17 Best Thanksgiving Pies That Can Be Delivered To Your Door
What's the fiddliest, most difficult part of preparing a Thanksgiving feast? Not the turkey, since as long as you skip the messy wet brining and stick with a nice dry brine, the bird practically cooks itself. As for the Thanksgiving side recipes, you can go as simple as heating up brown and serve rolls, making store-bought, boxed stuffing, and opening a can of jellied cranberry sauce, and, likely, most people won't mind too much. After all, Thanksgiving sides, while traditional, are still basically a meal accessory. When it comes to pies, however, these play nearly as much of a starring role as does the turkey, but baking your own is bound to be somewhat of a pain (particularly if you start with a from-scratch crust).
While the cheapest, easiest solution to the pie problem can be found in your grocer's freezer case, dessert is one part of the meal you shouldn't skimp. After all, last impressions count and an amazing dessert spread can help to wipe away the memory of so-so sides and dry turkey. With this in mind, you may want to outsource your pie baking to professionals (no, we're not talking about the ones named Sara Lee or Marie Callender). All of the bakeries on this list will ship pies nationwide, although you may need to put in an order tout de suite if you want your pie to arrive in time for Thanksgiving Day.
1. Mini pies from Honeypie Bakeshop
Honeypie Bakeshop is essentially a ghost bakery — it's located inside another restaurant in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood but supplies pies and other baked goodies to several different eateries throughout the city. If you live in the Milwaukee area, you can order a full-sized pie for pickup or delivery, but if you're nowhere near Brew City, it has got you covered with the Piegram service. Piegrams are boxed mini pies, each about 6 inches in diameter, and can be ordered singly or in two or four-packs. This makes the service perfect for smaller Thanksgiving celebrations or solo feasting.
Honeypie's single pies are priced at $14 for one, $24 for two, and $45 for four, and they come in a choice of four different flavors. There's a chocolate pecan pie, a Door County cherry crumb pie highlighting one of Wisconsin's best-known types of produce, and a blueberry crumb pie made with berries from Michigan. The most Thanksgiving-esque of the offerings, however, is an apple crumb pie made with Michigan fruit and then flavored with a splash of Kentucky bourbon. The pies are shipped out via UPS on the Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday following your order and generally arrive in two or three days, although they cannot be shipped to PO boxes, nor Alaska or Hawaii. To ensure a Thanksgiving delivery, you might want to call and inquire as to whether you'll need to get your order in early.
2. Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie from Goode Company
Goode Company started in the late '70s as a barbecue joint, but over the last 45 years, it's expanded its restaurant empire throughout the Houston area and now has locations specializing in Mexican food, seafood, and other Texas-style specialties. It also has an online storefront selling gifts and food, with one of the perennial best-sellers being its famous pecan pie. The website's FAQs address the pecan pie obsession, explaining that this is the Texas state pie (the Texas state legislature passed a bill making it official and everything).
Goode Company's Brazos Bottom couldn't be more Texan if it tried — its pies are made with nuts grown in the Texas Hill Country along the Brazos River. The pies are said to be baked from an old (Texan) family recipe and are not only Texas-sized but also richer and gooier than other pecan pies. The standard version comes in a cardboard box and is priced at $45, with shipping included. For gifting purposes, you can also order pies in various styles of wooden boxes at prices ranging up to $56 (or $68, with additional gift items included) and may require an additional $5 shipping fee for the heavier packaging. Goode Company notes that quantities of the pies are limited, so you'll need to order ASAP for Thanksgiving, though the website notes that the pecan pies will last up to three weeks at room temperature or three months in the refrigerator.
3. Caramel Apple Pie Baked in a Bag from The Elegant Farmer
The Elegant Farmer started as a dairy farm in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, in 1946, but it's long since diversified, and a good thing, too, since small dairy farms are rapidly declining in the Dairy State. These days, the Elegant Farmer is more of an upscale farm stand, but it's most famous for baked goods that are sold throughout the upper Midwest and, via Goldbelly, to a nationwide market, as well. The one product that has earned The Elegant Farmer the most recognition through the years, including accolades from publications including The Wall Street Journal and Gourmet Magazine, has been its famous baked-in-a-bag apple pie.
