Community Blog

Thanksgiving: A time of love and joy, food and family, laughter and debates.

Every November, Americans gather to give thanks, overeat, and pretend we’re not silently judging each other’s pie choices. Somewhere, a pilgrim and a historical re-enactor is watching you slice store-bought pumpkin and whispering, “Really? That’s the hill you die on?”

So instead of relying on Aunt Vivs “vibes,” we’re going to roll up our sleeves, get into the nitty gritty and start a fight about dessert.

The Official Pie Power Rankings (Backed by Data, Not Feelings)

Multiple sources looking at actual pie behavior, not just opinions, agree on the same basic top tier:

Using Instacart’s nationwide order data, pumpkin pie is the undisputed Thanksgiving champion, followed by Apple Pie and Pecan Pie rounding out the top 3.

A YouGov poll, of nearly 10,000 Americans, found pumpkin as the favorite Thanksgiving pie (29% of respondents), with apple at 20%, and pecan at 14%, with sweet potato and chocolate tied at 10%.

So, like it or not, here’s the data-backed ranking:

1. Pumpkin Pie – The reigning monarch. Even if I and half the table is “meh” on pumpkin pie, It’s still treated like a required ritual. It’s basically the national anthem in pie form.
2. Apple Pie (Cranberry Apple ie. Crapple) – The Year-round king and Thanksgiving runner-up. Apple Pie is the definition of first is the worst, second is the best. It’s Cozy, comforting and simple— in a never going to disappoint, water to quench your thirst type of way.
3. Pecan Pie – Sticky, rich, syrupy and according to us, legally classified as a weapon of blood sugar destruction. Pecan Pie, is a glucose javelin piercing through your bloodstream. Is it worth it? For those who can’t get enough Pecan Pie (Personally I like saying it, not eating it), especially those in the South, “just one more sliver” is taken very seriously.
4. Sweet Potato Pie – This the pie that should challenge Pumpkin for the top spot. Made well, it’s soul of the table. Quietly elite, criminally under-ordered, and only really surging around Thanksgiving.
5. Cherry Pie – Tart, dramatic, and slightly chaotic. It’s basically the cousin who shows up mid-meal and that’s when the party really starts.

Hot Takes: The Opinions Your Group Chat Isn’t Ready For:

Now that we’ve done the responsible “data backed” thing, let’s throw some oil on the fire.

1. Pumpkin Pie Is Overrated…Yes It Is.
Do I personally think pumpkin pie is a little monotone and not even worth three bites? Yes. Am I going to argue against a 2,000% spike in pumpkin pie orders the day before Thanksgiving? Yes, because those numbers are only because people feel obligated to buy Pumpkin Pie, not because they enjoy its bland taste.

2. Apple Pie Is a Better Pie, Just Not a Better Thanksgiving Pie
If we’re talking all-season, apple clears any pie, especially Pumpkin. It has so many more variations and customizations too like Apple Crumble, Cranberry Apple, and Strawberry Apple. But on Thanksgiving, apple is the co-star who knows it should be main character and just waits until it hits your palette to really show it’s true colors.

3. Mac & Cheese Absolutely Belongs on the Thanksgiving Table
This isn’t a side dish, it’s emotional support in casserole form. Anyone who says it “isn’t traditional” should have to eat dry turkey, no stuffing, no cranberry sauce, and with no complaints.

4. Canned Cranberry Sauce > Fancy Homemade
Sliceable cranberry from the can, with the ridges still on, tastes like childhood, nostalgia, and processed perfection. It is tacky yet sacred.

5. Pie > Cake on Thanksgiving, 100–0
I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them. Cake at Thanksgiving feels like you lost the plot halfway through the movie.

6. TURKEY IS MID. Sides are the Real Headliners.
We’re all out here pretending the turkey is the star, but watch what happens when someone says, “We’re out of pie.” Or, “There’s no more stuffing?!?!” That panic? That’s the truth. Turkey is only really good with an incredible sauce, great sides, and a lot of juice for every bite. Otherwise, it’s dry and boring and excuse me, I’m going for a third helping of Apple Pie.

Present Your Objections to the Court of Dessert

If you’ve read this far and are now composing an emotionally charged paragraph defending key lime at Thanksgiving: good. That’s the point.

The data gives us the starting point: pumpkin on top, apple and pecan close behind, sweet potato and cherry in the mix.
But your memories, your family drama, your “grandma’s secret recipe that is absolutely just the back of a Libby’s can”, that’s what gives Thanksgiving dessert its soul.

So go ahead:

• Crown your own Pie Champion.

• Start a thanksgiving poll at your meal.

• Stage a “Pumpkin vs. Apple” potluck showdown.

And if you disagree with every ranking and every take here?

Step up to the mic and bring your evidence. Just know: I will absolutely die on the “Apple Pie is the highlight” hill with zero regret.