Every State’s Most Iconic Pie You’ll Gladly Make Time For
America’s love affair with pie runs deeper than any other dessert tradition.
From coast to coast, each state has perfected its own signature slice that tells a delicious story about local ingredients, history, and culture.
Get ready to explore the most mouthwatering pies across all fifty states that’ll have you planning road trips just for dessert.
1. Pecan Pie (Alabama)
Alabama’s pecan pie brings Southern comfort to every table with its buttery, caramelized filling packed with locally grown pecans. The Heart of Dixie produces millions of pounds of pecans annually, making this dessert a natural state treasure.
Every bite delivers that perfect balance of crunchy nuts and sweet, gooey filling that’ll make your taste buds sing. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream melting on top!
2. Wild Berry Pie (Alaska)
Alaskan wild berry pie showcases nature’s bounty with a mix of blueberries, salmonberries, and crowberries foraged from the tundra. The Last Frontier’s short but intense growing season produces incredibly sweet and flavorful berries.
This pie tastes like summer adventure in every forkful. Local bakers guard their berry-picking spots like precious gold, and one taste explains why!
3. Prickly Pear Pie (Arizona)
Arizona’s prickly pear pie turns a spiky desert cactus fruit into a stunning magenta masterpiece. The fruit’s unique flavor sits somewhere between watermelon and bubblegum, creating an unforgettable taste experience.
Harvesting these fruits requires careful handling to avoid the tiny spines, but the sweet reward makes the effort worthwhile. This desert delicacy perfectly captures Arizona’s wild, beautiful spirit!
4. Possum Pie (Arkansas)
Don’t worry – no actual possums were harmed in making Arkansas’s famous possum pie! This layered beauty features cream cheese, chocolate pudding, and fluffy whipped cream atop a pecan crust.
The quirky name might raise eyebrows, but this dessert is pure decadence. It’s a staple at Arkansas potlucks and church socials, where it disappears faster than you can say “y’all want seconds?”
5. Lemon Meringue Pie (California)
California’s sunshine gets bottled into every slice of lemon meringue pie, featuring tart lemon curd crowned with sky-high meringue peaks. The Golden State’s abundant citrus groves provide the perfect lemons for this classic.
That first bite delivers a flavor explosion – tangy, sweet, and cloud-like all at once. The meringue should be toasted golden brown and never weep!
6. Palisade Peach Pie (Colorado)
Colorado’s Palisade peaches are legendary for their sweetness, and this pie showcases them at their absolute best. Grown in the Western Slope’s unique climate, these peaches develop flavors that’ll ruin you for all other peach pies.
The high-altitude sun and cool nights create fruit so juicy it practically melts in your mouth. August through September is peak season – mark your calendars!
7. Apple Crumb Pie (Connecticut)
Connecticut perfected the apple crumb pie with its thick, buttery streusel topping that provides the ideal contrast to tender cinnamon apples. New England orchards have been growing exceptional apples since colonial times.
The crumb topping is the star here – crunchy, sweet, and almost cookie-like in texture. Skip the bottom crust drama and pile on that glorious crumble instead!
8. Peach Pie (Delaware)
Delaware might be small, but its peach pie game is mighty! The First State has been growing peaches since colonial days, and locals take their peach pie seriously.
Summer peach season brings families to roadside stands for the freshest fruit possible. A simple double-crust preparation lets the sweet, juicy peaches shine without unnecessary fuss or fancy toppings.
9. Key Lime Pie (Florida)
Florida’s Key lime pie is the Sunshine State’s greatest culinary export, featuring tiny Key limes that pack serious tangy punch. Authentic versions use only Key limes, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks for that signature pale yellow color.
If your Key lime pie is bright green, run away – that’s food coloring fakery! The real deal is subtle, tart, and absolutely addictive.
10. Peach Pie (Georgia)
Georgia didn’t earn the nickname “Peach State” for nothing – their peach pie represents Southern baking at its finest. The state’s warm climate and red clay soil produce peaches so sweet and juicy they’re practically perfume.
