The Edit — Travel
Can You Fly With Pie? TSA Rules for Holiday Food
Pie and cake go through the checkpoint in a carry-on. Gravy, cranberry sauce, jam and dips are held to 3.4 ounces. Here is the TSA's own list for a Thanksgiving dinner, dish by dish.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page reads every food on the TSA’s own food screening list and sorts a Thanksgiving dinner into carry-on and checked bag, with the 4 things that help it travel, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Southern Homewares 3-in-1 Pie Carrier with Lid and Handle
Good fit A flyer carrying one pie under the seat
Not for Anyone keeping a dish hot or cold for hours
BAGSMART Clear Toiletry Bag with Handle, 2-Pack
Good fit Sample jars of jam or a little gravy for the plane
Not for A full-size jar, which belongs in the checked bag
MIAOJIE Round Insulated Casserole Carrier, 12-inch
Good fit A cheesecake or cream pie on a long travel day
Not for A tall layer cake
Cool Coolers by Fit & Fresh Slim Ice Packs, 4-Pack
Good fit Lining an insulated tote under a pie
Not for A connecting flight long enough for them to thaw
Pie and cake fly in a carry-on
Pies and cakes are a plain Yes on the TSA list, in a carry-on and a checked bag. So are bread, solid cheese, candy and solid chocolate. A pie is a solid food, so the 3.4-ounce rule never touches it, however much filling it holds. The one practical limit is space: it has to fit under the seat or in the bin, upright.
A rigid carrier is the answer for a pie on your lap. The Southern Homewares 3-in-1 Pie Carrier has a lid and handle and also takes cupcakes, so it earns its cupboard space the rest of the year.
Southern Homewares 3-in-1 Pie Carrier with Lid and Handle
A plastic carrier with a lid and handle, sold for pies, cakes, cupcakes and muffins.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Type | Rigid carrier, 3-in-1 |
|---|---|
| Holds | Pies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins |
A lidded carrier with a handle, for a pie under the seat.
Buy it if
- A flyer carrying one pie under the seat
Don't buy it if
- Anyone keeping a dish hot or cold for hours
Gravy, cranberry sauce and dips stop at 3.4 ounces
Gravy is listed at 3.4 ounces, or 100 ml, in a carry-on, and unlimited in a checked bag. The same limit covers creamy dips and spreads, creamy cheese, jam and jelly, peanut butter, salsa and sauces, soup and maple syrup. Cranberry sauce is not named on the list. The TSA’s general line covers it: a liquid or gel food over 3.4 ounces belongs in a checked bag.
Small jars that do fit the limit go in a quart-size bag with your toiletries. The BAGSMART Clear Toiletry Bag is sold in a pair, with handles, so the food can sit apart from the shampoo.
BAGSMART Clear Toiletry Bag with Handle, 2-Pack
2 clear quart-size bags with handles, sold as TSA approved.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Size | Quart, per the listing |
|---|---|
| In the pack | 2 bags |
2 clear quart bags, for the jars that fit the limit.
Buy it if
- Sample jars of jam or a little gravy for the plane
Don't buy it if
- A full-size jar, which belongs in the checked bag
Cooked turkey and stuffing travel as solids
“Cooked Meat, Seafood and Vegetable (No Liquid)” is a Yes in a carry-on and a checked bag. Sliced turkey, ham and roast vegetables all qualify, as long as they are not sitting in juice. Stuffing is not named, but the list’s “Solid Foods” entry is a Yes in both. The TSA adds 1 caution: check with the airline that the container fits the bin or under the seat.
Ice packs pass only if they are frozen solid
A half-thawed gel pack is turned away at the checkpoint. The TSA allows gel ice packs in a carry-on only if they are frozen solid when screened. For fresh meat and seafood the TSA is stricter still. If the ice packs have partly melted and left liquid at the bottom of the container, they are not allowed.
A thin pack thaws more slowly when it is pressed flat against the food. The Cool Coolers by Fit & Fresh Slim Ice Packs come 4 to a pack and line an insulated tote. The MIAOJIE Insulated Casserole Carrier is sold to fit a 12-inch pie, which suits a cheesecake or a cream pie.
MIAOJIE Round Insulated Casserole Carrier, 12-inch
A round insulated tote sold to fit 12-inch pies and casseroles, with a handle.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Fits | 12-inch pies and casseroles, per the listing |
|---|---|
| Type | Insulated soft tote |
An insulated round tote, for a pie that must stay cold.
Buy it if
- A cheesecake or cream pie on a long travel day
Don't buy it if
- A tall layer cake
Cool Coolers by Fit & Fresh Slim Ice Packs, 4-Pack
4 thin reusable freezer packs, sold for lunch bags and coolers.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| In the pack | 4 slim ice packs |
|---|---|
| Use | Lunch bags and coolers |
4 slim freezer packs, to line the tote.
Buy it if
- Lining an insulated tote under a pie
Don't buy it if
- A connecting flight long enough for them to thaw
Wine and canned cranberry belong in the checked bag
Wine in a carry-on is held to 3.4 ounces. In a checked bag, drinks of 24% alcohol or less have no TSA limit, and those between 24% and 70% are capped at 5 liters per passenger, in unopened retail packaging. Anything over 70%, or 140 proof, is banned in both. Canned food is allowed, but the TSA suggests checking it, shipping it or leaving it at home, because a can can need extra screening.
| Dish | Carry-on | Checked bag |
|---|---|---|
| Pie, cake, bread | Yes | Yes |
| Cooked turkey, no liquid | Yes | Yes |
| Solid cheese | Yes | Yes |
| Gravy, sauces, soup | 3.4 oz or less | Yes |
| Jam, jelly, dips, maple syrup | 3.4 oz or less | Yes |
| Gel ice packs | Frozen solid only | Yes |
| Wine | 3.4 oz or less | Yes, with limits over 24% |
| Canned food | Extra screening likely | Yes |
The officer at the checkpoint has the final word
Every entry on the list ends the same way: the final decision rests with the TSA officer. A pie the list allows can still be pulled aside if it confuses the X-ray. Pack food on top, where it lifts out in one move, and allow extra time. The days either side of Thanksgiving are the busiest days at US airports, and the TSA’s rules on flying with wrapped gifts matter on the return trip.
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