Apple and Cranberry Pie
Posted Oct 28, 2026
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This homemade apple and cranberry pie has a sweet and tart, cinnamon-spiced filling loaded with fresh apples and cranberries, all baked in a flaky, buttery pie crust. It’s a delicious fall pie with a festive holiday twist that’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Whether you’re in fall baking mode or are looking for a beautiful, festive pie for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you need to make this apple and cranberry pie.
This bakery-quality recipe looks impressive, but is surprisingly easy to make. The filling combines apples, cranberries, and cinnamon with a splash of orange juice and vanilla for a flavorful dessert that isn’t overly sweet and really allows the fruit to shine.
Serve this cranberry apple pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream, and you have a show-stopping dessert that tastes just as incredible as it looks. It’s one of those recipes that feels special enough for the holidays, but easy enough to make anytime you’re craving a classic homemade pie.
Apple Cranberry Pie: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pie crust. Use a store-bought crust to make this recipe even easier.
- All-Purpose Flour. Use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to make the apple hand pies gluten-free.
- Apples. Choose your favorite apple variety. I recommend Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jazz, Granny Smith, McIntosh, etc. A sweet/tart mixture is my favorite.
- Cranberries. Fresh cranberries are the best choice. You can use frozen, but they have a slightly different texture.
- Granulated sugar. Brown sugar is a great substitute.
- Orange juice. Pineapple juice is a good substitute, or lemon juice mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey.
- Cornstarch. Tapioca or arrowroot starch both work well.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Pie
Making this apple cranberry pie recipe requires a little bit of planning, because the dough needs to be chilled for at least two hours.
Prepare the Pie Crust Dough
Start by making the pie crust dough. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in the container of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade one or two times until combined. Or, you can mix by hand in a large bowl.
Store-bought dough
You can cut out the step of making your own dough and use store-bought double pie crust.
Then, add the cold butter and water and process until clumps begin to form and the dough can be squeezed together when pinched (15-45 seconds). If mixing by hand, you can cut the butter into the dough with a pastry cutter or fork, then add the water and stir until combined.
You can do a test and pinch some of the dough between your fingers. If it sticks together, it’s done processing. Then, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface – it will look crumbly.
Next, form the dough into two discs, wrap them in plastic wrap, and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.
After chilling, remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a circle about ¼ to ½ inch thick to fit your pie plate. I use my pie plate to measure the size needed for a crust that will give me a good fluted edge.
Make the Filling while crust chills
I always make the filling while the crust is chilling; then I can just roll, fill, and bake the pie when it’s time. If you choose to make the filling after you form both the top and bottom crust, you will need to put them in the refrigerator to chill while you’re making the filling.
Then roll the second crust into a circle to fit your pie plate. Or, you can make a lattice crust.
Make the Apple Cranberry Pie Filling
While the crust is chilling, make the filling. Start by peeling, coring, and slicing the apples into thin slices. Then, put the peeled, cored, and sliced apples in a microwave-safe dish and cook for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, add the cranberries and cook in the microwave for an additional 3 minutes. Once the apples and cranberries are finished cooking in the microwave, put them in a colander to drain excess water. Let them cool in the colander for at least 10 minutes, stirring or tossing occasionally to release heat.
Transfer the cooled & drained apples & cranberries to a bowl. Then add the rest of the filling ingredients: sugar, vanilla, orange juice, flour, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and stir until the ingredients are evenly coating the fruit.
Assemble & Bake the Apple Cranberry Pie
Once the crust and filling are ready, it’s time to assemble the apple and cranberry pie. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
Then evenly spread the filling into the bottom pie crust. Next, put the second crust on top and cut an “X” in the middle to make sure the filling can vent and release steam while baking. Or make a lattice crust.
Use your fingers to make a fluted edge, pinching the top and bottom crusts together.
Then, make the egg wash by whisking the cream and egg yolk together.
Then, using a pastry brush, brush it over the crust. Place a pie crust shield or aluminum foil over the outer crust of the pie to protect it from burning. Remove the shield in the last 10 minutes of baking if it doesn’t begin to brown underneath.
Bake the apple and cranberry pie on the middle/lower rack in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until the filling begins to bubble and the top is lightly browned. It’s very important that you start to see the filling bubble because that means it is thickening.
