Bonne Maman's 5 Pie Filling Flavors, Ranked

Welcome to pie season, the annual quest for show-stopping desserts. There's no question freshly-baked pies provide comfort, like when you throw on cozy pajamas, or snuggle under a blanket. Sure, store-bought pies can be a convenient grab in a pinch, but they can't compete with homespun pastry. Thankfully, Bonne Maman has entered the pie filling genre with five incredible flavors to explore. Founded in a small village in the South of France, Bonne Maman is renowned for its fruit preserves and spreads. 

The company is celebrated for crafting time-honored family recipes using premium ingredients, so I enthusiastically welcome its foray into the pie filling space. Especially with flavors like apple, blueberry, and cherry, and two new varieties — pumpkin and Four Fruits. Like all Bonne Maman products, the pie fillings are non-GMO and free from high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives, and artificial colors. Even the Bonne Maman jars are elegant enough to keep long after the fillings are gone.

I'm a pie enthusiast at heart, so I snatched all five jars and ranked them from worst to best. I know, painful. I judged the fillings based on taste, texture, and versatility — if I was excited to try the filling in a variety of ways, I ranked accordingly. I'm pleased to report, all were spectacular. You will likely love them all; this ranking will simply help you decide which one to try first.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Four Fruits Pie Filling is one of the two new flavors Bonne Maman introduced this season. Crammed with strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and red currants, it's a fruit party on the palate. When I first sampled the filling, I thought, "Tastes like strawberry jam," but then the medley evolved on my tongue and I detected the nuances of the other three fruits. It was a lovely experience. And, as is the case with Bonne Maman's other pie fillings in this grouping, Four Fruits contains acerola juice, a vitamin C packed, cherry-like berry that adds a deeper fruit flavor. 

In terms of consistency, this pie filling was the thinnest of the bunch, but still thick enough to make pies. I envision spooning the filling into sponge cake dessert shells topped off with homemade whipped cream. Talk about a dazzling dessert, and one that tastes five minutes to assemble. 

I appreciated that there are very few ingredients in this (and all) the Bonne Maman pie fillings. Since the brand uses high-quality ingredients — including the finest fruit — little else is needed for a scrumptious product. Four Fruits appears to be placed "last" in this ranking, it's still incredibly delicious, just a bit thin. I simply preferred the other varieties more. 

Bonne Maman Cherry Pie Filling delivers a simple marriage of cherries, sugar, and lemon. Fruit pectin is added for its thickening, stabilizing, and gelling properties, meaning it transforms the fruit, sugar and lemon into a gorgeous, glossy pie filling. The filling also contains acerola juice, and, as mentioned, the vibrant red fruit further enhances the deep cherry flavor. 

This filling delivers the perfect balance of sweet and tart elements. In fact, I was delighted to find it wasn't cloyingly sweet, and is often the case with other cherry pie fillings. With a subtle tang from the lemon, the sweetness of the cherries is beautifully elevated. 

In terms of consistency, the filling was hardy and thick, and there were plenty of plump, identifiable cherries to savor. It's joyful to know that you can pour the entire jar into a flaky homemade pie crust, or use a store-bought pie crust and you're ready to bake. That said, I would rather use the filling in a French galette, an open-faced tart that will reveal the cherries in all their glory. I ranked this filling fourth simply because I adored the other pie flavors more, but for cherry pie fans, this is your go-to from this day forward. 

Bonne Maman Apple Pie Filling is the definition of cozy. The cinnamon-laced mixture is warm and comforting, and balances the sweetness of sugar with the tang of lemon. I often find apple pie overly sweet, and that is not the case with this filling.

I thoroughly enjoyed the texture of this pie filling too. There were plenty of meaty apple slices, and they were tender-crisp, not the least bit mushy. Made with Pink Lady apples, the fruit slices were bright, sweet yet tangy, and mildly buttery. There's almost a sparkling cider vibe to the apples, which transforms the filling into something truly unique.

