Seriously Delicious Pie Recipes You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

Pie is a big deal. According to the American Pie Council, grocery stores sell about $700 million in pies, or about 186 million pies total, each year — that's enough pie to circle the planet at least once. Apple pie is the favorite pie flavor in America, with 36 million Americans claiming it as their top choice, followed by pumpkin, pecan, banana cream, and cherry. And if you thought pie was only for the holidays or dessert, you'd be wrong; the American Pie Council also says that around two-thirds of survey respondents admit to eating pie for either lunch or a midnight snack, while just over one-third admit to eating pie for breakfast. In fact, in the 1800s, pie was a pretty common breakfast choice.

But in order to enjoy a fresh, homemade pie ... well, you actually have to make the pie (unless you join the Americans fueling the $700 million in sales that big box grocery stores like Costco are raking in). Luckily for you, Mashed has put together a list of some of our favorite seriously delicious pie recipes that you'll wish you'd known about sooner.

Pumpkin pie is a staple at Thanksgiving, sure, but if it's been a while since you've enjoyed America's second-favorite pie, why not give making a pumpkin pie another go? Our recipe only requires six ingredients — a refrigerated pie crust, pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. The deceptively simple recipe comes together in a snap, with most of the time needed for the recipe being the actual cooking time, about 40 minutes. You can whip up this pie any afternoon before your parents come over for dinner, throw it in the oven at the last minute, and treat them (or any other guest) to a slice of comfort food that will amaze everyone. Add a dollop of homemade whipped cream for an extra touch!

If you're dreaming of warmer temperatures and sandy beaches, channel some can't-beat Caribbean flavors with this five-ingredient key lime pie recipe. You don't even need to turn on your oven. Just mix together your sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and a whipped dessert topping, and pop your pie into the fridge to cool for a few hours. Before serving, top it off with a little lime zest and you have a tangy, tart, sweet, scrumptious pie that's a little taste of summer. Take it to your next potluck or picnic and you'll be sure to impress your friends, no sweating over the stove required.

Whether you pronounce it "puh-cahn" or "pee-can," there's no denying that pecan pie is a delicious addition to any dessert spread. Super sweet, nutty, and gooey, pecan pie is a perfect pick for those with a serious sweet tooth. Plus, our pecan pie recipe is very versatile, allowing you to add in some other favorite ingredients for your own twist, whether that be a few spoonfuls of bourbon, some raisins, chocolate chips, or even crushed graham crackers. Start off with the basic recipe first, though, and get the classic flavor right before moving on to more inventive options. You'll only need eight ingredients and a little over an hour, including cooking time.

Craving the rich, creamy texture of a homemade pumpkin pie, but don't really want to put the time and effort into making one? What if we told you that you could skip a grocery store pie and still get your pie fix, without bothering to ever turn on your oven? Our no-bake pumpkin pie recipe makes it possible. Thanks to the magic of cream cheese, canned pumpkin, and whipped cream, you're less than half an hour away from an amazing pumpkin pie. Don't have all the spices that our recipe lists on hand? If you have some pumpkin pie spice, that'll work just fine and will make this already-simple recipe even simpler.

Love a peppermint latte when winter rolls around? Or really, any time? If you prefer peppermint to pumpkin all year long, consider switching out your holiday pie next season for this no-bake peppermint pie — or go ahead and make it during the summer, when you're craving a Thin Mint-like flavor. This pie works any month of the year for any home cook who loves a strong hit of mint in their desserts and it's easy to see why when you look at the ingredients list. How can you go wrong when you're combining things like crushed Oreo cookies, cream cheese, candy canes, and whipped cream?

Okay, so making an apple pie can be a little intimidating. After all, it's kind of the king of all pies and pretty much the official dessert of the entire United States of America. But if you've never made an apple pie before, don't be scared off. With a little help from our easy apple pie recipe — which only requires a refrigerated pie crust, flour, apples, and some spices — you can turn out a delicious apple pie that would make even Uncle Sam proud. We'll even show you how to make a picture-perfect lattice crust, so you can post your pie on Instagram and impress everyone with your domestic prowess.

Summer calls for blueberry pie, but whether you pick your own blueberries straight from the bush or pick up a few frozen bags of blueberries from the grocery store, you can create a pie that'll be the star of any summer picnic if you follow our blueberry pie recipe. With just a refrigerated pie crust (though if you know how to and want to make your pie crust from scratch, by all means, go ahead), blueberries (fresh or frozen), sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon, you can turn out a beautiful blueberry pie in under an hour. The only thing that could make this pie better? A dollop of homemade ice cream.

When someone mentions easy baking projects, they likely won't ever mention meringue. After all, meringue is not exactly foolproof and there are plenty of meringue mistakes to be made. The wrong temperatures, the wrong amount of time in the mixer, the wrong amount of time in the oven, even the humidity in your house can impact the way your meringue turns out. But we're here to walk you through making a delicious meringue topping whenever you make our classic lemon meringue pie. With a bit of patience, persistence, and positivity, you can turn out a sweet, tart, tasty lemon pie that's topped with fluffy clouds of perfectly golden meringue.

If you're one of the many home cooks with an Instant Pot, you likely use your Instant Pot for a wide variety of things — pressure cooking, quick-cooking frozen cuts of meat, slow cooking, etc. But have you ever used your Instant Pot to make a pie? With this Instant Pot pumpkin pie recipe, you'll learn how to employ this handy kitchen countertop appliance in creating a fluffy, delicious, maple-infused pumpkin pie. Yeah, it's easy to be skeptical, but just trust us. It works. Just note, you will still have to use your oven for part of the process and while you could technically eat the pie right out of the Instant Pot, for best results, you'll want it to cool in your fridge overnight.