The Worst Store-Bought Pecan Pie We Tried Is Still A Winner At $1.99

Pecan pie is a beloved dessert, thanks to its rich, nutty flavor, buttery crust, gooey caramel filling, and crunchy pecans. With origins in the Southern United States, the pie has become a nationwide favorite steeped in comfort and nostalgia. There's nothing quite like a homemade pie pulled straight from the oven, but a store-bought pecan pie is still pretty darn good. Food Republic sampled six different store-bought pecan pies and ranked them according to taste, and even our last-place pie, Table Talk Old Fashioned Pecan Pie, is a winner.

Made by Table Talk Pies, a Worcester, Massachusetts-based company that has been making pies for over one hundred years, the Table Talk Old Fashioned Pecan Pie is a mini 3.25-ounce pie measuring 4 inches across. While our tester found that Table Talk Old Fashioned Pecan Pie doesn't have as rich a flavor as some of the other higher-ranking store-bought pecan pies, what's undeniable is the price and portability of this pie. 

One Reddit user noted: "Nothing crazy about these pies, but they're cheap, perfectly sized, good enough treats with a unique brand that they've become extraordinarily popular." For around $1.99, you get a pre-packaged single-serving pie that comes in its own pie tin. It's the perfect grab-and-go dessert for those times when you don't necessarily want to purchase a whole pie but are still craving a sweet treat. 

Another reason to love the Table Talk Old Fashioned Pecan Pie: it's easy to customize. One of the easiest ways to make a store-bought pie taste like it just came out of the oven is to warm it up. Since this pie is roughly the size of a slice, remove it from its tin foil plate and microwave for around 20 seconds, or, if you're using a conventional oven, cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-6 minutes.

Next, add some extra crunch. While Food Republic's pie tester found that the pie wasn't quite as crunchy as others because the pecans in the filling were crushed, this could easily be remedied by adding a few whole pecans on top to give it more texture. Besides, when are more pecans ever a bad thing? To jazz up the pie's mild flavor, add flaky salt for a salted-caramel finish. You could also create a pecan pie sundae by topping it with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles. 

And if you're a fan of bourbon pecan pie, you could also drizzle some bourbon or spiced rum atop the ice cream. Chocolate or caramel chips would also taste amazing, or you could riff on this cranberry pecan pie recipe and add some fresh berries or pomegranate seeds for a fruity zing to balance out the sweetness of the other flavors.