Summer in Georgia means peach pie on every porch and at every gathering. Locals will argue passionately about lattice versus solid crust, but everyone agrees the peaches are unbeatable!
11. Haupia Pie – Coconut Cream (Hawaii)
Hawaii’s haupia pie transforms traditional coconut pudding into an irresistible cream pie that tastes like the islands themselves. This silky-smooth dessert often features a chocolate layer for extra indulgence.
Made from fresh coconut milk, it’s lighter and more delicate than mainland coconut cream pies. One bite transports you straight to a Hawaiian beach, mai tai optional but recommended!
12. Huckleberry Pie (Idaho)
Idaho’s huckleberry pie features tiny wild berries that grow in mountain forests and taste like a cross between blueberries and heaven. These elusive berries can’t be commercially cultivated, making them a precious wild treasure.
Foraging for huckleberries is an Idaho summer tradition that requires hiking into bear country. The effort pays off with the most intensely flavored berry pie you’ll ever taste!
13. Pumpkin Pie (Illinois)
Illinois claims pumpkin pie as its signature dessert, and Libby’s—the nation’s largest pumpkin pie filling producer – calls the state home. This spiced custard pie defines American autumn celebrations.
The Prairie State grows more pumpkins for processing than anywhere else in America. That perfect blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger makes pumpkin pie the undisputed king of Thanksgiving tables!
14. Sugar Cream Pie (Indiana)
Indiana’s sugar cream pie earned the nickname “Hoosier pie” and became the official state pie in 2009. This simple custard creation uses just cream, sugar, and butter – no eggs required!
Amish and Shaker communities perfected this recipe generations ago when fresh fruit wasn’t available. The caramelized sugar top creates a crackling crust that contrasts beautifully with the silky filling beneath.
15. Sour Cream Raisin Pie (Iowa)
Iowa’s sour cream raisin pie might sound unusual, but this Midwest classic has devoted fans who grew up with it at every potluck. The tangy sour cream perfectly balances the sweet raisins in an unexpected flavor combination.
Often topped with fluffy meringue, this pie represents practical farm cooking at its best. It’s comfort food that tastes like Grandma’s kitchen and Sunday dinners!
16. Custard Pie (Kansas)
Kansas keeps things simple with its beloved custard pie – a no-frills dessert that lets quality ingredients shine. This prairie staple uses farm-fresh eggs and milk to create a silky, vanilla-scented filling.
A dusting of nutmeg on top is traditional and adds warmth to every bite. Sometimes the best pies are the simplest ones, proving that Kansas knows what’s up!
17. Derby Pie – Chocolate Walnut (Kentucky)
Kentucky’s Derby Pie is actually a trademarked recipe, but chocolate walnut pies inspired by the original appear at Derby parties statewide. Rich, gooey, and often spiked with bourbon, this dessert is pure decadence.
The combination of chocolate chips and walnuts in a pecan pie-style filling creates an addictive texture. Perfect for celebrating the Kentucky Derby or any occasion requiring serious indulgence!
18. Sweet Potato Pie (Louisiana)
Louisiana’s sweet potato pie brings Creole flair to a Southern classic with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, and sometimes a splash of rum. This soul food staple appears at every Louisiana celebration worth attending.
Smoother and more velvety than pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie has deeper, earthier flavors. It’s the taste of Louisiana hospitality baked into every single slice!
19. Blueberry Pie (Maine)
Maine’s wild blueberry pie showcases the state’s famous tiny berries that pack way more flavor than their cultivated cousins. These berries grow naturally in Maine’s rocky soil, creating an intense, complex taste.
The wild blueberry season is short but glorious, and Mainers stock their freezers to enjoy these pies year-round. One bite explains why Maine produces 99% of America’s wild blueberries!
20. Smith Island Pie (Maryland)
Maryland’s Smith Island Pie is technically a cake, but we’re not splitting hairs here! This showstopper features 8-10 thin yellow cake layers with chocolate fudge frosting between each one.
