The Best Store-Bought Key Lime Pie Comes From This Grocery Brand

Key lime pie is a signature Floridian dessert that traces to the fishing boats and millionaire mansions of Key West, and a woman named Aunt Sally who helped bring these flavors to the broader community. But despite these cross-class origins in the very south of Florida, today's best store-bought key lime pie comes from a grocery chain born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kroger's in-house Private Selection brand topped Daily Meal's ranking of store-bought Key Lime Pies. The custard filling struck a perfect balance between tart and sweet, pleasantly accented by the crunch of the crust and the elegant fluffiness of whipped cream on top. While we found the whipped topping to be a pleasant component, Private Selection also has a key lime pie (no "creme" in the name) without a whipped topping.  

Kroger's Private Selection Key Lime Creme Pie is not completely flawless. It loses some firmness upon slicing, so you'll want to eat it soon after serving. And it does cost more than most store-bought key lime pies, but for flavor and overall quality, every penny will be well spent.

Part of why this pie is so satisfying goes back to the store's early days, as Kroger has long invested in private brands. The founder, Barney Kroger, began this strategic focus by buying cabbage from farmers for his mom to turn into sauerkraut, which he then sold at his stores. Today, Kroger has multiple different private brands appealing to different clientele, and Private Selection is targeted toward more sophisticated palates. Expect more inspired, artisan-like offerings such as high-quality cheeses, macarons, mousses, and, of course, pies like this one.

It may not be as obvious as Costco and Kirkland Signature, but Kroger's significant long-term investment in private brands makes it more likely that such items from the retail chain will punch above their weight. An example of this, and another reason this pie is so good, lies in its ingredients.

One of the best ways to upgrade key lime pie is to use real key lime juice, as this pie does. Many pies — store-bought or not — take the shortcut of using regular lime juice, or even from concentrate. Additionally, key limes are not the same as regular limes; they have a more bitter flavor, a subtle difference in taste that's also more authentic to the original recipe — people don't call them key limes for no reason.