Making cranberry pie filling is very easy to make. You just need a few ingredients and it’s a very easy dessert to make. With it’s festive color, this is the perfect dessert to put into pies, cookies, cakes and so much more.
The first time I ate a cranberry pie, I ate the filling first! The pie filling has always been my favorite dessert during the holiday celebrations.
Sure, a classic apple pie is wonderful for the holiday season. But, cranberry pie is more apt for me.
Tips for making cranberry pie filling
- Use fresh cranberries but freeze them before adding to the pie. Does that make sense, lol? Get fresh cranberries from the store and freeze them overnight before making the pie.
- Add as few ingredients as possible because this will be used in many different recipes. So, add cinnamon and orange zest only when you are putting the cranberry pie filling into the pie recipe. Add elderberry syrup when you are adding it to a cake recipe.
- Wait for it to cool completely before transferring it to storage containers
- Use glass containers to store the cranberry filling because it will preserve the flavors and the sauce thickness
- It can be canned and saved for future recipes, but I am not sure how the tin can reacts with the sugars in this recipe.
Why make just the filling?
My holiday table is always filled with so many wonderful desserts. I love having one pie filling that is a universal recipe and can be put into so many colorful desserts.
Last year, my friend made a lattice top cranberry pie with a graham cracker crust. It became an instant hit and will now become a tradition at all her holiday gatherings. ls
My favorite way to eat it is to put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a small bowl. Then, I top it with this cranberry filling! That tart flavor makes vanilla ice cream so much tastier.
Apply this filling concept to any type of filling, especially apple pie filling or blueberry pie filling.
When to use pie filling
- Thanksgiving pie recipes
- Hand pies
- Muffin recipes
- Cake recipes
- Cookie recipes
- Crumble recipes
- Vegan Cranberry Loaf Cake
- Strudel recipes
- Top them on giant cookies, waffles, or pancakes!
Topping them on waffles is my favorite use of this cranberry pie filling with a little vegan whipped cream on top. Which one is your favorite?
I plan on making a delicious apple pie and cranberry pie recipe for my Thanksgiving this year. What type of pie do you like serving at your Thanksgiving table?
If you are looking for some Thanksgiving inspiration, check out my full vegan Thanksgiving menu, cheap Thanksgiving sides, Air Fryer Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving potato recipes, and best vegan desserts to get amazing recipes.
What baked pie are you planning to make?
Common questions when making this recipe
The only 2 ingredient of concern in this recipe is the sugar. Some sugars are cut with bone char, so look for the “Certified Vegan” label in the back of sugar packages. I used Florida Crystals© Demerara cane sugar which is similar to brown sugar. Turbinado sugar is also a good option. Brown sugar, for me, gives this filling the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
The second ingredient is butter. Use vegan butter and that will work great for this recipe. For more info on what is vegan-friendly, check out my free guide on what vegans don’t eat.
Cornstarch thickens the liquid and makes it more viscous. A thicker liquid is perfect for pies, making them easier to cut into.
Without cornstarch, you will have a runny mess that just ruins any dessert recipe. Once, I tried making a cranberry pie without the starch and the whole pie was a mess. The crust never fully baked because it turned to liquid when I added the filling
Cornstarch doesn’t alter the flavor of the filling, so, you don’t have to worry about ruining your pie’s taste.
– Arrowroot
– Potato starch
– Coconut flour (use half of the cornstarch amount required in the recipe)
– Tapioca flour
– Agar Agar
You will have to experiment with the amount required with any of the above ingredients. Let me know what you discovered during the testing process and how your cranberry pie filling turned out.
Source: Epicurious and my personal experience.
Fresh Cranberries VS Frozen Cranberries
If you don’t have fresh juicy cranberries to make this pie filling, use store-bought frozen cranberries. They may not be easy to find because they aren’t available all year round. But, once you find them, stock up.
Fresh tart cranberries are easy to find, especially in the fall. If you find them earlier in the season, you can freeze them in Ziploc bags and use them any time of the year.
Cranberries can be frozen directly without adding any other ingredients. Frozen, they can last for 2 years or more.
