• Slide 1 of 25: You needn't travel far to find a great piece of pie in the USA, and many are made with time-honored recipes that have barely changed in decades. From a classic key lime pie in Florida to a chocolate meringue creation in Mississippi, these delicious desserts have staying power.

  • Slide 2 of 25: A classic Midwestern treat, sugar cream pie is a dessert made with vanilla, cinnamon and plenty of sugar. It was made famous by Wick's Pies, which has its roots in the 1940s when Duane

  • Slide 3 of 25: Duarte's Tavern dates right back to 1894, when it was established as a saloon and barbershop. Fast forward around four decades and Emma Duarte, wife of owner Frank Duarte, began making and serving pies to hungry customers. Her signature dessert soon became her sharp-yet-sweet olallieberry pie, and some 90 years later it's still doled out to the delight of patrons. The fruit is picked from the vegetable garden in the backyard.

  • Slide 4 of 25: Dessert is the star of this homely diner, whose original location in Shreveport has been running for more than 75 years. While the daily lunch specials are a favorite with locals, it's Strawn's Eat Shop's time-honored ice box pie recipe that keeps punters pouring in. Flavors include chocolate, banana and seasonal peach, but you really can't beat the fresh strawberry, which sees a generous layer of berries topped with thick cream.

  • Slide 5 of 25: The Sunshine State, and in particular the Keys, is synonymous with key lime pie, and although it's unknown who invented the original recipe, the oldest cafĂ© in Key West serves a mean slice. Pepe's Cafe was established in 1909 and still draws in customers with its big breakfasts, belly-busting burgers and, of course, its gloriously tart key lime pie. The addition of egg whites to the filling makes Pepe's version extra light.

  • Slide 6 of 25: There's nothing more American than apple pie, so they say, and the historic recipe at Lou's is always a winner. Standing some five inches tall, it's dubbed the "Mile High Apple Pie", with thick buttery pastry crammed full of apples, sugar and cinnamon. It's been a crowd-pleaser since the 1940s, when Lou Bressett first opened his beloved diner.

  • Slide 7 of 25: While it's technically more a cake than a pie, no ode to America's historic desserts would be complete without this cream-filled classic. The Boston cream pie sees pillowy sponge layered with vanilla custard and topped with chocolate icing, and it was invented at Boston's Parker House (now the Omni Parker House) in the 19th century. Love this? Follow our Pinterest page for more recipe inspiration

  • Slide 8 of 25: For savory-toothed readers, one of America's most famous chicken pot pies comes from The Walnut Room – the plush restaurant in Macy's Chicago. The warming filling of chicken, corn and other veggies is topped with wonderfully flaky pastry. Barely changed for decades, it's based on an original recipe from 1890.

  • Slide 9 of 25: This historic dinner club in central Alabama, operating since 1985, serves Southern cooking at its best, with the shrimp, fried green tomatoes and rib-eye steak all menu favorites. But the star of the show is the black bottom pie – a Southern-style dessert with a chocolatey base, rum mousse or meringue and a puff of whipped cream. It's unclear who invented the pie but it's been served here for decades. Read more stories about America's most historic foods here

  • Slide 10 of 25: Paulette's Restaurant has been a Memphis institution for more than four decades and its towering Kahlua-mocha parfait pie – or K-pie for short – has been on the menu since day dot. The enduring dessert is a mountain of coffee ice cream in a delicious pecan-coconut crust with whipped cream, chocolate and a glug of Kahlua (coffee liqueur) to finish. A full pie weighs 6lbs (2.7kg) and is the brainchild of the eponymous Paulette herself.

  • Slide 11 of 25: This down-to-earth bistro has been feeding the folks of Salt Lake City since the 1980s, and although The Dodo has moved location several times, its moreish desserts have stood the test of time. There are 12 desserts to choose from each day, but the most famous of all is the Toll House pie. It's whipped up by pastry chef Ramon Montelongo, who has worked here for decades, and is made with plenty of NestlĂ© Toll House chocolate chips and finished with a cloud of whipped cream.

  • Slide 12 of 25: While Simply Soulful Cafe is much younger than some other spots listed here, the roots of its historic sweet potato pie recipe stretch back much further. It began with Mississippi native Elizabeth Hammond, who was born in the 1920s. She eventually moved to Spokane, Washington, bringing with her a delectable recipe for traditional sweet potato pie. Today Elizabeth's daughter Barbara serves desserts made to her mother's age-old recipe at her Seattle shop, Simply Soulful Cafe.

  • Slide 13 of 25: A proud sign hails Ted's Bakery as the "Home of the original chocolate haupia cream pie". The bakery, on Oahu's North Shore, opened in 1987 and, when the now-famous chocolate haupia cream pie was introduced, the punters came pouring in. It's not hard to see why: it's an indulgent treat with buttery pastry, a rich chocolate base and plenty of cream, and its popularity shows little sign of waning.

