Featured comment:
“I took this cranberry pie to a potluck at work and it was a HUGE hit! The recipe is foolproof; 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 pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas
Of course tradition rules the holidays. We make Pumpkin Pie every year, Pecan Pie too. Always my famous Green Bean Casserole from scratch, and I wouldn’t dream of skipping my Butternut Squash Casserole, not gonna happen. But in our house we challenge ourselves to cook up something new every year. It keeps the holidays from being predictable and boring… enter this amazing cranberry pie. Whatever else you make this holiday season, this is going to be the memory maker!
I’m gaga over cranberries this year, it’s all about how many bags I can cram in my freezer (12 at last count.) You’ll need one bag for your cranberry pie, but be sure to grab extra so you can cook along with me.
cranberry pie table of contents
- cranberry pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas
- what is a cranberry pie?
- cranberry pie ingredients
- gingersnap crumb crust
- But what about that glossy cranberry curd!
- the secrets to a silky cranberry pie filling
- how to garnish a cranberry pie
- the easy way to make sugared cranberries
- cranberry pie faqs
- more fabulous cranberry recipes for the holidays
what is a cranberry pie?
This easy cranberry pie recipe is basically a vibrant homemade cranberry curd filling inside an easy gingersnap crumb crust. The flavors are festive and the colors are eye-popping. It really commands attention on that all too often bland holiday table and you can be pretty much guaranteed your friends and family won’t have had it before.
cranberry pie ingredients
CRUST
- gingersnap cookies
- any brand of gingersnaps will work.
- walnuts or pecans
- brown sugar
- butter
FILLING
- fresh cranberries,
- frozen cranberries will work just as well.
- sugar
- eggs
- salt
- lemon juice
- butter
gingersnap crumb crust
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!
I use my absolute favorite gingersnaps ~ Nyåkers ~ they come in a beautiful tin from Sweden, they’re super thin and crisp, and the flavor is bright and peppery. I love them so much I made a Nyakers Gingersnap Cake! These are the same cookies I used for the crust of my Lemon Cheesecake and my famous Lemon Crunch Bars, too, and would you believe they’re an ingredient in authentic German pot roast?? 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.
But what 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 secrets to a silky cranberry pie filling
Making fruit curds is often intimidating, even for experienced cooks, but it’s really not difficult at all. Fruit curd is a thick, smooth, and creamy spread or sauce made from fruit juice, zest, sugar, eggs, and butter. It is cooked gently until thickened, creating a luscious consistency. For this recipe we’re using pureed cranberries to make a thicker, sliceable curd filling for our cranberry pie.
- Have patience and cook your curd over medium heat.
- Don’t stop stirring!
- I swear by my silicone whisk and silicone spoonula for flawless curd making ~ they scrape every inch of the pan for even lump free thickening.
- Take your curd off the heat when you see it start to bubble.
- Always give your curd a final strain through a fine mesh sieve, it makes such a difference!
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 or even rosemary would be great too.
the easy way to make sugared cranberries
I sugar my cranberries the easy way, there’s no need for messy beaten egg whites or a boiled sugar syrup ~ why make extra work for yourself?
- Rinse fresh cranberries.
- Ross the damp cranberries in granulated sugar.
- Let them dry before touching or moving them.
- Then carefully place them on your pie. Try not to handle them too much. If some of the sugar doesn’t adhere in places, that’s fine, don’t stress.
cranberry pie faqs
Yes, but they do add nice flavor. You can, of course, use a different nut like pecans. If you have to leave nuts out, compensate with more crumbs.
Certainly! While gingersnap crumb crust pairs so well with cranberry, you can experiment with graham crackers or vanilla wafers. Even a chocolate wafer might be an interesting choice!
Great question ~ you could substitute orange juice for the lemon juice, and garnish with orange zest.
Absolutely! You can prepare the gingersnap crumb crust in advance and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two before assembling the pie. This can save time when you’re ready to bake.
This pie is best the day it’s made, but yes, you can make it up to a day in advance. Let it cool completely and then store it in the refrigerator. Be aware that the crust will loose its texture if you make the pie too far in advance.
Yes, they’ll work fine, no need to thaw them.
