Marie Callender’s vs. Sara Lee: Which Brand Offers the Best Frozen Pies?

Claire Saffitz might be a “Dessert Person,” but I am a pie person. There is something homey, yet whimsical, about putting your favorite fillings into a pie crust and sitting by the oven just watching it bubble and bake, hopeful that you will catch it at that exact moment where it’s perfectly golden-brown and ready to be pulled out of the oven. There is some level of craftsmanship that goes into pie making, and I find that it’s something passed down from generation to generation — or at least it was in my family.

What happens when you don’t feel confident in your ability to make a pie crust or flavorful filling, or you simply don’t have the time to do so? In that case, you’d turn to the freezer aisle at the grocery store and marvel at all of the options before you. There are two brands that dominate the frozen pie arena — Sara Lee and Marie Callender’s — and I wanted to see which one of them makes better-tasting and more authentic pies.

To do this, I baked and sampled a range of pies from both brands. I stuck with classic Dutch apple pies for both, as well as a berry-flavored version and a “wild card,” non-baked pie. I prepared each according to the package directions and resisted the temptation to eat them with any ice cream or whipped cream. Finally, I compared them and decided which brand was more preferable. 

Sara Lee may be a company that you associate more with bread than you do baked goods. Though, it has a pretty extensive lineup of dessert product primed for any occasion. Not only do you have pound cakes, which I tried for in my ranking of frozen store-bought cakes, but it also sells cheesecakes, classic fruit pies, seasonal pies, and coffee cakes. 

My local Walmart and Stop & Shop, where I picked up all of the frozen pies for this taste test, did not have as large of a selection of Sara Lee frozen desserts as it did options from Marie Callender’s. Though, Sara Lee is available nationwide and can likely be found in a store near you. Its prices are about the same as Marie Callender’s, which is why I did not consider prices for this ranking. 

The instructions for these pies vary based on which one you select, but as a whole, they’re relatively straightforward. For the frozen Dutch apple pie, all I had to do was slide it in to the oven on a baking sheet for about an hour, whereas the blueberry pie had to be vented with a sharp knife before baking for about the same time. Sara Lee’s no-bake strawberry cheesecake needed to be defrosted; I opted to do it overnight in the fridge rather than on the countertop. The preparation steps are easy to follow and just what I wanted from a frozen pie: short and simple. 

Marie Callender’s is one of the most common brands in the frozen food aisle. Its lineup of frozen food options which range from pot pie to meatloaf dinners, can satisfy a craving for home-cooked fare in a microwave, no less. I was very impressed to see how many Marie Callender’s desserts lined the freezers of my local Walmart too; its selection featured everything from towering banana cream and lemon meringue to Southern pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and even no-sugar-added fruit pies. 

I found it odd that Marie Callender’s didn’t offer a blueberry pie (but it did offer a confetti birthday cake cream pie, go figure), so I got its Razzleberry pie instead. I also picked up a Dutch apple to match the Sara Lee offering and a unique chocolate satin pie as my wild card. The fruit pies called for very similar instructions to the Sara Lee pies: bake them at for about an hour in the oven and let them set for a few more hours on the countertop. The chocolate satin pie could just be defrosted in the fridge until I was ready to eat it. 

Like Sara Lee, Marie Callender’s pies and desserts are available nationwide. They were about the same price as Sara Lee and about the same size, too. I knew it was really going to be up to the taste and texture of the pies to decide which brand would come out on top. 

Out of all the desserts I prepared for this review, this one was the most laborious. The crumb topping came separately; I baked the pie for about 60 minutes before sprinkling on the crumb topping again and baking it until golden brown. Compared to other frozen foods I’ve made, this is far from difficult or tiresome. It was still one more added step that Sara Lee didn’t require for its Dutch apple pie.

This pie was the most visually appealing out of all of the ones that I sampled. It had a beautiful golden brown crumb topping and the edges of the pie were well-baked. When I went to cut it, I quickly realized that there was an issue: The crumb topping did not fuse to the pie.

I then sampled the pie and found the bottom crust to be quite delicate, though it was baked through. The apples, however, left something to be desired. They were hard and slightly crunchy, which is something that I’ve become all too familiar with when it comes to grocery store apple pies. 

The diversity of textures in this pie was a high point, but there was slightly too much crumble added to the top of the pie, since I lost the bottom crust when I took a bite. The hard apples were also not texturally appealing and ruined the bite for me. While I appreciate that it’s not cloyingly sweet and overwhelming, I wouldn’t serve it at a dinner party. 

This Sara Lee Dutch apple pie came out of the package looking a little worse for wear. The instructions on the box explained how I had to move around the crumb topping with a fork prior to baking, which was difficult, considering that the crumb topping was frozen. There was one massive piece of streusel and the rest seemed very powdery and flour-like. 

After baking, I expressed the exact same sentiment about this pie. The pie sunk into itself as it cooled, and the crumb topping didn’t have anywhere close to the same buttery sheen as Marie Callender’s did. Structurally, Sara Lee did have the upper hand. When I sliced into the crust, I immediately noticed that it offered an audible crunch, which suggests that both the neatly pleated edge and the bottom were completely cooked. This slice came out perfectly from the tin with very little mess, and I appreciated how the crumb topping baked into the apples, rather than just falling off.

The apple filling was a complete miss. Whereas Marie Callender’s pie had too many large apple pieces, this one was like apple butter that had been cooked for an hour too long on the stovetop. It was goopy and gel-like, with very few actual chunks of whole apples in it. When I did come across the occasional apple piece, I noticed how it just turned to mush when it hit my molars. It’s very clear that it’s a frozen pie, rather than a homemade one. 

