Which grocery store makes the best pumpkin pie? We tried 7 to find out

Posted on Nov 11, 2026 UTC

As soon as Labor Day ends, my obsession with pumpkins begins. Hi, my name is Luke, and I'm an unapologetic Pumpkin Boy. At the first whiff of fall, I'm trying all the limited-edition pumpkin treats at the grocery store and injecting pumpkin-spiced coffee directly into my eyeballs. This year, I even grew my own freaking pumpkin patch in the backyard to great success.

Gaze upon my bounty and weep.

As the leaves change and the pumpkin reaches its symbolic pinnacle on Halloween, we transition into the "pumpkin slaughtering" phase of the year and turn our eyes towards Thanksgiving. I would argue that the pumpkin pie is just as iconic and necessary as the turkey to a Thanksgiving meal, and I look forward to processing my harvest into my first-ever pumpkin pie made from scratch.

Artist's rendering of my family enjoying my pumpkin pie at this year's Thanksgiving. I'm the smug-looking potato in the back.

Before I set out on my pie-making expedition, I want to know what the baseline is for the pumpkin pie so I know what standards I have to reach. And while I can't compare my pumpkin pie to other homemade ones, I can at least analyze the pies out there that require the least effort: the grocery store pumpkin pie.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't begrudge anyone buying a pre-made pumpkin pie from the grocery store. I've watched enough episodes of The Great British Bake Off to know that making a pie from scratch is a fool's errand at best. And I certainly don't want my 92-year-old great-aunt biting into my pie and bemoaning its soggy bottom.

I have nightmares about Mary Berry's stern gaze cutting through me as I stumble through describing my baking process.

But I have these pumpkins, and I will not be that person in the neighborhood who lets them rot on their front stoop until New Year's Day. I am determined to make the best pumpkin pie I can, and that starts with a seven-pie taste test of grocery store pumpkin pies. In the name of science!

The Pumpkin Pie Taste Test: The Brands

I decided to go with the usual suspects for the brands. Acme is my local grocery store go-to, and the rest of these stores are found nationwide. The average price for these pies was about $6, with two exceptions. Wegmans pumpkin pie is $10, and Whole Foods' pumpkin pie is a staggering $13.99. You'll notice that one of these things is not like the other. More on that later.

Here's a breakdown of each:

– Trader Joe's, $6.99

– Whole Foods, $13.99

– Wegmans, $10

– Aldi, $5.29

– Sprouts, $6.99

– Acme, $7.99

– Costco, $5.99

The Pumpkin Pie Taste Test: The Parameters

Much like my previous Hot Dog Taste Test, we start with the parameters. Each pie was bought from the bakery department of its respective store. The only exception was Aldi, which doesn't have a proper bakery department, but they did have the pies out in their small seasonal section. All the pies spent 24 hours in my refrigerator to ensure uniform temperature during the taste test. Next came the slicing.

If anyone has any critiques about the overall size and shape of these pie slices, back off! Everyone knows that the first slice from a pie is the hardest to cut and remove, and I had to do it seven times in a row. 

Each pie was sliced and randomly given a number. This can't be a true blind taste test (without an actual blindfold) because of the various colors and crust designs of each pie. But by the time I got through slicing them all, I pretty much forgot which was which. I then enlisted a crack team of food scientists who have spent decades developing a very sophisticated palate.

So official, so scientific.

The pies were judged based on the flavor of the pumpkin filling, the quality of the crust, the diameter-to-cost ratio, and the pie's aesthetics and overall vibe. Each scientist ranked the pies on a 1–7 scale, and the final points were tallied: 7 points for a first-place vote, down to 1 point for a seventh-place vote. Here are the results.

Ignore the parts where I rewrote numbers. I got confused about who was my mom and who was my dad.

As you can see, two pies stood out as favorites, but even then there were outlier scores amongst them. Overall, the general consensus was that the pies were all too sweet and didn't taste enough of pumpkin. Are the pre-baked pie options really that much sweeter than a home-baked pie? Or have decades of eating my family's pies conditioned my taste buds to like something more... pumpkin-y?

The Pumpkin Pie Taste Test: The Rankings

Best "Splurge" Winner: Wegmans ($10)

The first thing you'll notice with the Wegmans pumpkin pie is the crust. It seems like a light dusting of sugar was added to the bake, which really helps lift the overall crust flavor. As a result, the filling wasn't as sweet-tasting by comparison, leading to a nice, balanced bite. It's about the same size as the other competitors, so the diameter-to-cost ratio is a little steep. But the taste makes up for that. This was the second-favorite pie overall amongst the scientists.

Best "Budget" Winner: Costco ($5.99)

The Godzilla of pumpkin pies. A colossal, 3.5-pound pie that towers over its competitors. Of course, Costco would go big in the pie department. When I went there to buy this, I asked one of the workers if they had a smaller option. They looked at me like I was ridiculous; why would you ever ask for a smaller pie? Little did they know, I had six other pies in my trunk waiting to make me sick from sugar overload.

The taste-testing team thought it was alright. I liked the crust but was a little underwhelmed by the filling. It had a very nice texture, and it wasn't overly sweet, but I was hoping for a little more autumnal spice. That is just my preference, though. 

I brought this pie to a friend's house a few days later to do another taste test (stay tuned!), and they loved it. And they were flabbergasted by its size. It's far and away the best value in the pumpkin pie game.

Best Overall Winner: Trader Joe's ($6.99)

Visually, the Trader Joe's pie is the most striking with its dark amber coloring and well-designed crust. The crust wasn't the best and was quite crumbly instead of flaky, but it tasted pretty good. It's the filling here that is the star of the show. This was far and away the most seasoned and flavorful filling among the options. While still sweet, it evoked autumn in ways that get my little pumpkin boy heart all warm and fuzzy. Trader Joe's got two first-place votes in the taste test. 

This pie was my dad's favorite and my mom's second-least-favorite. My mom's favorite pie, Wegmans, was my dad's second-least-favorite. This discrepancy proves that there's no science in the world that can account for taste and that love really can conquer all — we did this taste test the day before my parents' 45th wedding anniversary. Way to go, Betty and Bob!

Overall, the pumpkin pie options in this taste test felt a little lackluster. I'm excited to make my own this year and put all of these to shame. Or put myself to shame with an abject failure of a pumpkin pie. I'll check in at the end of the month to let everyone know how it went. Happy pumpkins, everyone.

Any questions?

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