Parbaking ensures that the crust has the right texture. It allows the crumbs to meld together and form a cohesive base. If you don’t parbake, the crust might remain too loose and crumbly, making it difficult to cut and serve.
That’s a great question and I do think cranberries differ in their level of tartness. You may not have needed all the lemon juice, or your filling may have benefitted from a bit more sugar. One tip is to taste the cranberries while they’re cooking and add a bit more sugar then. Or, if it tastes tart, omit the lemon juice later.
Think of it like pumpkin pie, and serve with either sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Comment Highlights ~ click to read
This pie is so beautiful and tasty…the tart, tangy, and sweet, and texture all meld together beautifully. Whip up some fresh whipping cream with orange zest before serving and you have a world-class dessert! Wish we could upload photos! ~HAPPY
This is my new favorite dessert, I just loved the texture and the tart flavor! ~DANIELLE
VA-VA VOOM is right.. That is SO BEAUTIFUL!! It has every element of YUM for me! OMG! ~ASHLEY
I have to say, this is an incredible pie. It’s my favorite now, and it was such a hit on Thanksgiving, that I now get requests to make this for birthdays! ~S.
I followed recipe as written, came together perfectly, and everyone loved it! ~CLEMENTINE
This pie is a fantastic palate cleanser. If you like key lime pie, you’ll love this. ~BRYAN
I made this for Thanksgiving and amazed everI never ever leave comments, but this pie is sooooooooo good. I can not get over that cranberry curd. It is pure heaven, and looks stunning! ~SYLVIE
It looked lovely elevated on a pedestal dish and was the star of the dessert table. It’s sure to be a reoccurring addition every Thanksgiving! ~JEANNE
I’ve made this several times for my husband’s winter solstice birthday. We love everything about this pie! ~CUSS
Everyone voted it the best dessert on the Christmas table which included my chiffon pumpkin cheesecake! This will definitely be a regular for my holiday baking! Thank you so much for having the best blog ever! ~DARLENE
Love, love, love this recipe. It’s a showstopper on the dessert table. The brightness and color really pop. Trader Joe’s has amazing, really thin ginger snaps that work perfect for the crust. Will make it again for Christmas. Thank you for this! ~HEIDE
Cranberry Gingersnap Pie
Equipment
- 9 inch pie plate
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
crust
- 5 ounces gingersnaps
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
filling
- 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, you can use frozen berries too.
- 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
- Preheat 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 and sprigs of thyme or mint leaves if you like.
sugared cranberries
- Roll damp cranberries in granulated sugar and let dry.
Video
Notes
- 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 to compensate.
Nutrition
more fabulous cranberry recipes for the holidays
- Fresh Cranberry Muffins
- Cranberry Pumpkin Cornbread
- The BEST Cranberry Orange Bread
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Maple Cranberry Butter in 15 minutes!
- Easy Mulled Cranberry Jelly
I am thinking of making this beautiful pie for Thanksgiving this year…can it be made a day or two ahead of time?
I think so, you would wrap it loosely and carefully in plastic wrap, and don’t add the sugared cranberries until the day of.
Just made this pie and it was a joy to make. I learned alot. The recipe was well written. I’m adding this to my repertoire. Also, it’s gorgeous.
Oh thank you so much Kimberly, I’m gearing up for fall and winter pie season and this is one of my faves. I’m especially happy that the recipe was easy to follow, that’s the whole game here!
I did notice. Pink grapefruit are on my grocery list. I’m inviting neighbors over for what I think will be a delicious surprise! ?
🙂
This was a big hit at Christmas! Even those who were not fans of the cranberry had to try it because it was so beautiful! They loved it. I will make it a Christmas tradition. It is not difficult to make, it is stunning on the dessert table and is beyond delicious. Thank you, Sue, for a great recipe!
I’m thrilled Deb, there’s really no higher compliment than that this pie will become part of a holiday tradition, thanks for letting me know 🙂
PS don’t know if you noticed but I’ve since adapted this recipe for pink grapefruit and it came out wonderfully: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/grapefruit-gingersnap-pie-recipe/
This pie is so beautiful! The crust smelled amazing when it came out of the oven and I couldn’t stop licking the curd off the spoon. Mine is chilling in the fridge, where it will remain for two days until Christmas (unfortunately I just need to put it together ahead of time and risk it). Have not made the sugared cranberries yet but will do that soon!
