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Cranberry Pie

Cranberry Pie is a deliciously easy and tasty pie recipe that you will love. Made with a shortbread crust and a sweet cranberry filling this pie will become a staple at your holiday gatherings.

  • Prep15 min
  • Cook30 min
  • Total5 hr 45 min
  • Yield10 people
  • Calories418

Ingredients Steps Notes

Cranberry Pie
A slice of cranberry pie on a white plate topped with whipped cream and sugared cranberries.

Homemade Pie From Scratch!

Sweet, tart and filled with holiday flavor, this Cranberry Pie Recipe is the perfect dessert to make for your next party.

Cranberry is a staple this time of year and we cannot go without it, whether it be this pie, cranberry sauce or a cranberry drink, we love the flavor and always make something or another.

A slice of cranberry pie on a white plate with sugared cranberries.

Cranberry Pie Ingredients

The crust is made with amazing shortbread cookies that are crushed and combined with butter and sugar to make the base of the pie and then baked.

The star of the show in this Cranberry Pie is fresh (or frozen) cranberries, which are mixed with sugar, lemon juice, water, salt, butter and eggs. Giving you your delicious filling.

This is then topped with delicious homemade whipped cream and gorgeous sugared cranberries!

Overhead photo of ingredients to make the filling for cranberry pie.

How To Make Cranberry Pie From Scratch

Pie Crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Add the shortbread cookies to a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Then add in the melted butter and sugar and process until fully combined. The mixture should stick together when pressed between fingers.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a 10-inch springform pan (see notes for pie dish alternative) and use a flat bottomed glass to gently press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan so it’s nice and compact.
  4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  5. While the crust is baking, clean the food processor and set aside.
Shortbread cookie crust in a springform pan.

Cranberry Filling

  1. Add the fresh cranberries, granulated sugar, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the berries have burst.
Cranberries being cooked in a medium saucepan.

2. Transfer the berry mixture to the food processor (or blender) and pulse for about 1 minute until smooth.

3. Then pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over the saucepan and use a spoon or rubber spatula to press the mixture through the strainer until only seeds remain.

Cranberry mixture being pressed through a mesh strainer into a pan.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks and then add 1/3 of the cranberry mixture to the eggs slowly while continuing to whisk to temper the eggs.

5. Add the tempered egg mixture into the rest of the cranberry mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly.

Beaten eggs in a glass mixing bowl with some cranberry curd mixed in.

6. Cook the mixture over low heat for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pan. The mixture is done when it has thickened and reaches 170°F and coats the back of a spoon.

7. Remove from heat and stir in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, then stir in the lemon juice.

Cranberry curd in a medium saucepan with a whisk.

8. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and allow the pie to cool in the pan at room temperature for 1 hour on a wire rack. Then transfer to the refrigerator for an additional 4 hours.

I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! I ended up skipping the fortified whipped cream…because I ran out of gas on cooking, but I’m sure it would’ve been great!

– Addie

Overhead photo of a cranberry pie with whipped cream and sugared cranberries.

Storage Instructions For Cranberry Pie

Since this is already cooled in the refrigerator we prefer to store in the refrigerator when we are not serving. This can be kept fresh for up to 5 days covered with plastic wrap or foil.

How To Freeze Cranberry Pie

I recommend that you use the option for baking in a 9” pie found in the notes section of the recipe card. I would also use a disposable tin pie plate.

Bake and cool as directed in the ingredients then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag, this should last in the freezer for about 3 months.

You can let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

A fork taking a bite out of a cranberry pie.

More delicious cranberry recipes!

Cranberry Pie

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Steps

Crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Add the cookies to a food processor and process until fine crumbs form.

  3. Add in the melted butter and sugar and process until fully combined. The mixture should stick together when pressed between fingers.

  4. Transfer the mixture to a 10-inch springform pan (see notes for pie dish alternative) and use a flat bottomed glass to gently press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan so it's nice and compact.

  5. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cranberry Filling

  1. While the crust is baking, clean the food processor and set aside.

  2. Add the cranberries, sugar, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the berries have burst.

  3. Transfer the berry mixture to the food processor (or blender) and pulse for about 1 minute until smooth.

  4. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over the saucepan and use a spoon or rubber spatula to press the mixture through the strainer until only seeds remain. Remember to scrape off the bottom of the strainer. Discard the seeds.

  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks and then add 1/3 of the cranberry mixture to the eggs slowly while continuing to whisk to temper the eggs.

  6. Add the tempered egg mixture into the rest of the cranberry mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly.

  7. Cook the mixture over low heat for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pan. The mixture is done when it has thickened and reaches 170°F and coats the back of a spoon.

  8. Remove from heat and stir in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, then stir in the lemon juice.

  9. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and allow the pie to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before transferring to the refrigerator for an additional 4 hours.

  10. When you're ready to serve, top with whipped cream and sugared cranberries.

Notes

  1. The cookies should yield about 2 cups of crumbs and can be substituted with gingersnap or graham cracker crumbs.
  2. For a 9-inch pie dish, use 1 1/2 cups crumbs and 5 tablespoons melted butter.
  3. This pie is made with both eggs and egg yolks so make sure you don't add 5 full eggs to the recipe filling.
  4. Since this is already cooled in the refrigerator we prefer to store it in the refrigerator when we are not serving. This can be kept fresh for up to 5 days covered with plastic wrap or foil.
  5. To freeze this Cranberry Pie Recipe, I recommend that you use the option for baking in a 9” pie above and use a foil pan. Bake and cool as directed in the ingredients then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag, this should last in the freezer for about 3 months. You can let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Nutrition

  • Calories418
  • Carbs50g
  • Protein3g
  • Fat24g
  • Saturated fat12g
  • Fiber2g
  • Sugar32g
  • Sodium223mg

Estimates per serving, when a serving size is listed.

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