We Tested 3 Frozen Pies—This One Was the Best

Picture it: You’ve got unexpected company over. You manage to put together a delicious last-minute dinner, but you just don’t have the time to stir up a dessert from scratch. What do you do?

If you’re me, you keep a just-in-case dessert in the freezer for this exact scenario. I’ve found that you can never go wrong with a chocolate pie (who doesn’t like chocolate?). Set it on the counter while you eat dinner and by the time the dishes are done, you and your guests are in for a treat.

When you go to the freezer section of the grocery store, though, there are some choices to be made when it comes to finding the best frozen pie to buy. Do you choose Edwards, Marie Callender’s or Sara Lee? They all look tasty and chocolaty on the box, but is one better than the next? Our team put these three brands to the test.

Prettiest Pie: Edwards Chocolate Cream Pie

Christina Herbst/Taste of Home

Score: 6/10

Right out of the box, Edwards chocolate pie had us tasters oohing and ahhing. It’s a pretty looking pie on the outside and when you slice into it, the two-tone layers had us taking notice all over again.

This pie was very smooth and creamy with an almost buttery taste. Because half of this pie was a cream layer, it wasn’t quite as chocolatey as we hoped, but it still wasn’t a bad choice.

$6.39; available nationwide.

Best for Chocoholics: Marie Callender’s Chocolate Satin Pie

Christina Herbst/Taste of Home

Score: 8.1/10

This pie from Marie Callender’s was the densest and richest of them all—more of a French silk-type pie than chocolate cream. That wasn’t a bad thing, though! The filling was firmer, which made us think this one could hold up to sitting on the dessert table for a while without melting into a puddle. On the flip side, the pie did take longer to defrost.

But most importantly, Marie Callender’s frozen chocolate pie had great dark chocolate flavor which was different than the other pies in this test. The chocolate was satisfying and lush—but pretty rich so a thin slice is all you’d need. The only drawback here was that the whipped topping and pretty chocolate curls weren’t super flavorful, though the filling did make up for it.

$7.99; available nationwide.

Best in Show: Sara Lee Chocolate Creme Pie

Christina Herbst/Taste of Home

Score: 8.3/10

Nudging out Marie Callender’s by a fraction of a point was Sara Lee’s frozen pie. This frozen pie is like a grown-up dirt cake. The chocolate filling was light and creamy. Topped with chocolate shards, it had a bit of crunchy texture that we just adored. Our favorite part, though, was the cookie crumb crust. Who doesn’t love Oreo-style cookie crumbs? Layered up with the topping and filling, it made this dessert worthy of a second slice.

Prices vary; available nationwide.

The Bottom Line

Taste of Home

While we agreed on a favorite in this test, we also agreed that you really wouldn’t be disappointed with any of these pies if you were served a slice after dinner. Each was creamy, chocolaty and sweet. No substitute for homemade chocolate cream pie topped with real whipped cream of course, but still satisfying.

But, if you pressed me on it, I’d recommend snagging a Sara Lee pie. No one can resist a cookie crust and chocolate shards. It’s the most people-pleasing of the bunch.

This blind taste test was performed by our staff and was not part of a sponsorship. All opinions shared are our own and have not been influenced by advertisers.