This Cranberry Meringue Pie is a show-stopping holiday dessert. It has layers of flaky pie crust, tart cranberry orange curd and pillowy meringue topping. If you like lemon meringue pie, you’ll love this!
Fans of lemon meringue pie, this one’s for you. If you’re a sucker for tart, creamy curd filling topped with dreamy, swirly, perfectly fluffy meringue topping, you seriously have to try this. Why limit yourself to just lemon when there’s a whole world of meringue-able fruits out there?
This cranberry meringue pie is perfect for the holidays, with a sweet and tangy cranberry orange curd that’s good enough to eat off a spoon. It’s a bit reminiscent of homemade cranberry sauce, but of course, because it’s encased in pie crust and topped with meringue, it’s better.
You’ll only need a few simple, easy-to-find ingredients for this pie. It is, however, a bit time-intensive to make, and it requires some strong technique. Fear not, though, my friends — as long as you read the recipe carefully, all will be well. And I promise the end result will be worth the effort.
Jump to:
Cranberry Meringue Pie Ingredients
- Whole fresh cranberries. You can find these in the produce department at most grocery stores during the fall and winter. They’re quite tart on their own, but when combined with orange juice, orange zest and sugar, they make for a seriously delicious pie filling.
- Orange. You’ll just need one large, juicy orange for this recipe. We’ll use both the juice and the zest.
- Granulated sugar. Regular ol’ sugar will provide the sweetness for both our cranberry curd and meringue.
- Butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter. You’ll need one stick for the cranberry curd, and it must be softened to room temperature.
- Eggs. We’ll use a total of seven large eggs for this recipe — two whole eggs, two egg yolks and five egg whites. Be sure to use fresh eggs for best results!
- Cream of tartar. This is an essential ingredient in meringue. It stabilizes the bubbles in the egg whites, speeds up the egg white whipping process and helps create a stable meringue. You can typically find it near the spices at the grocery store.
- Salt. Just a pinch! I use kosher salt.
- All-purpose flour, more sugar, more salt and more butter. You’ll use these to make your pie crust.
Cranberry Meringue Pie Instructions
This recipe has three components: the crust, the curd and the meringue. Try to follow the steps I’ve listed here, actively preparing certain components while passively preparing other components. It requires a bit of multitasking, but I’ve included helpful tips below to help you be successful!
- Make the pie dough according to recipe instructions, then chill it in the fridge while you measure out the rest of your ingredients. Since many steps of this recipe are time-sensitive, mise en place is key!
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Roll out the pie dough, place it in a pie dish and crimp the edges. Line it with parchment paper, fill it with dried beans or pie weights, and blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the weights and prick the crust all over with a fork. Return it to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes. Set the blind-baked crust aside while you make the curd and meringue.
- Drop the oven temperature to 350°F.
- While the crust bakes, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and orange zest in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the berries have popped and the mixture is thick.
- Optionally, you can puree the cranberry mixture at this step. This creates a vivid cranberry-pink color and a more intense cranberry flavor, so I do recommend it! Puree with an immersion blender or regular blender, then press through a fine-mesh sieve into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the softened butter until smooth.
- Whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. Temper the eggs by whisking in a small amount of the cranberry mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the rest of the cranberry mixture and whisk it all together until smooth.
- Finish the cranberry curd by returning it to the same saucepan you used earlier and cooking it on low heat for about 10 minutes until it’s thick and just barely bubbling.
- While the curd simmers, make the meringue. Whip together the egg whites and cream of tartar until they reach soft peaks. Add the sugar and salt, then beat on high until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
- Pour the hot cranberry curd into the pre-baked pie crust, then immediately spoon the meringue on top while the curd is still hot. Spread the meringue all the way to the edges so it’s touching the crust.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack for an hour, then transfer to the fridge and chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
📃 NOTE: You can read and/or print exact quantities with detailed instructions below!
Substitutions and Variations
- If you’d rather use lemon, swap out the orange zest and juice to make this a cranberry lemon meringue pie!
- To make this a bit easier, try using a graham cracker crust instead. Stir together 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 6 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Press it into the bottom of the pie dish and bake for 8 minutes before proceeding with the rest of the recipe as written.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature egg whites for the meringue. They’ll whip up faster and become more voluminous than cold egg whites.
- Make sure there is no yolk in the egg whites before whipping, and make sure the bowl is clean and free of any oil or residue.
- Add the sugar to the meringue gradually to avoid a grainy meringue.
- Perhaps most importantly, make sure the cranberry curd is warm when you pour it into the pie crust and spread the meringue on top! This creates a seal between the layers and prevents the meringue from weeping, so you can avoid that watery layer that sometimes happens between meringue and pie filling.
