7 Store-Bought Lemon Pie Fillings, Ranked Worst To Best

Folks, I don't care what time of year it is — it's always the right time for lemony desserts. Yes, even smack dab in the middle of pumpkin season, you can find me chowing down on a lemon muffin or some scrumptious homemade lemon bars. What can I say? The citrus fruit is one of my favorite flavors to incorporate into sweets, and whenever I want to max out my lemon consumption, there's only one solution: lemon pie. 

I'll always opt to make my own lemon pie from scratch when I'm able, but sometimes time constraints don't allow for such luxuries — when that's the case, I need an easy solution that can go from package to pie pan in just a few minutes. So, today's mission was to taste test and rank seven lemon pie fillings and pick a new favorite to be a baking cabinet staple. I ranked the pie fillings based on how strong the lemon flavor is, whether the filling was too sweet, and the overall texture/mouthfeel of the filling. Here's how they fared!

Crait's lemon pie filling (which I ordered off of Amazon) was, unfortunately, my least favorite of the bunch. It was also the only filling that didn't include any instructions on its packaging — perhaps I did something wrong? Regardless, I couldn't help but put this lemon pie filling in last place. 

I tried the filling straight from the bag, given that nothing instructed me to enjoy it any differently, and I was first put off by its texture, which was strangely gelatinous and almost slimy. I could have looked past that if the flavor was anything to write home about, but it wasn't. The filling wasn't nearly bright enough for my taste, and though a lemony tang was present, it was too subtle. Plus, the whole thing had a very slight medicinal astringency. Personally, I wouldn't buy it again, especially compared to my top-choice fillings.

First, a disclaimer — Jell-O's packaging did state that this is a "pudding and pie filling," and what the company means by that is that you can use the pudding to fill a pie. There was only one set of instructions on the package, and it was for pudding. If you'd like your pie to have a pudding-like texture, this may be the mix for you; if that's not the case, feel free to skip ahead.

Texture aside (which I actually didn't mind — it just didn't scream "pie" to me), I wasn't a huge fan of the flavors here. While I could taste the lemon, it wasn't a very strong flavor, and it had virtually no tang, which is a big no-no for me. Some additional acidity could have helped this mix stand out against the competition; as it is, I thought it was a pretty safe entry. Still, I'd rather use this Jell-O to moisten a cake mix.

I actually liked Jell-O's Zero Sugar pie filling far more than its sugary sibling. And that has nothing to do with the amount of sugar in either — you could have given each of these to me in a blind taste test, and I'd have picked this one over the former without hesitation. Now I get why instant pudding was all the rage in the '70s. 

I can't say whether it's a result of using a sugar-free sweetener, but the flavor of the lemon was way, way brighter in this Jell-O mix than the previous one, and it stayed in my mouth for longer after swallowing. The texture was virtually identical, and again, while I didn't mind it, I don't typically want a pudding texture in my pies. Though I liked the flavor more here, it still wasn't as tangy as I like my lemon pie fillings, which left me unable to rank it higher than fifth place.

Up next, we have Lucky Leaf's lemon pie filling, which was ready to be eaten straight out of the can. I liked this one more than any of the previous pie fillings, but it still didn't go all the way in satisfying my love for the tangy citrus fruit, so I couldn't give it higher than the middle-place spot here (it's worth mentioning, though, that the brand's cherry pie filling fared worse). But if this is all you can find, it wouldn't be a bad option.

The lemon flavor in this filling was brighter and tangier than in any of the previous fillings, which made it taste more authentic. I also appreciated that it wasn't too sweet. Its mouthfeel was fine — it didn't have a pudding-like texture, but it also wasn't slimy, like Crait's was. It was kind of like a cream or a gel. I did find a slight astringency to it that I couldn't get behind, but that wasn't nearly bad enough to make it rank any lower.

Duncan Hines' lemon pie filling was more promising, and I can't say I was surprised — even though the brand hasn't won any of my taste tests, it's a national name for a reason. And, I wasn't wholly disappointed by this pie filling — after all, it did take the third-place spot in this taste test. It was good, but honestly, it was a pretty far cry from my top two choices.

On the plus side, this pie filling had plenty of zesty, lemony flavor, and it wasn't lacking in the tang department. It would balance really well with a thick crust and meringue topping. Its texture was fine — again, very viscous, a little gelatinous, and even somewhat sticky — and I didn't find it very endearing or off-putting. Aside from the Jell-O mixes above, Duncan Hines' will probably be the most accessible, and it's not a bad buy. However, if you can find either of the following, I'd go for them in a heartbeat. 

Rawleigh's lemon pie filling mix comes as a powder, and you have to mix it with sugar, water, and egg yolks before boiling it on the stove to thicken the concoction. It's a little more labor-intensive than any of the previous mixes, but that labor is well worth it. Ultimately, the only reason this didn't make the top spot was that I liked the texture of the following brand's filling better. 

You can tell from the picture above that this was viscous and silky. I even wondered if I may have cooked it for too long — it got extremely thick after cooling, and was gelatinous and a bit sticky, which I didn't love. Its flavor, however, was great. I could have used more lemon (then again, I can always use more lemon), but what was there was bright, tangy, and quite appealing. Still, it couldn't surpass my top pick.

I'd never heard of the My-T-Fine brand before. Indeed, I had to order this mix (in a two-pack) from Walmart's website. I'm very glad I did, though — this was absolutely my favorite lemon pie filling, and I think many consumers would say the same. In terms of preparing it, it required the same steps as the previous: mixing with water, sugar, and egg yolks before bringing to a boil in a sauce pot, then chilling the mixture until it's set. 

The result was an effortlessly bright, lemony pie filling that had a great texture to boot. The lemon flavor hit right away and didn't let up, and it was nice and tangy without being too sour for any palate. The filling had a smooth, silky mouthfeel without any of the sticky or slimy qualities that characterized some of the previous mixes. All in all, this is a really solid pie mix, and it's worth doing some extra stovetop labor for — the results were excellent.

To do this ranking, I first grabbed every lemon pie filling and filling mix I could get my hands on — and as it turns out, it's not a very saturated market, and I could only find seven for this piece. When comparing them, I made each according to the instructions on its packaging, which varied widely. Some powdered mixes require egg yolks and tell the user to boil the mixture on the stove; others came ready-to-eat, and Crait's had no instructions to speak of. 

To earn a high spot on this list, a mix had to be tangy, not overly sugary, and have a creamy texture. Only a couple fit the bill, but they were pretty good. I'd still say you're better off making your own lemon pie filling, but if you're in a pinch, any of my top three choices would serve you well.