Named after a remote Chesapeake Bay island, this dessert became Maryland’s official state dessert in 2008. The labor-intensive preparation creates a stunning striped effect that tastes as amazing as it looks!
21. Boston Cream Pie (Massachusetts)
Massachusetts’ Boston Cream Pie is another cake masquerading as pie, but who cares when it tastes this good? Created at Boston’s Parker House Hotel in 1856, this dessert features sponge cake, custard, and chocolate ganache.
It became the official state dessert in 1996, beating out other contenders. That combination of fluffy cake, creamy custard, and rich chocolate makes it absolutely irresistible!
22. Cherry Pie (Michigan)
Michigan produces 75% of America’s tart cherries, making cherry pie the obvious state champion. Traverse City’s Montmorency cherries create the perfect balance of sweet and tart that makes your mouth pucker happily.
The National Cherry Festival celebrates this ruby-red treasure every July. Fresh Michigan cherry pie tastes like summer sunshine baked into a flaky crust – accept no substitutions!
23. Bumbleberry Pie (Minnesota)
Minnesota’s bumbleberry pie combines multiple berries into one glorious medley – there’s no actual “bumbleberry” fruit! Each baker creates their own signature blend using whatever berries are fresh and available.
Common combinations include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. This “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to pie-making perfectly captures Minnesota’s practical, make-it-work attitude!
24. Mississippi Mud Pie (Mississippi)
Mississippi Mud Pie gets its name from the thick, gooey chocolate layers that resemble the muddy Mississippi River banks. This over-the-top dessert usually features an Oreo crust, chocolate pudding, and mountains of whipped cream.
Some versions add ice cream or brownie layers for extra decadence. It’s chocolate on chocolate on chocolate – subtle it ain’t, but delicious it definitely is!
25. Blackberry Pie (Missouri)
Missouri’s blackberry pie celebrates the wild berries that grow abundantly throughout the Ozarks. These thorny brambles produce intensely flavored berries that make spectacular pies with deep, complex sweetness.
Picking wild blackberries requires braving scratchy thorns and summer heat, but the pie payoff is worth every scratch. The best Missouri blackberry pies come from secret family picking spots!
26. Flathead Cherry Pie (Montana)
Montana’s Flathead Lake region produces spectacular sweet cherries that star in the state’s signature pie. These dark, plump cherries benefit from the lake’s unique microclimate and volcanic soil.
The short summer growing season concentrates incredible flavor into every cherry. Flathead cherry pie tastes like Montana’s Big Sky Country – bold, beautiful, and unforgettable!
27. Rhubarb Pie (Nebraska)
Nebraska’s rhubarb pie turns this tart vegetable into a springtime dessert tradition. Rhubarb thrives in Nebraska’s climate, producing thick stalks perfect for pie-making before summer fruits arrive.
The tangy filling requires plenty of sugar to balance rhubarb’s natural sourness. Some folks add strawberries, but purists insist straight rhubarb is the only way to go!
28. Pecan Pie (Nevada)
Nevada adopted pecan pie as its signature dessert, and Las Vegas restaurants serve up glamorous versions worthy of the Strip. While pecans don’t grow in the desert, Nevada’s chefs have perfected this Southern classic.
Casino buffets compete to create the most decadent pecan pies imaginable. What happens in Vegas might stay in Vegas, but the memory of that perfect pecan pie definitely comes home!
29. Maple Cream Pie (New Hampshire)
New Hampshire’s maple cream pie showcases the state’s famous maple syrup in a silky custard filling. Sugar shacks dot the landscape every spring, producing liquid gold that flavors this distinctive dessert.
Pure maple syrup gives this pie its unique caramel-like flavor that’s impossible to replicate with artificial substitutes. It’s autumn in New England captured in every creamy, maple-sweet bite!
