It’s becoming an annual ‘thing’ here at the Fab Food Blog… Instacart’s yearly tally of America’s Favou-rite Pies! The list for 2024 just came out… And there were a few surprise changes in rankings, if not in the overall roster…
It’s always fun to post the results of surveys like this one. Because everyone everywhere has their favourite, whatever-it-is, and is curious about what the rest of the country is saying…
Major changes not expected
But when it comes to something like dessert pies, we never expect any major changes in the ranking year to year. Let the 2024 results be a lesson to us all!
Curious surge…
The most notable result in the stats, as reflected in the number of pies ordered through Instacart last year, is a massive surge in the demand for Apple pie:
- Apple Pie, 29 percent
- Pumpkin Pie, 23 percent
- Pecan Pie, 9 percent
- Cherry Pie, 8 percent
- Lemon Meringue Pie, 6 percent
- Blueberry Pie, 5 percent
- Chocolate Pie, 4 percent
- Key Lime Pie, 4%
- Miscellaneous Pies, percent
- Peach Pie, 2 percent
Without last year’s list right beside it for comparison, you might well have missed the surprise… But Instacart’s syrvey team noted it right away: Pumpkin pie shot up to second place. In fact, while most folks traditionally choose Pumpkin pie for US Thanksgiving, demand increased by an amazing 1,059 percent on Thanksgiving Day this past year, compared to the national average. And Pumpkin accounted for a solid 23 percent of overall pie 2024 demand.
Consumer preference experts agree that Apple pie will likely never be eclipsed as the country’s top overall pie choice, period. Unless apples become extinct, or something equally unlikely comes to pass. Again this past year, almost 1 in every three pies ordered via Instacart was Apple – a healthy 29 percent.
Regional differences prevail
“Our Pie Report further highlights how deeply this rich, sweet dessert resonates with Southern food culture,” Instacart’s Trends Analyst Alex Orellana told Food & Wine. “In the Midwest, cherry pie stands out, likely a nod to the region’s deep-rooted connection to cherry farming. Meanwhile, pumpkin pie has earned year-round love in the Southwest, offering comfort far beyond its traditional fall season.”
Small micro-regional preference pockets also showed up, based on ‘signature’ fruits grown in them… For example, West Virginians often order Cherry pie. Seattle and Portland Instacart customers favour-ed the regional Marionberry. Understandably, Sweet Potato pie was most prominent in Southern and Midwestern cities, though just barely made it onto the Top 10 list, in last place.
My take
Most interesting to me was how ‘old habits die hardest’! As clearly indicated by the map above, the oldest parts of America were among those most staunchly sticking to making their own pies. Folks might not have ordered more or fewer pre-made pies than others… But there’s a definite demarca-tion between the earliest-founded US states and the youngest, as map colours shift from east to west!
I suspect pie preference experts could go on all day about WHY this phemonenon occurrs. But one thing is for sure: Overall preferences are likely to change. Don’t expect to hear anybody to saying something is ‘as American as Marionberry pie’ anytime soon!
~ Maggie J.