The Best Pie In Every State Gallery

Since PieLab opened its doors in 2009, pie lovers from around the world have come to try the Chocolate Chess, German Chocolate, and Bourbon Pecan. PieLab was founded by a design collective, Project M, and was, at first, meant to be a pop-up. "PieLab is a pie shop meant to gather communities together. It's founded on the idea that simple things, like delicious pie and good conversation, can bring us together and spread joy. Pie+Conversation = Ideas. Ideas+Design = Positive Change," according to its Facebook page. We couldn't agree more.

Adding a little Tennessee whiskey to its legendary pecan pie has led to the creation of Jack Daniels Pecan Pie, Rock Springs Café's top-selling pie. Opened in 1932, the café sells more than 30,000 Jack Daniels Pecan Pies annually. Diners can enjoy a slice, but why by a piece when you can buy an entire pie that is packed with locally-sourced pecans from Arizona pecan farms? The café also sells "take & bake" frozen pies that can be baked at home and ships whole fruit pies to all 50 states.

Inspired by the French open-face sandwich of the same name, husband-and-wife team Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt opened Tartine, a bakery, artisan bread shop, and café, in San Francisco's Mission District in 2002. Among the offerings made by the James Beard Award-winning chefs is a seasonally-changing pie menu and two pies that are sold year-round: Coconut Cream Pie and the top-selling Banana Cream Pie. "This is a very American pie and, like lots of modern American pastries, it uses traditional European elements: a flaky crust and a perfect pastry cream," said Prueitt, pastry chef and owner. "I like a cream pie with a filling that is not so stiffened with cornstarch that the cut edges stand straight when the pie is sliced. This one oozes a bit, but you get a much lighter cream filling in return. Because the pastry is lined with chocolate, the pie will, unlike most cream pies, keep for a few days and still have a perfectly crisp crust." Fans of the pie can indulge in a 4-inch individual pie or share a 9-inch pie with family and friends.

Husband-and-wife team Tanya and John Clark opened Cutie Pies in 2011, and while the shop (an old ice cream parlor transformed into a bakery) sells 200-plus cupcake flavors, the deep dish fruit and cream pies are not to be missed. There are a dozen fruit flavors like Apple Crisp, Apple Cranberry, Triple Berry, and Pumpkin Pie and a quartet of cream flavors like Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, Chocolate Banana Cream, and Coconut Cream to choose from. We dare you to stop at just one slice.

You gotta go to Joe's, not just for the stone crabs, but also for Joe's Famous Key Lime Pie. For more than a century, Joe's Stone Crab has been serving the iconic yellow-hued pie made of key limes and condensed milk nestled on a graham cracker crust and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

What started as a gas station and a grocery store selling canned goods and basics in 1956 turned into Ted's Bakery three decades later in 1987. The bakery introduced pies, including its top-selling Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie, in 1996 and began its wholesale business in 1998. Sold by the slice and by the pie, the Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie was created when the bakery team was making coconut cake and there was some haupia (a coconut-based Hawaiian dessert traditionally found at luaus) filling left over. They decided to make a pie with leftover chocolate and haupia; thus, the Chocolate Haupia Cream Pie with its flaky crust, layer of haupia with a chocolate cream layer on top, and whipped cream topping, was born.

Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits opened in spring of 2012 as a pie shop and has since expanded into a full-service restaurant focusing on Midwestern classics like scratch biscuits, pot pies, and, of course, its famous sweet pies. Its Key Lime pie is the most popular. The custard-based pie is the perfect balance of sweet and tart thanks, in part, to the fresh lime zest, and is baked in a buttery graham crust (the crust is made from scratch and thrice baked). While the pie is sold by the slice, we won't blame you if you decide to order (and eat) and entire pie.

For 25 years, Country Junction has been making its pies by hand daily. From homemade Apple, Cherry, Peach, and Blueberry to specialty pies like Coconut Cream, Sour Cream Raisin, Banana Cream, Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Mousse, Rhubarb Crumb, and Butterfinger along with Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pecan, there is a flavor for everyone. Be sure to save room after dining on specialties like open-face beef and loaded country fried steak for the pies, which are served by the slice and by the pie.

