Publix Mini Mango Key Lime Pie Review
Does this pie taste like soap?
I know what I am doing. I know by writing anything derogatory about this mango key lime pie, I risk being chased across the internet by hoards of angry Publix fans, waving their virtual pitchforks and torches. I am a brave person (or perhaps simply foolish), so I am writing this review anyway. At least my mother will still love me. Maybe.
My friends and family love Publix, and any mention of “key lime pie” is met with squeals of “Publix makes the BEST key lime pie!” It is known. Until now, I had not tried the mango version of this pie, nor had I experienced the “mini pie.” Here’s my take:
I love the concept of a mini pie. This one is approximately 5.5 inches in diameter, and weighs just shy of a pound on my kitchen scale (the package says 12 ounces, but packages lie, you know). This pie is the perfect size for a lonely single person, such as myself. Ahem.
You can cut it into four stubby, fat wedges — for a legit dessert serving — or you can cut a bunch of teensy, thin slivers, for party-sized grazing. I think the itty-bitty slices are perfect for a tea party with finger foods.
Visually, the pie is glorious. Mine had an elegant ring of whipped topping around the edge, crusted with slivers of toasted almonds. The center features a chonk of fresh mango, nestled in a cushion of more whipped topping. The way the pie sides are angled, you can’t tell that it is sitting in a dinky little disposable aluminum pan — all you see is PIE. It’s easy to lift out of the plastic pie box and display before serving. This is a pie I want to look at.
I am not a fan of the fake whipped topping. It tastes like — fake whipped topping —what else do I need to say? If you like this, you like it, and God help you. If you don’t like it, then your taste buds are working as they should. The nicest things I can say are that the whipped topping isn’t overly sweet, and it’s “creamy” (in a disgusting fake way), and it holds its shape extremely well, even after days of storage. Your pie will still look great, even if it tastes like frothy plastic sadness and despair.
I personally enjoyed the “mango key lime” filling. I thought the texture was a little bit “sticky,” but otherwise, I loved the flavor. It’s tart, but has a mango-mellowness at the same time. The mouth-feel is creamy and smooth, but concentrated and bursting with zingy fruit flavor. This is a VERY sweet dessert, so a tiny dollhouse-size sliver is all my pancreas can handle.
Not everyone likes this flavor. My friend’s-shirtless-husband (who has chosen to remain anonymous for his own safety) spit it out and said it tasted like soap. If soap tasted like this, I would be eating a lot of soap. I would eat ALL the soap. I would wash my mouth and intestines with soap. Facts.
The crust is firm for a graham crust, and it doesn’t fall apart when you serve the pie slices, which I appreciated. It’s not a sweet crust — it’s a trifle bland — but that is appropriate for the explosion of flavor and sweetness that the filling delivers. I’ve never heard anyone rave about Publix pie crusts, and I don’t expect that to change.
The ingredients disappointed me, mainly because there is Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 artificial colors, as well as corn syrup AND high fructose corn syrup. And hydrogenated vegetable oil. And preservatives. All of that seems unnecessary. This pie would be so much better without it.
Will I still eat it? You bet.
Ingredients and Price
Here is the label with the ingredients.
My pie cost $5.49, but it was on sale. The regular price is $5.99. If you get four adult-sized servings from this pie, that works out to $1.50 per serving, which is a decent value.
Bonus Super-Geeky, Slightly Suss Info
I noticed a blue-ribbon sticker on the front of my pie box, which states this pie was a winner in the 2023 National Pie Championships. I was impressed. Naturally, I googled “American Pie Council” to learn more. According to the APC website, 365 pies were entered in the 2023 competition, and 117 blue ribbons were awarded. So, roughly a third of the pies entered received a blue ribbon, which I assume is the highest award. Those are excellent odds. I dug a little deeper, and apparently the price for APC Commercial Membership for a “Business with pie sales over $15 million per year” is $2500.00. I wasn’t able to confirm from the website if there was an additional cost to enter a pie in the competition (I couldn’t access that area without a log-in). The APC website states:
- APC is the only non-profit international association for pie. Members use the name and logo, raising product image and broadening pie promotion opportunities.
- The APC public relations efforts promote pies and can help increase pie sales. Editorial copy has the advantage of being more believable and memorable than advertising.
Publix won in the “Mango Key Lime” category, according to the sticker on the package. Honestly, I haven’t seen that many Mango Key Lime pies produced by commercial bakeries, so it’s difficult to gauge how competitive this award really was. Did Publix beat out two other commercial Mango Key Lime Pies, or was theirs was the only entry? Here’s a full list of the winners, from the APC website.
I think Publix made a great pie, either way, but honestly I would have been more impressed if they’d left the sticker off the box, now that I know more about the APC competition.
Ok, put the pitchforks down, please. Slowly. And go eat some pie.
