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Cranberry Meringue Pie Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 76 reviews

This Cranberry Meringue Pie combines a flaky all-butter pie crust filled with a tangy, smooth cranberry curd and topped with a light, fluffy meringue. The pie offers a beautiful balance of tart and sweet flavors, brightened with fresh orange juice and zest. Perfect for holiday celebrations or any occasion that calls for a festive, crowd-pleasing dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Pie Crust

  • 1/2 recipe Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust

Cranberry Curd

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 large orange)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (from about 1 large orange)
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks

Meringue

  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Make and blind bake the pie crust: Prepare the pie dough according to your recipe instructions up to chilling. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch disc, 1/8 inch thick, and place it in a pie dish. Trim to a 1-inch overhang and crimp edges. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans, pressing weights against the crust sides to prevent shrinkage. Bake for 15 minutes, remove parchment and weights, prick the crust with a fork, then bake another 7–8 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
  2. Reduce oven temperature: Lower the oven to 350°F to prepare for baking the assembled pie later.
  3. Make the cranberry curd: In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and zest. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the mixture thickens.
  4. Optional puree step: Use an immersion blender or standard blender to puree the cranberry mixture until smooth for a more intense flavor and vivid color.
  5. Strain cranberry mixture: Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much smooth curd as possible. Discard the solid pulp left in the sieve. Set aside the saucepan.
  6. Add butter and temper eggs: Gradually whisk the softened butter into the hot cranberry curd in the bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk whole eggs and yolks until smooth. Temper the eggs by adding about 1 cup of hot cranberry mixture slowly while whisking. Combine tempered eggs back into the curd mixture and whisk.
  7. Cook cranberry curd: Return the curd to the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened and just barely bubbling, about 10 minutes.
  8. Make the meringue: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed for 1 minute, then high speed for 4 minutes until soft peaks form. With mixer on high, slowly add sugar and salt, beating 2 more minutes until stiff peaks form.
  9. Assemble the pie: Pour the hot cranberry curd evenly into the baked pie crust. Spread the meringue over the hot filling, ensuring it touches the crust edges to seal. Create decorative swirls using the back of a spoon if desired.
  10. Bake the pie: Place on the bottom oven rack and bake for 20–22 minutes. If the meringue browns too quickly, tent carefully with foil without touching the meringue.
  11. Cool and chill: Remove the pie and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Then refrigerate for 4 hours before slicing and serving. This chilling allows the filling to fully set.

Notes

  • The optional blending step for the cranberry curd creates a smoother texture and more vibrant color but can be skipped if preferred.
  • Tempering the eggs with hot cranberry mixture is crucial to prevent scrambling when adding eggs to the hot curd.
  • Ensuring the meringue spreads to the crust edges will help prevent weeping of the topping.
  • If meringue browns too fast during baking, tent gently with foil to avoid over-browning while baking the full time.
  • Refrigerate the pie thoroughly before slicing for cleaner cuts and better texture.

Keywords: cranberry pie, meringue pie, holiday dessert, cranberry curd, orange zest pie

Find it online: https://thehungrymason.com/cranberry-meringue-pie-recipe/