This Cranberry Meringue Pie recipe is a delicious twist on a classic! A butter filled pie crust is topped with tart cranberry filling and finished with a fluffy meringue topping. A dreamy combination that is a must-make for every holiday.

Cranberry is such a classic holiday flavor! Try adding in more delicious recipes onto your menu with my Cranberry Bliss Bars, Cranberry Champagne Cocktail, and Cranberry Vinaigrette.

meringue topped cranberry pie on a wooden table top

RECIPE FEATURES

Holiday Flavor: This pie is loaded with cranberry and spices that scream holiday.
Thanksgiving Pie: If you love cranberry sauce, you will love this recipe!
Make Ahead: This easy pie recipe is actually BETTER after it chills for an hour or two. Make it the day before your celebration for the ultimate flavor.

Show of hands, who has an obsession with beautiful cookbooks? I found this book (affiliate) while browsing the all-mighty Amazon and new it needed to be on my bookshelf. A quick flip through and I had marked about 30 different pies I needed to make. One stood out above the rest. I snagged a giant bag of cranberries at Costco for $2 and got to work.

This cranberry pie is a show stopper. Not only does it look impressive, but it has the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Everyone will be raving and asking for the recipe, if you decide to share.

glass bowl filled with fresh cranberries

CRANBERRY PIE INGREDIENTS

Can we take a second to appreciate the beauty of the fresh fruit pictured above? Fresh cranberries are probably the most unique ingredient on the list! Here is everything else you will need to make this easy pie recipe.

Sugar: Granulated sugar helps to balance the tart tang from the berries.
Water: Fresh cranberries are best when cooked in a small amount of liquid. In this case, I create a simple syrup and allow the berries to simmer to perfection.
Fresh cranberries: Pro tip, if you can’t find cranberries in the produce section, head over to the freezer aisle! You can almost always find frozen cranberries in stock all year long.
Orange liquor– Which can be swapped for regular orange juice or left out completely. However, the zip of orange really helps to elevate the flavor of the pie.
Eggs: Using large eggs at room temperature is key to creating the perfect custard filling.
Cornstarch: Just a smidge to help thicken the filling.
Salt: Salt is a secret ingredient in most desserts that works as a flavor booster.
Vanilla: Always reach for pure vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla leaves a slightly chemical taste that can ruin a dish.
Butter: A pad of butter adds a glossy finish and rich flavor to the cranberry filling.
Pie crust: This recipe tastes amazing on store bought, homemade pie crust, or even graham cracker crust.

For a full list of ingredients and their measurements see the recipe card below.

cranberry pie topped with toasted meringue

HOW TO MAKE A CRANBERRY PIE WITH MERINGUE TOPPING

Combine the water and 1 cup of sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan and cook on high heat until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the cranberries and orange liquor. Lower the heat to medium and cook 10 minutes making sure to stir occasionally.
While your cranberries are cooking down, combine the egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Stir in a small amount of the hot cranberry mixture making sure to mix quickly to temper the eggs.
Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan and simmer 5 minutes or until the filling has thickened.
Stir in the vanilla extract and butter and transfer to your pie crust.
In a mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread over your pie and broil until the top is browned.

Recipe Notes:

Handle the dough as little as possible. You want the butter to stay cold. This is what helps create that beautiful flaky crust.
Use chilled ingredients. Cold butter. I’ll repeat. You want COLD butter. I recommend using chilled ingredients and refrigerating after each step in the crust making process.
Use foil or a pie shield (affiliate). The crust around the edges will likely burn before your filling has set. The simple solution is to create a shield around the crust while it bakes. Another option? Grab this crust shield (affiliate) from Amazon!