Wyoming’s Thanksgiving Pie Curveball: Chocolate Takes the Spotlight

When November rolls in, the air gets sharp, grocery carts get heavier, and America collectively agrees on one thing: Thanksgiving is pie season. Sure, turkey gets the headlines, but pie is the real closer — the dessert that says, “Yep, we did it, now loosen your belt,” Wyoming News Now reports.

Instacart, using its 2024 purchase data, took a deep dive into what people actually bought during Thanksgiving week last year. The results are basically a nationwide pie popularity contest, complete with regional quirks, holiday shopping spikes, and one very Wyoming twist.

Across the country, the classics still run the show. Pumpkin pie was the runaway champ — no surprise there — with apple and pecan locked into their usual top-tier rivalry. Sweet potato and cherry rounded out the top five.

But Instacart’s top-ten list shows there’s plenty of room for variety once you get past the big three. Berry pies kept things tangy, peanut butter pies brought the indulgent chaos, and other niche favorites reminded everyone that Thanksgiving menus are less “uniform tradition,” more “family politics in crust form.”

People don’t just like pie at Thanksgiving — they panic-buy pie.

Instacart’s numbers show the biggest pie-buying frenzy hit the day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2024). Orders for the top five pies — pumpkin, apple, pecan, sweet potato, cherry — shot up hard in late November, then dipped again… only to get a smaller encore bump in late December when Christmas dessert planning kicked in.

The most dramatic holiday surges were for sweet potato, pumpkin, and pecan pies. Apple pie climbed more gradually through fall, like it was politely waiting its turn. Cherry pie had a smaller spike — not the main character, but definitely invited to the party.

This is where things get fun. Nationally, pumpkin is king. But state by state? People get weird in a good way.

• The West sticks with pumpkin like it’s a sacred seasonal ritual. California, Oregon, Washington — all in on the orange classic.
• The South leans into rich comfort pies. Pecan rules in places like Texas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. Sweet potato holds strong in states like Georgia, Maryland, and North Carolina.
• The Midwest apparently runs on chocolate. French silk pie popped as a standout favorite in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.
• The Northeast does its own thing: cream pies in Maine and Massachusetts, peanut butter pie in Pennsylvania… the vibe is “tradition, but with a side of rebellion.”

And then there’s Wyoming.

While a lot of the country is elbow-deep in pumpkin, Wyoming’s most uniquely popular Thanksgiving pie was chocolate pie. Not “French silk,” not “cream,” not “pecan-with-chocolate-drizzle.” Just straight-up chocolate pie — rich, smooth, no seasonal pretense.

It’s a little surprising considering pumpkin dominates the West overall. But it also kind of fits Wyoming’s personality: simple, no-nonsense, and not especially interested in doing things the way everyone else does.

If you want a quick snapshot of how Wyoming stands out, look at the pies next door:

• Montana: cream pie;
• South Dakota: strawberry rhubarb pie;
• Nebraska: French silk pie;
• Colorado: cherry pie;
• Utah: cream pie.

So while surrounding states lean fruity or creamy, Wyoming goes full cocoa. If there’s a regional pie identity forming in the Rockies, Wyoming is basically the chocolate anchor.

Instacart’s Thanksgiving data is a reminder that pie isn’t just dessert — it’s culture. It’s nostalgia, geography, family habit, and maybe a little stubborn pride baked into crust.

Across the US, pumpkin still wears the crown. But in Wyoming, the holiday table has a different vibe: chocolate first, fall flavors second. And honestly? If Thanksgiving is about comfort, that’s a pretty strong argument for letting chocolate have its moment.