I Tried And Ranked 5 Fast Food Apple Pies And This Was The Best

Everyone's heard the phrase, "as American as apple pie," but in truth, it's something of a misnomer. For one, apples are not native to North America. Most of the apple varieties we enjoy today can be traced to Central Asian origins, and were brought to the continent by European settlers. The closest native species in North America is the crab apple, which is safe to consume, but not generally thought of as pie-worthy.

Pie is also not inherently American, with the first recorded evidence of the dish dating back to ancient Egypt. So, no, apple pie is not an American original, but a combination of cultural touchstones adopted by the American people, making it a dessert the Founding Fathers would have embraced.

Of course, if you want something more American than apple pie, look no further than fast food. Naturally, the same places that will hand you burgers, and chicken fingers through a window are also serving up their own versions of apple pie. I tried five apple pie variations from some of the country's most well-known fast food chains, and one extremely popular gas station, to find out which serves up the best option. The answer got a bit complicated, as not all apple pies are the same, but there was little doubt about the winner. Read on to learn which fast food pie deserves a spot on the (takeout) windowsill.

Everyone has a preferred regional gas station, and many are a little too willing to argue its merits in the comments section. Whether it's a Buc-ee's, Wawa, or Casey's, the convenience store has graduated from an easy place to fill up the tank, and hit the restroom, to a full-blown dining experience. As a Wisconsinite, Kwik Trip is my ride-or-die, so I had to try one of the chain's apple pies to see how it stacks up to similar fast food options.

For less than $2, I snagged a pie, which comes in a light-green cardboard box. These pies, of which there are several other flavors, are not refrigerated or kept hot. Instead, they come with directions that say to place the box in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.

The pie itself is a hand pie with a light layer of glaze on all sides, which reminded me of a doughnut. Unfortunately, the crust is nothing special. It's neither flaky nor overly dense; it's just there. Kwik Trip packed a ton of filling into the pie, but it's light on apples. Instead, each bite will give you a mouthful of syrupy, somewhat thin filling accompanied by the occasional, small cube of apple. This isn't a pie I'd go back to, especially given all of the other food options at Kwik Trip. Regional pride aside, I have to say, the Kwikery Bake Shop's pie is easily the least impressive of the bunch.

While researching which fast food chains sell pie, I found a lot of rave reviews for Popeyes' apple pie. On the one hand, I get it. On the other hand, this pie is fine, but nothing special.

For $1.89, I was handed a cardboard shell containing one hot pie, and upon opening it, I understood the hype: This is a deep-fried pie coated in cinnamon sugar. Now, don't get me wrong, anything coated in cinnamon sugar is going to rocket up my list, but on an apple pie, that extra dusting of magic should be a bonus, not the focal point. The crust itself is thin, but not overly flaky. It's not chewy, either, so the crust grades out as neutral if you ignore the coating.

It's the inside of this pie that was the disappointment. The apple chunks are a decent size — larger than Kwik Trip's, to be sure — but there just wasn't enough filling inside the pie itself. When I bite into a hand-held apple pie, I expect (at minimum) equal parts crust, and filling, but this felt like the filling was an afterthought. With a better focus on the apple portion, Popeyes' pie could easily slide a few spots higher on this list, but until then, it's a glorified churro that's light on the pie.

I dare you to find a single person who doesn't associate McDonald's with fast food apple pie. The Golden Arches have been pumping out pies since they were the first dessert item added to the menu in 1968, and they're still going strong today. All other pies on this list owe a debt to the McDonald's pie for paving the way, and proving that you can enjoy an apple pie while driving a vehicle.

Like with many items from McDonald's, my impression is shaped by childhood memories. I hadn't ordered the dessert in years, and knew that McDonald's apple pie has changed over time, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it still holds up. The lattice pattern on top makes this one of the more visually appealing pies on the list, and the simple gold box does the same.

The crust is flaky, and the first true pie crust I encountered, while the apple slices inside are thick, and tender. This is the first pie on the list to prioritize the apples. If you're in the mood for a quick apple pie, McDonald's still does a traditional pie the best of anyone out there for just $1.99. But it's only number three on the list, you say? Yes, because not all fast food places do their apple pie-adjacent desserts the same, and the top two are proof that you can take a good thing, and make it even better with a few tweaks.

Before you pick up the pitchfork, and start chanting, "That's not a pie!", I will get ahead of things, and agree: Arby's doesn't sell an apple pie, but they do sell an apple turnover, and it's delicious.

The packaging for this one is a simple, white paper sleeve that gives the impression of a bakery item from a coffee shop more than something you'd get from a restaurant with the slogan, "We Have the Meats." The size of the turnover is on par with that of apple pies on this list, but it's a different animal. Rather than having a dense pie crust, the turnover features layers of light, crispy puff pastry. A drizzle of white frosting across the top adds to the look while also providing an extra pop of sweetness.

Inside, the apples are good, though I could stand for a few more. If you combined the McDonald's apples with the Arby's pastry, you'd come up with the perfect fast food apple pie. The pastry itself is so delicious that it makes up for being a little light on the apples, though I still got some in each bite, so this is hardly an apple-less pie. For $2.19, it's a little pricier than some of the other options, but absolutely worth the extra coin.

KFC seemingly learned from competitors' apple pies, combined those lessons, and then used them to create bite-sized portions dubbed Apple Pie Poppers. Available in a 4-count box for $2.49, or a 10-count order for $5.49, the Apple Pie Poppers are the perfect fast food apple pie.

First, they're adorable. The little rectangles look like someone made an apple pie for a mouse. I'm not sure if I want to eat it, or give it a hug. The tops are sprinkled with a generous helping of sugar, which gives this pie the sweetness that Popeyes leaned into, but below that is something surprising: apples. Yes, these little pies are filled with tiny chunks of apples, surrounded by a super light, and very flaky crust. Here, you've got a pie with the sugar coating that Popeyes does well, the attention to apples at McDonald's, and the puffy pastry goodness of Arby's. (Sorry, Kwik Trip.)

If you're looking for a quick apple pie, look no further than KFC. Plus, as an added bonus, the 10-piece comes in the same box as a single order of chicken, so it's easy to fool people into thinking you're eating chicken for lunch, rather than 10 adorable apple pies.

There are plenty of places around the country to snag a fast food apple pie. I was limited by what was available in my area, but even with only five to choose from, I found quite a variety. If you're looking for a simple, classic apple pie, McDonald's is still the king. But if an apple-centric sweet treat is on your list, you can't go wrong with either Arby's or KFC.

I picked up four of my five pies, and had the last one delivered via Grubhub, so everything could remain relatively hot while I took my photographs. I did pop all of the pies into the air fryer for a few minutes for a quick warmup, which I highly recommend if you're eating at home, and then got to tasting. My evaluations were based on appearance, taste, and texture. None of the restaurants were aware of the review when preparing the food.