Cranberry Apple Pie

Skip the expected apple pie and make this sweet-yet-tart cranberry apple pie for your holiday feasts instead. You and your guests will love the refreshing spin on the classic with cranberry’s bright flavor and festive red hue.
Cranberry Apple Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Sick of the quintessential apple pie? Throwing in a few new ingredients does wonders for reimagining the traditional dessert, and our cranberry apple pie has to be one of our favorite results. Besides the usual suspects (tart apples and warm apple pie spice) this pie is dotted with plump cranberries with tangy orange juice poured in for added brightness. Each bite of this dessert is boldly epic with its sweet-yet-tart irresistibility.

Ingredients for Cranberry Apple Pie

  • Double pie crust dough: Follow our recipe below or use store-bought pie dough Our Test Kitchen pros found that Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts was the best premade pie crust.
  • Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens and sets the filling so it doesn’t ooze out when a slice is served.
  • Orange juice: Orange and cranberries are a knockout pairing. Adding a little orange juice sweetens up the tartness of the cranberries and makes for a brighter pie flavor.
  • Cinnamon: Warm cinnamon adds coziness to this apple cranberry pie recipe.
  • Apple pie spice: Apple pie spice is a complex combination of many different fall spices (usually cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg) which amp up the autumnal flavors in the pie.
  • Nutmeg: Preground nutmeg is great, but zesting fresh nutmeg makes the nutmeg taste so much bolder and better.
  • Apples: Look for very firm and tart apples (like Granny Smith), and stay away from mealy, bland apples.
  • Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries will do. If you’re going the frozen route, there’s no need to completely thaw the cranberries. Learning how to bake a fruit pie with frozen fruit is an absolute game changer (and time saver!).
  • Butter: Unless otherwise specified, Taste of Home recipes are tested with lightly salted butter.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the pie crust

Preheat the oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough to a 1/8-inch-thick circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, and trim even with the rim. Refrigerate the rolled-out dough while preparing the filling.

Step 2: Create the sugar mixture

Sugar, cornstarch, orange juice mixed together in a large bowl on a wooden tableTMB Studio

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, cinnamon, apple pie spice, nutmeg and lemon juice until thoroughly combined.

Step 3: Toss in the apples and cranberries

Apples and cranberries and sugar mixture in a large bowlTMB Studio

Add the apples and cranberries to the sugar mixture. Toss gently with a rubber spatula or, for more control, with your hands.

Step 4: Add the filling to the prepared dough

Cranberry Apple Pie filling in a pie crust placed on a wooden tableTMB Studio

Spoon the filling into the prepared pie plate. Dot the top of the filling all around with the butter.

Step 5: Add top dough

A person Trimming the edges on dough on the pie crustTMB Studio

Roll the remaining dough into a 1/8-inch-thick circle. Place the pie dough over the filling. Trim, seal and flute the edge. Cut slits in the top.

Test Kitchen Tip: Avoid blowouts! Cutting slits in the pastry allows the steam to escape.

Step 6: Bake

Cranberry Apple Pie served in a plate on a wooden tableTMB Studio

Bake the pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F, and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes longer. If the pie’s crust is browning too quickly, add a pie crust shield to protect it from burning.

Editor’s Tip: Place a baking sheet on a separate rack underneath the pie to catch anything that may bubble over in the oven. It’s easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of an oven!

Recipe Variations

  • Design a lattice crust: Learning how to make a lattice crust is easy, and so worth the extra effort for a show-stopping pie!
  • Opt for a streusel topping: If you’re a fan of Dutch apple pie, then you’ll know how amazing an apple pie tastes with a streusel topping. Omit the top pie crust in this recipe and make our fruit pie crumb topping instead for an outstanding added texture.
  • Decorate with sugared cranberries: We love the festive look that sugared cranberries add to a dessert. To make your own for added decor, heat 3 tablespoons of light corn syrup in the microwave until warm. Gently toss the corn syrup with 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, allowing the excess syrup to drip off. Toss in 1/3 cup of sugar to coat. Place the cranberries on waxed paper, and let them stand until set, about one hour. Artfully place the cranberries on top of the baked room temperature pie.

How to Store Cranberry Apple Pie

To store, allow the apple cranberry pie to cool completely to room temperature (this may take several hours). Wrap the pie in storage wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to five days.

To freeze cranberry apple pie, let the pie cool completely to room temperature, then wrap the pie in a few layers of storage wrap followed by a final layer of aluminum foil. Freeze the pie for up to three months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

How to Make Cranberry Apple Pie Ahead of Time

There are a few ways to make this apple cranberry pie recipe ahead of time. The pie dough can be prepared, wrapped and stored in the fridge up to three days ahead of baking. The filling can also be made ahead of time—three months in advance, in fact! Prepare the pie filling according to this recipe’s instructions and store it in an airtight container. Freeze the filling for up to three months and thaw in the fridge overnight before baking in the pie.

Cranberry Apple Pie Tips

Can I make this pie with dried cranberries?

Yes, you can make cranberry apple pie with dried cranberries, but the pie won’t have as seamless of a cranberry taste throughout, rather more sporadic, pronounced bites of cranberry tartness.

What are the best apples for pie?

The best apples for pie are Granny Smith, Cameo, Honeycrisp and Jonagold apples. Look for types of apples that have an extra-firm, crispy texture and a tart flavor.

How do I make a double-crust pie dough?

To make a double-crust pie dough, whisk together 2-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Cut in 1 cup of cold butter until the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are pea-sized. Gradually add in 1/3 to 2/3 cup of ice water, tossing with a fork until the dough holds together when pressed (you might not use all of the ice water). Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in storage wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Watch how to Make Cranberry Apple Pie

Best Cranberry Apple Pie

New England is one of the prime apple- and cranberry-growing regions of the country. This is my all-time favorite cranberry apple pie recipe.
Cranberry Apple Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour

Makes

8 servings

Ingredients

  • Dough for double-crust pie (9 inches)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 4 cups sliced peeled tart apples
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim even with rim. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and next 6 ingredients. Add apples and cranberries; toss gently. Spoon filling into prepared pie plate; dot with butter.
  3. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. 
  4. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 45-50 minutes longer.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 521 calories, 17g fat (8g saturated fat), 18mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium, 92g carbohydrate (60g sugars, 2g fiber), 2g protein.