To experiment with this cranberry pie filling, I used cranberries I froze over 2 years ago. I had bought way too many in 2017, so, I froze them.
Any leftover fresh cranberries can go into a delicious cranberry sauce recipe that is also vegan and Ocean Spray cranberry sauce recipe.
I don’t recommend using canned cranberries for this cranberry pie filling recipe.
Store bought pie filling
I don’t know of many stores around me that sell cranberry pie filling. Also, many pie fillings use artificial sugars, high fructose corn syrup, or non-vegan-friendly products.
In this recipe, I know exactly what is going into the cranberry filling. That’s why I love this homemade pie filling.
Make ahead and storing leftovers
I love that I can make this ahead and the next day, I place it in glass containers that are freezer-friendly and then label it with the name of the filling + date it was frozen.
Use frozen pie filling within 6 months.
How to use this filling
It’s perfect for a homemade cranberry pie filling, which is its main purpose. But, it has many other uses.
Make other cranberry desserts like muffins, cupcakes, cakes, fruit pie, crumbly streusel, and apple cranberry pie. Or, you can make a cranberry pumpkin pie. I have tried it and it was so good.
I hear that it’s great in a Nantucket cranberry pie. Have you tried it?
To put it into a pie, you can use store-bought pie dough or use my homemade pie crust. It’s the best pie crust recipe.
You can also make a cranberry crumble using all purpose flour. The process is the same as my blueberry crumble recipe.
How to make cranberry pie filling
1. Heat a stainless steel small saucepan on medium heat. I used a 10″ stainless steel pan
2. Add 1 cup of Demerara Cane Sugar to the pan. If you like the sugar to be fine in texture, grind it in your food processor first.
3. Make sure you spread the sugar evenly so that it doesn’t clump up
4. Combine sugar and 1 Tbsp of butter (vegan or regular).
5. When the butter starts to melt, mix it gently. The mixture will turn golden brown.
6. Add 1 cup of water to the sugar. Alternatively, you can use orange juice.
7. When the sugar has melted into the water (about 5 min), add 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp of cornstarch. Wait for the 1 Tbsp to melt before adding the 1 tsp cornstarch.
*Note: The package says that you shouldn’t add cornstarch to hot liquid. You can mix the starch in water first before adding to the pan. I prefer my method of adding it directly to hot water.
8. Add a cup of fresh cranberries (frozen overnight) to the pan.
9. Mix gently and set the heat to low.
10. Let it cook on low heat for about 22-25 min or until the liquid thickens. The cranberries will also be easy to mush. You can add about 1 tsp of lemon juice at this point if it’s not tart enough for you.
11. Turn off the heat and let the cranberry mixture cool down completely at room temperature before transferring into a glass container. Or, you can transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator.
Want to make a bigger batch? Use 2 cups of fresh cranberries and double the sugar amount.
That’s it! You now have the best no-bake cranberry pie filling recipe. Put it into a homemade crust and you will have the most perfect cranberry pie ever!
In what recipe will you use this cranberry pie filling?
Other ingredients you can add to this filling
- Orange juice
- Vanilla extract or almond extract
- Lemon zest
- Maple syrup
- Fresh berries or tart berries
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.
Cranberry Pie Filling Recipe
Equipment
- 10" stainless steel pan
- Glass container to store the cranberry pie filling
Ingredients
- 1 cup Demerara cane sugar
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 cup fresh cranberries frozen overnight
Instructions
- Freeze the cranberries overnight
- Take a stainless steel pan and heat it at medium heat. I used a 10″ stainless steel pan
- Add 1 cup of Demerara Cane Sugar to the pan
- Make sure you spread the sugar evenly so that it doesn’t clump up
- Add 1 Tbsp of vegan butter
- When it starts to melt, mix it gently
- Add 1 cup of water to the sugar
- When the sugar has melted into the water (about 5 min), add 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- When that cornstarch has blended with the sugar water, add the other 1tsp of cornstarch
- Add 1 cup of frozen cranberries to the pan
- Mix gently and set the heat to low.
- Let it cook on low heat for about 22-25 min or until the liquid thickens. The cranberries will also be easy to mush
- Turn off heat and let it cool down completely before transferring to glass container.