Kern's Kitchen started by only making three pies at a time, but it has transformed into a bustling bakery in Louisville. Opened in 2010, Kern's Kitchen only serves two pies: Golden Pecan Pie and their own trademarked Derby-Pie, which outsells the Golden Pecan Pie. Made from a recipe developed more than half a century ago, Derby-Pie is made with chocolate chips and walnut pieces nestled in a delicate crust. The pies are sold in area grocers and online.

Helen's Restaurant has been serving Down East fare for more than 60 years, but locals and visitors alike know to save room for dessert, particularly the pies. From year-round favorites like Chocolate, Coconut, Banana, Graham Cracker, Apple, Baked Blueberry, Strawberry, Lemon Meringue, Pecan, and Toll House to seasonal Rhubarb, Raspberry Cream, Blueberry Cream, and Pumpkin, it's difficult to choose just one!

It's not surprising that the birthplace of Boston Cream Pie would also serve the best in Massachusetts and, quite possibly, the world. When the Parker House opened in 1855 (the hotel is America's longest continuously operating hotel, and is also responsible for inventing Parker House rolls and coining the term "scrod"), chocolate was mainly consumed at home as a beverage or in puddings (America's first chocolate mill opened in neighboring Dorchester in 1765). Since colonial times, New Englanders had enjoyed a dessert called American "pudding-cake pie" of which Boston Cream Pie is a direct descendent, according to the hotel. Boston Cream Pie — originally dubbed "Chocolate Cream Pie" or "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie" though it was technically a cake — became an immediate and perennial hit when the hotel began serving it in the 1860s. It became a Betty Crocker cake mix in 1958. The world famous Boston Cream Pie, which is the official state dessert of Massachusetts, consists of two layers of fluffy sponge cake, filled with light, airy pastry cream that is topped with chocolate ganache and the restaurant's signature white icing spiderweb design and garnished with toasted almonds along the outside of the cake for a bit of crunch. It's nearly impossible to stop here or stay overnight and not order this pie; it can be found on the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus at the hotel. Individual portions are sold in hotel eateries Parker's Restaurant, Parker's Bar and The Last Hurrah, and they're also available via in-room dining. The gift shop, Morsel's, sells individual portions to go, and 10-inch pies are available via pre-order (an 8-inch version, which the hotel flash-freezes, can be shipped overnight anywhere in the continental U.S.).

Betty's Pies began as a fish shack that Betty's father opened by the Stewart River on Highway 61 in 1956. Betty first sold coffee and doughnuts, then hamburgers and hotdogs. The stand turned into a café in 1958 with a lunch counter, more seating, and a pie selection. There are 40 pies, like 5 Layer Butterscotch Pie (a flaky crust layered with melted butterscotch, cinnamon meringue, whipped cream and butterscotch whipped cream), 5 Layer Chocolate Mint Pie (a flaky crust layered with dark chocolate, mint flavoring, cinnamon meringue, whipped cream and chocolate whipped cream), and Turtle Coconut Pie (fluffy coconut custard cream topped with real whipped cream and toasted coconut, pecans, and a drizzle of caramel); all are sold by the slice, by the pie, and by online ordering (the pies can be shipped across the U.S.). Some pies, like the French Cherry Pie (a graham cracker crust with a cream cheese and whipped cream mixture topped with blueberry filling and a hint of almond), and the specialty, top-selling Lemon Angel Pie (a crispy meringue crust shaped high around a light lemon chiffon filling), and Orange Chocolate Pie (crispy meringue crust shaped high around a light lemon chiffon filling mixed with orange concentrate and topped with shaved chocolate). Of the 20 baked pies, the Old Fashioned Apple Pie (Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, and allspice all wrapped up in a double crust) is the most popular.

When the flood of 1993 threatened to devastate the small historic town, the town attempted to save itself with levee mountains of gravel and sand. To mark this historic flood and to honor the levees, The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, which opened in 1985, created a pie to resemble the levees that saved the town and restaurant. "The pie is as tall and grand as the great levees," said Laura Costello, Blue Owl's director of weddings and custom orders. "The caramel and pecans that cover the outside of our pie resembles the sand and gravel of the levees." The massive Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pie, which was listed as one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2011, is made of 18 hand-sliced, hand-peeled apples stacked perfectly and methodically with layers of cinnamon sugar and baked to perfection! Then, the pie is covered with a melted buttery caramel mixed with chopped pecan pieces; it weighs 8 to 10 pounds after baking.