  • Slide 14 of 25: Thought to have been developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 19th century, shoofly pie is made up of molasses, brown sugar and cinnamon, encased in a flaky crust. Bird-in-Hand Bakery, located in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, offers a traditional wet-bottom pie, which is baked from a historic family recipe.

  • Slide 15 of 25: Emery's Berry Farm has been a New Jersey tradition for more than 50 years. Their famous blueberry pies are available seasonally, when the summer brings a fresh bounty of berries. You can even pick fruit from their patch if you want to whip up your own creations.

  • Slide 16 of 25: The Yesterday Cafe is a fitting name for this nostalgic spot in Greensboro, Georgia, which opened back in 1995. It's filled with black-and-white photos depicting Greensboro history and is also known as "the Home of the Buttermilk Pie". The cafe has been making its famed pie to the same recipe for almost three decades, and it's praised for its creamy custard-like filling and perfectly baked shell.

  • Slide 17 of 25: A steak and spaghetti house might not be the first place you'd expect to find a legendary slice of strawberry pie – but Jim's certainly delivers. Its annual Strawberry Pie Week began more than 40 years ago and is short, but incredibly sweet. During this time the restaurant usually serves more than 10,000 slices of its delicious fruit pie. Sliced strawberries are packed into a delicate crust, under a mountain of fresh cream.

  • Slide 18 of 25: It's unusual that you'll find Marlborough pie (also called Marlborough pudding) on dessert menus these days, but you can usually watch it being made at Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum dating back to 1946. Marlborough is a kind of custardy apple pie, brought to America by English settlers. At the village it's baked faithfully to a historic recipe that was discovered in a cookbook from 1796.

  • Slide 19 of 25: This old-school spot in Okoboji, Iowa sits right on the water, serving all-day breakfasts, belly-busting sandwiches and, of course, its famous pies. The lemon meringue pie is the one to plump for, and has been served up to guests at O'Farrell Sisters for around 70 years. It's deliciously tart and light, so it's no wonder it has stood the test of time. From sandwiches to buffalo wings, take a look at these foods invented by accident

  • Slide 20 of 25: These moreish "pies" aren't pies in the traditional sense – you can expect rich, moist chocolate cake filled with a generous puff of cream, instead of a buttery pastry and fruit filling. But they've become one of Maine's most well-loved desserts, and Labadie's Bakery in Lewiston claims to be the original whoopie pie purveyor in the state. The traditional treat is still made as it was back in 1925.

  • Slide 21 of 25: Nancy Fulton's traditional fried pies are so beloved that she's become known as the "Fried Pie Lady" in Oklahoma, and the flagship Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies store in Davis has been joined by several franchises. Now more than 70-years-old herself, Fulton has been making pies based on her grandmother's recipe for decades. The staple fried pies come filled with cherry, apricot, peach and more.

  • Slide 22 of 25: The state of New York has plenty of bakeries and little shortage of places to find a mouthwatering pumpkin pie. But the offering from Ithaca Bakery, which was established in 1910, has truly stood the test of time. The delightfully sweet and spicy pumpkin pies were added to the menu in the 1980s and they've proved a firm favorite ever since. And we love that the pumpkin pie is available year-round too. 

  • Slide 23 of 25: This much-loved Houston pie shop first opened back in 1967, and claims to be the oldest in the city. Favorites include the fresh strawberry cream pie and, of course, the pecan pie, a Texas classic. Flying Saucer Pie Company describes its pie recipes as "traditional time-tested masterpieces" and the joint's many customers seem to agree.

  • Slide 24 of 25: Tipped as the oldest continually operating restaurant in Ohio, Golden Lamb in Lebanon is well-known for its shaker sugar pie, a sweet dessert born from America's traditional Shaker communities. The spot, established in 1803, has been serving historic Sister Lizzie's shaker sugar pie since the 1920s – it's made with brown sugar, light cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Take a look at the amazing dishes invented the year you were born

  • Slide 25 of 25: This celebrated bakery in northern Mississippi was founded in 1997, and turns out cakes and pies from scratch using generations-old family recipes. The star of the menu is the chocolate meringue pie, which founder Mary Russell makes from a recipe passed down by her great grandmother. It's a mammoth dessert with a buttery crust, loads of indulgent chocolate filling and a whole pound of light meringue.