Sure, sticking a brown paper bag in the oven sounds like a fire hazard waiting to happen, but The Elegant Farmer has been baking this way for decades and hasn't burned the place down yet. Still, like deep-fried turkey, paper bag baking sounds like something best outsourced to those with the proper experience, know-how, and equipment, so we'll stick to buying our bag-baked pies. The Elegant Farmer's Goldbelly storefront features a small range of apple pies, including the original and variant versions, where the apples are supplemented with rhubarb, blueberries, or peaches. Our Thanksgiving pick, however, is the caramel apple pie, where the standard apple filling is enhanced with a caramel sauce drizzle. All of the pies are priced at $69.95, including shipping, although you can get a two-fer deal for $89.95.
4. Chocolate Chip Bourbon Pecan Pie from Three Brothers Bakery
Three Brothers Bakery traces its history back to 19thcentury Poland, but the U.S.-based bakery was established in Houston, Texas, in 1949 by three Holocaust survivor brothers (and a sister). While Three Brothers Bakery started out baking Polish/Ashkenazi Jewish specialties, some of which are still offered today (the bakery does quite the line of hamantaschen), it soon pivoted to focus on more American-style baked goods, including, of course, that official Texas state pie.
Three Brothers Bakery has several different pecan pies available for shipping. There's the standard version, of course, along with a trendy salted caramel one, plus there's a chocolate fudge pecan pie. We've always adhered to the "some is good, more is better" philosophy of flavorings, however, so our pick is one that not only has pecans and chocolate but also adds a splash of Jack Daniels. The chocolate chip bourbon pecan pie is priced at $49.99 (as are the other pies), with that price including two-day refrigerated shipping. If you order a pie on a Thursday, it'll ship out the following Monday, so you will need to get your Thanksgiving orders in at least a week ahead of time (and even earlier may be better). If you're thinking of sending one of these pies as a gift, you can also upgrade to a selection of wooden presentation boxes for an additional $20.
5. Classic Chocolate Fudge Pie from The Fudge Pie Company
For some of us, dessert isn't dessert unless it involves chocolate. While chocolate pecan pie is great, purists may prefer a plainer, richer chocolate fudge pie. Where better to seek out such a thing than from a business called The Fudge Pie Company? The company was founded by a chef who trained in several top culinary programs and even served as a pastry instructor for the Culinary Institute of America. She doesn't say why she chose to specialize in fudge pies, but we're awfully glad she did. After all, macarons and mille-feuille may be prettier, but fudge pies are much more satisfying at the end of a meal.
The Fudge Pie Company offers a number of non-chocolate fudge pies, including pumpkin spice, dulce de leche, and apple cinnamon. Still, we're going to be traditional here and stick with good old classic chocolate fudge. This super-rich pie is made with semisweet chocolate in a graham cracker crust, and a 9-inch, 2-pound pie is priced at $30.00 plus shipping. While the latter cost is a hefty $16.50, The Fudge Pie Company says that two pies will ship for the same amount. Three pies, however, bump the shipping up to $23, but then again, that's less than $8 per pie, so you're still saving by buying multiple items.
6. Cranberry Walnut Pie from Zingerman's
In the beginning, there was Zingerman's Deli, an institution that's been serving up sandwiches and a wide range of other specialties in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the past 40 years. A decade after the deli opened, Zingerman's Bakehouse spun off. Originally, it made the bread for the deli's sandwiches, but now Zingerman's offers bread, cakes, cookies, pastries, and, of course, pies — all available through the magic of mail order. While some of Zingerman's pies may be available year-round, most seem seasonal. At the time of writing (late October 2022), 10 of its 16 pies are listed "on vacation," but one of these — the oh-so-Thanksgiving-style cranberry walnut – is due to return from wherever it's been sojourning in November, just in time for the big day.
What we love about Zingerman's cranberry walnut pie is that it makes a fantastic option for keeping that most pilgrim-friendly of fruits on the menu if you're not a big fan of cranberry sauce. Yes, cranberries in a sugary sauce can be kind of meh, but when you mix them into a brown sugar custard filling with plenty of crunchy walnuts and bake everything up in a nice flaky crust, it takes this fruit up more than a few levels. The pie, available only in November and December, costs $60 with "relaxed shipping" included. The pie feeds 8 to 12 and is baked without preservatives, so you'll want to be ready to eat.
7. Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie from Harry & David
Harry & David got its start back in the Great Depression marketing mail-order fruit baskets, and even today, these are still one of its signature items. The company has diversified into a wide variety of other gourmet goodies, however, with a line of baked goods that include, yes, pies. One of these is a deep-dish pumpkin version that is absolutely perfect for a traditional Thanksgiving with all the trimmings. This pie is a pretty hefty one, weighing in at over 3 pounds. The filling is classic pumpkin, while the topping is real dairy whipped cream — a traditional but supersized with an extra-tall flaky crust.
If you're wondering how a cream-topped pie can be shipped without arriving in a mess, it seems Harry & David have got pie packing down to fine art. Many of the customer reviews mentioned being pleasantly surprised at how good the pie looked upon arrival (not to mention how amazing it tasted once they dug in). Each pie is priced at $64.99 plus an extra $18.99 for shipping. This is the standard shipping rate, but with this particular pie, Harry & David upgrade the shipping to two days express for no additional charge. According to its ship date chart, this means you have up until November 21 (the Monday before) to order your pie in time for Thanksgiving delivery.
8. Grand Traverse Cherry Crumb from Grand Traverse Pie Company
Grand Traverse Pie Company is, unsurprisingly, a company specializing in pie and has its flagship store in Traverse City, Michigan. It seems, however, that the bakery has been so successful over the years that it now has locations throughout the Mitten State (well, none on the U.P., but that's not part of the Mitten), as well as one in Indiana. Needless to say, Grand Traverse Pie Co. offers some pretty top-notch pastries, most of them made with Michigan produce.
Several pies are available for shipping, but the best-selling, and most quintessentially Michigan, of these pies, is our pick for Thanksgiving, Pi Day, or any other pie-related festivities: the Grand Traverse cherry crumb. The cherries are of the locally-grown Montmorency variety, and this pie features prominently in the National Cherry Festival held in Traverse City every year. It is priced at $36.99, although you have the option to add a message such as "Give Thanks" or Happy T-Day" for an extra $5. Shipping costs start at $19.99 for two-day delivery (you select the date), but Grand Traverse does note that two pies can fit into a single box and thus ship for the same price. You will need to get your pie orders at least five days in advance, though, as the shop needs three days for baking and two days for delivery.
9. Hoosier Sugar Pie from My Sugar Pie
If Michigan's signature state pie is cherry, Indiana's is undoubtedly the sugar cream pie. It is a very simple pie, as befits something with roots in the Shaker and Amish communities. Still, its enduring popularity also reflects the fact that it's something that can be scraped together when seasonal produce is out of season and fancier stuff like chocolate, coconut, and nuts are in short supply. One thing that makes sugar pie the most Hoosier of desserts is the fact that the first known recipe dates to 1816, which just so happens to be the very year that Indiana signed on as a state.
My Sugar Pie, no surprise, is an Indiana-based company, and its signature item is its Hoosier sugar cream pie. Its pie is made from just eight ingredients: sugar, cream, flour, butter, shortening, cornstarch, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg for flavoring. This spice gives the pie a slight eggnog taste that would make it a perfect dessert for Christmas as well as Thanksgiving. The pie itself is priced at $36, but what with the two-day shipping and handling costs, which are based on zip code, the total is more likely to come in around $70. One note on Thanksgiving delivery, however: My Sugar Pie writes that Wednesday, November 23rd is all booked up as a delivery date already, so you might want to get in your orders ASAP before Tuesday the 22nd sells out, as well.
10. Jelly Jar Mini Pies from Peggy Jean's Pies
Having a very small Thanksgiving dinner or perhaps treating yourself to a solo celebration? In this case, mini pies would make for a great dessert option. Peggy Jean's Pies in Columbia, Missouri, is primarily a walk-in bakery offering numerous varieties of full-sized pies, both sweet and savory, but these pies are not available for shipping. Instead, the bakery has a separate line of mini-pies that can quite easily be mailed due to the fact that they're baked in 4-ounce jelly jars.
