Holiday Cranberry Walnut Pie

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 crusts) refrigerated pie dough (store-bought or homemade), or a double batch of homemade dough
• 4 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 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
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

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 fresh cranberries 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 Holiday Cranberry Walnut Pie

Story updated September 19, 2026

Cranberries are among the few fruits native to North America, and Native peoples of the Northeast used them for centuries as food, dye, and medicine. Colonists learned to use the tart berries from their neighbors, though pies only became practical once sugar was plentiful enough to offset their sharpness. Commercial cranberry bogs developed on Cape Cod and in New Jersey in the nineteenth century, and the berries became closely tied to New England's Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. Adding walnuts is a more recent refinement with no documented origin, likely a twentieth-century home-kitchen idea that pairs the tart fruit with a crunchy, buttery contrast.