There's something about the holidays that makes me want to bake ALL the pies. Last year, I tried combining apples and cranberries for the first time, and honestly? Game changer! This Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie brings together sweet Honeycrisp apples with tart cranberries in a buttery, flaky crust that'll make your kitchen smell like the holidays threw a party in there.
I remember the first time I made this pie – it was two days before Thanksgiving, and I was panicking because I wanted something different from the usual apple pie. Emily was doing homework at the kitchen table when I pulled this beauty out of the oven, and she actually looked up from her phone (miracle!). The combination of sweet and tart just works so well together.
If you're looking for more holiday breakfast inspiration to go with your pie, check out my sourdough French toast – it's perfect for using up leftover bread during the busy season!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
- Ingredients For Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
- How To Make Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
- Storage And Reheating Tips For Apple Cranberry Pie
- Variations And Tips For Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
- FAQs About Apple Cranberry Pie
- Recipes You May Like
- Final Thoughts On This Holiday Pie
- Apple Cranberry Pie
Why You'll Love This Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
- Perfect holiday flavor combo – The tartness of fresh cranberries balances beautifully with sweet apples
- Buttery, flaky homemade crust – Way better than store-bought, and easier than you think!
- Gorgeous lattice top – Looks fancy but I'll show you exactly how to do it
- Make-ahead friendly – Bake it 1-2 days before your gathering
- Feeds a crowd – Makes 12 generous slices
- Not too sweet – The cranberries keep it from being overly sugary like some holiday desserts
Ingredients For Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
For The Pie Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ½ cup cold buttermilk
- 1-2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- Turbinado sugar, optional (but highly recommended!)
For The Apple Cranberry Filling:
- 4 large Honeycrisp apples, cored, peeled, and sliced (about 6-7 cups)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 ½ cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How To Make Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
Making The Homemade Pie Crust:
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cubed butter and toss everything around to coat the butter pieces.
- Roll the butter into sheets. Dump the mixture onto a clean counter or work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the butter into thin sheets, working it into the flour. Use a bench scraper to scrape off your rolling pin and bring the mixture back together as needed. Keep going until all the butter is worked into the flour – it'll look really flaky and that's exactly what you want!
- Chill the mixture. Put everything back in the bowl and stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes. This keeps the butter cold, which is the secret to flaky crust.
- Add the buttermilk. Take the bowl out of the freezer and pour in the buttermilk. Use a spoon first, then your hands to mix until it comes together into a ball. If it's too dry, add the water one tablespoon at a time.
- Form and chill the dough. Divide the dough in half and flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap both disks in plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge while you make the filling.
Preparing The Apple Cranberry Filling:
- Prep the apples. Put your apple slices in a large bowl and squeeze that lemon juice all over them. Toss everything together – this stops the apples from turning brown (learned that one the hard way my first time making this!).
- Add remaining filling ingredients. Toss in the cranberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Stir it all up until everything's combined. The cranberries will look so pretty mixed in with the apples!
Assembling Your Pie:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Roll out the bottom crust. Take one disk of dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a 12-inch circle about ¼ inch thick. Don't stress if it's not a perfect circle – mine never are! Transfer the dough to your 9-inch pie pan and press it down with your fingers to make sure it's smooth against the pan.
- Trim and fill. Cut off the extra dough hanging over the edges with a knife, but save those scraps! Pour your apple cranberry filling into the pie crust. Stick the whole thing back in the fridge while you work on the lattice top.
- Create the lattice top. Roll out your second disk of dough the same way. Use a pastry wheel, pizza cutter, or just a sharp knife to cut strips about 1-2 inches wide. Here's where it gets fun – carefully weave the strips over and under each other across the top of the pie. (The first time I did this, Emily thought I was doing some kind of craft project!)
- Seal and decorate the edges. Press the edges of your lattice strips into the bottom crust to seal everything together. Trim off any excess dough and use your fingers to pinch a pretty edge around the whole pie. You can also just use a fork if you want – totally works!
- Add the finishing touches. Brush the crust and edges with that egg wash using a pastry brush. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top if you're using it (I always do – it gives such a nice crunch!).
Baking Your Pie:
- Prepare for potential spills. Put your pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. Trust me on this – sometimes the filling bubbles over and you don't want to clean that off your oven floor.
- Bake until golden and bubbly. Bake for 60-80 minutes until the crust turns a beautiful golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling. Check it about halfway through – if the top is browning too fast, tent it with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield.
