Buzz
Dessert is always the last thing on the list — both in terms of when it's eaten and when it's prepped. Between cooking the Thanksgiving turkey and handling a variety of side dishes, it's easy to overlook the pies. That's where store-bought pie crusts come in. They're a quick and convenient way to avoid the stress of crafting a perfect, flaky crust from scratch, while still allowing you to personalize the pie with your homemade filling. Several brands offer freezer pie crusts, but not all of them are up to par. To help you make a wise choice, I tested seven different store-bought options and narrowed it down to the top three that are genuinely worth purchasing.
What makes a great store-bought pie crust stand out?
In this side-by-side pie crust comparison, I focused on finding which crust tasted and looked the best, but also which one worked best for holding all the delicious filling together. After all, a good crust is what keeps the entire pie intact.
The criteria for testing:
Flavor
Appearance when finished
Texture and tenderness
How it stands up to moist fillings
To evaluate these factors, I baked individual sections of the dough on a baking sheet, and also made seven small pumpkin pies to see how each crust performed its role. I chose pumpkin filling to put the pie crusts through their toughest challenge. Pumpkin pie has one of the wettest fillings, which increases the risk of a soggy crust — and any cracks or leaks would be easy to spot.
I baked all the crusts using raw dough straight from the fridge — no blind baking involved. While I know you should probably blind-bake custard pies, I have a hunch that many people out there are pouring wet filling directly into unbaked dough. Don’t worry, I found the best crust for that pie-baking shortcut.
Where can I find these pie crusts?
To ensure authenticity, I visited several large chain supermarkets nearby—Shoprite, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s—picking up what was available at the time. No online orders were made, and I went to all three stores in one trip, as if I were preparing to bake that same day or the next. I’m aware that each grocery store reflects its local community, so your selection might vary from mine.
That said, I aimed to select brands that are either widely known across the country or store-specific, with two notable exceptions: I also wanted to sample a gluten-free pie crust and a plant-based version. These types of dough should be included in the comparison because, after all, they might offer something great. A gluten-free crust, for example, might be flakier and more delicate, which is a key consideration for me.
The brands included in my taste test (not in any particular order) were: Trader Joe’s store brand pie crusts, Dufour plant-based pastry dough, Geefree gluten-free pastry dough, Pillsbury pie shell, Marie Calender’s pie shell, Mrs. Smith’s pie shell, and Whole Foods Boston Baking pie shell. My assessment criteria covered key qualities of a good pie crust, such as: flavor, flakiness, texture, ease of handling, appearance, and other relevant notes.
Ranking the best store-bought pie crusts
The results were mixed: some moments of joy, and some moments of disappointment. I had high expectations for the gluten-free and plant-based options, but unfortunately, Geefree had an unpleasant taste, and Dufour was overly greasy with no flavor to speak of. After those letdowns, here are the top three frozen pie crusts:
First Place: Mrs. Smith’s pie shell
Pros: A perfectly balanced combination of sweet and savory flavors that doesn’t overwhelm. It paired beautifully with the filling. The crust browned beautifully even without blind baking, and there were no soggy areas. The texture was both tender and flaky, yet strong enough to hold the filling without cracking. The pastry comes pre-shaped into a deep dish pie shell, so there's no need to worry about rolling or fitting it into a pan at home.
Cons: None. I absolutely loved it.
Second Place: Trader Joe’s boxed pie crust
Pros: A mild flavor that doesn’t overpower the filling, excellent browning without blind-baking, and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Cons: It comes as a rolled-up sheet, rather than pre-formed into a shell. I usually prefer this as it allows me to fit it into various pie dishes, but in this case, it cracked when unrolled, even though it was fully thawed. My recommendation is to leave it at room temperature until it's completely soft before unrolling.
Third Place: Pillsbury pie shell
Pros: The flavor was solid, with just a hint of saltiness that didn't overshadow the filling. It wasn’t doughy after baking, and it had a nice level of browning.
Cons: The Pillsbury crust was a bit on the tough side and lacked the desired flakiness.
Honorable Mention: Boston Baking pie crust
Pros: It’s incredibly sweet and has a cookie-like texture, similar to a sucrée crust. I ended up eating the entire sample I baked, plain.
Cons: When filled with pie filling, the crust turned out a bit doughy and lacked much color. This dough definitely needs to be blind-baked and isn't the best choice for savory dishes.
While I truly believe you can make an excellent pie crust from scratch, there's no need to feel pressured to become a pie expert (though if you do want to learn how to roll out pie dough and master the lattice technique over the next couple of weeks, here's some help). Sometimes, the best pie crust is the one you can grab in a pinch. If you spot one of my top three picks in the store, you can confidently buy it, stash it in the freezer, and know that dessert won’t be a flop.
