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Baking Tips

How to Take a Pie Through Airport Security 

Yes (in most cases), you can do it. Check out our top tips.
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Published Nov. 8, 2022.

How to Take a Pie Through Airport Security 

It may not be a question you’ve ever asked, but when you need to know, it’s good to have all the facts. Yes, you can take a pie through airport security on domestic U.S. flights. Here’s how to do it.

If you ever need to know what you can and can’t take onto an airplane, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a list of food items it allows in carry-on and checked bags. And we should all be thankful that pie has a green light as one of the permissible items, along with most other baked goods.

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So if you need to get that pumpkin pie to a Thanksgiving dinner across the country, you can rest assured that it can make it there in one piece. But for it to arrive in all its just-out-of-the-oven glory, there are a few tools you’re going to want.

Our Reviews team did what they do best, and they tested the process of taking a pie across state lines and through airport security. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, they gave six staffers a total of 12 different pies (pumpkin, pecan, and apple) to transport on their flights home. And every single pie made it through security. 

Pumpkin Pie

This pumpkin pie recipe is so satisfying and easy, you'll want to eat it more than just once a year.
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After all the travel, the pies that arrived in the best shape were those that we sent in our winning pie carrier, the Prepworks Collapsible Party Carrier. But pies without tall crusts also fared well in transit when we put them in clean pizza boxes (for small pizzas). One pie that was covered in plastic wrap and carried in a plastic grocery bag arrived at its destination a little dinged up, but it was nothing some whipped cream couldnt fix.

An important caveat is that pies with gelled or creamy fillings may be subject to TSA regulations that limit the amount of liquids passengers can bring on planes. And TSA rules can change without warning, so call your airline and/or airport before your flight to be sure. Or use AskTSA, a service available on Facebook Messenger and Twitter where you can send in photos of items youre unsure about.

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