What the heck is Razzleberry? Better question: Do I really want to know?

I selected this Marie Callender’s pie because it was the most blueberry-adjacent. It’s supposed to be made with raspberries and blackberries, which, in theory, would test the brand’s ability to keep moisture levels in check. It did — to some extent. There was a little bit of leakage on the top of the pie crust, though the bottom was relatively clean and easy to slice through. I will give credit where credit is due; this pie is very flaky. It broke apart into little shards when I stuck my knife in, and it gave me high hopes for a signature buttery flavor. 

However, the only flavor that I got from the crust was of cheap shortening. It lacked the buttery flavor of a proper flaky pie crust. It was baked more thoroughly than Sara Lee’s blueberry pie though, and it didn’t have the same doughy aftertaste. The pie filling itself had more texture than Sara Lee’s, though there was still that pie thickener-like sensation that made it feel goopy and gelatinous. 

The most enjoyable thing about this pie was the chunks of fruit that were interspersed in the filling. They were plump, juicy, and boasted great flavor. Overall, this is a solid pie that I could foresee folks serving out at a party or a special event, though I would still venture to guess that you could make a far better pie crust yourself. 

Sara Lee really has got to get its act together. I knew I was going to have a problem with this pie when I turned on the oven light as it was baking and immediately noticed that there was an unsightly crack stretching down the middle. I’m used to having pumpkin pies crack on me all the time; it usually occurs when the pie is baked at too hot of a temperature and the eggs in the custard seize up. In a double-crusted blueberry pie, however? The split may have been the result of a weak or a dry pie crust.

Like the Dutch apple pie, Sara Lee’s blueberry pie cut with ease. There was no issue with moisture or slicing, and the bottom crust was perfectly firm and easy to cut through and serve. But, as its color suggests, the crust itself tastes doughy. I made sure that I baked it to the proper internal temperature, but that didn’t make the crust taste any more done. There also wasn’t much by way of butteryness, which may have helped out the sweet blueberry filling. 

There was nothing memorable about that blueberry filling either. There was no acid or brightness to it, and it had the texture of congealed blueberry jelly rather than a fresh blueberry pie filling. I’m starting to see that Sara Lee likes using a ton of pie thickeners in its recipe because both of its pies gave off Instant ClearJel vibes.

Sara Lee’s cheesecake, we meet again. I tried its classic version in the frozen cheesecake face-off, where it paled compared to several other major brands. Maybe today was its shot at redemption. 

“Maybe” was the operative word, because this cheesecake wasn’t good at all. In fact, I thought it was far worse than the original version. It’s sold frozen, and I thawed it in the fridge overnight before tasting it. When I opened the package, I was shocked to see that the fruit sauce wasn’t well distributed at all on the top. While this oversight may have ruined the look of the pie, I think it still would have tasted the same if the sauce was more thoughtfully placed. 

Those clots of strawberry on top of the gelatinous strawberry sauce, however, ruined the texture. It wasn’t fresh at all, and like Sara Lee’s other pies, it was definitely made with some sort of gelling agent. When I bit into the slice, I noticed that the graham cracker base of the cake did not stay intact. This made for a very messy slice.

The cheesecake filling here was also not very good. It was overshadowed by the congealed syrup on top, which distracted me from the creaminess of the cheesecake and its slightly tangy flavor profile. Honestly, when I bit into this cake, all I could taste was the “strawberry” — not the “cheesecake” part of the equation — which is deeply problematic. 

On looks alone, Marie Callender’s chocolate satin pie takes the cake — literally and figuratively. Its chocolate cookie crust supports a creamy, chocolate mousse-like filling, whipped cream, and mini chocolate chips. It’s visually compelling, and its high-quality flavor makes you forget about the fact that half the chocolate chips got sloshed to one side of the pie. 

Each slice was cut very cleanly, and the layers were well-constructed. While the base was a little wet, seeing as how this pie had to thaw in my fridge overnight, there was enough other stuff going on to help distract from it. The chocolate mousse filling was quite rich and flavorful, and it offered a silky, smooth consistency and the perfect foil to the fluffy and light whipped cream on top. I will say that the whipped cream topping itself tasted like cheap Cool Whip, but it still did the job. 

The presentation of this pie was also bakery-level quality, which I can appreciate. It was the only pie in this ranking that came with a plastic cover, which made it seem that it was more expensive than what I actually paid for it. This pie is certainly less traditional and less sweet than many of the other pies I sampled for this ranking and over my years as a baker. This is one unconventional pie that unequivocally deserves a spot on your dessert table. 

Sara Lee and Marie Callender’s both put up a valiant, sugar-filled effort in this competition. However, only one victor could emerge. Sara Lee’s pies faced numerous faults, including overly gelatinous fillings, a splitting crust, and an uninspiring twist on classic cheesecake. Marie Callender’s wasn’t perfect either, as its pies weren’t always the best constructed and didn’t have homemade-quality pie crust. I would still take them over Sara Lee’s pies any day. 

My favorite pie in this ranking was unequivocally Marie Callender’s chocolate satin pie, though I would venture to say that the two brands were quite close as I went into the final pie tasting of the day. I was won over by this pie’s uniqueness, as well as its balance of richness and sweetness. The pie itself was stunning and looked like it came out of a bake shop, and I suppose that’s what people are looking for when it comes to a frozen pie. Sure, you can make a better one yourself, but as long as it’s dessert-y, well-constructed, and saves you time, you can overlook some of its minute faults — which is what I did with Marie Callender’s.