Our Favorite Sara Lee Frozen Pie Wasn't Apple Or Chocolate Crème

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Sara Lee is a longstanding brand that many of us rely on for a wide variety of frozen desserts. So, we took it upon ourselves to find the very best options from the brand's lineup. We sampled and ranked nine Sara Lee frozen pie flavors according to taste, crust texture, and how well each represented a classic recipe.

Our favorite Sara Lee frozen pie wasn't apple or chocolate crème, but the fall favorite, pumpkin pie. A big factor in our judging criteria was how well the pie represented a traditional recipe, and the pumpkin pie couldn't offer a more classic flavor, texture, and execution. The crust was a classic, buttery, flaky pastry crust, while the filling was rich, creamy, and pumpkin-forward. We loved that the pumpkin flavor was the star tasting note, but you can still taste the typical clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon spices throughout. The spices complemented the earthiness of the pumpkin and tempered the overall sweetness for a well-balanced slice. This is certainly the most time-consuming pie, taking 70 minutes to bake and 2 hours to set. But the wait is worth it, as Sara Lee's pumpkin pie could easily pass for homemade. While apple and chocolate crème pies came in 2nd and 3rd, respectively, the pumpkin pie's simple and traditional aesthetic, authenticity, and taste stole the show.

You can get Sara Lee pies in most major grocery stores or order them online from Amazon. And we found thousands of Amazon customer reviews that gave Sara Lee's frozen pumpkin pie 5 stars. Customers praise it for its homemade taste, with one proclaiming that it's "the best frozen pie you can get." Most customers complimented how easy it was to prepare using the instructions on the box. A customer was impressed with the texture, which they described as having a "firm center, flaky crust... [and the] outer edge of crust not overdone." While the majority of reviews were favorable, there were also various complaints from dissatisfied customers. For instance, one customer complained that there was "more crust than filling," and that "the filling never gets fluffy," but instead remains dense and heavy. Furthermore, one-star reviews complain of a lack of spice flavor and an off-putting "taste of liquid bath soap."

Indeed, the frozen pumpkin pie has stirred up controversy within Tasting Table's own taste testers in a 2025 ranking of Sara Lee frozen pie flavors. In fact, the pumpkin pie came in dead last and was, according to a different Tasting Table staff member, the hands-down worst pie flavor of the 10 they tasted. If you're feeling skeptical about the drastic differences of opinion, you can always make a pumpkin pie from scratch using this classic recipe.