Fresh Cranberry Pie
A vibrant sweet-tart cranberry pie made with fresh or frozen cranberries, orange zest, warm spices, and a buttery homemade pie crust. Stunning on any Thanksgiving dessert table and surprisingly easy to make.
Equipment
- Large saucepan (4-quart)
- 9-inch pie plate
- Rolling Pin
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 10 cups (1000g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 1/2 cups (500g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest (from 1 large orange)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbsp (35g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup orange juice, divided
- 1 pie dough prepared pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Make homemade all-butter pie crust or use store-bought. Chill for at least 45 minutes. You only need one half of the dough; freeze the other half for another time.
- Rinse cranberries and discard soft or blemished ones. Add cranberries, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, orange zest, and 1/4 cup orange juice to a large saucepan. Whisk cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup orange juice to make a slurry and set aside. Cook cranberries over medium-high heat until boiling, then simmer 10-12 minutes until softened. Add slurry and cook 1 more minute until noticeably thickened. Cool filling for 2 hours.
- Roll chilled dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, trim edges, fold under, and crimp. Refrigerate crust for at least 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F with a parchment-lined baking sheet inside. Add cooled cranberry filling to the chilled crust. Bake on the hot sheet for 25 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°F without opening the door. Continue baking 30-40 minutes until filling bubbles. Cover edges with foil if browning too quickly. Cool completely for 3-4 hours to set.
Notes
Pre-cooking the cranberries ensures a soft, thick filling. If the filling seems loose after baking, allow additional cooling time or refrigerate overnight for clean slices.