- Spread the meringue to the edges of the pie so it touches the pie crust. This gives the meringue something to stick to so it won’t shrink during baking.
Equipment Needed
- Mixing bowls (Small, medium and large)
- Whisk
- Medium saucepan
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- 9-inch pie dish
- Wire rack
- Immersion blender or regular blender, optional
Make-Ahead Tips
If you have to make parts of this ahead, prepare the pie dough the night before.
You can also make the cranberry curd through step five. When you’re ready to assemble, pour it into the saucepan and cook on low until thick and barely bubbling.
Storage Tips
Unfortunately, this pie (and other meringue pies like it) won’t store very well in the fridge. It’s best made and enjoyed the day of — otherwise, the meringue will inevitably wilt and separate, and you’ll end up with a flat, leaky and kinda damp pie.
You can store any leftovers covered in the fridge for a day or two, but do know the meringue will deflate over time.
FAQs
Yes, you’ll need to chill this pie in the fridge before serving. Any leftover should be covered and stored in the refrigerator, although this pie is best served the day of.
Cream of tartar helps stabilize the meringue, but it will inevitably deflate over time. Make the meringue the day of for best results.
This pie is best with fresh cranberries. Canned cranberries have extra liquid that could lead to a runny curd, and dried cranberries lack the moisture needed in this pie. If you can find frozen cranberries, they may work, but fresh is best!
Other holiday baking recipes you’ll love
Peppermint Mocha Brownies
A Very Good Apple Pie
Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies
Did you make this recipe? If you loved it, please leave a ⭐5-star rating⭐ and/or leave a comment below the recipe card! And don’t forget to share a photo and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok — I love seeing you recreate my recipes.
PrintCranberry Meringue Pie
This Cranberry Meringue Pie is a show-stopping holiday dessert. It has layers of flaky pie crust, tart cranberry orange curd and pillowy meringue topping. If you like lemon meringue pie, you’ll love this!
- Prep Time: 5 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: One 9-inch pie 1x
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust
For the cranberry curd:
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice, from about 1 large orange
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, from about 1 large orange
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
For the meringue:
- 5 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Make and blind bake the pie crust:
- Prepare pie dough according to recipe instructions up to the step where you chill it in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. When ready to bake, roll the chilled pie dough into a disc about 12 inches wide and ⅛ inch thick. Transfer the dough to a pie dish, trim the overhang to about 1 inch, and crimp the edges.
- Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, pushing the weights up against the sides to keep the sides of the crust from shrinking down during baking. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Prick the crust all over with a fork, then return it to the oven and bake for another 7–8 minutes, or until the crust is just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the cranberry curd:
- Combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the berries pop and the mixture thickens.
- Optional step: Puree the cranberry mixture with an immersion blender. Alternatively, transfer to a standard blender and blend for 30–60 seconds or until smooth. This step results in a stronger cranberry flavor and more vivid color in the final product.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Pour the cranberry mixture into the sieve and use the back of a spoon to press it through the sieve into the bowl. This step is a bit tedious and takes a while, but it’s essential to create a smooth cranberry curd. Keep pressing the curd through the sieve until the mixture in the sieve is dry. You should be left with about ¼ cup of solid pulp, which you can discard. Set the saucepan aside for later.
- Working a tablespoon of butter at a time, whisk the softened butter into the hot cranberry mixture you just strained into the bowl.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the whole eggs and egg yolks until smooth. Scoop about a cup of the hot cranberry mixture into the eggs and whisk until smooth (this tempers the eggs and prevents them from scrambling). Pour the tempered egg-cranberry mixture back into the rest of the cranberry mixture and whisk together.
- Pour the cranberry curd back into the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, whisking frequently, until thick and barely bubbling. This should take about 10 minutes.
Make the meringue:
- While the cranberry curd simmers, make the meringue. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed for 1 minute, then on high speed for 4 minutes, until they reach soft peaks.
- With the mixer running on high speed, slowly add the sugar and salt. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
Assemble the pie:
- Pour the hot cranberry curd into the pie crust and spread evenly.
- Spoon the meringue on top of the hot curd and spread all the way to the edges so it touches the crust. Use the back of your spoon to create decorative swirls in the meringue if desired.
- Bake on the bottom rack for 20–22 minutes. If the meringue starts to brown too quickly, carefully tent it with aluminum foil without the foil touching the meringue.
- Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, meringue pies don’t keep very well, so it’s best to consume this pie on day 1. Otherwise, the meringue will separate and turn liquidy.
Made this recipe? Leave a comment!