Everyone loves good old American pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most cooks will buy a mix from their local grocery store rather than take the time to try and make their own from scratch and actual pumpkins. But have you ever thought of how that might turn out?
In this post, we’ll examine the pro’s and con’s of making homemade versus store-bought pies (especially when it comes to pumpkin pie) as well as how to add a touch of “homemade” to any pie you make, whether it’s all homemade or not.
Pumpkin pies are often made from canned pumpkin purée. Libby’s canned pumpkin, the most popular brand, uses the Dickinson pumpkin variety of Cucurbita moschata solely, though other brands can include any of a number of varieties of Cucurbita pepo or Cucurbita maxima.
Store-Bought Pumpkin Pie Filling
Kristi Kay used Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix.
Pros:
- Only 2 extra ingredients are needed.
- Store-bought mixes are fast and easy to make and bake.
- In our opinion, store-bought pumpkin pie mix tastes better than made from scratch (might be the cook, however!).
Cons:
- A can of filling can cost anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00.
- A store-bought mix may have added preservatives or fructose (not in the brand we used).
- You can’t brag that you made it from scratch!
How to Add Touches of “Homemade” to a Store-Bought Pie Mix
Kristi Kay found that the store-bought pie mix tasted better than a pumpkin pie made from scratch and using a real pumpkin. But she wanted to add some touches of homemade to her pie – so she made the pie crust from scratch. Homemade pie crust adds so much to the quality of the pie and is not that hard to make if you follow the pie crust recipe below.
You only need these ingredients to make your homemade pie crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup shortening (we used Crisco)
- 5 tablespoons cold water
- 9″ pie plate (stoneware is recommended such as the Rada Stoneware Pie Plate)
You can follow the rest of this recipe by heading to our Homemade Pie Crust Blog Post which includes step by step pictures and an instruction homemade pie crust video!
Another way to add some personal touches to your pie is to put a dough decoration on its top. Kristi Kay used a real leaf to make this cute crust topper for her pie. She simply traced the leaf onto some dough and baked it over the top of her pie.
Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying Costco’s Pumpkin Pie
FAQ
Is store bought pumpkin pie made with real pumpkin?
What is actually in pumpkin pie?
What is pumpkin pie mix made of?
Is Costco pumpkin pie made with real pumpkin?
Where can I buy pumpkin pies?
We tracked down pumpkin pies from 5 major grocery retailers — Key Food, Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, and Costco. If you’re planning to buy a pumpkin pie this holiday season, you need to know which store carries the best one — and which store you absolutely need to skip.
What is the cheapest store-bought pumpkin pie?
The pumpkin pie from Stop & Shop was the cheapest store-bought pie we tried. Stop & Shop pumpkin pie. Stop & Shop stores are located across the northeast in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. The 8-inch pie retailed for $4.99, but with Bonus Buy Savings, the pie came to $3.99 when we bought it.
Is pumpkin pie better than store-bought?
With perfectly spiced pumpkin filling baked into a flaky crust, this pie is so much better than store-bought. Why you’ll love it: Pumpkin pie is a holiday classic but if you really want to have your guests running to the table, you can’t do any better than this homemade pumpkin pie recipe.
Is Aldi a good place to buy a pumpkin pie?
Aldi is often a go-to for affordable seasonal items. When we thought about a store-bought pumpkin pie, we assumed we’d find a decent-quality one. This was another pie sold already pre-baked rather than frozen. Again, this appealed to us strictly from the perspective of convenience. This pie has eight servings, and each contains 360 calories.