The Best Grocery Store To Pick Up A Pumpkin Pie This Year

The holiday season is upon us and whether you're hosting or bringing a dish, festivity burnout can come for us all. We are big proponents of outsourcing tasks if it means you can have a more relaxing and enjoyable holiday season. If you find yourself days away from Thanksgiving with no pie plan in place, do not fret, there are plenty of places you can pick up a last-minute pumpkin pie, sure to strike even the most tightly wound of nostalgia chords.

We went to five popular grocery stores and picked up their freshly baked pumpkin pies to do a taste comparison so you don't have to. Of the five pies we tasted — from Costco, Stop & Shop, Wegman's, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods — there was one that stood out from the rest: Wegmans' mini 7-ounce pumpkin pie. Even though the pie is about a quarter of the size of a typical pie you'd pick up from the grocery store, it delivered on every taste metric. You want a pumpkin pie that's thick and rich in texture and hits that special balance between sweet and spiced, not to mention chock full of natural, nutty pumpkin flavor. All of that and a crust that holds its form when cut, but then crumbles into flakey butter chunks as soon as you bite into it. When compared against the others, Wegmans clearly took the cake ... er ... pie.

Unfortunately, Wegmans is a regional grocery store found only on the East Coast. In that case, we rated the much more attainable Trader Joe's pumpkin pie in second. Regardless of where you get your pumpkin pie from, there are a few things you can do to take it to the next level before serving it to your friends and family. For one, we highly recommend popping your pie in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes before serving. Cold pumpkin pie is delicious, but there's something particularly delightful about a warm pumpkin pie on a cold fall evening.

Additionally, use the time you're saving by outsourcing your pie cooking to make a homemade topping. Hand-whisking your own whipped cream is not only incredibly easy, but it looks impressive and adds a delicious creamy counterbalance to the spice notes of your pie. You can also dip some pralines in egg whites and water, coat them in cinnamon and sugar, then bake them for an hour and crumble them over your warmed pie. Not only will your house smell incredible, but you'll also add a nice, textured crunch to your rich and silky pie. Worst comes to worst, adding a spoonful of your favorite vanilla ice cream — ours is Van Leeuwen Vanilla Bean Ice Cream — will elevate any pie.