Apple Cranberry Pie

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 crusts) refrigerated pie dough (store-bought or homemade), or a double batch of homemade dough
• 5 cups peeled, sliced apples, 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Fit one crust into a 9-inch pie dish.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss the peeled, sliced apples and fresh cranberries, mixed with the sugar, thickener, spice, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated.
3. Pour the filling into the crust and dot with the butter pieces.
4. Top with the second crust, forming a lattice top, or cut several vents in a full top crust. Crimp the edges to seal, then brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
6. Cool on a wire rack at least 2 hours before slicing so the filling has time to set.

The Tale of Apple Cranberry Pie

Story updated September 19, 2026

Cranberries are among the few fruits native to North America, and Indigenous peoples of the Northeast harvested them for food and medicine long before European colonists arrived. Traditional cranberry sauce almost certainly was not on the table at the first Thanksgiving in 1621, since sugar was scarce. Sweetened cranberry dishes became common in the following centuries. Apples, brought by English, Dutch, and Swedish colonists, became the usual partner: the two fruits are harvested in the same autumn weeks, and the apple's sweetness softens the cranberry's tartness. The pairing became a fixture of autumn and Thanksgiving baking by the 19th century. No single origin for the pie is documented.