From the crunch of the sugar crust on the bottom to the juicy cranberries to the flaky cake layer on top; Nantucket Christmas Cranberry Pie is cranberry dessert heaven.
This recipe was sent to me by a reader, Maureen. She saw our Cranberry Christmas Cake on Facebook and it reminded her of this pie. She thought we might like it and she was right.
Cranberry Pie
The sweetly tart combination proved to be irresistible! My whole family LOVED this pie and I even ate it again for breakfast. That’s how much I enjoyed it.
If you can’t decide whether to make cake or pie, this recipe is your answer!
Crunchy pecans are added to a mixture of tart juicy cranberries and sugar, then topped with a buttery batter to make ta dessert that’s a little bit cake and a little bit pie.
Is it a pie-like cake? Is it a cake-like pie? I don’t know but I do know that it tastes phenomenal!
Christmas Cranberry Pie
Have you ever made cranberry pie before? I admit that it’s not the first thing I think of when I think of pie but it makes total sense.
We eat a lot of cranberries around the holidays and even more pie so why not put the two together?
This Cranberry Pie recipe is also far less fussy than your typical Christmas Pie. Instead of rolling a delicate pie crust, you simply pour the cranberry filling into a pie pan and top with a batter made from butter, eggs, sugar and flour.
Nantucket Pie
The resulting pie is begging to be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Of course, it’s also perfectly delicious all on its own!
When you’re surrounded by decadent, sickeningly-sweet desserts during the holidays, Nantucket Cranberry Pie is a nice change of pace. It’s still plenty sweet and pleasantly rich without being cloying or heavy.
It works as a dessert and as a fun breakfast or brunch dish. I’m not too big on sweets and this pie was just right for me!
Fresh Cranberry Recipes
This pie is a fabulous way to cook fresh cranberries but frozen cranberries work just as well!
Many of us snack on dried cranberries all year long but don’t do much with the fresh berries until it’s time to make Cranberry Sauce around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I love our traditional Homemade Cranberry Sauce and all the new versions I’ve experimented with over the years like this Hot Pepper Cranberry Sauce.
Fresh cranberries are great for so much more than just sauce! I’ve enjoyed exploring different ways to use these tart berries.
Slightly chewy with a sweetly tart combination, cranberry oatmeal bars are full of cranberries and apples topped with brown sugar and oatmeal crumbs.
This Cranberry Spice Cake is an absolutely perfect cake that takes very little effort to make. There’s no icing, no topping, nothing else is required. This is one of the easiest cakes you will ever make!
Cranberry Christmas Cookies are filled with an abundance of fresh tart cranberries balanced by a buttery sweet cookie. This is not a classically crisp or chewy cookie. I created this cookie specifically to mimic the ever-popular Cranberry Christmas Cake.
Some more of our favorites include Overnight Baked Oatmeal with Fresh Cranberries and the Cranberry Pepper Jam that has become a staple for every cheeseboard we make.
Fresh cranberries are also fantastic in many savory dishes like One Pan Cranberry Chicken and Cranberry Sausage Stuffing.
I’ve made this pie with all-purpose flour and a blend of gluten-free flours. It turned out great both ways.
I’ve listed the gluten-free flours I used in the recipe below but if you’re not after a gluten free recipe, feel free to just substitute each of those ingredients with all-purpose flour.
For more pie recipes you might love, check out my Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie, Lemon Angel Pie, and German Apple Pie.
Apple Pie Bars with Bourbon Caramel Sauce are another fun and tasty take on traditional pie. For a simple yet beautiful pie bursting with seasonal berry flavor, try this Deep Dish Berry Pie.
Check out all of the Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Cranberry Pie Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the filling ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into a generously buttered 10″ pie plate.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat again until fluffy. Add the flour and beat once more.
- Spread the thick batter over the cranberry mixture in the pan. I used a small cookie scoop to quickly dollop spoonfuls across the top of the pie. It doesn’t need to look perfect.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, test doneness with a toothpick, just to make sure the topping is cooked through. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Nantucket Christmas Cranberry Pie
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Topping Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour*
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- ⅔ cup brown rice flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the filling ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into a generously buttered 10" pie plate.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat again until fluffy. Add the flour and beat once more.
- Spread the thick batter over the cranberry mixture in the pan. I used a small cookie scoop to quickly dollop spoonfuls across the top of the pie. It doesn't need to look perfect.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, test doneness with a toothpick, just to make sure the topping is cooked through. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 12/12/13 – recipe notes and photos updated 11/15/22}
Jax says
Sounds wonderful
But we don’t eat nuts
Any suggestions as to an alternative to put in with cranberries
Thank you
Mary Younkin says
Feel free to skip the nuts, Jax.
Deborah says
This cake-like pie was so delicious! Especially with a cup of coffee, tastes like Christmas. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because my cranberries never rose up into the cake, they stayed on the bottom of the pie dish, sort of like a cranberry upside down cake! I’m not sure what went wrong, i followed the directions and used fresh cranberries. It still tasted very good , but it was just not as pretty with the berries mixed into the entire pie.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you liked it, Deborah. I’m not sure why they would’ve stayed on the bottom like that.
Janet Gripenburg says
Mix the cranberries with about 1/4 cup of the flour mixture before you add the berries to the batter that way they will not sink to the bottom and stay there.
