6 Store-Bought Pecan Pies, Ranked From Worst To Best

Pecan pie is one of those holiday favorites I find myself craving throughout the year. But that craving can't always be satisfied, as this pie really only becomes available at the grocery store around the holiday season. There's a simple explanation — pecans are harvested from October through December, which may be the reason why this dessert has such a strong association with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Of course, it's not the only pie to grace the table at holiday gatherings. Pumpkin or sweet potato pies are often the star of the show, but pecan pie has something they don't: crunch. Pecan pie is all about texture and decadence. Toasted nuts, gooey caramel custard, and a flaky crust. It's rich, sweet, filling, and deserves a spot right alongside its creamy counterpart.

Baking this dessert, on the other hand, is not quite as simple as whipping up a pumpkin pie. There are several tips to follow to achieve the perfect pecan pie, such as choosing the right sweetener, type of pecan, and properly mixing and baking the pie. Store-bought is just easier — and it's that time of year. I tried six different store-bought pecan pies so that next time you're hit with a pecan craving, you know exactly where to go and which one to buy. Judging them on the crust, filling, and crunch of the pecan, there was one clear winner, and a few worth trying in between.

It feels almost wrong to rank this tiny, adorable pie in last place. First of all, it's very cute. Second of all, it just didn't stand a chance against the grown-up, adult-sized pies it was competing against. Given its 3.25-ounce size, the Table Talk pecan pie was mostly crust, which isn't exactly the most beloved part of the dessert. The filling didn't go deep enough to have a clear contrast between custard and nuts, so each bite was a bit muddled. Although scant, the filling seemed to be smooth and light rather than thick and caramelized.

The pecans on top of the custard were chopped. It seems necessary, since there wasn't enough surface area to cover it evenly with whole nuts. Amazingly, the chopped pecans still retained some of their crunch, although the overall texture was not as enjoyable as a full-sized version would be.

Obviously, this wouldn't be the pie I would serve at a holiday dinner. But if I have a pecan pie craving and don't want to splurge on a whole one, this miniature-sized version only costs around $2 and would absolutely do in a pinch. That being said, there are much better pies to buy.

This Table Talk pecan pie is distributed by the same company as the mini version, although this one comes in an 8-inch size with whole pecans. In New York, at least, it was available in many local grocery stores located in the bakery section for around $10.99.

The top was a light golden brown, and cutting into it was a bit difficult, as the filling was so loose that the pecans pushed right through it. Plus, the layer of pecans on top was a bit skimpy for the amount of custard. Most disappointing of all was the fact that the pecans were quite soft, if not stale. Rather than provide a satisfying crunch, they got stuck in my teeth as I chewed.

As for the filling, it was very pale and somewhat bland. The filling used for pecan pies doesn't have an exact name, although one Reddit user suggests that it may be called a "translucent custard" given that it uses egg, sugar (or syrup), and butter, but not milk. There are a few different ways to make this filling. Many recipes for pecan pie use corn syrup as a base, which results in a pale, soft filling. For a stickier, darker pecan pie, you can use brown butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and thicken it with cornstarch. I tend to prefer the latter, as fillings like the one used in this Table Talk pie tend to turn out a bit bland. Between the stale nuts and dull custard, this pie was a bust.

There are many Trader Joe's products to keep an eye out for this November, including the seasonal pecan pie. They also sell a package of four Teeny Tiny pecan pies, but I opted for the 24-ounce size this time around. It cost about $9.99.

In size, appearance, and design, the Trader Joe's pecan pie is strikingly similar to Table Talk's. The filling of TJ's pie was also pale, soft, and eggy, but otherwise bland, and the nuts were, to my dismay, skimpy, stale, and un-toasted. The main difference I noticed was in the crust. TJ's pie crust was a bit more buttery, soft, and sweet. It just tasted better. The crust isn't typically the main factor in a pecan pie, but the two brands were tied in every other category. Overall, TJ's pecan pie lacked complexity. I would love to be able to taste the butter and caramelized sugar in the filling, contrasted with the rich flavor of toasted pecans — but all of that was missing.

