The Store-Bought Apple Pie We'd Never Repurchase Comes From A Popular Brand

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Nothing beats a home-baked apple pie, but it's not exactly the fastest dessert to make. When we want to enjoy this seasonal treat without having to cut up apples and make the dough, a store-bought apple pie is a total lifesaver — if you know which one to buy and which one to leave on the shelf, of course. While a certain popular brand might be an automatic pick, we advise caution; our taste test of 5 store-bought apple pies revealed Banquet's mini apple pie as the worst of the bunch.

This pie is so lackluster it might actually be offensive to call it a pie. The filling is barely there, leaving much to be desired texture-wise. "I bought 4 of these and every one of them had no filling in them," wrote one customer in their review, and another echoed, "Not enough apples for my liking. Crust and convenience great. Please add more fruit." That feeling of biting into a deliciously chunky apple pie? You won't find that here.

The flavor is a disappointment as well, as it's mostly just sweet, without any other complex notes. Our taste tester described the taste as processed, akin to a canned pie filling. Another person said, "This apple pie is ok if u like to try eating cardboard." We're not expecting fresh flavor in a frozen pie, but for a product that advertises "made with real apples" on the package, there could have been a little bit more to the whole banquet.

Aside from it being a disappointment in the flavor department, some customers have experienced quality issues with the product as well. One person reported finding a hair in their pie, and somebody else ran into apple stems. Then, there's the ingredient label, which lists "spices" without going into the specifics — this lack of detailed labeling caused an allergic reaction in a customer with a cinnamon allergy. So, if you're considering reaching for Banquet's pie for convenience's sake, you might find yourself inconvenienced instead. It seems poorly executed frozen versions of holiday classics are a recurring theme for the brand, as Banquet also sells the worst frozen turkey dinner we tried.

Luckily, there are still some delectable frozen goodies out there, so you don't have to pull out your apron just yet. Marie Callender's Dutch Apple Pie won our taste test with its streusel topping and properly chunky filling, so it's by far a better choice for a seasonal convenience dessert. At 38 ounces, though, it is significantly bigger than the Banquet's 7-ounce mini pie, so for a single-serve option, Marie Callender's 9.5-Ounce Apple Pie is your best bet.