I tried 5 pies from Trader Joe's ahead of Thanksgiving and most of them tasted homemade

Erin McDowellJan 14, 2024, 17:06 IST

The five pies I compared from Trader Joe's.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I compared five pies I found in the bakery and frozen sections of Trader Joe's.
The French apple tart and apple crumble pie both impressed me with their tart, crisp apple flavor.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, you might be wondering how stores like Trader Joe's can help you create the most delicious dinner possible.

I decided to compare pies from the chain to see if any might be the perfect option for a holiday dessert. I tried five different pies from my local Trader Joe's store in Queens, New York: pumpkin pie, French apple tart, apple crumble pie, pecan pie, and Nantucket-style cranberry pie.

Here's my ranking of all the Trader Joe's pies, from worst to best.

My least favorite pie out of the ones I tried was Trader Joe's pecan pie.

Trader Joe's pecan pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pie was topped with a layer of large pecans.

Trader Joe's pecan pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pie was easy to slice, and the crust was flaky.

Trader Joe's pecan pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

There was lots to love about this pie, but the flavor of the filling fell a little short for me.

Trader Joe's pecan pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pumpkin pie from Trader Joe's also ranked low on my list, but only because it had steep competition.

Trader Joe's pumpkin pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pie doesn't require being heated up, but you could put it in the oven for a few minutes if you prefer your pie warm.

Trader Joe's pumpkin pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pie was very easy to slice. The crust and filling stayed together very nicely.

Trader Joe's pumpkin pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The filling tasted strongly of cinnamon and cloves.

Trader Joe's pumpkin pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The Nantucket-style cranberry pie was the only pie I tried from the frozen section.

Trader Joe's Nantucket-style cranberry pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pie required being baked in the oven, which added an extra step.

Trader Joe's Nantucket-style cranberry pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The cranberries tasted fresh and tart, and I liked the texture of the crust.

Trader Joe's Nantucket-style cranberry pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

If someone had told me this pie came out of the freezer, I wouldn't have believed them.

Trader Joe's Nantucket-style cranberry pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

My second-favorite dessert I tried was Trader Joe's French apple tart.

Trader Joe's French apple tart.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The tart looked beautiful. In terms of presentation, this dessert was the winner, by far.

Trader Joe's French apple tart.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The crust was flaky, but the tart stayed together perfectly when served.

Trader Joe's French apple tart.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

This dessert blew me away.

Trader Joe's French apple tart.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

It was a tough call, but I thought the apple crumble pie was the best pie from Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's apple crumble pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

This pie also required being heated in the oven.

Trader Joe's apple crumble pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The pie was a touch difficult to serve.

Trader Joe's apple crumble pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

But this pie had the best flavor out of all the pies I tried.

Trader Joe's apple crumble pie.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

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I tried 5 pies from Trader Joe's ahead of Thanksgiving and most of them tasted homemade

My least favorite pie out of the ones I tried was Trader Joe's pecan pie.

The pie was topped with a layer of large pecans.

The pie was easy to slice, and the crust was flaky.

There was lots to love about this pie, but the flavor of the filling fell a little short for me.

The pumpkin pie from Trader Joe's also ranked low on my list, but only because it had steep competition.

The pie doesn't require being heated up, but you could put it in the oven for a few minutes if you prefer your pie warm.

The pie was very easy to slice. The crust and filling stayed together very nicely.

The filling tasted strongly of cinnamon and cloves.

The Nantucket-style cranberry pie was the only pie I tried from the frozen section.

The pie required being baked in the oven, which added an extra step.

The cranberries tasted fresh and tart, and I liked the texture of the crust.

If someone had told me this pie came out of the freezer, I wouldn't have believed them.

My second-favorite dessert I tried was Trader Joe's French apple tart.

The tart looked beautiful. In terms of presentation, this dessert was the winner, by far.

The crust was flaky, but the tart stayed together perfectly when served.

This dessert blew me away.

It was a tough call, but I thought the apple crumble pie was the best pie from Trader Joe's.

This pie also required being heated in the oven.

The pie was a touch difficult to serve.

But this pie had the best flavor out of all the pies I tried.