Cristine says
I’ve been making this recipe for several years, and it’s so darn good! In fact I’m going to make it again today! It’s perfect in every way, especially the almond flavoring makes the cranberry’s shine! It’s not too sweet, it’s just right! It’s also very moist, and keeps well, but it’s easy to eat it up in no time, LOL! I’m going to try some of her other recipes as well! If you don’t have pecans, walnuts work just fine as well.
Mary Younkin says
We love it too Cristine!
Karen says
Hi Mary I would love to make your Cranberry Christmas Pie, it looks fabulous! But, please clarify for me, you combine Cranberries, sugar and nuts and put that mixture in the bottom of a bare pie plate? Then you top the berries with the flour cake batter topping? Cranberry filling and batter topping are not even partially combined before putting the cranberries in the pie plate? Correct? I’m really looking forward to baking this!
Thanks so much!
Mary Younkin says
That is exactly right, Karen. I’ve shared photos of the process to hopefully help make it easier to understand. I hope that you love it as much as we do.
Pat says
I live in England and would love to try this out and take to my daughter’s. Would I be able to make it in advance and freeze it?
Mary Younkin says
It should freeze nicely, Pat.
Lori says
Can this be made with Almond Flour? (Nantucket Cranberry Pie) Thank you..
Mary Younkin says
I have not tried this with almond flour. I do offer a gluten-free suggestion using brown rice flour and tapioca starch. The details are on the recipe card if that helps, Lori.
Abbie says
Could this recipe substitute Cassava Flour and Almond Flour for the Brown Rice Flower and the Tapioca Starch?
Mary Younkin says
I have not made it with Cassava Flour but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work, Abbie.
Sherry says
If using frozen cranberries, should they be thawed first and drain liquid?
Mary Younkin says
No need to thaw.
Eleanor Cummings says
You can use gluten free Cup 4 Cup flour in place of regular flour.
Mary Younkin says
You sure can, Eleanor.
Marissa says
This looks amazing! Going to try it this week, just wanted to check to see if almonds wouldn’t work in place of pecans or if they are too different a type of nut? Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
They would work, Marissa.
Patsy says
Hello,
Can you give me the measurements in grams or ounces.
It sounds delicious and I really want to try it.
Mary Younkin says
There are several great conversion calculators on google that can help you with that, Patsy.
Linda Eggleston says
Your recipe sounds good but confusing. Do you use the tapioca starch only if you use the brown rice flour or is it added to the main ingredients. I would like to try this but didn’t know what to do.
Thanks.
Mary Younkin says
If you don’t need a gluten-free recipe, you only need the all-purpose flour. You won’t use any of the special ingredients listed until “gluten free alternative.”
Dom Surprenant says
My mom started making this in the 1970’s where we lived in Southeastern Massachusetts cranberry country. It was called Cranberry Surprise Pie. Though it was very buttery and very sweet and very almondy, it was delicious. Today instead, I use 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp each of almond & vanilla extract. Use 1 cup cranberries & 1 cup red raspberries as a very nice alternative.
Mary Younkin says
What a sweet memory, Don. Thank you for sharing your version.
Kim Hannel says
Mary, do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Mary Younkin says
Either will work fine, Kim.
Kim Hannel says
Oops–another question: Do I need to thaw the frozen cranberries first, or can I just toss them right in?
Thanks so much! Looking forward to this.
Mary Younkin says
Just toss them right in, Kim.
Vicki Cohen says
very delicious and husband liked it. but it did not act the way your recipe is pictured. I’m a home-baker too, so I usually don’t have problems with following directions and baking. generously buttered the pie plate. but…. first of all the sugar did not even mix with the cranberries. no sugar coated the berries at all. should I have broke/masked them up a bit to macerate somewhat? and then the batter just baked on top. it was still tasty, but since the sugar did not actually mix with the berries, when cooled the sugar stuck like praline to the bottom of the plate. maybe it’s something with the cranberries I used. the only ones I can get are those that are sold in platic bag in produce department. any help would be appreciated as I would like to give it another go. thank you (would have given 5 stars as it is very tasty)
Mary Younkin says
The whole berries from the store are just fine, I don’t think that was the issue. You really want to be sure the sugar mixture coats the berries when you are mixing them up. If you rinse, then drain your berries and then stir in the sugar before they become perfectly dry it does help to coat them.
Liz says
Hello, i live in Australia and we don’t have fresh or frozen cranberries.
Can i use fresh blueberries or strawberries as substitutes for cranberries.
Thank you
Liz
Mary Younkin says
No cranberries? Is it even the holidays? Just kidding, Liz. If you don’t have cranberries I would suggest blueberries but not strawberries. You will likely have to do some experimenting on your amount of dry ingredients as well. Blueberries are going to have a lot more moisture than cranberries so they will likely cook very differently.
Michael W Link says
I am never one to comment or review. That being said, I have been making this for years now! I am an avid pie baker, and this is my go to for simplicity, and deliciousness!
Thanks again for making this recipe a part of our family pie rotation!
Mary Younkin says
Thank you so much, Michael. I am delighted to hear your family loves it like we do!
Linda says
My berry/nut/sugar mixture really became a mess at the bottom. Some berries did rise to the top but scraping the hardened sugar mess off the pan was disappointing. All in all the flavor was delicious but too much sugar I think.
Mary Younkin says
Hmmm that is an interesting issue, Linda. I have not run in to that before.
Anne says
The receipe says a sugary crust, but I don’t see the crust part (directions) in the receipe. Is there just the filling and the cake topping?
Mary Younkin says
There is not a separate crust recipe. The crust forms as the pie bakes.