17 INCREDIBLE Thanksgiving Pie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular Thanksgiving pie? ›

While pumpkin pie reigns supreme in the majority of American households, sweet potato pie is still the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert in the South.

The first recorded pie recipe in America was for a humble pumpkin pie, prepared by Pilgrims in the 17th century. From there, pie-making evolved and flourished, reflecting the diverse influences of different cultures and regions.

So where does Pumpkin Pie come from? According to some accounts, early English settlers in North America improvised by hollowing out pumpkins (which were plentiful), filling the shells with goat's milk, honey, and spices to make a custard, then they roasted the filled pumpkins whole in hot ash from the fire.

Pumpkin pie is a great make-ahead dessert to cross off your Thanksgiving to-do list. You can prepare and bake the pie up to two days in advance, and it will still taste great on the big day. Just make sure you store the pie in the refrigerator—not on the kitchen counter—until you are ready to serve it.

Apple pie is arguably one of the most popular pie flavors. A symbol of America, the apple pie was actually invented by the British. Apple pie is simply made with sliced apples on double-crusted pastry dough.

Apple Pie. What it is: Somehow both quintessentially English and American, this may be the most famous pie of all. In Britain it goes back to the 1300s, and the earliest recipe includes figs and raisins. Modern recipes tend to consist of apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon encased in shortcrust pastry.

According to some accounts, early English settlers in North America improvised by hollowing out pumpkins, filling the shells with milk, honey and spices to make a custard, then roasting the gourds whole in hot ashes.

The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as a pie today. They had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. A recipe for chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet carved prior to 2000 BC.

Meat was the common filling in many cultures. Pies were centerpieces for food and entertainment in medieval Europe — live birds were often sealed into outer crusts to burst through in a flurry at a banquet table. Other animals were also sometimes used. The first recorded cherry pie was baked for Queen Elizabeth I.

Pumpkin pie is America's favorite holiday pie

This splits the vote, so to speak, and leaves pumpkin pie — made of a fruit that only ripens in the fall — only one season to be enjoyed. (Yes, pumpkin is a fruit.) Pecan pie did well to show, nearly tying apple for second place.

What was the real first Thanksgiving menu? ›

There are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a bounty of cod and bass, and flint, a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.

The general rule for a holiday family meal, which takes into account larger portions than a normal meal, budgets for each person, on average, to eat one three-inch wedge of a nine-inch pie (there are six of these slices in the pie). Simplified, a family should have one full pie for every six guests at the table.

For best results, first bake the pie and then place it uncovered in the freezer. When completely frozen, wrap the pie tightly or place in a plastic freezer bag and place back in the freezer. Frozen, baked fruit pies will keep up to 4 months.

The short and easy answer: Yes, pumpkin pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator. The USDA advises that all "egg-rich pies" must be kept refrigerated after baking and cooling. Pumpkin pie falls into this category, along with custard, pecan, and meringue pies.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends keeping unopened jars of pumpkin jam, pureed pumpkin and pumpkin butter in the fridge for up to three weeks (or, if unopened, in the freezer indefinitely). Once a jar is open, you'll need to keep it refrigerated and use it within a few days.

Thanksgiving pies are a traditional part of Americans' modern-day feast, with harvest flavors dominating the country's favorite pies. Pumpkin pie is Americans' top choice for a Thanksgiving pie — with pecan pie, apple pie, and sweet potato pie right behind it.

In general, pie reigns supreme as a Thanksgiving dessert. While some families have their nice selections of pie servings, tradition says apple, pumpkin pie, and a southern pecan pie are the go-tos, typically made with a buttery pastry pie crust.

One popular dish is turkey. Turkey is usually the main dish of Thanksgiving. It is roasted and served with stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce.