Costco Pumpkin Pie Review
A soggy pie with a fabulous crust.
I tried the Costco Pumpkin Pie for the first time. Yes, it’s a random Tuesday night and I’m eating a 3.625 pound pumpkin pie alone in my house. Hey, I’m single, and I do what I want!
Here are my thoughts on the pie:
I actually love the crust. I’m a little ashamed to admit how much I love it. I’m not supposed to like grocery store crusts this much. But. I do love it. It’s got a great balance of crisp and soft and slightly crumbly, with a subtle sweetness. It holds together well while serving, but isn’t soggy on the bottom. Nice. Most mass-produced crusts taste slightly burnt to me, so I was impressed that the Costco version doesn’t. It’s sort of like a cookie without much sugar. I usually cut off my grocery store pie crusts and throw them away, but I absolutely ate every crumb of this one.
My friend’s-shirtless-husband gives the crust his stamp of approval, too. He cannot believe how “light and tasty” it is. Costco has impressed The Shirtless Man. Good job, Costco!
The pumpkin filling has a pleasant spice taste, but not very strong, and mainly cinnamon. The flavor is a tad more one-dimensional than other pumpkin pies. I would describe this filling as “fluffy” and “watery.” In fact, I was confused by HOW watery it is, until I saw that “water” is one of the first three ingredients, ahead of eggs! Yikes! Maybe this is how they sell such a heavy pie for $6 — water weight. I ate it, but I cried a little inside. I wanted more creaminess and fat and density. I see that “non-fat milk” is the only milk used. Sadness. The filling reminded me of diet food, except it was also quite sweet. If you like sweet pie, you’ll probably enjoy this! I still liked it, but I had to pretend it was a fluffy pumpkin pudding so my brain would accept it.
I opened up the pie box a day after purchasing my pie, and the top of the pie was a moat of water! A little wading pool on top of my pie. A pie pond. So. Much. Water. I had to pour it off before serving. Soggy, soggy pie!
I know this is a weird thing to say, but Costco’s pumpkin pie tastes better a week later. The excess water pooled and evaporated, so the filling is denser and less watery afterwards. The crust is still soft and good. Definitely a pie with a long shelf-life. If I buy this again, I’ll get it a few days early and let it dry out before serving.
I love the plastic boxes the Costco pies come in. I wash them and save them, because I’m a weirdo and they are too nice to throw away. They’re fairly durable plastic, a pretty shape, seal tightly, and are worthy of reuse. I have decreed it.
Ingredients in Costco Kirkland Pumpkin Pie
The ingredients are mostly straightforward and not too scary: pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs, flour, shortening, non-fat milk, spices, and a little sprinkling of random junk. Here’s the full list:
- Pumpkin
- Sugar
- Water
- Eggs
- Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Shortening (soybean oil, mono- and diglycerides, TBHQ, citric acid)
- Non-fat milk
- 2% or less of: Spices, Corn syrup solids, Modified corn starch, Salt, Canola and/or Soybean oil, Dextrose
Servings and Size of Kirkland Bakery Pumpkin Pie
The pie is 3 pounds, 10 ounces on the label, but it was closer to a hefty 4 pounds when I weighed it on my kitchen scale. It costs a paltry $5.99, which is an outstanding value. It should serve at least 12 people. Possibly more. That’s $0.50 per serving. My friends say this pie freezes well, although I haven’t tried it myself. This is a “Kirkland Signature” (store brand) product, and the Costco item # is 60809.
More Reviews of Costco Desserts You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other reviews of Costco bakery desserts I’ve recently written:
- Costco Plain Cheesecake
- Costco Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
- Costco Strawberries & Cream Bar Cake
- Costco Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
Author’s note: I was not paid or compensated to review this pie, and I have no affiliation with Costco.
