The Trader Joe's Summer Pie Shoppers Say Is 'Spectacular'

Summer often means new seasonal items at grocery stores, but it's not usually as exciting as it is at Trader Joe's. Known for its richness of unique store brand items, seasonal changes bring both new items to try and returning favorites. And one of the latest returning desserts is, as one Reddit user put it, "a summer staple." The frozen Key Lime Pie is back.

One Reddit user raved that this small, approximately 6-inch frozen pie has "been a consistent buy for years, it's so good." Another person confessed to Reddit that, although they don't even like Key Lime Pie, they were "currently eating the [Trader Joe's] leftovers for the 3rd day in a row." The box recommends thawing, but one fan on Reddit asserted that "straight out of the freezer is the move."

Key Lime Pie enthusiasts have surely had better, but one such Reddit user admitted that "it is rather satisfying and better than their lemon bars by quite a bit." And those frozen lemon bars are already one of Trader Joe's best non-ice cream frozen desserts, so for the Key Lime Pie to be even better than that is exceptional.

The fandom makes it clear that the frozen Key Lime Pie is one of the best frozen food items at Trader Joe's, regardless of category. And it may be one of the best store-bought varieties anywhere of this classic warm-weather dessert, though key lime pie was of course not invented by grocery store chains.

The mysterious origin story of key lime pie began with a citrusy dessert of condensed milk and crumbled bread, enjoyed by Key West fishermen in the late 1800s. At the nearby estate of William Curry, Florida's first millionaire, a cook colloquially known as Aunt Sally took inspiration from the fishermen (or an entire recipe; sources differ) and began making key lime pies for the Curry Mansion and its guests. The dessert was popular enough to spread to the rest of Florida and ultimately, the world.

The house where it all began still exists as a functioning historic inn; it does not serve key lime pie, but an on-site bar does have a key lime martini inspired by the original recipe. Luckily, the pie is now a common sight: Around the corner from the Curry Mansion Inn, on dessert menus in tropical restaurants worldwide, and — for a limited time — at your local Trader Joe's.