- Cool completely before slicing. When it's done, take it out and let it cool completely – and I mean completely! This takes about 3 hours. I know it's hard to wait, but this is when the filling sets up properly. If you cut it too soon, you'll have pie soup (been there, done that).
Storage And Reheating Tips For Apple Cranberry Pie
Store your cooled pie covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Want to freeze it? You can freeze the unbaked pie for up to 3 months (just wrap it really well). Bake it straight from frozen, adding about 15-20 extra minutes to the baking time.
Already baked pie can be frozen for up to 3 months too. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and warm slices in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
For reheating individual slices, I love using the air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes – makes the crust crispy again!
Variations And Tips For Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie
Want to switch things up? Here are some ideas I've tried:
- Use a crumb topping instead of a lattice if you're short on time (mix 1 cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, and ½ cup cold butter)
- Add ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling for extra crunch
- Mix in ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg or allspice with the cinnamon
- Swap half the cranberries for dried cranberries if you want it sweeter
- Try different apples – I've used a mix of Granny Smith and Fuji and it turned out great
My best tips from making this pie approximately 47 times:
- Keep everything cold when making the crust – cold butter, cold buttermilk, cold hands if possible!
- Don't skip the lemon juice on the apples – it really does keep them from browning
- That orange zest is magic with cranberries – don't leave it out
- If your lattice strips break (mine do all the time), just press them back together – no one will know once it's baked!
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream – not optional in my house!
FAQs About Apple Cranberry Pie
Yes, you can use two store-bought pie crusts to save time, though homemade crust offers better flavor and texture.
Yes, you can bake it 1-2 days in advance and store covered at room temperature, or freeze the unbaked pie for up to 3 months.
Granny Smith, Braeburn, or a mix of tart and sweet apples like Fuji and Gala work well as substitutes.
Make sure to cool the pie completely (about 3 hours) before slicing so the filling can set up properly and thicken.
Recipes You May Like
- Pumpkin Custard Pie – Another holiday pie that's always a hit at our Thanksgiving table
- Gluten-Free Apple Pie – For guests who can't have gluten but still want pie!
- Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Bread Recipe – Perfect for breakfast while your pie is cooling
Final Thoughts On This Holiday Pie
This Christmas Cranberry Apple Pie has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. There's something special about serving a homemade pie that looks beautiful AND tastes amazing. The combination of sweet apples and tart cranberries with that buttery, flaky crust? It's what holiday desserts should be.
Don't let the lattice top scare you – I promise it's easier than it looks! And even if it's not perfect, it'll still taste incredible.
Give this recipe a try for your next holiday gathering. Your family will think you spent all day on it (we don't have to tell them it's actually pretty simple!). Save this recipe to your Pinterest boards so you can find it when holiday baking season rolls around!
Apple Cranberry Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie pan
- Pastry Brush
- Bench Scraper
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- ½ cup cold buttermilk
- 1-2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- Turbinado sugar optional
For the filling:
- 4 large Honeycrisp apples cored, peeled, and sliced (about 6-7 cups)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 ½ cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, make the pie crust. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat. Dump the mixture out onto a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll the butter into thin sheets, combining it with the flour. Use a bench scraper to scrape the rolling pin and to bring the mixture back into a pile as necessary. Continue until all of the butter is incorporated into the flour. Mixture will be very flaky. Return mixture to the bowl and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill the butter.
- Remove from freezer and add the buttermilk. Use a spoon and then your hands to stir the mixture until it comes together into a ball. If mixture is too dry, add the water a tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough in two and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
- Put the apple slices in a large bowl and drizzle with fresh lemon juice. Toss to coat the apples. This will keep the apples from browning. Add the cranberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Remove one disk of pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. Dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Pat with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Trim the extra overhang of dough with a knife and set aside. Fill pie with apple cranberry filling. Place the pie in the fridge while you roll out the second disk of dough.
- Roll our the dough and use a pastry wheel, pizza cutter, or sharp knife to cut the pie dough into strips, about 1-2 inches wide. Carefully weave the pie dough strips over and under one another. Press the edges of the dough strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Trim off the excess dough and pinch the edges using your fingers to create a pretty edge. You can also use a fork to seal the edges. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush crust and edges with egg wash. Sprinkle pie with turbinado sugar, if using.
- Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet, just in case the filling bubbles out.
- Bake for 60-80 minutes until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. If the top of the pie is browning too quickly, you can tent the top with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield. Make sure you check it halfway through to be safe.
- When the pie is done baking, remove from oven and cool completely before serving so it can set up, about 3 hours.
