The Hands-Down Best Store-Bought Pumpkin Pie Has A Perfectly Crispy Crust (For Under $6)
With so many sweet choices available at the supermarket during pumpkin pie season, it's only natural to feel overwhelmed by your options. So The Takeout did the tasty legwork and ranked six different store-bought pumpkin pies to see which is worth serving your family. We ran the gamut between major market brands and slightly lesser-known ones and found that a very affordable version also ended up tasting the best — and that's Costco's. (Is there nothing that store can't do?)
The Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie costs only $5.99, and it weighs in at an impressive 58 ounces, which is over 3 ½ pounds. Not only is it enormous, but it's also delicious, with a crispy crust (we do admit it could be a bit flakier, but that's just us). Most importantly, it's the most well-balanced of the pies we tried. Our taste tester detailed, "It's pumpkin-forward, with enough spice and sweetness to make it a modern dessert rather than the colonial-era boiled pumpkin our ancestors ate." If you're planning ahead or just feel like getting in the spirit promptly, these fall pies come back to Costco's bakery as early as August.
Costco's pumpkin pies are freshly baked in-store
Part of why we love the Costco pumpkin pies might be because they are freshly baked in-store — and it shows. A November 2024 post by a Reddit user showed the sheer volume of pumpkin pie filling bakers must prepare during the height of the autumn season, noting that their store made around 2,000 pies each day.
A commenter replied, "Costco pumpkin pies are the ONLY store bought pies I will buy. They're so delicious." The fandom is clear — in another thread, a user posted a time-lapse video of the pumpkin pie display, with customers clearing the entire thing out during the 30-second clip (which is indeed oddly satisfying to watch).
Just like with anything from Costco, there are sure to be a few of you grumbling about the size. After all, not every home can hoover down several pounds of pie before it goes bad. Fortunately for us all, the Costco pumpkin pie freezes well, which means you can either do your Thanksgiving shopping early or savor the dessert at your own pace.