The small town Village PieMaker has a big time following for its pies, which are made in small batches. Opened 14 years ago, each slice of happiness is made with an uncompromising attention to detail and hand-crimped for the perfect finish. The top-selling hand-made Cherry pie has an incredibly flaky crust that covers a perfect blend of tart red cherry filling. The pies are sold by the pie in the grocer's freezer section at select stores, and they are also available online at villagepiemaker.com.

There are more than 30 flavors of pie on offer at Just Like Mom's Pastries, which also makes cakes, cupcakes, and more. As the name suggests, the fruit pies and cream pies in nostalgic flavors like Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, and Peace Lattice are homemade with love. The shop offers 10 U-Bake Pies like Strawberry Rhubarb, Three Berry, and Apple-Cran-Raisin-Nut that can be taken home and baked. There are six gluten-free flavors, including Apple, Blueberry, and Pumpkin, and four sugar-free options like Apple, Apple Raspberry, and Peach Raspberry.

It's no surprise that the best pies in New Mexico come from a town named after pie! In 1995, Pie-O-Neer Pies literally put the pie back in Pie Town when it opened up shop in an abandoned trading post. An award-winning documentary, "The Pie Lady of Pie Town," was made about the shop in 2014, and the Pie-O-Neer was filmed for a segment on CBS "Sunday Morning Show" on November 30, 2014, officially putting Pie Town on traveler's bucket lists. The shop's signature pies with a kick were inspired by local Native Americans, who would sell the owners jewelry and freshly harvested pinon nuts. They were also the ones who suggested adding some red chile powder mixed with cinnamon in the shop's Apple Pie. The result is so amazing, the shop continued experimenting with adding heat to its pies. The spicier green chile was added to what is now its most famous pie, New Mexico Apple with Green Chile and Pine Nuts. The pie shop calls it 'The Pie That Bites Back!" because of the spicy New Mexico green chiles, which contain capsaicin and are loaded with vitamin C. Sold by the slice, whole to go, and frozen unbaked, the four types of pie made daily always sell out.

A father's passion for baking and his daughter's dream of turning their shared passion for baking an award winning apple pie into a way of life is how Slice Pie Company was born in 2014. The most popular pie is the State Fair Blue Ribbon Apple Pie, which won first place at the North Carolina State Fair. Weighing more than 3 pounds, the pie is packed with the freshest local apples stuffed into a blanket of flaky pastry crust and "Slice" spices. The pie is dairy-, egg-, soy-, and nut-free. The pies are sold in "bites," mini pies, by the slice, half pies, and whole pies, and can be shopped nationwide.

At the age of 19, owner and head baker Peter Sterk found a love for baking an entirely different kind of pie: pizza. In 1978, Sterk began working at his mother's pizza shop, and he decided to take on the endeavor of creating pies for Mom. Eventually Sterk made the full transition from pizza pies to dessert pies and the first Just Pies storefront opened its doors in Worthington/Clintonville (in 1994, production was moved to a bigger facility in Westerville). The pie menu, which features more than 40 varieties, stems from family recipes, as well as Sterk's own creations like the Tripleberry, a fruit explosion of strawberries, blueberries, and red raspberries all together under the same crust. The pies are sold in as a solo 6-inch version, a more generous 8-inch individual serving, and a shareable 10-inch pie.

The full service, diner-style, family-owned Banning's Restaurant & Pie House has been serving 24/7 breakfast, comfort food, and pie by the slice and whole pie since 1979. Owned by Trish Banning and Mark Banning, who both grew up on farms and met while working in a restaurant, Banning's Restaurant & Pie House is a Tigard institution. The top-selling pie is the creamy, rich Peanut Butter Pie with a savory, buttery graham cracker crumb crust, topped with chocolate fudge topping and finished with whipped topping. The pie was created as a special order, but it has turned into a permanent menu item and the restaurant's most popular pie.

For more than 80 years, the Wayland Bakery has produced some of the finest baked goods in Rhode Island. Originally opened in 1928 by the Basilico family, the Wayland Bakery was sold in 1999 to Luis Rodriguez, who runs the bakery with his wife, Elizabeth. The duo make breads, cakes, cookies, pastries, and pies. There are 14 pies on offer, including Apple, Blueberry, Coconut Custard, Minced Meat, and Banana Cream Pie that come in 8-, 9-, and 10-inch pies.

