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.
I made this pie and loved it! So did all of my guests!
Yay!!
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! Am actually making this for my husband’s birthday right now. I’m not sure how it was for you, but the walnut flavor overpowered the crust for me, even though I used the measurements in this recipe and they were new walnuts. So I just make a gingersnap/graham cracker crust and it is *perfection*. I wonder how it was for other folks (it might be a taste or preference thing) but regardless this is a gorgeous yummy pie and THANK YOU for sharing it! It’s a permanent fixture in my home and a part of our traditions now!
Hope this pie brings you and our family many happy memories 🙂
I was searching for so long online to get some inspiration for my families Thanksgiving. The photos are what drew me in and then I read the title I fell in love. Ended up tweaking the recipe a bit and my GOSH!!!! it was phenomenal the tart from the cranberries goes well with the ginger crust. Great photos and recipe. Thank you for the inspiration and I will be posting the recipe inspired up on my blog shortly.
I’m so glad you loved this pie Mikayla, it makes quite a statement on the table and so many people have reported back about loving the flavor. I’m going to make it again this Christmas 🙂
Hi Sue! This pie looks gorgeous and I’m excited to make it this weekend for a Friendsgiving celebration. Do you think this crust would hold up in a 9-inch tart pan? Or would it be too delicate? Also, do you have gingersnaps you recommend? I also thought maybe Biscoff-type cookies would be tasty – I’d love your thoughts! Thank you!
I *think* the crust should hold up in a tart pan if you pack it firmly and are careful when removing it. I love the very thin gingernsaps, like Nyackers or similar, but honestly any brand will work, you’re going to crush them anyway, so it’s just the flavor that matters. You can definitely use any other type of cracker/cookie to experiment with, too. I’m intrigued by the idea of using the deep chocolate Nabisco Famous Wafers 😉
Hello! Just wanted to share that I made this for Thanksgiving and it was phenomenal! I have Celiac so I used gluten free gingersnaps, and Earth Balance vegan butter for my dairy-free husband, and had no issues with texture or flavor. I also added a meringue topping, and it was a big hit with everyone. Thank you for this great recipe:
Thanks so much Faith, it’s great to know that your adjustments work, and I think a meringue topping sounds wonderful. I bet it was pretty, too.
I took this 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. The hardest part was not eating all the curd before I poured it into the crust. I will definitely make it again. And multiple colleagues (many of whom are accomplished bakers) asked me for the recipe!
I made this pie today to spice up our boring Thanskgiving dessert table… It was a huge hit!! This recipe will definitely be used again.
Yay! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
I 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! Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thanks Sylvie, and Happy Thanksgiving to you!
I see that the recipe calls for 4 tbs of butter in the filling but it’s not used in the directions for the filling. Where would that butter come into play?
It’s in there Beth, added after the curd has cooled a bit in step 7.
I made this last year just as the recipe calls and it was perfect! First time we’re making a ‘curd’ pie!
My daughter loved it so much and requested it again this year for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing, it’s delicious!!