Great American Pie Month

Categories:: Food & Beverage
Tags:: Dessert Food
Where:: United States
Date change rule:: Every February
Holiday emoji:: 🥧

Great American Pie Month dedicates the entire month of February to celebrating one of America’s most beloved desserts. From sweet fruit fillings to savory pot pies, there’s a pie for every palate. Gather friends and family, bake a new recipe, and visit your local bakeries to enjoy a slice of this versatile classic.

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Expected Great American Pie Month Deals

Throughout February, expect a delicious array of promotions from bakeries and grocery stores for Great American Pie Month. While we await official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows past participants like Marie Callender’s, Baker’s Square, and local patisseries often offer discounts on whole pies and slices. Grocery chains such as Kroger, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market typically feature deals on baking ingredients, frozen pies, and ready-to-bake crusts. Look for special offers from ingredient brands like Pillsbury for pie crusts and Comstock for fruit fillings. Specialty shops like The Pie Hole or Grand Traverse Pie Company might introduce limited-edition flavors or multi-slice bundles. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as February approaches.

Platform Guide for Great American Pie Month

TikTok

Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #GreatAmericanPieMonth. Film a ‘pie-a-day’ challenge, showcasing a different pie recipe or local bakery visit each week.

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #GreatAmericanPieMonth. Share visually stunning photos of your homemade pies or favorite bakery finds, using Reels for quick recipe demos.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #GreatAmericanPieMonth. Host a virtual pie-baking contest or share nostalgic stories about family pie traditions in your community group.

Great American Pie Month Hero

Rose Beranbaum

Rose Levy Beranbaum is an acclaimed American baker and cookbook author, often referred to as 'The Diva of Desserts.' Her meticulous approach to baking, especially her detailed recipes for perfect pie crusts and fillings, has earned her multiple James Beard Awards and a dedicated following among home and professional bakers. Her work emphasizes precision and technique to achieve exceptional results.

History of Great American Pie Month

A pie as an entity has been around for thousands of years. In Ancient Egypt bakers used to fill bread dough with honey, fruit, and nuts and serve it to the Pharaoh. There are drawings depicting this on the tomb walls of Ramses II.

The first pie to be eaten in the United States was in 1620, when the pilgrims brought their

favorite family pie recipes with them to America. These were English-style, meat-based recipes.

The first pumpkin pie was recorded in a cookbook in 1675 and became popular in the 1800s. It’s our love for a sweet-tasting pie that makes an American pie distinctive, and over the years it has become woven into our culture as a symbol of tradition and the home. This is backed up by the fact that July 4, our nation’s birthday, is one of the most popular days to bake and eat pie.

By 1990 our love for pied had blossomed so much that the Great American Pie Month was declared to be February.

Great American Pie Month timeline

2000

Drove my Chevy to the Levy

Madonna releases a cover of ‘‘American Pie’’ to promote the soundtrack of ‘‘The Next Best thing.’’

1990

Let’s Make A Month Out of It

The first Great American Pie Month is celebrated.

1620

Hello American Pie

The Pilgrims bring family pies recipes with them.

1500’s

Long Live the Pie

Fruit pies or tarts as they’re known were first made, and the first Cherry pie is made for Queen Elizabeth I.

2000 BC

First pie recipe found

Dated from thousands of years ago, archaeologists discovered a tablet with a chicken pie recipe.

How Businesses Can Celebrate Great American Pie Month

Local bakeries and restaurants can celebrate Great American Pie Month by introducing special ‘Pie of the Week’ features, offering discounts on whole pies, or hosting pie-tasting events. Cafes might pair pie slices with specialty coffee drinks, while grocery stores can run promotions on baking ingredients and host in-store pie-making demonstrations. Consider partnering with local charities for a ‘Pie for a Cause’ day, donating a portion of sales from a specific pie.

Great American Pie Month FAQs

When is Great American Pie Month?

In 2027, Great American Pie Month will again encompass the entire month of February, providing ample opportunity to celebrate this beloved American dessert. Plan your baking and tasting adventures for all 28 days.

How many pies do Americans eat annually?

With an estimated 186 million pies enjoyed by Americans every year, the tradition of pie-eating remains strong. That’s a lot of crust and filling to go around for every celebration and casual treat.

What is the most popular pie in America?

Apple pie maintains its crown as America’s favorite, embodying a timeless dessert tradition. However, seasonal favorites like pumpkin in fall and cherry in summer also see significant popularity spikes.

What defines a 'pie' versus other baked goods?

Distinguishing a pie from tarts or cobblers often comes down to the crust; pies generally feature a full pastry shell enclosing the filling. This structure allows for a wide range of textures and flavors, from flaky to rich.

Great American Pie Month Activities

Eat pie for breakfast
A quiche is a savory pie whose filling is based on an egg-based custard and is rife for experimentation. Popular ingredients to include in breakfast quiches include bacon, sausage, mushrooms, kale, goat cheese, and even garlic.
Experiment with pie crust
Pies aren't singular in their format. A pie with no bottom pie is a cobbler. A pie baked without the use of a baking pan is a galette. A two-crust pie uses the dough to completely encase the filling, ensuring a colorful, bountiful finished product.
Go the non-traditional route
There are so many variations of pies to cook! If the idea of another apple pie is unappealing, try meat, key lime, lemon meringue, or even buttermilk pie.

5 Facts About The Great American Pie Month

Crust or no crust?
Pie’s with crusts were known as ‘‘coffins’’, while pies without were ‘’traps.’’
Big and tiny
Large and short-sided pies are known as tarts, and tiny pies are tartlets.
To be cooked, not eaten
In the early days, pies were only used as a vessel to cook the fillings, not to be eaten.
Pie in a box
In the 13th and 16th centuries, pies held live birds, frogs, and dwarfs for entertainment purposes.
Eat as the Romans do.
The first pie recipe was published by the Romans for rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.

Why We Love Great American Pie Month

Pie-fect
The pie is known as the most traditional American dessert. The versatility of the pie is unrivaled and has become a huge part of American culture. The term ‘‘as American as Apple pie’’ proves that it is arguably the nation’s favorite dessert.
It’s self-contained
Pie crusts were created to replace such appetizing things as wet mud or leaves. Dough not only allows ingredients to remain fresh but also retains the juices created in the baking process.
Baked pies are as American as sitcoms
From Carol Brady of the Brady Bunch to Marge Simpson, characters are always baking pies on TV. Just like eggs and bacon are for breakfast, pie is always for dessert in a sitcom!