4 Mrs. Smith's Frozen Pie Flavors, Ranked

Pie is a funny thing. Not just a dessert, it is pure distilled Americana. The mention of pie conjures up images of holiday meals and grandma's kitchen. Its appeal is rooted in rustic simplicity. But here's the reality of making a pie — the crust is finicky, the edges are fussy to crimp, and an evenly baked crust is a challenge. So, as charming as a homemade pie is, many of us prefer to outsource this holiday favorite and head to the freezer aisle.

Mrs. Smith's pies, as the name suggests, aim to bring a homegrown, from-scratch, family-recipe feel to a frozen pie. As a former professional baker, I think frozen baked good options are underrated in general. But, for all my baking experience, the prospect of baking a pie has me shaking in my boots; hence, I may be the perfect person to test an array of frozen pies.

So I tried four of Mrs. Smith's classic pies. For all four, I was looking for accurate baking instructions and, of course, a delicious filling and buttery crust. I wanted an appealing-looking final bake, as the sight of a pie straight out of the oven is half the appeal. Which pies were as good as fresh? Here's what is — and isn't — worthy of a spot among your holiday spread.

To judge the accuracy and approachability of the pies' baking instructions, I strictly followed the packaging instructions for each pie. I tented the edges of every pie to prevent overbrowning, though it was a suggested tip, not an explicit part of the instructions. For any issue in the cook of the pie crust — i.e., being over- or underdone — I weighed it against the instructions themselves. I cooked, photographed, and ate each pie within an hour of baking.

First and foremost, my main criteria were flavor and texture. I wanted a delicious, well-balanced pie filling that wasn't overly gelatinous, along with a buttery, flaky pie crust or topping that balanced the filling. I also wanted the filling and crust to be harmonious in their ratio.

I considered the visual appeal of the baked whole pie, but did not consider aesthetic aspects like the look of individual slices. I noted when pies arrived with cracked crusts, but I didn't factor that into my evaluation.

Something about the deep-red filling bubbling out of the Original Flaky Crust Cherry Pie was so enticing; it seeped into the crust, staining it pastel pink. Speaking of the crust, with a little tinted foil on the crimped edges (as the instructions suggested), it turned out uniformly golden. Sure, there were cracks along the surface, but that's hard to avoid in any pie, let alone a frozen one that has likely traveled a fair bit to get to my door. There are ways to fix a broken pie crust, but I didn't want to deviate from the instructions.

Unfortunately, biting into this pie was a big letdown. The crust was buttery, sturdy, and delicious, but the filling was almost ... bland. It was warmly spiced and somewhat tart. Trying to describe the taste and texture, I could only come up with gelatinous spiced stone fruit ... something. But did it taste like cherries? Not really. And whatever it tasted like, it didn't taste awful, but it also didn't taste good. The filling-to-crust ratio was excellent, but I just didn't want another bite.

Like the cherry pie, with a little extra tin-foil care, the crust on the Original Flaky Crust Apple Pie turned out great and evenly cooked from top to bottom. And I was super excited to try this one, based on the golden crust and the incredible apple smell wafting through my kitchen.

And it was good. It was really good. America's favorite type of pie is apple for a reason, and this one tastes how an OG apple pie should: subtly spiced, but brightened by a background of slight acidity –more juice-forward than a cobbler, but warmer and sweeter than pure apple. Unlike the cherry pie, the flavor was spot-on and complex.

But there were problems, too. The apple chunks in the filling were large and firm, which made them hard to cut and evenly distribute into slices. The filling between those pieces wasn't bad, but it was quite thick. Pies typically use a thickening agent, whether it's pectin, cornstarch, or something else, so that aspect was not unexpected. But I got more thickened filling than apple, which made for an unappealing mouthfeel. The filling's flavor and the crust's texture made me keep going for another bite, but a tinge of disappointment haunted each one.

I was sweating bullets cooking the Original Flaky Crust Dutch Apple Pie. The crust started to brown 15 minutes in, and with at least 30 minutes to go (as per instructions), I was on constant watch. The instructions said to pull the pie once it became somewhat golden brown. I pulled it out when I thought it was, if anything, a bit further than that.

Look, clearly this slice I cut is not magazine-ready, but it sure was delicious. The flavor of this was shockingly good. It was perfectly spiced with what I believe to be nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger — the classic fall spice blend. But it wasn't over the top or potpourri-like, as those flavors can become in excess. The apple bits still had a slight bite, but they easily collapsed into the filling around them. The original apple pie filling was good, but this was better.

Nonetheless, it had its texture problems. Frustratingly, the crowning jewel of any apple crumble — aka, the crunchy, crumbly top — was compromised by an underbaked layer beneath the surface. Since I overcooked the pie, this needs to be addressed in the instructions. I'd buy this pie again, but I wouldn't follow the directions — I'd bake it longer and at a lower temperature to avoid that raw batter I encountered during my taste test.

The Original Flaky Crust Pumpkin Pie stood apart from the others for a few reasons. For one thing, it's a different type of pie; instead of a fruit filling, it has a custard-like filling that bakes in a single crust with no topping. It was also the only pie with a cook time of more than an hour. It was also the pie I was most intimidated by. The doneness of a fruit pie seemed as simple as a golden crust; how would I know when the molten liquid filling of the pumpkin pie was just barely set enough to be moist and smooth? How would I keep it from cracking? Even when I pulled it from the oven, and it had a delightfully toasty finish, I was still unsure what the final result would be.

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. By just faithfully following the instructions, I got a perfectly cooked filling and crust. The filling was luscious, rich, and perfectly spiced. It wasn't overly sweet, and it was flavorful without being overpoweringly clove-y, as some pumpkin spice flavors can be. If you aren't a pumpkin pie fan, this one won't change your mind. But it's as good a classic pumpkin pie as I've had, whether store-bought or homemade, and I baked it as a total novice. Of all the Mrs. Smith's pies I would want to contribute to a holiday table, it would be this one. And I'd even feel pretty proud of it.