A sweet slice of America

You needn't travel far to find a great piece of pie in the USA, and many are made with time-honored recipes that have barely changed in decades. From a classic key lime pie in Florida to a chocolate meringue creation in Mississippi, these delicious desserts have staying power.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Sugar cream pie, Mrs. Wick's Restaurant, Winchester, Indiana

A classic Midwestern treat, sugar cream pie is a dessert made with vanilla, cinnamon and plenty of sugar. It was made famous by Wick's Pies, which has its roots in the 1940s when Duane "Wick" Wickersham started selling sugar cream and other pies made to his grandmother's recipes. The desserts were a big hit and decades later they're still just as popular. Slices of sugar cream pie are sold from Mrs. Wick's Restaurant, part of Wick's Pies, in eastern Indiana.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Olallieberry pie, Duarte's Tavern, Pescadero, California

Duarte's Tavern dates right back to 1894, when it was established as a saloon and barbershop. Fast forward around four decades and Emma Duarte, wife of owner Frank Duarte, began making and serving pies to hungry customers. Her signature dessert soon became her sharp-yet-sweet olallieberry pie, and some 90 years later it's still doled out to the delight of patrons. The fruit is picked from the vegetable garden in the backyard.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Strawberry ice box pie, Strawn's Eat Shop, various locations, Louisiana

Dessert is the star of this homely diner, whose original location in Shreveport has been running for more than 75 years. While the daily lunch specials are a favorite with locals, it's Strawn's Eat Shop's time-honored ice box pie recipe that keeps punters pouring in. Flavors include chocolate, banana and seasonal peach, but you really can't beat the fresh strawberry, which sees a generous layer of berries topped with thick cream.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Key lime pie, Pepe's Cafe, Key West, Florida

The Sunshine State, and in particular the Keys, is synonymous with key lime pie, and although it's unknown who invented the original recipe, the oldest cafĂ© in Key West serves a mean slice. Pepe's Cafe was established in 1909 and still draws in customers with its big breakfasts, belly-busting burgers and, of course, its gloriously tart key lime pie. The addition of egg whites to the filling makes Pepe's version extra light.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Apple pie, Lou's, Hanover, New Hampshire

There's nothing more American than apple pie, so they say, and the historic recipe at Lou's is always a winner. Standing some five inches tall, it's dubbed the "Mile High Apple Pie", with thick buttery pastry crammed full of apples, sugar and cinnamon. It's been a crowd-pleaser since the 1940s, when Lou Bressett first opened his beloved diner.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Boston cream pie, Omni Parker House, Boston, Massachusetts

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Chicken pot pie, The Walnut Room, Chicago, Illinois

For savory-toothed readers, one of America's most famous chicken pot pies comes from The Walnut Room – the plush restaurant in Macy's Chicago. The warming filling of chicken, corn and other veggies is topped with wonderfully flaky pastry. Barely changed for decades, it's based on an original recipe from 1890.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Black bottom pie, GainesRidge Dinner Club, Camden, Alabama

This historic dinner club in central Alabama, operating since 1985, serves Southern cooking at its best, with the shrimp, fried green tomatoes and rib-eye steak all menu favorites. But the star of the show is the black bottom pie – a Southern-style dessert with a chocolatey base, rum mousse or meringue and a puff of whipped cream. It's unclear who invented the pie but it's been served here for decades.

Read more stories about America's most historic foods here

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Kahlua-mocha parfait pie, Paulette's Restaurant, Memphis, Tennessee

Paulette's Restaurant has been a Memphis institution for more than four decades and its towering Kahlua-mocha parfait pie – or K-pie for short – has been on the menu since day dot. The enduring dessert is a mountain of coffee ice cream in a delicious pecan-coconut crust with whipped cream, chocolate and a glug of Kahlua (coffee liqueur) to finish. A full pie weighs 6lbs (2.7kg) and is the brainchild of the eponymous Paulette herself.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Toll House pie, The Dodo, Salt Lake City, Utah

This down-to-earth bistro has been feeding the folks of Salt Lake City since the 1980s, and although The Dodo has moved location several times, its moreish desserts have stood the test of time. There are 12 desserts to choose from each day, but the most famous of all is the Toll House pie. It's whipped up by pastry chef Ramon Montelongo, who has worked here for decades, and is made with plenty of NestlĂ© Toll House chocolate chips and finished with a cloud of whipped cream.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Sweet potato pie, Simply Soulful Cafe, Seattle, Washington

While Simply Soulful Cafe is much younger than some other spots listed here, the roots of its historic sweet potato pie recipe stretch back much further. It began with Mississippi native Elizabeth Hammond, who was born in the 1920s. She eventually moved to Spokane, Washington, bringing with her a delectable recipe for traditional sweet potato pie. Today Elizabeth's daughter Barbara serves desserts made to her mother's age-old recipe at her Seattle shop, Simply Soulful Cafe.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Chocolate haupia cream pie, Ted's Bakery, Oahu, Hawaii