Bob Yehle and his wife bought Purple Pie Place in 2013 and remodeled it — located in one of the first houses in Custer, built in 1881, the residence was a rock shop in the 1980s. It's a quaint place to get a slice of the popular Rhubarb and Strawberry Rhubarb pies. Open May 1 to September 30 each year, Purple Pie Place is a restaurant that serves sandwiches, paninis, chicken pot pie, and prime rib French dip along with pie by the slice or whole. Yehle's wife bakes 60 to 150 pies per day, including Raspberry Rhubarb Jalapeno (Bob's favorite), Bumbleberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, Apple, Peach, Cherry, Peanut Butter, Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, and the top-selling Rhubarb and Strawberry Rhubarb.

For the last 69 years, Three Brothers Bakery has weaved itself into the fabric of Houston, offering traditional Jewish breads, cookies, cupcakes, custom cakes and pies to generations of families. The famed Pumpecapple Piecake from Three Brothers Bakery is a three-layer "piecake" featuring a Pumpkin Pie baked in a Pumpkin Spice Cake, a Pecan Pie baked in Chocolate Cake and an Apple Pie baked into a Spice Cake. Each piecake is layered with a generous filling of scratch-made cream cheese icing. The piecake is then topped and covered with the same cream cheese icing, pecan pieces, and a generous caramel drizzle. The Texas-sized Pumpecapple weighs approximately 28 pounds, stands 11 inches tall, and feeds up to 80 people. Sold in-store by the slice and by the pie, the Pumpecapple is also sold in the bakery's online store, The idea of the Pumpecapple Piecake started as a joke in 2010 — it's commonly referred to as the "Turducken of desserts" because of the variety of flavors that are found in the dessert. Greg Morago, food editor at the Houston Chronicle, came to co-owners Bobby and Janice with the idea of a piecake and asked Bobby if he could make the dessert. Since then, the Pumpecapple's popularity has soared — it was even featured on "Saturday Night Live". Three Brothers Bakery has been through three floods in three years and encourages the #shopdisasterzones movement to help small businesses in affected areas recover faster.

Launched in 1988, Vermont Apple Pie's signature pie is its eponymous Vermont apple pie. The casual restaurant serves hearty country breakfasts, homemade biscuits, sticky buns, and fresh-baked pies. Whether you eat your pie plain, with a slice of cheddar, or à la mode, Vermont Apple Pie Bakery Breakfast and Restaurant will be waiting with warm pie because, as its Facebook page proclaims: "Good friends are like pie...they are always welcome!"

In 2009, Chris Porter quit his corporate job to pursue his dream of opening a neighborhood pie shop in Seattle. Today, there are two pie cafes: one across from Woodland Park Zoo and one in West Seattle in the heart of the Junction. A la Mode's signature pie is the Blue Hawaiian, a combination of blueberries, crushed pineapple, and toasted coconut, but the most popular pie is the French Apple and the Apple & Ginger Pear. The beloved Blue Hawaiian, a blueberry pie sweetened with crushed pineapple and covered in an ultra-buttery coconut crumble topping, is our favorite (it's also low in sugar!). It's sold as a whole pie, petite pie, pie baby, and 'Lollipie' (pie-on-a-stick), and the entire pie can be bought via Goldbelly.

The family-owned Sugar Pie Bakery is a team of five who have been making exemplary pies since 2012. The signature, top-selling Apple Crumb Pie is made with hand-peeled and -cut Granny Smith apples that sit in juices and spices overnight, yielding an inside of the pie that is gooey, soft, and slightly crisp. The classic recipe, including the pie crust, has been passed down for generations. Sold in mini 5-inch pies and 9-inch pies, the pie is topped with crunchy pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter.

Opened in 1993, Cowboy Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and pies at its two locations in Dubois and Sheridan. There are more than 20 pies on offer. Save room for pies like Mountainberry, Kahlua Chocolate Pecan, Apple Caramel Crunch, Blueberry Almond Crunch, Peach, and Apple. Want more desserts? Check out the best cookie in every state.

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