30. Blueberry Pie (New Jersey)
New Jersey is the Garden State for good reason – it’s a top blueberry producer with perfect growing conditions. Jersey blueberries are plump, sweet, and make fantastic pies that celebrate summer.
The Pine Barrens region produces exceptional berries that have made New Jersey famous. Fresh blueberry pie from a Jersey farm stand is a summer experience you won’t forget!
31. Green Chile Apple Pie (New Mexico)
Only in New Mexico would someone think to add green chiles to apple pie – and it works brilliantly! The mild heat from roasted Hatch chiles complements the sweet apples in an unexpected flavor adventure.
This fusion dessert perfectly represents New Mexico’s unique culinary identity. Sweet, spicy, and totally original, it’ll change how you think about traditional apple pie forever!
32. New York Cheesecake Pie (New York)
New York’s famous cheesecake gets reimagined as pie, maintaining that signature dense, creamy texture that made the city famous for cheesecake. This version typically features a graham cracker crust instead of traditional springform preparation.
Rich, tangy, and absolutely indulgent, it captures New York’s bold personality in dessert form. One slice contains enough calories to fuel a subway commute!
33. Sweet Potato Pie (North Carolina)
North Carolina’s sweet potato pie represents true Southern soul food heritage. The state grows more sweet potatoes than anywhere else in America, so this dessert is practically mandatory at any gathering.
Tar Heel sweet potato pie often includes a hint of orange or lemon zest for brightness. It’s comfort food that tastes like home, no matter where you’re from!
34. Juneberry Pie (North Dakota)
North Dakota’s juneberry pie features serviceberries (also called Saskatoon berries) that grow wild across the prairies. These small, dark berries taste similar to blueberries with almond undertones.
Native Americans used juneberries for centuries before settlers arrived. The brief summer harvest makes this pie a special treat that celebrates North Dakota’s wild prairie heritage beautifully!
35. Shaker Lemon Pie (Ohio)
Ohio’s Shaker Lemon Pie uses the entire lemon – peel and all – sliced paper-thin and suspended in sweet custard. This historic recipe comes from Ohio’s Shaker communities who believed in using every bit of food.
The result is intensely lemony with pleasant bitterness from the peel. It’s unlike any other lemon pie you’ve tried, and absolutely worth seeking out!
36. Fried Pie (Oklahoma)
Oklahoma’s fried pies are hand-held half-moon pastries stuffed with fruit filling and deep-fried to golden perfection. These portable treats were originally made to use up leftover biscuit dough and preserved fruit.
You’ll find them at truck stops, diners, and roadside stands across the state. Peach, apple, and cherry are classics, but creative bakers experiment with everything imaginable!
37. Marionberry Pie (Oregon)
Oregon’s marionberry pie showcases a blackberry hybrid developed at Oregon State University that’s become the state’s signature berry. These large, juicy berries offer complex flavor – sweet, tart, and earthy all at once.
Marionberries only grow in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, making them a true regional treasure. Once you’ve tasted marionberry pie, regular blackberry pie seems boring by comparison!
38. Shoofly Pie (Pennsylvania)
Pennsylvania’s shoofly pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch classic featuring molasses filling topped with sweet crumbs. Legend says the name came from needing to shoo flies away from the sticky-sweet pie cooling on windowsills.
There are wet-bottom and dry-bottom versions, each with devoted fans. This old-fashioned treat tastes like Pennsylvania history baked with love and molasses!
39. Custard Pie (Rhode Island)
Rhode Island keeps dessert simple with classic custard pie – no fancy frills, just silky vanilla custard in a flaky crust. This Ocean State favorite appears at family gatherings and church suppers throughout the smallest state.
A sprinkle of nutmeg on top is traditional. Sometimes the simplest pies are the most satisfying, proving that Rhode Island knows good things come in small packages!
40. Coconut Cream Pie (South Carolina)
South Carolina’s coconut cream pie brings tropical vibes to the Lowcountry with billows of coconut-studded cream and toasted coconut flakes on top. This dreamy dessert appears at every beach vacation and family reunion.
