Mired in a category steeped in tradition, pie and other dessert producers are seeking ways to become adventuresome while capturing consumers yearning for nostalgic foods.

“More recently, pie companies have also brought exciting new flavors to market, meeting consumer demand for flavor exploration,” said Ryan Morris, senior brand manager, foodservice pies, muffins and pastries, Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. “For example, we recently introduced a lineup of globally inspired pies, including a Sweet Ricotta & Chocolate Chip Pie inspired by Italian cannoli, a Dulce de Leche Pie and a Tropical Strawberry & Mango Pie.”

Likewise, Rise Baking Company has reimagined some familiar flavors with a modern twist, noted Michael Docherty, senior vice president of marketing, strategy and project management office, for the Minneapolis-based business.

“Whether it’s combining two favorites into one with our Chocolate Buttermilk Pie or turning a classic dessert into a pie as we did with our Chocolate Éclair Snack Pie, we provide a fresh take on traditional flavors while keeping that comforting taste consumers know and love,” he explained.

Overall, pies generally over-index with baby boomers and retirees and under-index with millennials, said Melissa Altobelli, senior vice president, client insights, dairy and bakery vertical, Circana. She advised bakers to “age down with consumers” by relying on innovation to win over younger generations of shoppers.

“There’s a ton of opportunity for innovation and the opportunity to capture new eating occasions to help out whole pie performance going forward,” she added.

That’s because most consumers are interested in unique flavor experiences and formats.

“From a flavor perspective, there is little innovation in pies,” Altobelli said. “Tried and true flavors dominate pies.”

The top-selling flavors differ, depending on what type of pie and where it is sold in retail stores. Circana has found the most popular flavors in snack pies include apple, cherry, pecan, chocolate, lemon and blueberry. Apple, cherry, chocolate, lemon and especially pumpkin have experienced strong growth. Smaller share flavors showing strong growth include coconut, strawberry rhubarb.

In the perimeter of the store, where whole pies dominate, the most popular flavors include apple, pumpkin, lemon, pecan, sweet potato, chocolate and key lime. More popular flavors showing growth include apple and blueberry. Smaller share flavors showing strong growth include custard, peanut butter and blackberry. Altobelli cited co-branded and licensing where dessert and sweet goods producers can capitalize to expand the category.

Regional flavors can provide an easy way to offer seasonal flavors, limited-time offerings or line extensions to a product portfolio.

“Down South, key lime and lemon are big hits, while chocolate, peach and banana pies reign supreme in the West. In the Northeast, coconut and lemon come out on top,” said Docherty, citing Nielsen research. 

“As consumer tastes evolve, there is a growing interest in innovative takes on classic flavors and formats,” he added. “We’ve taken notice and adjusted our product offering to align with these preferences, ensuring we continue delivering what our customers crave most. Identifying and optimizing these regional and everchanging flavor preferences is essential to satisfying and delighting our customers.”

Mark “Par” Grandinetti, president of Rocky Mountain Pies, Salt Lake City, pointed out some regional flavor preferences like chess and pecan pies in Texas, pineapple and key lime pies in the Southwest and Southeast, wild blueberries pies in the Northwest, and strawberry rhubarb pies in the Midwest.

“We’ve even produced and sold saskatoon berry pies in Canada,” he said.

Sarah Zupancic, director of marketing for Eli’s Cheesecake, Chicago, describes “newstalgia,” or incorporating retro flavors and childhood favorites into new desserts, as one of the hot trends. She said Eli’s reintroduced its Cookie Butter Cheesecake for the in-store bakery. The product features cheesecake swirled with rich cookie butter, sprinkled with crunchy speculoos spice cookie crumbs and baked on a speculoos crust. 

She also described Eli’s S’Mores Cheesecake as an “ultimate newstalgia product.” It’s made with creamy graham cheesecake batter with bittersweet chocolate chunks. Topped with smoky chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow and graham crumbs, the 10-inch cheesecake is baked on a salted graham crust before it’s cut into 14 slices for thawing and serving in the display case or in-store packaging.

Vegan and plant-based food options provide another niche avenue for growth. Eli’s offers vegan Lemon Raspberry “Cheesecake” and vegan Belgian Chocolate “Cheesecake” available for the service case or in a 7-inch dome for the in-store bakery. They’re made with locally produced, GMO-free tofu and certified vegan.

“Our pastry chefs are currently working on fun new flavors to expand this popular dessert line,” Zupancic said.

This article is an excerpt from the December 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Pies, click here.