A proud sign hails Ted's Bakery as the "Home of the original chocolate haupia cream pie". The bakery, on Oahu's North Shore, opened in 1987 and, when the now-famous chocolate haupia cream pie was introduced, the punters came pouring in. It's not hard to see why: it's an indulgent treat with buttery pastry, a rich chocolate base and plenty of cream, and its popularity shows little sign of waning.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Grandma Smucker's Shoofly Pie, Bird-In-Hand Bakery & Cafe, Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania

Thought to have been developed by the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 19th century, shoofly pie is made up of molasses, brown sugar and cinnamon, encased in a flaky crust. Bird-in-Hand Bakery, located in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, offers a traditional wet-bottom pie, which is baked from a historic family recipe.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Blueberry pie, Emery's Berry Farm, New Egypt, New Jersey

Emery's Berry Farm has been a New Jersey tradition for more than 50 years. Their famous blueberry pies are available seasonally, when the summer brings a fresh bounty of berries. You can even pick fruit from their patch if you want to whip up your own creations.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Buttermilk pie, The Yesterday Cafe, Greensboro, Georgia

The Yesterday Cafe is a fitting name for this nostalgic spot in Greensboro, Georgia, which opened back in 1995. It's filled with black-and-white photos depicting Greensboro history and is also known as "the Home of the Buttermilk Pie". The cafe has been making its famed pie to the same recipe for almost three decades, and it's praised for its creamy custard-like filling and perfectly baked shell.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Strawberry pie, Jim's Steak and Spaghetti House, Huntington, West Virginia

A steak and spaghetti house might not be the first place you'd expect to find a legendary slice of strawberry pie – but Jim's certainly delivers. Its annual Strawberry Pie Week began more than 40 years ago and is short, but incredibly sweet. During this time the restaurant usually serves more than 10,000 slices of its delicious fruit pie. Sliced strawberries are packed into a delicate crust, under a mountain of fresh cream.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Marlborough pie, Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts

It's unusual that you'll find Marlborough pie (also called Marlborough pudding) on dessert menus these days, but you can usually watch it being made at Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum dating back to 1946. Marlborough is a kind of custardy apple pie, brought to America by English settlers. At the village it's baked faithfully to a historic recipe that was discovered in a cookbook from 1796.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Lemon meringue pie, O'Farrell Sisters, Okoboji, Iowa

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Whoopie pie, Labadie's Bakery, Lewiston, Maine

These moreish "pies" aren't pies in the traditional sense – you can expect rich, moist chocolate cake filled with a generous puff of cream, instead of a buttery pastry and fruit filling. But they've become one of Maine's most well-loved desserts, and Labadie's Bakery in Lewiston claims to be the original whoopie pie purveyor in the state. The traditional treat is still made as it was back in 1925.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Fried pie, Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies, Davis, Oklahoma

Nancy Fulton's traditional fried pies are so beloved that she's become known as the "Fried Pie Lady" in Oklahoma, and the flagship Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies store in Davis has been joined by several franchises. Now more than 70-years-old herself, Fulton has been making pies based on her grandmother's recipe for decades. The staple fried pies come filled with cherry, apricot, peach and more.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Pumpkin pie, Ithaca Bakery, Ithaca, New York

The state of New York has plenty of bakeries and little shortage of places to find a mouthwatering pumpkin pie. But the offering from Ithaca Bakery, which was established in 1910, has truly stood the test of time. The delightfully sweet and spicy pumpkin pies were added to the menu in the 1980s and they've proved a firm favorite ever since. And we love that the pumpkin pie is available year-round too.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Pecan pie, Flying Saucer Pie Company, Houston, Texas

This much-loved Houston pie shop first opened back in 1967, and claims to be the oldest in the city. Favorites include the fresh strawberry cream pie and, of course, the pecan pie, a Texas classic. Flying Saucer Pie Company describes its pie recipes as "traditional time-tested masterpieces" and the joint's many customers seem to agree.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Shaker sugar pie, Golden Lamb, Lebanon, Ohio

Tipped as the oldest continually operating restaurant in Ohio, Golden Lamb in Lebanon is well-known for its shaker sugar pie, a sweet dessert born from America's traditional Shaker communities. The spot, established in 1803, has been serving historic Sister Lizzie's shaker sugar pie since the 1920s – it's made with brown sugar, light cream, vanilla and cinnamon.

Take a look at the amazing dishes invented the year you were born

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Chocolate meringue pie, Sugaree's Bakery, New Albany, Mississippi

This celebrated bakery in northern Mississippi was founded in 1997, and turns out cakes and pies from scratch using generations-old family recipes. The star of the menu is the chocolate meringue pie, which founder Mary Russell makes from a recipe passed down by her great grandmother. It's a mammoth dessert with a buttery crust, loads of indulgent chocolate filling and a whole pound of light meringue.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

25/25 SLIDES