan-favorite dessert returned for a limited time beginning in mid-November, giving longtime holiday pie loyalists a brief window to grab one before it disappears again.

As an undeniable sucker for culinary nostalgia, I decided to try recreating the pie at home to better understand what makes it so beloved, and whether it might even be worth adding to my own holiday baking rotation.

Ingredients

This version is adapted from a classic copycat approach, scaled down to make a smaller batch. I used just two pie crusts and made the pies a bit smaller, which felt more practical for gatherings when you don’t necessarily want a giant dessert. I also slightly increased the cream cheese and filled each mini pie more generously for a richer, more custard-forward center. I swapped in a natural vanilla pudding mix as well, which worked beautifully, and skipped the egg wash.

For the pies:

- 2 refrigerated pie crusts (I love Trader Joe's pie crusts, which can be found in the freezer section)

- 5 ounces of cream cheese, softened

- ½ package vanilla pudding mix (note below)

- 2 tablespoons vanilla cake mix (dry)

- ½ cup whole milk

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For finishing:

- ½ cup powdered sugar

- 2 tablespoons milk

- A pinch of sea salt

- Festive sprinkles

Ingredient note: I used Simply Delish Vanilla Pudding Mix, which is a plant-based pudding. I hadn't used it before, but it set up well and gave the filling a smooth, custard-like texture without changing the classic flavor.

How To Make It

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pudding mix, dry cake mix, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

STEP 2: In a separate mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy, then fold in the pudding mixture until fully combined. The filling should be thick, creamy, and spoonable. I used a slightly heavier hand with the filling than most copycat recipes, which, to reiterate, gives each pie a richer center.

STEP 3: Unroll the pie crusts on a clean surface and trim away the rounded edges. Cut each crust into even rectangles; each crust should yield about three to four mini pies, depending on how large you want them. Side note: I only used two pie crusts since I didn’t need a large batch. You could easily double or triple this if you’re baking for a crowd.

STEP 4: Spoon a generous amount of filling onto one piece of dough, keeping it away from the edges. Lay the second piece of dough over the top, then gently press around the filling to smooth everything out and release any air. Finish by sealing the edges with a fork.

STEP 5: Repeat the filling and sealing process with the remaining dough and custard, placing each finished pie onto the prepared baking sheet.

STEP 6: Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.

STEP 7: Whisk powdered sugar with milk, starting with just one tablespoon if you want a thicker glaze and adding more as needed. (I used the full two tablespoons.) Drizzle it over the warm pies, then finish with sprinkles while the glaze is still wet.

STEP 8: Pile the pies onto a festive platter and share with friends and family while they’re still warm!

McDonald’s Holiday Pie vs. Homemade

Since the Holiday Pie is back for a limited time this year, I picked one up from McDonald’s to try side by side with my homemade version. My recipe was inspired by classic copycat versions, and I tried the McDonald’s pie afterward (it was actually my first time having it).

McDonald’s Holiday Pie looks more like a classic hand pie, while my homemade version, like many copycat recipes I found online, leans closer to a Pop-Tart style. Had I tried them in the opposite order, I probably would have shaped the homemade pies more like the original, with a hand-pie form and vent slits on top.

Both are topped with colorful sprinkles, which is part of the charm, but making them at home means you can control the look. I loved being able to keep the sprinkles strictly festive with red, white, and green.

The McDonald’s pie has a flaky, crumbly crust, while the homemade crust is slightly chewier with a bit more structure. That extra structure made the homemade pies easier to eat by hand, which felt especially helpful if you’re serving them as party bites or at a holiday gathering. I also noticed that the McDonald’s pie has a very light glaze, while the homemade version has a slightly thicker finish, which helped the sprinkles stand out more. I preferred the larger, flatter sprinkles on the homemade pies for an extra bit of sweet crunch and texture.

The biggest difference came down to the filling. McDonald’s describes its Holiday Pie as having a creamy, smooth custard, which is true, but when tasted side by side, the texture felt more gelatin-like and closer to Jell-O than a rich custard. The homemade filling, on the other hand, was creamier and more custard-forward, thanks to the cream cheese base and the slightly heavier amount of filling in each pie. (I loveee the addition of cream cheese here, but I’m a fool for cream cheese, so that’s entirely a personal preference.)

Another bonus of making them at home is knowing exactly what goes into them. McDonald’s lists its ingredients under the nutritional information on its website, which includes stabilizers, preservatives, and added colors, while my homemade pies relied on fewer ingredients overall, including naturally colored sprinkles and basic baking staples.

In the end, I completely understand why the McDonald’s Holiday Pie is such a fan-favorite. If you grew up with McDonald’s hand pies (apple was a favorite in my house), seeing this version return as a limited-time treat is certainly nostalgic. The homemade pie keeps that same sweet, festive spirit, but tastes a bit richer and more balanced, with the added bonus of being something you can make anytime the craving hits. They were so good that I can already see them becoming part of our holiday baking tradition.

Have you tried recreating the Holiday Pie at home? Let me know what you’d change, or keep classic, in the comments below. I’d love to hear how you make it your own.

Next up on my list is trying them with eggnog in the base and glaze in place of milk!