The jelly jar pies are priced at $58.99 for a box of six. You can order a sampler with all six flavors (these being blueberry streusel, brown butter chess pie, chocolate bourbon pecan, Dutch apple, German chocolate, and peach praline), or you can order one with three pies each of your two favorite flavors. (You could go with all one flavor, too, if that's what you prefer.) In order to get your mini pies in time for Thanksgiving, you will need to order yours by Monday, the 14th, at 3 p.m. CST since Tuesday is the day of the week Peggy Jean ships. That said, no pies will be delivered the week of Thanksgiving itself.
11. Kermit's Coconut Key Lime Pie from Kermit's Key West Lime Shoppe
While the origin of the key lime pie is not so clear as to suggest that it was invented in Florida, much less in Key West, the matter remains that this is now an iconic dessert. Although non-traditional, it still deserves a place on the Thanksgiving tables of lime lovers, whether they're Floridians by birth or Midwesterners dreaming of a warm-weather getaway amid a bleak November. As you might expect, any business calling itself Kermit's Key West Lime Shoppe offers a wide range of candies, jellies, sauces, snacks, gifts, and even soaps and lotions featuring tart and tiny key limes, and it also specializes in Florida's official state pie.
Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe includes the classic key lime pie, plus a gluten-free pie and one made with strawberries. Our favorite is the one that, as another famous Kermit and his band of Muppets once sang, "put[s] the lime in the coconut" — or rather, the coconut in the lime. The coconut key lime pie price is $39.95, but to have it shipped, you must choose one of the overnight ordering options (standard or priority), which will tack on an additional charge. During the ordering process, you'll be prompted to select a shipping date, but for a Thanksgiving order, it's probably best to go with Tuesday or earlier. Delivery is guaranteed for the next day by 8 p.m., but that's on the late side for Thanksgiving dessert.
12. Mixed Fruit Pie from Pie Gourmet
Pie Gourmet, a bakery located in Vienna, Virginia (more or less a D.C. suburb), offers an extensive range of pies, both sweet and savory, as well as quiches and cheesecakes. However, a somewhat slimmed-down menu will be available from Pie Gourmet for the Thanksgiving holiday. While this menu features the expected pumpkin and pecan pies, as well as sweet potato pies (a southern favorite) and the somewhat polarizing (and surprisingly ancient) mincemeat pies, our pick for the holiday is a fruit pie tailor-made for the indecisive: mixed fruit, made with apples, blueberries, peaches and raspberries all covered in a walnut crumb topping.
If you're thinking of ordering a mixed fruit pie for the holidays, these are priced at $26.95 for a small one or $32.95 for a large one, or you could also get a box of mixed fruit tarts for $55.95. You will need to put in your order by November 16th to secure delivery in time for Thanksgiving. If by any chance, you are in the local area, you can also arrange to have your pies delivered without the intervention of the post office, although the delivery charge will be $10 higher if you want the pies delivered the day before Thanksgiving.
13. Pumpkin Milk Bar Pie from Milk Bar
Milk Bar, a bakery that started in New York back in the 00s, became famous perhaps due to being in the vanguard of trends like using sugary cereal as a dessert ingredient ("Milk Bar Life" includes a recipe for Fruity Pebbles meringues), likely helped along by adept use of social media. Whatever the reason, it's now a chain with several NYC locations as well as outposts in Los Angeles, D.C., Boston, Las Vegas, and Toronto, and a marketing deal that allows it to sell Milk Bar cookies on the cheap at Target stores. One Milk Bar staple (sans cereal) is its signature Milk Bar Pie, which is like pecan pie minus the pecans. For Thanksgiving, though, there's also a limited-time pumpkin-flavored version.
The Pumpkin Milk Bar Pie costs $53 plus delivery. While your charges may vary by zip code, when we put in a Milwaukee-area one, the cost was $15 for a pie shipped on the 19th and $27 for one that would go out on the 21st. These are the latest ship dates available before Thanksgiving, although you can always go earlier if you wish. As per the Milk Bar, the pie should be good in the fridge for a week but can be frozen for a month. Also, if you're not a fan of paying shipping fees (Amazon has kind of spoiled us, hasn't it?), you can always order two pies since orders over $90 ship for free.
14. Sweet Caroline Candy Bar Pie from Southern Baked Pie Company
Southern Baked Pie Company is a mini-chain with three Georgia locations. It offers many delicious pies, but our favorite by far is the Sweet Caroline. We're not sure what the deal with the name is — are the bakers big Neal Diamond fans, or do they root for the Boston Red Sox? — but this pie is basically a Mounds bar in a shortbread cookie crust as it consists of layers of chocolate ganache and coconut custard topped with toasted coconut. Sounds just about perfect, although it's too bad Southern Baked doesn't also offer an Almond Joy version since, you know, sometimes you feel like a nut...
At any rate, the Sweet Caroline Candy Bar Pie, which is a generous 10 inches in diameter, costs $44.95. Plus shipping, of course, which Southern Baked admits will be pricey due to the pies being carefully packed in order to stay fresh. Southern Baked Pie Company's pre-Thanksgiving ship dates are limited to the 14th, 15th, and 16th. Its website does say that the pies should be good for up to a week without refreezing, plus you can also freeze the pie and thaw it overnight on Thanksgiving Eve.
15. Texas Trash Pie from All Things Acres
The bake shop at All Things Acres offers quite a selection of cookies and savory pies, but when it comes to sweet pastries, it gets creative. All Things Acres have several types of pecan pie (the shop is in Texas, after all), as well as other standards like pumpkin and apple — it also offers the less-familiar buttermilk pie along with chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, blueberry lemon, lemon chess with coconut, and even a habanero-spiked chocolate chess pie. The one we can't resist, however, is the Texas Trash which comes complete with caramel, chocolate chips, coconut, graham crackers, and pretzels.
The Texas Trash, as well as all of the other pies, are priced at $34 apiece. The shipping costs vary by how fast you need that pie and are determined by your address. Using, you guessed it, Milwaukee as our shipping destination, we found that UPS Ground, taking up to five days, would cost $15.67, while 2nd Day Air would run $43.75, and Next Day Air, for those real pie emergencies, a whopping $110.42. While All Things Acres does not have any information on its website regarding the limited availability of pies, shipping dates, or anything else surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday, you might still want to give the shop a call before placing your order to make sure your pie stands a good chance of arriving on time.
16. Original Piecaken from PieCaken Bakeshop
If you are planning to have turducken for Thanksgiving, or you just want a truly over-the-top meal ender, then there's only one sweet treat that will work. It's the dessert version of a turducken, and naturally, it's called the Piecaken. While there are now a number of different variants of this pie/cake mashup, the original combines three fall favorites: a pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, and a spice cake, all sandwiched together with cinnamon buttercream frosting and topped off with apple pie filling for good measure.
The PieCaken Bakeshop, the creator of this Frankendessert, is located in New York, but it sells its creation through Goldbelly. It is priced at $99.95, shipping included, and at the time of writing, the day before Thanksgiving is still available as a delivery date. You can also order the piecaken to arrive on an earlier date with no worries since it's good for a week in the fridge as is or can be frozen and then thawed out overnight before serving. At 7-inches across and 5-inches tall, this pie will feed 10 to 12 people.
17. Thanksgiving Pie from Centerville Pie Company
The last pie on our list isn't something you'd want to serve for dessert unless everyone at the table is a serious sugar hater. What it is, however, is something you could serve in lieu of the main course and all the sides. The Thanksgiving Pie, a creation of Centerville Pie Company, is a riff on a savory meat pie, a lá cottage, or shepherd's variety. Only, this one is filled with turkey and gravy instead of ground beef or lamb and has stuffing in place of the traditional mashed potato topping. No cranberry sauce, but the seasonal fruit is incorporated into the stuffing, making this pie the easiest one-pan all-inclusive holiday feast ever. (Well, there's also this Thanksgiving pizza, but it's only available in New York.)
Centerville Pie Company sells its wares through Goldbelly, with the Thanksgiving Pie priced at $69.95 and shipping for free. Yes, Wednesday the 23rd is still available as a delivery date, or you could order the pie earlier and freeze it until Turkey (pie) Day. The pie can go straight from freezer to oven with no need for thawing, which is yet one more reason it's so much easier than messing with an actual turkey. The only other thing you'll need for a complete holiday meal is some dessert. As it happens, the Centerville Pie Company has a two-pie bundle priced at $109.95 that will let you pair your Thanksgiving Pie with an apple one for a savings of $30.