This Cranberry Pie with a gingersnap crumb crust and silky cranberry curd filling is guaranteed to bring a little va-va-voom to your holiday dessert table this year; the recipe is easy to follow and the result is show-stopping!
change it up this year with cranberry pie for Thanksgiving or Christmas
Of course tradition rules the holidays. We make Libby’s Pumpkin Pie every year, also Maple Frangipane Pecan Pie, without fail. But In our house it’s also a tradition that every year we try something new on our holiday menus…enter this amazing cranberry pie. (Oh boy, is this one going to wow you.) I’m gaga over cranberries this year, I can’t stop playing with them ~ they’re my winter equivalent of lemons and they just seem to wake everything up. It’s all about how many bags I can cram in my freezer (12 at last count.)
what is cranberry pie?
This easy cranberry pie recipe is a gingersnap crumb crust filled with a brilliant homemade cranberry curd.
But it’s the glorious flavors (and color!) that make it so special. For the crust I used my absolute favorite gingersnaps ~ NyÃ¥kers ~ they come in a beautiful tin from Sweden, they’re super thin and crisp, and the flavor is bright and peppery. (These are the same cookies I used for the crust of my famous Lemon Crunch Bars, too) These gingersnaps in the pretty tin make a great gift if you can keep from eating the cookies first (we never can.) But don’t worry if you don’t have them, any gingersnap cookie will work.
What makes this crust stand out from the rest, apart from the spicy gingersnaps, is that it has an equal amount of walnuts processed right along with the cookies — so good!
as good as the gingersnap crust is, cranberry pie is all about that glossy cranberry curd
The curd filling for cranberry pie starts with tart fresh pureed cranberries that are mixed with eggs, extra yolks, sugar and lemon juice, and cooked until thick. You might recall I have a Microwave Cranberry Curd recipe on the blog, and that would work, too. The microwave recipe produces a fluffier, lighter curd, and either will be fantastic.
After the curd is cooked, and while it’s still warm, I whisk in some room temperature butter which helps to make it extra glossy. Don’t you just want to dive right in??
the secret to a silky cranberry curd pie filling
Curd recipes often call for slow cooking over a double boiler…I never bother with that and cook my curds either in the microwave, (have you tried my insanely Easy Microwave Citrus Curd?) or on the stove top.
- The secret to a perfect curd without all that fuss is medium heat
- constant stirring
- and a final straining to remove any lumps
how to garnish a cranberry pie
I garnish this pie with sugared cranberries for a festive look. I used thyme for a touch of green contrast, but small mint leaves would be great too.
how to make sugared cranberries the easy way
Let’s be frank, no one is going to eat your sugared cranberries, they’re just for decoration. So I sugar my cranberries the easy way, there’s no need for messy beaten egg whites or a boiled sugar syrup.
- I take damp cranberries and roll them in granulated sugar. The sugar sticks just fine.
- Let them dry and then place them on your pie. Try not to handle them too much.
tvfgi recommends: Nyåkers Swedish Gingersnaps
NyÃ¥kers comes in the pretty decorated tin, which I always re-use to give holiday cookies or store ornaments, etc. (I can’t bear to throw it away.) These Swedish spice cookies have a cult following, and they make a great gift, just send them straight from Amazon. I send a tin to my Dad every year.
“I took this cranberry pie to a pie potluck at work and it was a HUGE hit! The recipe seems foolproof to me; I followed your instructions exactly and my curd set up beautifully. And multiple colleagues (many of whom are accomplished bakers) asked me for the recipe!”
Katie
Cranberry Gingersnap Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
crust
- 5 ounces gingersnaps
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
filling
- 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
- 3 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp and cut in pieces
garnish
- sugared cranberries
- fresh thyme sprigs or mint leaves
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. (this should be a heaping cup) Add the walnuts, and sugar and process again until everything is finely ground. Add the butter and process briefly to combine.
- Pat the crust into your pie plate, and up the sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Put the cranberries, 1 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they’ve popped and the mixture is quite thick. Let cool slightly and then puree until completely smooth.
- Whisk the puree, the eggs, yolks, salt, lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar together in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Stay by the pan the whole time and stir! Note: let the mixture just come up to a bubble, and then remove from heat.
- Push the curd through a mesh strainer, using the back of a spoon to get it all through.
- Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then drop the room temperature butter in, bit by bit, while you stir to melt it.
- Pour the curd into the pie crust and smooth out evenly. Chill the pie until it is firm, about 2 hours or so.
- Decorate with sugared cranberries if you like.
sugared cranberries
- Roll damp cranberries in granulated sugar and let dry.
Video
Notes
- Any firm curd will work in this pie, so feel free to experiment.
- Use graham crackers or plain chocolate wafters in place of the gingersnaps for the crust.
- Leave out the walnuts for a nut free crust, just add more crumbs.
This is my new favorite dessert, i just loved the texture and the tart flavor!
Honestly, a total miss for me. I’m a pretty experienced baker and loved the look of this pie, but something told me to make a tester before Thanksgiving. Glad I did, as it was really disappointing. First off, I found the gingersnap crust does not pack into a pie pan as well as graham cracker crusts do, so I had a devil of a time getting everything well-compacted and even. Could just be my gingersnaps, but the texture of most gingersnaps is more robust than graham crackers, so I suspect it would happen with other brands. If I were to try this again, I would just add powdered ginger, clove, and white pepper to a plain graham cracker crust to approximate the flavor. The bigger issue for me was the cranberry curd, which my family and I found overwhelmingly egg-flavored. I think it’s just too many eggs! I would personally try reducing the eggs and the lemon juice (so it will still set) if I did it again. It’s unfortunate because I love the look of this pie and the flavor combo is such a great idea.
I made this for Thanksgiving 2022. Just like another reviewer, I was asked for permission to cut lol. I arranged thyme around the perimeter with occasional sugared cranberries, and a little cranberry and rosemary “holly” in the center. Made some flurries from sugar. I’ve never gotten so many compliments because the colors are stunning. Using a mill after making the curd made it incredibly smooth. I used Sweetzels spiced wafers for the cookies in my crust (big in my region). That did make it harder to judge doneness due to the darker color. However, this was very well received. I could see some people who aren’t into tart desserts being less than thrilled, but I think I’ll make an orange maple syrup on the side to drizzle for those folks. Recipe was spot on and easy to follow. Thanks!
Thanksgiving 22, huge hit from cranberry lovers in family. asked for recipie. I think it was a little tart at first but ate 2 pieces so guess not. may try to make sweeter next time. I recommend for cranberry lovers. Makes a beautiful pie. was ask for permission to cut. cause it was too pretty…lol any tweeks i try will report back on.
Thanks Wendi 🙂
Made this for 2022 Thanksgiving. Takes some time but results look exactly as pictured. Will taste and let you know.
This pie was very tart! You need something sweet to balance it out more. I loved the crust recipe though.
Is there something that can be used instead of the walnuts? I have a nut allergy, but still want to try this recipe.
You can leave them out, just substitute a few more crumbs.
I measured 2.5 ounces of additional ginger snaps if that helps!
Thanks Nate, I’ll add that to the post.
Do I need to place in oven after I add mix in pie shell?
No, it just needs to cool, and then chill thoroughly.
My curd won’t set..it is still a bit runny after 8 hours. Any ideas what I did wrong?
Question: can you make the filling the day before and refrigerate? Looking forward to trying this.
The problem is that it thickens, so when you go to add it to your pie crust, it won’t be silky smooth like it looks in the photos. I’ve never tried it, though, so I can’t be sure how it would work, sorry!