An interesting note on TJ's pecan pie is that it was a bit underbaked, the center being slightly runny. I initially thought this was an error, but it appears from reading the website's description that it is intentional, perhaps to allow room for reheating. I did enjoy the crust, and perhaps the softness of the pecans could be remedied by a flash in the oven — but for this ranking, I judged how the pies tasted straight out of the box.

The pecan pie from Costco is truly Costco-sized. It weighs 70 ounces (also known as 4 pounds and 6 ounces) and may require two hands to carry. It costs about $16.99, which comes out to around 24 cents an ounce. Basically, it's a great deal, as with most things at the wholesaler, although that's not why it made third place.

In appearance, the pie looked quite fabulous. The pecans had a rich caramelized color and a toasted flavor to match. They weren't quite crispy, but they weren't nearly as stale as the aforementioned pie options. The filling, however, was the same pale, corn-syrup-based, translucent custard as Trader Joe's and Table Talk. It tasted slightly eggy, very sweet, and had a soft, creamy consistency, but was lacking in the caramelization department.

Overall: I was disappointed. It made it to the No. 3 spot on this list for at least having pecans that aren't stale (the bar is, apparently, very low), but the filling is quite boring and one-note. It makes sense why, in our ranking of all of Costco's bakery items, the general pie category only took 7th place. In my dissatisfaction, I took to Reddit to see what the general public was saying. One user aptly described the pecan pie as: "Absolutely 100% mid."

Wegmans has 116 locations across the Northeastern United States. The retailer is known for delicious prepared meals that make weeknight dinners easy, and it offers a pretty fantastic pecan pie to boot. You can buy it as a 34-ounce size for about $17 or a mini 7-ounce size for around $8. I opted for the mini, as the filling was still deep enough for me to get a good idea of how it tasted. It was still a good enough size to potentially feed two people, although this pecan pie tasted so good you may not want to share.

Wegmans' pecan pie was leaps and bounds better than any of the lower-ranked options. The pecans were toasted and crunchy, and the filling was dark, thick, rich, and caramelized. It was spoon-licking good, and in just the right proportion to the pecans. The crust, too, was fantastic. Buttery, chewy, and ever-so-slightly salty.

I had no negative things to say about this pie. It checked every box, and I would eat it again and again. There was just one more pie that took things up a notch in every category.

Whole Foods pecan pie is 38 ounces and costs about $16.99. It's about half the size of Costco's pecan pie but comes with the same price tag — and it makes up for every penny with flavor. I could tell just from looking at the dark brown surface layer of pecans that I was in for a treat.

This pie was the definition of sticky, gooey, caramelized, decadent, and unctuous. The pecans were immaculately toasted and perfectly crunchy. Plus, they came in a generous layer so I could enjoy that nutty flavor with each spoonful of filling. And the filling — oh, the filling. It was a deep brown color, just like a rich caramel, with a gooey consistency. It tasted like caramelized sugar and toasted brown butter.

The crust was crunchy and toasted. It wasn't particularly spectacular; it simply played its supporting role well, holding the pie together and complementing the filling without distracting. In addition to this pie's excellent composition, it was also the easiest to cut out of the lineup. The filling being thicker and the pecans being crispy made it easy to slice through them without making a mess. Overall, Whole Foods' pecan pie was so concentrated and decadent that it made the price worthwhile. One slice should satisfy your craving — although it had me coming back for more.

To compose this selection of pies, I looked for brands available at major chain grocery stores as well as at smaller regional locations. All pies were paid for by Daily Meal without sponsorship.

In ranking these pies, I was looking for two main traits: toasted pecans and a caramel-reminiscent filling. The texture of the pecans, as well as the flavor that toasting them adds, and the depth of flavor in the filling were paramount. Soggy pecans resting in corn-syrup gloop is simply not the pecan pie I know and love, but unfortunately, that is what many of them were. While I listed the pricing for the reader's discretion, price did not play into my ranking.