The key is using real coconut and toasting it properly for maximum flavor. It’s like eating a cloud that tastes like paradise and Southern hospitality combined!
41. Peach Pie (South Dakota)
South Dakota may seem like an unlikely peach pie state, but this classic dessert is beloved throughout the Mount Rushmore State. While peaches aren’t locally grown, South Dakotans have perfected the art of peach pie-making.
Summer roadside stands sell fresh peaches that locals immediately turn into pies. It’s proof that great pie-making transcends geography when you’ve got passion and skill!
42. Chess Pie (Tennessee)
Tennessee’s chess pie is a Southern mystery – nobody knows where the name came from! This simple custard pie uses butter, sugar, eggs, and a splash of vinegar to create a unique sweet-tart flavor.
The filling develops a thin, crackly top that contrasts with the gooey center. Some say it’s called chess pie because it’s so sweet it’ll keep without refrigeration, like chess pieces!
43. Pecan Pie (Texas)
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including their claim on pecan pie! The Lone Star State is America’s top pecan producer, and Texans take their pecan pie very seriously.
Texas pecan pie features massive pecan halves and an extra-sweet filling that’s pure indulgence. Some versions add chocolate or bourbon, because why not go all out? This is Texas, after all!
44. Jell-O Pie (Utah)
Utah consumes more Jell-O per capita than any other state, so Jell-O pie naturally became a signature dessert. These colorful creations typically feature flavored gelatin mixed with whipped topping in a graham cracker crust.
Popular at potlucks and church gatherings, Jell-O pie is refreshing, easy, and unmistakably Utah. It’s retro, it’s fun, and it wobbles delightfully!
45. Maple Pecan Pie (Vermont)
Vermont combines two perfect ingredients – pecans and pure maple syrup – into one incredible pie. The Green Mountain State’s famous maple syrup replaces corn syrup for a more complex, sophisticated flavor.
This upgraded version of pecan pie tastes like autumn in Vermont with every bite. Real maple syrup makes all the difference – accept no substitutes or imitations here!
46. Peanut Pie (Virginia)
Virginia’s peanut pie showcases the state’s famous goobers in a dessert that’s similar to pecan pie but with distinctive peanut flavor. Virginia produces premium peanuts that make this pie extra special.
The combination of roasted peanuts and sweet filling creates addictive salty-sweet balance. It’s Southern comfort food that proves peanuts deserve pie respect just like pecans!
47. Apple Pie (Washington)
Washington State grows more apples than anywhere else in America, making apple pie the obvious signature dessert. Yakima Valley orchards produce incredibly crisp, flavorful apples perfect for pie-making.
Washington bakers have access to dozens of apple varieties, creating pies with complex flavor profiles. This is as American as it gets – apple pie perfected in the Pacific Northwest!
48. Black Walnut Pie (West Virginia)
West Virginia’s black walnut pie uses native nuts that grow wild throughout Appalachia. Black walnuts have a stronger, earthier flavor than English walnuts, creating a distinctive pie that’s definitely not for everyone.
Harvesting and shelling black walnuts is labor-intensive, making this pie extra special. If you love bold, complex flavors, black walnut pie will rock your world!
49. Door County Cherry Pie (Wisconsin)
Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula produces spectacular tart cherries that make legendary pies. This tourist destination is famous for cherry orchards, and cherry pie is practically the official regional food.
Every bakery, restaurant, and farm stand offers their version during cherry season. The combination of tart cherries and Lake Michigan breezes creates pie perfection you’ll drive hours to experience!
50. Cowboy Pie (Wyoming)
Wyoming’s cowboy pie is actually a savory dish – ground beef, beans, and vegetables topped with biscuit or cornbread crust. This hearty meal sustained ranch hands working long days in harsh Wyoming conditions.
While not a dessert pie, it’s Wyoming’s most iconic pie and represents the state’s ranching heritage perfectly. It’s comfort food that sticks to your ribs like Wyoming winters stick around!
