Every Cracker Barrel Holiday Pie, Ranked Worst To Best

Pie is a year-round delight, but it truly takes center stage during the holidays. It's a versatile treat, with a sweet flavor and a buttery crust that no other dessert can top. So, it only makes sense for Cracker Barrel to serve up its own lineup of holiday pies, which can be purchased whole or by the slice.

Cracker Barrel has been serving homestyle country cooking since 1969, and dishes like its famous hashbrown casserole have turned this chain into a comfort food go-to for customers who are looking for a homemade taste without spending hours in the kitchen. Of course, time is of the utmost importance during the holidays, and Cracker Barrel is trying to give customers an easy dessert to bring to seasonal gatherings by offering an assortment of holiday pies.  

There are five flavors to choose from, and while they all sound good on paper, I've decided to test each one and rank them from worst to best. I'll be starting with the pie that's just okay and working my way to the treat that deserves a spot at the dessert table. To make these decisions, I evaluated each pie on the flakiness of its crust, the sweetness of its filling, and how each pie tasted after it was heated. So grab a fork and let's dig into all of Cracker Barrel's holiday pies.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

Cracker Barrel is known for its tasty breakfast menu. So, I had high hopes for its Cinnamon Roll Pie. It sounded like it would be a unique addition to any brunch, but it's at the bottom of this list due to its lack of creativity. It is sold for $5.49 per slice. Rather than offering a gooey filling, it tasted like a can of cinnamon rolls was placed inside a pie crust.

There was no syrupy filling in between the rolls, and the lack of liquid made the rolls super crusty and tough to chew. The dryness was broken up by the cinnamon filling inside each roll, but I wish that this filling was placed on the outside of each roll as well. This would have made it feel more like a pie than a bunch of cinnamon rolls that were accidentally baked in a pie crust.

Heating this pie for 30 seconds in the microwave did help create more of a pie-like experience. The sugary icing melted between the cracks of each cinnamon roll, making it feel more like a cohesive pie filling. However, the sweetness and density of the rolls continued to overshadow the flaky crust, which felt nonexistent against the weight of the rolls. This could have been an interesting offering on the holiday brunch table. However, Cracker Barrel's Cinnamon Roll Pie lacks imagination and the sweet chewiness of homemade cinnamon rolls.

A classic pecan pie should have a rich, syrupy filling that's broken up by pecans, which are subtly sweet yet extremely earthy. Cracker Barrel's Pecan Pie offered earthy pecans, but the maple flavor of the syrup was a little too sweet. While not sickly sweet, the syrup was cloying enough to overshadow the nuts. 

The crust was flaky yet crunchy, and this complemented the texture of the baked pecans. However, the buttery taste of the crust took away from the pie's overall flavor. While the crust had the savory taste I was hoping for, its butteriness left behind an almost-sour aftertaste, suggesting that the fat didn't blend well with another ingredient in the pie. 

Nuking the pie microwave dialed back the sweetness of the syrup. The filling melts a little, which better distributes the sugar. The pecans soften, but they maintain their crunchiness. The crust was also more buttery, and the bitter aftertaste disappeared. These changes in flavor allowed each part of the pie to blend together in a way that wasn't possible when it was at room temperature. It's a somewhat solid take on a classic pie, and a slice can be purchased for $5.49.

Cracker Barrel's Chocolate Pecan Pie is sweeter than its Pecan Pie, but the chocolate helps the pecans and crust blend together. The crunch of the pecans is softened by the chewiness of well-distributed chocolate chips, and the sweetness of the chocolate balances out the earthiness of the pecans. However, the combination of chocolate and syrup led to a cloying taste, and the chocolate easily overpowered the syrup, which is a star ingredient in classic pecan pie. The crust did break through the sugariness, and I could pinpoint its density and buttery flavor, but the filling's sweetness still overtook the crust after a few bites.

This pie's flavor can be evened out by warming it for 30 seconds in the microwave. The melted chocolate made the syrup almost creamy, making the pie more palatable. The reasonable sweetness complements the pecans rather than overpowering them. Since pecans lean sweet, the melted chocolate enhanced their flavor and made them feel more decadent. The crust also works better with the filling, and the nutty undertones of the butter and pecans prevent each bite from being overwhelming. This pie costs $5.49 per slice, and while it doesn't excel at room temperature, it's a delight when warmed.

A flawless, homemade pumpkin pie is a great addition to any holiday dessert table, but Cracker Barrel's Pumpkin Pie is a worthy backup, especially at $5.49 per slice. The pumpkin puree doesn't have the chunkiness I expect from a pie made with freshly chopped pumpkin, but its smooth texture did have a satisfying weight followed by slight resistance. The weight and slight fibrous pull made the filling taste somewhat fresh, which was important since overly smooth puree can taste like it came from a can.

The crust was sturdy, and it clung to the puree even after I dug into the pie with my fork. However, it slowly melted into the puree as I worked through each bite, creating a sweet-yet-savory combination that anyone would be looking for from a good pumpkin pie.

The puree's all-important spices are extremely subtle at room temperature, and this is partially why this pie takes second place. I tasted cinnamon and a hint of lemon zest, but I had to really concentrate to identify those flavors. The spices come to the forefront after the pie is warmed up. I could better taste the zest and found a sharp spiciness that both contrasted the puree's sweetness and added to the pie's earthiness. 

Cracker Barrel's Apple Streusel Pie takes the top spot because of its perfectly balanced filling, buttery crust, and crunchy-yet-rustic streusel topping that adds to its homemade feel. The streusel topping looks like it was spread by hand since some parts of the pie have larger chunks of streusel than others, but it still tastes like it's evenly distributed. The streusel has both a crumbly and creamy taste and buttery flavor.

This butteriness sinks into chunks of apple. The apples' sweetness enhances the flavor of the somewhat flavorless syrup, and the mild flavor of the apples balances out the syrup's cloyingness. This ensures that the apple is the true star, and I was happy its flavor remained even after the pie was heated up. 

The pie's crust has a buttery and salty taste, which counteracts the filling's sweetness and enhances the apple's flavor. Cracker Barrel kept the skins on these apples, adding to its rustic and homemade feel, though some people may not like the texture. While bakery-fresh apple pies are a go-to for many people, Cracker Barrel's Apple Streusel Pie is a great dessert with thoughtfully chosen ingredients. Pick up a slice for $5.49.

Pie is a great dessert for those who like a mix of sweet filling and savory crust, and this combination is something I was looking for while trying all five of Cracker Barrel's holiday pies. Crust is important for structure, and it needs to be buttery and flaky. That fall-apart, buttery, and rustic taste is important for a Cracker Barrel pie specifically since the chain prides itself on homestyle cooking.

The crust should break through the sweetness of the filling without overpowering it. I also evaluated the filling and how it tasted with the crust. While the filling needs to stick to the crust, it should also dissolve it slightly. I expected decadent fillings, as these are holiday pies, but overly sweet ones ranked lower on my list. 

I looked for filling components that melded together to create an enjoyable, multilayered flavor. The syrup, icing, or spices should be in the background in order to enhance the main ingredient, whether that's apple, pumpkin, or pecan. However, the main ingredient must also enhance the other components. Of course, temperature can play a big role in this, which is why it was important for me to try each pie after heating it for 30 seconds in the microwave. These tests showed the true quality of each pie, helping me narrow down the most crowd-pleasing option.