This homemade apple cranberry pie is filled with juicy apples and fresh, tart cranberries in a flaky buttery pie crust. The perfect holiday dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Love apple recipes? Try my Dutch apple pie, apple pie cupcakes and apple pie bars!
Table of Contents
Cranberry Apple Pie
Pies are one of my favorite holiday desserts. I usually make brown bag apple pie or my cherry pie recipe for Thanksgiving, but decided to switch it up this year and make an apple cranberry pie instead.
This is the perfect apple dessert to add to your Thanksgiving menu or Christmas dinner alongside the roasted turkey and cheesy potatoes. There’s just something about ending your holiday dinner with a warm piece of pie. Especially this cranberry apple pie…it’s the best!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Two seasonal favorites: Two popular holiday fruits, apples and cranberries, pair well for an amazing taste and the oven makes the fruit tender and caramelized!
- Perfect holidays dessert: The fresh fruit filling with flaky lattice pie crust is so delicious! I recommend serving with whipped cream and a vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients and Notes
Nothing fancy is required to make this apple pie with cranberries. Pie dough (premade or from scratch), fresh fruit and a few common pantry staples are all that’s needed.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Pie crusts: You’ll need 2 crusts, one for the base and one for adding on top. You can use store-bought dough, or use my easy pie crust recipe to make one from scratch. An all-butter pie crust is also a delicious idea!
- Fruit: Apples and cranberries are the star of the show here, so make sure they’re fresh and vibrant in color with a sweet fragrance. Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples are my favorites, as they’re crisp and will hold their shape better.
- Pie filling: The fruit gets mixed with lemon juice, almond extract and cinnamon for more flavor, along with a buttery flour mixture with sugar (similar to a roux) that’s used to help thicken the filling.
- Egg wash: Brushing an egg wash on top is optional, although I love the added shine and beautiful golden color it gives the crust.
Pie Topping
You can either cover the filling with a top crust, seal the edges and remove the excess dough, or learn how to make a lattice pie crust to give it more of a rustic holiday flare.
Feel free to sprinkle a crumble topping or streusel topping with oats (instead of a crust) on top if preferred. You could even make it into a tart by following my French apple tart recipe.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Pie
Making an apple cranberry pie is easier than you might think. The homemade filling is quick to whip up, and you can keep it simple by using a premade pie dough or a little more complex by making your own from scratch. Then just assemble and bake!
- Make the fruit filling. In a bowl, mix together the sliced apples, lemon juice, almond extract and cinnamon until well coated. Then gently fold the fresh cranberries into the mixture.
- Cook flour mixture. Next melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the all-purpose flour (this helps thicken the filling). Make sure to continue whisking the flour so that it doesn’t burn. Then add the water and sugars and cook until the sugar has dissolved completely. If it thickens up too much, add an extra spoonful of water to thin it out. Immediately pour the sugar mixture into the bowl with the fruit and toss to combine. It may start to clump up a little, which is totally fine.
- Assemble with crust. Roll out the dough, then place into the bottom of a 9″ pie pan. Pour the filling on top of the bottom crust, then cover with the remaining dough. Press the two crusts together and then either flute the edges or seal with a fork. Make sure to cut a few small slits in the center to allow the steam to escape when baking. You can also do a lattice crust on top.
- Bake. Place the pan onto a baking sheet to catch any of the filling in case it bubbles over. Brush with egg wash if desired. Then bake at 375°F for about 65 minutes. If you notice the crust is getting too brown, you can tent it with foil. Then remove from the oven and let sit until it has completely cooled (about 4 hours).
Recipe Tips
- Use crisp apples when making the filling (like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith). Don’t choose soft varieties or else they’ll get mushy when baking.
- Make the pie crust ahead of time and store in the refrigerator or freezer for easy use. You can even make a double batch to have extra dough on hand to make other holiday favorites like pumpkin pie or these delicious pecan pie bars.
