Cranberry Pie

5 from 2 votes

My grandmother's Nantucket cranberry pie is an easy dessert that's perfect for the holiday season!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry pie, cranberry pie recipe, easy cranberry pie, fresh cranberry pie, nantucket cranberry pie

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings people

Calories 432kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

2 cups fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries (if using frozen cranberries, do not thaw first)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 large eggs
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¼ cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly (I use Crisco brand)
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
For serving: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange the cranberries in the bottom of a greased 10-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the cranberries with ½ cup of the sugar; toss to coat. Add the chopped nuts; toss to combine.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs and the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Add the melted butter and melted shortening. Beat to combine. Mix in the almond extract. Add the flour and mix just until combined.
Using a rubber spatula, drop the thick batter in mounds on top of the cranberry mixture. Use the spatula to spread the batter in an even layer to cover the fruit and nuts.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the topping is completely cooked through, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you start with frozen cranberries, you will likely need to add about 10 minutes to the total baking time.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

If you don't have a 10-inch pie pan, you can bake the cranberry pie in a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Since the pie will be slightly thicker, you'll need to increase the baking time by about 5-10 minutes.

If starting with frozen cranberries, do not thaw them before adding them to the pan. You will also need to increase the total baking time slightly.

Do not use dried cranberries in this recipe. You need the juicy texture of the fresh or frozen fruit for the pie "filling."

Using some shortening in the topping gives the pie a softer, puffier, lighter texture. If you don't have shortening, you can substitute with additional melted butter.

To test if the pie is done, insert a toothpick in the center of the dish. It's ready when the toothpick comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. You do not want to see any wet batter in the center of your pie.