Market Data 
- I tried and ranked apple pies from Arby’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Panda Express, and Popeyes.
- I loved Arby’s apple-infused croissant-textured pie.
- However, my favorite — and the cheapest — was from McDonald’s.
Year-round, I opt for savory pies. But come fall, I ditch my go-to chicken potpies for the season’s staple: apple pie.
And while apples aren’t the fruit I’d normally pick to add to my desserts, something about its combination with warm pastry and cinnamon feels particularly pleasing this time of the year.
When it comes to pies, everyone has their own traditions and favorite flavors, but apples have endured as one of the more popular choices. Earlier this year, Holiday Calendar, a platform dedicated to holiday lists, analyzed the grocery habits of 12 million Americans and surveyed 4,500 people across 15 states to determine their favorite pie. It found that apple pie consistently ranked in the top five most popular pies across the country. Additionally, in 2022, Instacart revealed that apple pie accounted for over 27% of its pie sales between February 2021 and January 2022, declaring it a clear favorite among the American crowd.
While there’s no substitute for the fresh-out-of-the-oven homemade version, on-the-go options served at fast-food chains make for good alternatives, especially when — if, like me — you have neither the skills nor the time to make one from scratch.
To test which fast-food chain serves the best apple pie, I tried out pies from Arby’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Panda Express, and Popeyes and ranked them from my least favorite to my favorite based on flavor, texture, and value.
Here’s how every fast-food apple pie ranked.
