We tried store-bought pumpkin pies from 5 major grocery stores and Wegmans' tasted practically homemade

Erin McDowellOct 21, 2020, 21:53 IST

We tracked down pumpkin pies from 5 major grocery retailers — Key Food, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Stop & Shop, and Costco.Crystal Cox/Business Insider

If you're planning to buy a pumpkin pie this holiday season, you need to know which store carries the best one — and which store you absolutely need to skip.
Last fall, a team of Insider taste-testers tried pumpkin pies from Key Food, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Stop & Shop, and Costco to determine which was best according to filling flavor, crust, and appearance.
Wegmans came out on top with a pumpkin pie that looked and tasted homemade.

There's nothing better than a delicious slice of pumpkin pie.

However, while some people swear by their own recipes, others prefer to purchase their pie from the local grocery store, saving them time and the hassle of baking a pie from scratch.

Last fall, we tracked down store-bought pumpkin pies from five major grocery retailers — Key Food, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Stop & Shop, and Costco — to determine which was best according to filling flavor, crust, and appearance.

Here's how they ranked, from our least favorite to our favorite.

The pumpkin pie from Stop & Shop was the cheapest store-bought pie we tried.

Stop & Shop pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

While the pumpkin pie from Stop & Shop looked almost identical to the Key Food pie, which we tried later, the two desserts couldn't have been more different.

Stop & Shop pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

We also tried the sugar-free pumpkin pie from Stop & Shop.

Stop & Shop sugar-free pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

There were a few choice words from the taste-testers, none of whom are sugar-free eaters, including "bad" and even "ew."

Stop & Shop sugar-free pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

We also tried the Urban Meadows old-fashioned pumpkin pie from Key Food.

Key Food pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Multiple taste-testers said the Key Food pumpkin pie was slightly bland, and that the only flavor present was cinnamon.

Key Food pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Next up: The 4-pound Goliath that is the Costco pumpkin pie.

Costco pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

While we enjoyed the Costco pie, and it was deemed the best bang for your buck, it didn't really live up to its huge expectations.

Costco pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Then we tried the Trader Joe's pumpkin pie.

Trader Joe's pumpkin pie. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Something about the pale-colored crust and orange color made the pie look slightly artificial, but it was beautiful nonetheless.