Then, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire cooling rack. I typically make this pie a day before I want to serve it because the filling thickens as it cools, but you can serve it 3-6 hours after baking.
Serve
Serve this apple and cranberry pie slightly warm (I will often reheat it in the oven for 15 minutes before serving) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. You can also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream.
How to Store Apple Cranberry Pie
Store leftover pie at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How to Freeze
Or, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and freeze them in an airtight container for up to two months. Thaw slowly in the fridge or at room temperature and reheat in the microwave or oven set to warm.
Apple and Cranberry Pie Recipe FAQS
I like to use a tart/sweet apple like Pink Lady apples, Honeycrisp, Fuji, etc. I actually don’t recommend Granny Smith for this recipe because the cranberries bring the tartness to the filling.
This recipe calls for cooking the apples and cranberries slightly before baking.
Yes, frozen cranberries work well. I just suggest thawing them first and letting any excess water drain off while they thaw.
Bake the pie on the lowest rack of your oven.
Yes, peeling the apples is a must for the best texture.
Yes, you can bake it up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator before serving at room temperature or slightly warm.
This pie filling should not be runny. A runny filling can happen if the pie is underbaked, contains too much liquid, or is sliced before it has cooled completely. Make sure the filling is bubbling before removing the pie from the oven, then let it cool completely before slicing.
Yes, absolutely. This is a great way to save some time!
This pie is delicious on its own, but it’s especially good served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
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Apple and Cranberry Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Double Pie Crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter COLD, cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup ice cold water
Cranberry Apple Pie Filling
- 2 pounds apples (peeled, cored and sliced, about 6 medium apples)
- 8 ounces cranberries (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
- Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in the container of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade one or two times until combined. Or, you can mix by hand in a large bowl.
- Then add the cold water and butter and process process for 15-40 seconds, or until the mixture resembles a coarse meal and holds together when pinched.
- Remove dough from processor (it will be crumbly), transfer it to a large bowl or flat surface, and form into two, equal-sized round discs.
- Wrap both discs of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- After chilling, remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a circle about ¼ to ½ inch thick to fit your pie plate. I use my pie plate to measure the size needed for a crust that will give me a good fluted edge.
- Put it into the bottom of a pie plate.
- Then roll the second crust into a circle to fit your pie plate. Or, you can make a lattice crust.
Make the Filling
- While the crust is chilling, make the filling.
- Peel, core and slice the apples into thin slices.
- Then, place the peeled, cored and sliced apples in a microwave safe dish and cook for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, add the cranberries and cook in the microwave for an additional 3 minutes.
- Once the apples and cranberries are finished cooking in the microwave, put them in a colander to drain excess water. Let them cool in the colander for at least 10 minutes, stirring or tossing occasionally to release heat.
- Transfer cooled & drained apples & cranberries to a bowl.
- Add the sugar, vanilla, orange juice, flour, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon and stir until the ingredients evenly coating the fruit.
Assemble
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
- Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.
- Place second crust on top of the filling and shape the edges. Cut a “X” into the middle to release steam – or make a lattice crust.
- Pinch the edges to make a fluted edge.
Make the Egg Wash
- Make the egg wash by whisking the cream and egg yolk together.
- Then using a pastry brush, brush it over the crust.
Bake & Cool
- Place a pie crust shield or aluminum foil over the outer crust of the pie to protect it from burning. Remove shield in the last 10 minutes of baking if it doesn’t begin to brown under the shield.
- Bake the pie on the middle/lower rack in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes or until the filling begins to bubble and the top is lightly browned. It’s very important you start to see the filling bubble.
- Let cool for at least 6 hours and serve. The filling thickens as it cools.
Notes
- Pie crust. Use a store-bought crust to make this recipe even easier.
- All-Purpose Flour. Use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour to make the apple hand pies gluten-free.
- Apples. Choose your favorite apple variety. I recommend pink lady, honey crisp, gala, jazz, granny smith, McIntosh, etc. A sweet/tart mixture is my favorite.
- Cranberries. Fresh cranberries are the best choice. You can use frozen but they have a slightly different texture.
- Granulated sugar. Brown sugar is a great substitute.
- Orange juice. pineapple juice is a good substitute, or lemon juice mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey.
- Cornstarch. tapioca or arrowroot starch both work well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
