There are so many occasions where you simply know you should bake a pie. With so much delicious produce coming into season year round, you have cause to bake rhubarb pie in the spring, berry pie in the summer, apple and pumpkin pie in the fall, and (meyer) lemon meringue in the winter. For many people, it seems like making the pie crust is the hardest part.
The good news is, there are tons of store bought pie crusts available, even gluten free pie crusts if you're on a gluten free diet or have gluten free guests. We've taken a look at many brands to help you determine the best store bought pie crust based on your personal needs.
However, I personally think if you're going to the trouble of making a homemade pie, you should go all the way. For this reason, I've included a link to a simple, homemade pie crust that would serve as a good replacement for the store bought crust featured. If you're feeling up to the challenge, you know what to do.
Now, onto the pie crusts!
Best Store Bought, Gluten Free Crust
Gluten free diets have been in the spotlight recently, which means it is getting easier and easier to find gluten free products in your average supermarket. Even so, there aren't many brands selling gluten free premade pie crusts. If you shop at Whole Foods or if your local supermarket is extremely well stocked, you can look for gluten free premade pie crusts from Kinnikinnick, Wholly Wholesome, or Whole Foods' own brand. However, if you cannot find any of those, you could opt for Pillsbury's gluten free pie dough, which should be easier to find:
Pillsbury Gluten Free Dough - Pie & Pastry
- gluten free AND dairy free
- easier to find than other brands
- many positive reviews
- ingredient list could be "cleaner"
You can also use a gluten free pie crust mix such as this one from Bob's Red Mill. It's rated highly and has a cleaner ingredient list than the Pillsbury dough.
Homemade Option: Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe
Best Budget-Friendly Pie Crust
Usually when you buy premade products or mixes, you end up paying quite a bit more for the convenience. Premade crusts can easily cost $2.5 for two crusts, even up to nearly $4. Jiffy pie crust mix, however, costs about $.75 for 2 crusts and received an Honorable Mention in Good Housekeeping's pie crust taste test.
Jiffy Pie Crust Mix
- very inexpensive
- just add water
- contains some trans fat
Homemade Option: Pie Crust Recipe with just Flour, Butter, Salt, and Sugar
Best Premade Graham Cracker Crust
Keebler seems to dominate the graham cracker crust market, and flavor-wise, it probably deserves it. However, with partially hydrogenated soybean oil (trans fat), it isn't really ideal if you are concerned about your health (I know we're talking about pie here, but still!). We prefer Arrowhead Mills Graham Cracker Crust, which contains no trans fats, uses organic wheat flour, and has less sodium that Keebler's crust.
Arrowhead Mills Graham Cracker Crust
- no trans fat
- lower in sodium
- may be harder to find
Homemade Option: Graham Cracker Crust Recipe (these are so easy to make AND you have the added benefit that you can look for the healthiest possible graham crackers and use higher quality cooking fat than what is commonly found in store bought pie crusts)
Best Store Bought Cookie Crust
Alright, we're going to keep the health angle out of this one for the most part. It's a cookie crust after all. The fun thing about cookie crusts is that pretty much any cookie can be turned into a pie crust. As far as ready-made options go, you can probably find several at your local supermarket, including Oreo cookie crusts, chocolate cookie crusts, shortbread cookie crusts, and vanilla wafer crusts.
Nabisco Oreo Pie Crust
- delicious Oreo flavor
- contains high fructose corn syrup and preservatives
Homemade: Oreo Cookie Pie Crust Recipe (made with Oreo cookies, so not really homemade - unless you make those yourself too!)
Best Store Bought, Organic Pie Crust
If you can find the Wholly Wholesome pie crusts we've mentioned near you (they are often sold in health food stores and Whole Foods), they are our all-around #1 pick for best store bought pie crust. Their traditional crusts scored well in numerous online taste tests (for example, by Good Housekeeping and Bon Appétit) and have some of the cleanest ingredient lists we've seen:
Gluten Free Pie Crust: Brown Rice Flour, Water, Non‐Hydrogenated Palm Fruit Shortening, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Sea Salt, Aluminum Free Baking Powder, Xanthan Gum
Traditional Pie Crust: Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Palm Oil, Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Sea Salt
So there you have it, at least 5 options for ready-made or nearly-ready-made pie crusts that you can buy in a pinch. Do try making a pie crust from scratch sometime though, it's probably easier than you think! And if you need some inspiration for what kind of pie to make, check out these popular pie recipes.
Author
Written by Crystal Schlegelmilch on May 4th 2015
More Interesting Articles to Read
The Best Store Bought Alfredo Sauce: Classic, Low Calorie, and Vegan Options
Best Store Bought Salsa, with Spicy and Mild Options
The Best Store Bought Ice Cream: from Healthiest Ice Cream Brand to Most Delicious
The Best Store Bought BBQ Sauce for Summer
