A few years back, my mom tried a recipe for an apple cranberry pie for the holidays. Cranberries aren't my favorite, so I had my doubts. But the combination was amazing! Tart cranberries are balanced by sweet, tender apples and if you top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream it is *chefs kiss*.
I had some leftover cranberries from another recipe, so I decided to try my hand at my own apple and cranberry pie. The filling is so easy to make and if you use my flaky gluten free pie crust recipe, it will be both gluten free and dairy free. This is a lovely dessert for your Thanksgiving table!
If you're interested in more of my favorite Thanksgiving pies, I recommend my salted caramel apple pie or this classic pie mashup: pumpkin pecan pie!
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Ingredient Notes
This easy apple cranberry pie recipe uses simple ingredients, which should be available at any grocery store.
- Apples - Like with my other apple pie recipes, I like to use a couple of varieties of apples. Typically, I go with Granny Smith apples for tartness and firmness combined with a sweeter apple like Golden Delicious.
- Cranberries - My store only carries fresh cranberries around the holidays. If you want to enjoy this pie in the off-season, frozen cranberries will work just as well.
- Lemon Juice - A little lemon juice is the perfect compliment to cranberries and apples. Plus the acidity will keep the apples from turning brown.
- Sugar - I've used granulated sugar in this recipe. You could substitute coconut sugar or brown sugar if you prefer.
- Cornstarch - A little bit of starch helps the juices in the pie to thicken, so you don't end up with runny pie filling. If you want to make it corn free, use arrowroot powder or tapioca starch in the same measure.
- Cinnamon & Ginger - These warm spices bring all the fall flavors to this pie.
- Salt - A pinch of salt helps to balance the sweet flavors in the pie.
- Vanilla Extract - Vanilla enhances all the flavors and provides complexity.
- Gluten Free Pie Crust - I recommend my gluten free flaky pie crust. If you're not gluten free, you can use a regular pie crust instead. You'll need a double pie crust for this recipe unless you want to use my crumble topping.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list with measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Gluten Free - Use your favorite homemade pie crust recipe or a store bought pie dough.
- Perfect Winter Pie - Orange and cranberry are a delight in the cold months of the year. Replace the lemon juice with orange juice and add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to add a little citrus zing!
- Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie - Use my oatmeal crumble pie topping in place of the top crust.
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How to make an Apple Cranberry Pie
Before beginning, prepare your pie dough and line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust.
STEP 1: Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, spices, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Transfer the apple cranberry filling to your prepared pie shell.
STEP 2: Add the second pie crust. In this case, I've used a lattice top. If you don't want to use a lattice crust, you can replace it with my oatmeal crumble pie topping.
How to make a Lattice Pie Top Crust
If you've never made a lattice pie crust, here are a few tips to help.
- For gluten free pie, you want to roll your dough out with ample flour to make it easier to handle. I usually use 1 tablespoon below the dough and 1 tablespoon on top.
- Once your dough is rolled into a large circle (at least as big as your pie pan), use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut it into strips. You can do strips of equal width like I did here or vary between wide and narrow.
- Pick the middle strip up first and place it across the middle of your pie because it is the longest and that is where the pie pan is widest.
- Continue placing strips going in the same direction, but only pick up every other strip from your rolled out sheet. This will leave a mixture of long and shorter pieces for laying the perpendicular direction.
- Gently fold back every other strip at the middle and lay your strip going the opposite direction. Then unfold the pieces so they are flat and fold the alternating pieces back to lay your next strip.
- Work from the middle of the pie out to one edge, then start at the middle again and work out to the other edge.
- Stick your strips down to the outer crust with egg wash and trim away the excess pie dough.
More gluten free pies!
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Storage
Cover leftover pie with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This pie will freeze well. Once it has cooled completely to room temperature, wrap it in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap and place it inside an airtight freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More fruit pies to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Apple Cranberry Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Double Gluten Free Pie Crust
- 4 Cup Apples thinly sliced, about 4 baseball sized apples
- 1 ½ Cup Cranberries fresh or frozen
- 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 3 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Egg wash 1 Egg beaten + 1 tablespoon water + ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Turbinado Sugar optional topping
Instructions
- Flip the first sheet of the dough into your pie pan and gently work it into the shape of the pan. Take care not to press the dough in as it will stick to the pan after baking. If you're planning a decorative crust for the edge, leave an overhang of about ½", otherwise trim the dough to the edge of the pie plate. Use the leftover scraps of dough to patch any holes or tears that may have occurred.1 Double Gluten Free Pie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C)
- In a large bowl combine the apples, cranberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla. Stir until the fruit is well coated with the sugar and spices.4 Cup Apples, 1 ½ Cup Cranberries, 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice, ½ Cup Sugar, 3 Tablespoon Cornstarch, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ginger, ¼ teaspoon Salt, 2 teaspoon Vanilla
- Pour the pie filling into the pie pan.
- Take your second rolled sheet and cut it into strips for lattice. Place the strips across the top of the pie and then add the alternating strips. See the text above for more detailed lattice instructions.
- Crack your egg into a small bowl and beat until smooth. Add about 1 tablespoon water and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Using a pastry brush, stick the edges of your lattice to the bottom crust with a little of the egg wash. Once all of the edges are stuck down, trim the lattice to the edge of the pie pan. Crimp the crust into your favorite design.1 Egg wash
- Brush the top of the pie crust all over with the remaining egg wash (see note below for vegan egg wash). Sprinkle with sanding sugar (optional)Turbinado Sugar
- Place in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking. This will keep any crust designs from melting and losing shape.
- Place the prepared pie on a baking sheet and bake on the lowest rack of your oven. Bake for 60 minutes. If the top crust begins to brown too much, you can cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Remove baked pie from oven and cool about 3 hours before slicing.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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