The best pie crust should have excellent structure. It should be flaky, buttery, and tender but not brittle, so it maintains its shape when it’s baked. Flavors and styles may vary, but in general we’re looking for something slightly sweet and not too overpowering. One thing I do hate is when you can taste the amount of soybean or vegetable oil in a pie crust. Any pie crust that tasted too much like oil didn’t rank very high.
Store-bought pie crust is a huge timesaver. I’m a pasta maker not a baker, so anytime I try to embark on a homemade pie crust adventure, I’m usually left feeling frustrated. It’s a tough thing to get right. That’s why store-bought pie crust is such a gift. When it comes to Holiday cooking, you have to pick your battles. Making the whole dinner from scratch is a pain in the butt, and picking up a premade pie crust at the grocery store can be a crucial time-saving step this time of year. Luckily, we here at Sporked baked and tasted a bunch of pie crusts so you’ll know exactly what to look for. Check it out!
- Wholly Wholesome Organic Traditional 9” Pie Shells
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Wholly Wholesome makes high quality pie shells that, in our opinion, nail that homemade pie crust flavor and aesthetic. I was put off by a lot of store-bought pie shells we tried because they taste too much like vegetable oil. That was not the case with Wholly Wholesome, which is flaky, substantial, tender, and has a luscious buttery flavor. This pie crust was just right and would work as a base for both sweet and savory pies. It’s made with organic ingredients, and it’s the closest thing to a homemade pie crust that I’ve tasted today. It’s the best pie crust for all of your pie needs.
Credit: Merc/Instacart
- Diamond Pecan Pie Crust
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All of Diamond’s pie crusts impressed the hell out of me with their delicious variety of flavors, but the pecan pie crust hit hardest of them all. This crust has phenomenal flavor—it’s nutty, buttery, salty, and deliciously sweet. When you cook it in the oven, the pecans unleash an extra layer of roasted flavor that’s simply delightful. Everybody at Mythical who happened to walk by while this was in the oven mentioned how pleasant the smell was. Now, a pecan pie crust has its limits in terms of uses, and I imagine some of you don’t like pecan flavor, but this would make an amazing base for key lime or pumpkin chiffon. I feel as though this is the best pie crust to experiment with. Start with the pecan crust base, then work backwards from there. This one will inspire you to try new things, and I love that.
Credit: Merc/Amazon
- Oreo Pie Crust
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You can’t have an Oreo cream pie without an Oreo pie crust, and although this crust, in theory, limits you to making a very specific type of pie, I think that it’s so delicious that you could do other things with it too. The chocolatey crust would be a great contrast for a banana cream pie or even a coconut cream pie. The pie shell is basic, but tastes just like the chocolate cookies in an Oreo. The Oreo pie is also a classic no-bake dessert and a symbol of convenience. And at Sporked, we love convenience. That’s why it’s the best pie crust for desserts that don’t require an oven.
Credit: Merc/Instacart
- Keebler Graham Pie Crust
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This pie crust ranks as much because of its brand aesthetic as its flavor. When it comes to a graham cracker crust, you have to go with a classic Keebler. Sure, you could pick the Kroger brand or the Great Value brand, and they do taste strikingly similar, but there’s just more joy in seeing those crafty little elves on the front of the package. I also think the flavor here is slightly better—it’s buttery and sweet, and the texture of the crust isn’t so crumbly that it falls apart. For what it’s worth, I ran into that exact problem with Great Value’s graham cracker pie crust, which came crumbled upon delivery. Go Keebler. Trust the elves, dammit!
Credit: Merc/Amazon
- Wholly Wholesome Gluten Free Pie Crust
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I’m just a huge gluten-free product endorser now. Everything that’s gluten free tends to have such a lovely, crispy, crunchy, satisfying texture that I keep coming back to it. Wholly Wholesome’s gluten-free pie crust is delightfully sugary; you get that crunchy, crystalized cane sugar taste here. And the texture, as mentioned, is crispy, almost like a graham cracker crust. I eat a crap ton of gluten, and I’m in love with this. I almost ranked it higher. The crust might be a bit too crumbly for some, but I think it’ll serve you gluten-free folks just fine.
Credit: Merc/Instacart
- Diamond Chocolate Nut Pie Crust
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Another Diamond pie crust here, and this one has nuts and chocolate. Those nuts are walnuts and pecans, and they’re salty, earthy, and delicious. This pie crust is also made with cane sugar, honey, and molasses, so there’s a lovely balance of sweet flavors here. Also, I swear to God, anytime something claims to have rosemary extract in it, I can taste it. This crust is slightly aromatic and piney in that way. I just adore Diamond’s premade pie crusts. They’re the best pie crusts for nut lovers, that’s for sure.
Credit: Merc/Amazon
- Marie Callender’s Deep Dish Pastry Pie Shells
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I wasn’t in love with the flavor of this pie crust, which tastes overwhelmingly like soybean oil, but the structure here is very good. This pie crust, as advertised, is deep. You can make a huge pie with this. I also love that the edges of the pie are perfectly braided, giving it ahomestyle aesthetic that I love. The texture is good too. This is tender and flaky, but it misses that lovely buttery quality that I enjoy in my pie crusts. Marie Callender’s is good in a pinch, but not spectacular or anything. Though, due to its size, it feels ideal for chicken pot pies or savory beef pies.
Credit: Merc/Instacart
Best of the Best
Best Nuts
Best No-Bake
Best Graham
Best Gluten Free
Best Chocolate
Best for Savory Pies
Other products we tried: Great Value Graham, Kroger Graham Cracker, Betty Crocker Graham Cracker, Honey Maid Graham Cracker, Diamond Pumpkin Pie Spice, Keebler Chocolate, Keebler Graham Minis.
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I’ve gotta disagree about the Diamond Chocolate Nut crust. My husband and I used one recently and it had lots of tiny pieces of nut shell. It was almost inedible.