Many, if not hundreds, of pie variations, exist worldwide. These include the classic circle-shaped pie in its different flavors. Some come in deep dish pie crusts, while others have a graham cracker crust.
Several pies need baking, while there are many recipes for no-bake pies. While many are sweet, like the ones in this post, some are savory.
Suffice it to say, there’s no ultimate delicious pie recipe, but many make the most delectable dessert. In this post, I’ve compiled the best pie recipes. They’re sweet and come in different pie crusts and fillings.
1. Sweet Potato Pie
We’ll start our list with a holiday favorite: the sweet potato pie. This classic pie is on many dinner tables during Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. It’s prevalent in the southern United States.
As a single-crust type of pie, you’ll need only enough dough for one pie crust. You’ll also need sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
The final dessert is a creamy custard pie with a distinct spiciness and unique sweet potato flavors and textures. Serve and eat it as it is, or top it with whipped cream.
2. Homemade Apple Pie
Probably the most classic pie is a homemade, apple-flavored one, like this recipe from Little Spoon Farm. Many of us grew up with grandmas and mothers transforming fresh apples into delicious pies in many different forms.
You can use many types of apples (besides granny smith) to make apple pies. Other types include Honeycrisp, jazz, golden delicious, Jonagold, and pink lady.
Besides apples, you need two pie crusts (top and bottom), granulated sugar, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, lemon juice, egg, sanding sugar, and ground spices. Serve your pie with vanilla ice cream on top.
3. Apple Slab Pie
While circular pies are gorgeous, they’re not the most efficient for large crowds. For reunions and get-togethers, it’s time to take out those large jelly roll pans and make big apple slab pies.
This simple slab pie recipe has classic apple pie flavors. Thus, the ingredients and spices are pretty similar. However, this one also comes with a glaze recipe, which calls for whole milk, unsalted butter, and powdered sugar.
As your baked pie is cooling, you must make your glaze. Once cooled, glaze twice, then let rest for a bit. Cut into squares and serve.
4. Pumpkin Pie
There’s no Thanksgiving feast for many households without the rich and creamy pumpkin pie. This delicious dessert showcases earthy pumpkin flavors and a unique blend of spiciness and sweetness.
Moreover, this pie has a unique brown color palette that matches the autumn atmosphere. The spiciness comes from these spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. For simplicity, you can replace that with a pre-made pumpkin pie spice blend.
For the pie filling, you’ll need brown sugar, flour, salt, ground spices, eggs, pumpkin puree, and evaporated milk. You’ll also need one crust. Serve this dish with whipped cream.
5. Peanut Butter Pie
PB&J sandwiches and eating from the jar aren’t the only ways you can enjoy your favorite peanut butter. You can even make a whole pie out of it with this recipe from Handle the Heat.
This peanut butter pie features a chocolate crust and creamy peanut butter filling. Switch it up by using Oreo crust or chocolate wafer cookies for the crust.
For the filling, you’ll need cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Top and decorate your pie with melted chocolate, nuts, peanut butter chips, mini Reese’s cups, and more creamy peanut butter.
6. Homemade Cherry Pie
If you want a fruit-flavored pie that has a jammy texture, you’d love this homemade cherry pie. Although the sweet flavors of cherry are the highlight, there are also subtle hints of vanilla, lemon, and almond.
If you used fresh tart cherries instead of sweet ones, that contributes another flavor dimension. Putting whipped cream or ice cream on top also introduces a creaminess that complements the dessert’s richness.
To make the cherry pie filling, you’ll need fresh cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract, and unsalted butter. You’ll also need a homemade crust, egg wash, and coarse sugar.
7. Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
If you’re a fan of fluffy pies, this recipe is excellent for you. This lemon meringue pie consists of three layers: crust, lemon filling, and toasted meringue topping.
Each layer provides a different experience and flavor profile. The buttery and flaky crust suits the tart, smooth lemon filling that sits on it. Meanwhile, the meringue makes you feel like you have a cloud in your mouth.
The lemon filling needs egg yolks, water, sugar, cornstarch, salt, butter, lemon juice, and zest. For the meringue, you must have egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, and salt.
8. Coconut Cream Pie
This coconut cream pie packs so much creaminess and fluffiness in one slice. The flavors are complex and tropical, providing a different experience from traditional sweet, fruity pies.