While you can certainly make a classic apple pie with this filling — and use a top and bottom crust — I will most definitely use a lattice top so everyone can see the visually striking slices of apple and flecks of soothing cinnamon. The apple pie filling made it to the top three with ease, and I plan to have lots of fun with it. It fails to make the top two, because I found myself envisioning more uses (beyond pies) for the final flavors. 

I'm entirely smitten with Bonne Maman Blueberry Pie Filling. In fact, when I took my first taste, I announced, "Oh my, this is good." Nobody was around to hear me, but I professed my opinion nonetheless. The simple ingredient list includes blueberries, sugar, acerola juice, and lemon juice. But these aren't just any blueberries — the filling is made with North American wild blueberries, which have a superior flavor profile, and a more intense taste when compared to cultivated blueberries. In fact, wild blueberries are smaller than regular (farmed) blueberries, so they have a higher skin-to-pulp ratio, which makes them less watery. Less water means a more complex blueberry flavor. I found the blueberries both tart and sweet, and enjoyed the deeply concentrated flavor. I also loved that there were a bounty of blueberries in every spoonful. 

The consistency of this filling was thinner than all but the Four Fruits, but it was still plenty thick to make blueberry pie. But I have other plans for my jar — including (but not limited to) garnish for pancakes, glaze for cheesecake, and topping for ice cream. The possibilities are endless. It was tough to place the blueberry pie filling runner up since it's about to become a staple in my home. And I'm quite certain it will move to first place in July.

I thought I couldn't be more enamored after tasting the blueberry pie filling, and then I met Bonne Maman's Pumpkin Pie Filling. It's flawless. The ingredient list includes pumpkins, sugar, spices, and lemon, and each element was detectable (but didn't overpower the other). The filling is velvety and warm, and I identified notes of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The sugar was balanced by the lemon, and the pumpkin was rich and flavorful. Made with Dickinson, or "pie pumpkins," the gourd was silky and sweet, and tasted like freshly baked pumpkin, not the heavily processed product sold in cans. Dickinson pumpkins are naturally sweet, which eliminates the need for excess sugar (this wasn't even a smidge too sugary). And while the consistency of the filling was almost smooth, there was texture to it; the pumpkin wasn't overly pureed. 

To make a pie with this filling, you simply need to add two eggs and a 12-ounce can of evaporated milk — the rest of the integral flavors are already incorporated. I plan to follow those instructions, but I won't stop there. My next foray with this product is a parfait, featuring layers of pumpkin pie filling (sans the eggs and evaporated milk), whipped cream, and crumbled graham crackers. On the side? A little pumpkin pie filling and milk swirled into my coffee for the ultimate pumpkin spice latte. As mentioned, every single pie filling in this ranking is excellent, but if you're seeking a pumpkin pie filling like no other, you need to grab a jar of Bonne Maman. 

For this ranking, I sampled all five pie fillings alone (on a spoon), and then in mini phyllo tart shells. While I could have made five whole pies (and thrown a pie party), I decided that a sampling of each flavor in mini tart form would suffice. When tasting, I considered each filling's taste, texture, and consistency. Since only one product — the pumpkin pie filling — required extra ingredients, the actual flavor of a finished pie came through. I was overjoyed when the fruit fillings were both tart and sweet, without being overly tangy or exceedingly sweet. 

Every filling was delicious, and elicited visions of future creations, far beyond pies. It was nearly impossible to rank them from worst to best. On hot summer days, the cherry and blueberry pie fillings will likely dominate. During the holiday season, I'm reasonably certain we'd all lean into the apple and pumpkin pie fillings. Having said that, I'm sure nobody will complain if you show up with a Four Fruits pie on Thanksgiving. 

Bonne Maman Pie Fillings are available at select retailers nationwide, and the suggested retail price is $9.99 for a 21.1-ounce jar. In my opinion, that's an excellent price for premium ingredients, exceptional taste, and minimal prep work in the kitchen.