I’m so glad to hear this Carrie, nothing makes me happier than to hear that someone is getting joy from one of my recipes! Every single time I make curd of any sort I spend an hour licking every pan and utensil!!
This was beautiful and delicious! The only issue I had was that the sugar would not stick to the cranberries for garnish. I’m making 2 more this weekend, and I’m short on time, so I was thinking of using pre- made Graham cracker crust. I’m not a big crust person, so doubt I’ll notice a difference, but for crust connoisseurs, is the substitute going to detract from the taste?
If you need to use the pre-made crust, I’m sure it will be fine, don’t stress about it. Crust connoisseurs might notice, but not regular peeps 😉 And as for the cranberries, you can also beat an egg white, dunk the cranberries in it, and then into the sugar.
Sue, I made the pie per instructions and even left chilling more than 4 hours. When I cut the pie, the curd was not firm. On the individual pieces it was running off to the sides. Not sure what I did wrong but I have an idea. Your recipe says to purée. How did you purée the cranberries? I used a blender with a purée function and I wonder if it became too smooth by using this method.
I’m not sure what went wrong, Kristina. The texture of the pie isn’t super firm, but it does hold together. I assume you cooked the cranberries until the mixture was thick? Cranberries have a ton of natural pectin, so that helps keep the curd nice and solid.
Hi!! So excited to try this pie! Currently making it but I do not have a mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Do I have to strain it? If so do you know any household items that might work?
No, I didn’t strain mine, but I used a good strong blender, my Vitamix. I can’t think of anything else you could use in this case if you don’t have cheesecloth or a strainer, so just go with it as is.
I made this pie today and it was beautiful and tasted amazing and everyone loved it. I did not have a mesh strainer either so I put it through a food mill and it worked perfectly. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
You’re so welcome Stephanie 🙂
I made the curd and crust but made a cheesecake up put in between (baking as I type this). Crossing my fingers for a good result! The curd by itself is so good!
I love your creativity, please let me know how it goes ~ and have a wonderful holiday today Laura.
I also don’t have a mesh strainer so we used a flat splatter guard mesh thing and it worked just fine. It’s lovely without the chewy bits in it!
Perfect! That was an ingenious idea :))
By the way, this was a huge hit at this year’s Thanksgiving! It’s presence has already been requested for next year! I thought that I was making it for everyone else, because I actually don’t like gingersnap cookies. I was totally wrong. That mix of walnuts and cookies is the perfect amount to make a sweet flavorful crust that’s not tangy or too spicy. And it makes the cranberry curd sing! Thank you so much for posting this!
You’re so welcome Jen, I love that this pie is now a part of your Thanksgiving tradition 🙂
Hi, Sue! Beautiful recipe! I’m really excited to make this for Thanksgiving this week. I do have a question, however. Do you think pecans would be a good swap for the walnuts? My boyfriend does not care for them and I’m curious if pecans are a good substitute. Is the walnut flavor very prominent or is it just complimentary to the gingersnaps? Thank you!
Yes, I think they’d be fine, Stephanie, go for it! The nut flavor is just in the background, and contributes to texture, so another nut is going to work as well. Have a wonderful holiday 🙂
I have family with nut allergies. Would I need to do anything differently if I omit the nuts?
Use about 1 1/2 cups crumbs, and 6 Tbsp melted butter to moisten them. It will be like a classic crumb crust.
Sue, my sister and I are making this pie for the first time for Thanksgiving. We are a little confused, lol. Are you saying 1 heaping cup of the CRUSHED ginger snaps and 1 heaping cup of finely chopped walnuts?
Hi Betty ~ you’ll need 5 ounces of gingersnaps, which, when crushed, will be a heaping cup. Then you’ll add a cup of walnuts to the processor. Is that clear? I know recipes can be confusing sometimes.
Thanks Sue. Yes, I did one heaping crushed ginger snaps and one heaping cup of finely chopped nuts, added the brown sugar and melted butter. Patted into the pie plate and waa laa – – – it’s in the oven. 🙂