Cranberry custard pie is made with fresh cranberries, homemade custard filling, and a little bit of orange, too! It is perfect for the holidays!
It’s time for the holidays, and all things holiday baking! I’m kicking off this Christmas season with a beautiful Christmas cranberry custard pie perfect for holiday get-togethers!
It’s sweet, tart, creamy, and fairly easy to make! This simple cranberry pie is gluten-free, healthy, and made with a low-carb vanilla crust!
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What does cranberry custard pie taste like?
This cranberry custard pie recipe has a vanilla crust made with almond and coconut flour, so it has hints of coconut flavor baked right in! The custard layer is thick and creamy, and really easy to make, too! The final layer is made from thickened fresh cranberry and orange juice, so it’s slightly sweet and a little tart, too!
Ingredients
Coconut oil – The oil base for the gluten-free crust recipe. Make sure that there aren’t any coconut oil chunks left when you mix the crust ingredients, or it will melt and leave holes in your crust.
Almond flour – A low-carb flour that I like to use for my pastry crust. It’s high in fiber and has a good texture, too!
Coconut flour – The other type of flour that you’ll need to make the pie crust. It adds coconut flavor and is also low-carb, too!
Maple syrup – Make sure to use pure maple syrup to avoid high fructose corn syrup and all those added preservatives.
Vanilla extract – You’ll use this in both the pie crust as well as the custard filling, so make sure to use 100% pure vanilla extract for amazing flavor!
Evaporated milk – Use evaporated milk, which is healthier and lower in sugar than sweetened condensed milk. It’s also pretty high in fat so it’s easy to thicken into custard!
Coconut sugar – Coconut sugar works great for custard filling because it dissolves easily and is a less processed granulated sugar.
Corn starch – This is what will thicken your coconut sugar and evaporated milk into a custard consistency, make sure to use no more than 3 tablespoons or your custard will turn out way too thick and gummy.
Fresh cranberries – A seasonal berry that is super tart and definitely needs to be sweetened. Cranberries are really easy to turn into a mush that can be strained and spread beautifully over the pie!
Orange juice – Add it for a little citrus flavor and to add some liquid, too!
Organic cane sugar – Organic cane sugar is a healthy alternative to white sugar, but won’t change the color of the cranberry layer like a darker sugar will. Use this or another white granulated sugar to make the brightest red layer possible!
Substitutions
Coconut oil – Butter, ghee, or another solid fat will work just fine for this recipe.
Maple syrup – Any liquid sweetener will work for this recipe, but if you use honey, it may alter the taste of your cranberry cream pie. If you want to use a sugar-free sweetener, make sure to use a lot less than the recipe calls for!
Evaporated milk – You can use 12 oz of sweetened condensed milk in place of the evaporated milk mixed with coconut sugar.
Organic cane sugar – Any white granulated sugar will work fine without fading the red color of the cranberry layer. You can also use coconut sugar, but it will make the cranberry layer darker and not as red.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Combine pie crust ingredients in a large bowl, and mix with hands or dough hook until well combined and no coconut oil lumps remain.
- In a well-greased 8-inch pie pan, spread the dough evenly with your hands. Make sure to spread the dough up the sides of the pie pan as well. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.
- Meanwhile, make the custard filling. Without turning on the heat, whisk together all custard filling ingredients in a medium saucepan. After cornstarch is well-combined with the other ingredients, heat the filling on medium-low for 5-6 minutes, until thickened.
- Pour the custard filling into the pie crust, and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Make the cranberry layer. In a medium saucepan, stir together the cranberry layer ingredients, and heat on medium until the cranberries pop and become mushy.
- Strain the cranberry solids from the liquids, reserving the liquids and discarding the solids. You may need to use a spatula or spoon to press as much juice from the solids as possible, and you should end up with about 1 cup of liquid.
- Spread the cranberry liquids over the custard layer of the pie, then refrigerate uncovered overnight to allow the pie to set. Serve cold with whipped cream!
Tips & FAQ
Make sure to use an 8-inch pie pan for this recipe. This recipe won’t fill a 9-inch or larger pan correctly, and the cranberry layer will spread too thin over the custard layer.
If you choose to use a 9-inch pie pan, you may need to double the cranberry layer to cover the pie completely.
Nutritional Info
This is a very low sodium cranberry custard pie, and it’s high in fiber, too!
This pie is also high in carbohydrates, but they are healthier and much less than if served in a regular pie crust!
Total nutritional content per serving is:
- Calories: 425 calories
- Protein: 8 grams
- Sodium: 54 mg
- Carbohydrates: 50 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- ½ cup coconut oil: $1.48
- ¾ cup almond flour: $0.62
- ¾ cup coconut flour: $0.63
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup: $0.36
- 1 ½ tsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract: $0.62
- 12 oz evaporated milk: $0.99
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar: $0.62
- 3 tbsp cornstarch: $0.04
- 12 oz fresh cranberries: $1.89
- ¼ cup orange juice: $0.15
- ⅔ cup organic cane sugar: $0.41
The total comes out to be around $7.84 or roughly $0.98 per serving of this cranberry custard pie!
Other holiday desserts
Recipe
Cranberry Cream Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Custard Filling:
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp corn starch
Cranberry Layer:
- 12 oz fresh cranberries about 3 cups
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ⅔ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Combine pie crust ingredients in a large bowl, and mix with hands or dough hook until well combined and no coconut oil lumps remain.
- In a well-greased 8-inch pie pan, spread the dough evenly with your hands. Make sure to spread the dough up the sides of the pie pan as well. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.
- Meanwhile, make the custard filling. Without turning on the heat, whisk together all custard filling ingredients in a medium saucepan. After cornstarch is well-combined with the other ingredients, heat the filling on medium-low for 5-6 minutes, until thickened.
- Pour the custard filling into the pie crust, and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Make the cranberry layer. In a medium saucepan, stir together the cranberry layer ingredients, and heat on medium until the cranberries pop and become mushy.
- Strain the cranberry solids from the liquids, reserving the liquids and discarding the solids. You may need to use a spatula or spoon to press as much juice from the solids as possible, and you should end up with about 1 cup of liquid.
- Spread the cranberry liquids over the custard layer of the pie, then refrigerate uncovered overnight to allow the pie to set. Serve cold with whipped cream!
Video
Notes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below! I would really appreciate your feedback!
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Cranberry cream pie is a layered Christmas pie worthy of being made this year! Your family will love it!
xoxo Megan
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