How is that all possible? Credit goes to the three elements of this dish: the buttery crust, creamy coconut custard, and toasted coconut topping. Unique flavors and textures comprise each aspect of this recipe.
To make the custard, you’ll need coconut milk, half-and-half, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, butter, salt, sweetened coconut flakes, vanilla, and whipped cream. Add more coconut flakes to the list because you’ll need to toast some for the topping.
9. Peach Pie
Has peach season arrived in your town already? If it has, it’s the best time to get your oven hot and ready to make sweet and delicious peach pies. Trust me – there’s no better way to enjoy that fresh harvest.
As a double-crust pie, you’ll need enough dough to cover the top and bottom of this pie. You can do a gorgeous lattice pattern for the top, making your pie look as wonderful as it tastes.
Besides the crust and peaches, you’ll need granulated and brown sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and butter. Serve with vanilla ice cream!
10. Dutch Pear Pie
An underrated autumn pie is the Dutch pear pie. They’re not as popular as sweet potato or pumpkin, but they’re as delicious. This one features a beautiful braid encircling the pie and a streusel crumb topping.
To make the filling, you’ll need pears, sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, butter, lemon juice, and zest. For the topping, you’ll need flour, brown and granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, and butter.
You can use only one pie crust, but if you want a fancy braid crust, reserve enough dough for that. Serve your baked pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
11. Key Lime Pie
The best key lime pie recipe offers the whole experience of creamy, tart, and sweet. As this recipe provides all those, there’s no doubt it’s earned the title.
You only need three elements: graham cracker crust, key lime filling, and whipped cream topping. The crust can be store-bought but preferably go for homemade. All you’ll need is graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.
For the filling, the recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, key lime juice, and zest. Finally, the whipped topping consists of heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
12. Banana Cream Pie
Is it banana season already? Make the most of your fresh, sweet bananas by turning them into a creamy, delicious banana cream pie. Silky and dreamy, there’s no better way to indulge as a banana lover.
This banana cream pie has four components: crust, filling, whipped cream topping, and banana slices. Each is from scratch, even the pie crust, which needs flour, sugar, salt, butter, ice water, egg, and cream.
Meanwhile, the filling has eggs, yolks, salt, cornstarch, sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter. The whipped cream topping needs heavy whipping cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla.
13. Buttermilk Pie
This buttermilk pie stands out from most other recipes. It doesn’t involve fruity flavors and isn’t as popular as traditional-tasting pies. But it has a novel tangy taste and custard feel.
To achieve such a stand-out dish, you’ll need eggs, granulated sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, salt, and buttermilk. You must also prepare one pie crust for this single-crust treat.
On its own, the pie is excellent already, especially with coffee or tea! It’s tangy, sweet, and simply unique. But for a more elevated experience, add toppings such as whipped cream, blackberry syrup, and chopped pecans.
14. Dark Chocolate Pie
Of course, I must have something for the thousands of chocolate lovers. Nearly every dessert has a chocolate variation, and pies are no exception.
This single-crust dark chocolate pie is creamy heaven for chocoholics. It’s rich and silky, exuding intense bittersweet flavors. There’s nowhere to hide the cocoa flavors, making it a decadent dessert.
If you want one, you must have pie dough, sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, whole milk, butter, vanilla, and dark chocolate chips. Use the best dark chocolates, like Ghiradelli or Hershey’s, to get the most authentic flavors. Serve with whipped cream.
15. Pecan Pie
We’re ending our list with the best pecan pie you’ll ever taste. It has the distinct richness, nuttiness, and caramelized flavors that make this pie a classic.
This pecan pie loves appearing in Thanksgiving dinners like sweet potato, pear, and pumpkin. But you don’t need a holiday to make your favorite dessert, especially when the easiest and the best recipe is within grasp.
You’ll need a pie crust, chopped pecans, eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, molasses, unsalted butter, salt, and vanilla extract. Assemble your pie, starting with the crust, chopped pecans, and, finally, the caramel filling.
15 Sweet Pie Recipes
Prep or bake the sweetest dessert pies with these recipes!
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Pie
Homemade Apple Pie
Apple Slab Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Peanut Butter Pie
Homemade Cherry Pie
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Peach Pie
Dutch Pear Pie
Key Lime Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Buttermilk Pie
Dark Chocolate Pie
Pecan Pie
Directions
- Select your favorite recipe.
- Organize all the required ingredients.
- Prep a pie in 30 minutes or less!