I Tried 5 Fast-Food Apple Pies and the Winner Was Surprisingly Delicious

Apple pie is a classic American dessert for a reason: It's warm and cozy, with a delicate blend of sweet fruit and a crunchy, buttery crust . And while nothing beats a homemade apple pie , sometimes you're craving something similar when you're on the go. 

And that's where fast-food apple pies come in. The drive-thru desserts are a way to have the fruity treat in a format that you can nosh on in your car. 

As the daughter of a home economics teacher, I'm admittedly choosy about my apple pies. We were always served homemade pies growing up, and I didn't even know there were fast food versions of the dessert until I was an adult. 

If I'm being honest here, I've always been a little judgy of fast-food apple pies. How could something that's associated so closely with down-home, all-American cooking be served in a paper sleeve?

But after taste-testing the top fast food options in an effort to find the best fast-food apple pie, I have to confess that I was wrong. While not all of the options I tried were stellar, some were surprisingly delicious. Here's what I discovered after eating my way through five of the most popular versions of this sweet and speedy dessert.

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What To Look for When Ordering Fast-Food Apple Pies

Plenty of fast food chains claim to offer up "apple pie," but some stray pretty far from the standard recipe. When you're on the hunt for a fast-food apple pie, you want to look for options that contain all the important elements. Look for a light, flaky crust, with a gooey (but not overly gooey) filling. Some fast food apple pies don't have actual apple inside—that's a deal-breaker in my book. These should have actual apple chunks inside, and they should be well-distributed throughout the pie. 

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How I Tested These Fast-Food Apple Pies

To test the best fast food apple pies, I did a deep dive into social media, looking into the claims from fans about which pies were the best. I noticed a few names repeatedly came up, so I focused on those five chains: McDonald's, Popeyes, Arby's, Hardee's and 7-Eleven. 

Each pie was evaluated on key factors like presentation, flavor, sweetness, apple content, crust and filling. And because these are supposed to be a variation on apple pie, desserts that mimicked the real thing earned extra points. I took careful notes while tasting and re-tasting these treats to make sure I delivered the most accurate take on what these fast-food apple pies are like in real life. 

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5 Fast-Food Apple Pies, Ranked Worst To Best

There's a surprisingly wide range of fast-food apple pies to choose from, and each has its own standout features. Overall, I was impressed by how good all of these tasted. If you're craving an apple pie on the go, you can't go wrong with any of these options. Still, some are clearly better than others—and the No.1 choice is clearly superior to the rest. Here's what I discovered.

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5.  7-Eleven Apple Snack Pie

It's important to point this out: 7-Eleven's Apple Snack Pie isn't terrible, but when you compare it to the competition, it clearly falls to the bottom. For starters, this pie requires some effort on your end. You can find it in the refrigerator section of your local 7-Eleven, and you have to warm it up yourself. So, if you're craving something warm right out of the package, you're just going to have to wait. 

The outside crust is delicious, but it has more of donut vibe than proper pie crust. It's slightly crunchy, but not really, and there's no flakiness. I had beef with the filling. It's overly gooey and gel-like, which makes it taste fake. It was also incredibly sweet and just wasn't as good as the others. Sure, if you're at a 7-Eleven and happen to be craving apple pie and want to take something home and warm it up, it's worth trying. But I think you can do better.

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4. Arby's Apple Turnover

To be fair, Arby's calls this a turnover, not a pie—they're not trying to fool anyone with this format. But it still can't compete with the higher-ranked apple pies on this list. First, the good stuff: This turnover has a nice, flaky crust that's impressive for something that was probably heated up in a microwave. But it feels more like something you'd pick up at a random coffee shop vs. an actual pie. It's giving toaster strudel.

The dessert has icing on top that delivers a lot of sweetness. That felt a little overwhelming and even unneeded. There also wasn't much apple inside this at all, or even filling. My turnover had maybe three apple chunks (if I'm being generous) and only a smattering of filling. While the apple pie flavor is there, something just doesn't quite feel right with this one. 

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3. Hardee's Apple Turnover

Hardee's also calls its apple pie a turnover, but it has more of a pie vibe. The crust is crunchy and even a little bubbly, creating a really impressive texture with each bite. It felt light and even a little flaky, perfectly supporting the filling inside.

Speaking of the filling, Hardee's puts plenty of large apple chunks in this pie, making it feel like the real deal. The filling was gooey, but didn't overpower the apple chunks, creating a nice blend. I appreciated that the overall taste wasn't too sweet. In fact, I'd say it was perfectly balanced. The only thing keeping this out of the top two is the fact that there wasn't a huge amount of filling in my pie. While it still worked, I couldn't help but feel like it would be even better with more. 

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2. Popeyes Hot Cinnamon Apple Pie

This apple pie is really good, and I would eat it again in a heartbeat. The crust is an all-star. It has a light cinnamon-sugar dusting that creates a memorable flavor without being overly sweet. I'm not sure how, but that cinnamon-sugar dusting also doesn't get all over your hands while you eat. The crust itself is crisp and crunchy, with a flavor that tastes homemade.

I noticed right away that Popeyes' pie was packed with filling, which provided a consistent apple flavor. It had significantly more filling than lower-ranked brands, but it didn't seep out and create a mess. The apple chunks were also large and perfectly cooked, giving you plenty of texture with each bite. There's only one thing separating Popeyes' apple pie from my top choice: presentation.

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1. McDonald's Baked Apple Pie

McDonald's Baked Apple Pie has been on the menu since the early 1990s. (Before that, the chain served up a fried pie.) This fast-food dessert icon is surprisingly good, from its appearance to its taste. While most other fast food apple pies have a turnover or pocket design, McDonald's pie has a stamped-out crust that's meant to mimic a lattice-top pie. The crust is crunchy and flaky, and there's not too much of it thanks to that lattice design.

Inside, this pie is packed with apples, including actual apple slices. It still has a nice goo surrounding the fruit, but it's hard to miss those delicious chunks of fruit. There's a slight cinnamon sugar dusting on top, and the overall flavor is sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Because there are so many apples inside, this pie gives you an excellent filling-to-crust ratio with every bite. 

If you want to pick up an apple pie on the go, any of these options will work in a pinch. But if you want something really satisfying, swing by McDonald's. You won't be disappointed.

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This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.