- You can also make the whipped cream in advance and store it in the fridge. Just make sure to make stabilized whipped cream so that it doesn’t deflate.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. The sauce will thicken as it cools. I love to bake it the day before Thanksgiving. That way it’s one less thing to make on the big day and it has time to fully set. You can always reheat slices later if you prefer it warm.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! No need to cook the apples prior to baking the pie. They would definitely get way too mushy if cooked beforehand. The pie cooks for about an hour in the oven, giving the apples plenty of time to get perfectly tender.
You don’t have to! Brushing an egg wash on top of the dough helps the crust get a shiny and golden brown exterior. It’s more for looks than anything, so it’s totally up to you whether you use one or not.
Absolutely. It can be baked 24 to 48 hours ahead of time. I actually prefer to bake mine in advance so that it has time to set. Then you’ll have more free time on Thanksgiving or Christmas to prepare other dishes for your holiday dinners.
If you opt not to do a lattice pie crust, you will need to cut up to 4 slits in the top crust of the pie. This is to allow steam to escape while baking to ensure your filling is cooking evenly. It can also give you an ‘inside look’ at the pie filling to help you judge if the bubbly filling with tender fruit is done.
Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Sure. Place the uncovered pie in the freezer until hard and frozen through, then wrap tightly and freeze. It will stay fresh for up to 4 months. When ready to serve, let thaw on the counter for about an hour and then reheat in the oven at 375°F until warm.
Looking to round out your holiday menu? This smoked turkey, crockpot stuffing and cheesy mashed potatoes are always crowd favorites.
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Apple Cranberry Pie
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups sliced apples (about 4 apples, honey crisp or granny smith)
- 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1-2 Tablespoons water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar , packed
- 2 9-inch pie crusts
- 1 egg , beaten (optional for egg wash)
Optional Serving: Vanilla ice cream or Whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place your rack in the middle position and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Combine apples and cranberries: In a large bowl, combine 6 cups apples, 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and 1/4 cinnamon cinnamon. Gently fold in cranberries.
- Make filling: In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup flour until smooth. Add 2 Tablespoons water, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes, or until no longer gritty. Add an extra Tablespoon of water to thin, if needed. Immediately pour over apple filling and toss to combine.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Give the apple filling a good mix and pour on top of the crust. Try to spread filling as evenly as possible.
- Place the second crust over the top of the filling (or do a lattice top – see notes). Press the 2 pie crusts together and flute the edges or press down with a fork. Using a knife, cut a couple slits to vent if not doing a lattice crust.
- Place pie dish onto the baking sheet. Brush on egg wash, if using. Bake 65 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is bubbling. If the crust is browning too fast, cover with foil. Remove pie from the oven and let cool completely, so it will thicken (about 4 hours).
- Serve. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to serve, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Fruit Desserts, Nut-Free, Pies + Tarts, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I love the amazing flavors this pie has! I’m glad my family loves it too. I’ll definitely have this on repeat. YUM!
Always a repeat on our Thanksgiving menu!
This was amazing! Thanks for the delicious recipe – it was perfect for the office potluck.
This is my new favorite apple cranberry pie recipe! Turned out really delicious and super tasty! Perfect for any gatherings! Will surely have this again! Thanks a bunch for sharing!
Made this for Thanksgiving! It was a HUGE hit at my house.
I’m so glad it was a huge hit!
I made this pie over the weekend and it is very tasty and easy to make! This was only my second pie I have ever made and it turned out perfect! I did have to put tin foil over the top in the last 20-ish minutes because the top was browning too much, so look out for that. Apples & cranberries is a wonderful combo for Thanksgiving / Holiday treat. I served with vanilla ice cream and it was delicious!! I do wish there was more filling inside the pie. If i want more filling next time should I double the filling ingredients? Thank you :)
I had no idea apple and cranberry were so good together! This is my new favorite pie!
I’m OBSESSED with the combo of apples and cranberries here! I never thought to pair them up in a pie but this is PERFECT! Thank you!