Nantucket Cranberry Pie
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Nantucket cranberry pie is pure holiday magic—a delightful mix of pie, cobbler, and cake that’s incredibly easy to whip up.
Adapted from an old Gourmet magazine recipe by the late food writer and novelist Laurie Colwin, Nantucket cranberry pie is not actually a pie but rather a cross between a pie, a cobbler, and a cake. It is the easiest dessert you can imagine—and, yet, astonishingly delicious. Whole fresh (or frozen) cranberries and pecans are scattered into a pie dish, covered in sugar, and then topped with a simple one-bowl cake batter. As the dessert bakes, the cranberries burst, mingling with the cake batter and pecans to create a dessert that is buttery, tart, sweet, and crunchy. The “pie” can be served warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened whipped cream (the dessert itself is plenty sweet).
“Soooo yummy! A new favorite that will be made every winter for the rest of my life!”
Why Is The Dessert Named After Nantucket?
The origin of the recipe is unclear, but one could assume it’s because cranberries are grown primarily in the northeastern United States with Massachusetts having some of the oldest cranberry vines dating back to the time of the Pilgrims. Fresh cranberries are easy to find during the holiday season and can be frozen for use year round; there is no need to thaw them before using. If you have an abundance of cranberries, you might also enjoy my cranberry nut bread or cranberry apple crumble.
What You’ll Need To Make Nantucket Cranberry Pie
- Butter – Used in both the cranberry pecan base and the topping to add richness and help bind the ingredients.
- Cranberries – Fresh or frozen, they bring a tart, juicy contrast to the sweet topping. If using frozen cranberries, add a few minutes to the bake time.
- Pecans – Coarsely chopped for texture and added crunch in the cranberry base.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens both the cranberry pecan base and the topping, balancing the tartness of the cranberries.
- Large eggs – Provide structure and richness to the topping. Note that there is no leavening agent in the cake batter; the eggs alone act as a leavening.
- Vanilla and almond extracts – Add warmth, depth, and a subtle nutty flavor to the dessert.
- All-purpose flour – Gives the topping its structure and light, cake-like texture.
- Salt – Enhances the overall flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Coarse sparkling or turbinado sugar – Sprinkled on top for a crunchy, sweet finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
Make the cranberry-pecan base: Add the melted butter to a 9-inch deep-dish pan and swirl it around to grease the sides (or use a pastry brush to brush the butter on the sides). Spread the cranberries and pecans evenly in the pan.
Sprinkle with the sugar. Set aside.
Make the topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the the butter and sugar.
Beat on low speed until combined, then add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Beat until smooth, then add the flour and salt.
Mix until evenly combined.
Pour the batter over the cranberries and pecans in the pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle the top evenly with the sparkling/turbinado sugar.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (Keep in mind that the bottom of the dessert will remain gooey, so just check the cakey top.)
Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened whipped cream. The pie can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover loosely with foil and store on the counter at room temperature.
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Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Nantucket cranberry pie is pure holiday magic—a delightful mix of pie, cobbler, and cake that’s incredibly easy to whip up.
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Pecan Base
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ⅔ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the Topping
- 12 tablespoons (¾ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coarse sparkling or turbinado sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Make the Cranberry-Pecan Base: Add the melted butter to a 9-inch deep-dish pan and swirl it around to grease the sides (or use a pastry brush to brush the butter on the sides). Spread the cranberries and pecans evenly in the pan and sprinkle with the sugar. Set aside.
- Make the Topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on low speed until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until evenly combined.
- Spread the batter over the cranberries and pecans in the pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle the top evenly with the sparkling/turbinado sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. (Keep in mind that the bottom of the dessert will remain gooey, so just check the cakey top.)
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or very lightly sweetened whipped cream (the dessert is plenty sweet as is, and unsweetened cream is a nice foil; ice cream is a bit too sweet for this dessert).
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dessert can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover loosely with foil and store on the counter at room temperature. Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 361
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 134 mg
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Made this last night and served as suggested with slightly sweetened whipped cream. It was truly delicious.
Made this last year and it was delicious. Can I make with frozen black cherries?
Hi Sara, I do think that would work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
This was a big hit at bookclub! Easy to make and so flavorful. It will be on the dessert table at Christmas!
Happy Holiday Jenn. I love your recipes. For the cranberry pie, can I replace the cranberries with frozen blueberries? Also, I do not have a deep-dish 9 inch baking pan. Can I use a 9 inch spring form pan? Thanks so much. Lisa, Newport VT
Hi Lisa, I think it would work with blueberries, but you may have to reduce the sugar. Cranberries are super tart, so a lot of sugar is required to balance out the flavor. Unfortunately, a 9-inch springform pan would be too large foe this.
This is a somewhat unique dish – as promised, the leftovers were GREAT with Black Friday Coffee! This will stay in my recipe box.
Thank you for another Thanksgiving hit! I’ll be making for Christmas as well! My batter was also thick but I didn’t realize it was supposed to be to be pourable until reading others comments. I just spread it on top of the cranberries mixture with a spatula, baked per instructions and it came out perfect. Not dense or hard, but rather soft and cakey. The almond extract was dreamy with the cranberries, and the pecans add a nice crunch. My family loved it!
I made the Nantucket Cranberry Pie and used unsalted sunflower seeds (couldn’t find shelled pumpkin seeds). Not that good as a substitute for my fam. BUT….. I added a thin layer of King Arthur Cinnamon Sweet Bits that stay crunchy when baked and that was a big hit!
This is absolutely delicious. I am a big fan of her recipes-however, I do think milk was left out of the recipe? You need at least a half a cup of milk to make this recipe pourable.
Hi Jacqueline, Glad you enjoyed it! If you didn’t find it pourable, is there a chance you may have used too much flour? Did you use the spoon and level method for measuring flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. Number 1 in this Baking Tips post explains it nicely.
I make this often and the batter is thick. I spoon it over the top of the cranberries and then spread it around. It comes out perfectly. I wouldn’t worry about the thickness.
Made it again today and really melted the butter this time. It was pourable. Other times I’d gotten it only slightly melted so that was the reason mine hadn’t been pourable. Either way, it comes out well.
I love cranberries, but I did not have good luck with this recipe. The cake was a thin layer on the cranberries and like some others, the top of the cake was hard and difficult to cut. I used a 9-inch deep pan, but it wasn’t a pie pan since the directions did not specify pie pan. I saw it was baking too fast & tested it at 30 minutes and it was already dry and overdone. It had to be served with ice cream on top. I’ve changed to recipe instructions to specify pie pan and will give it another try.
🙁 I just put it in the oven, but I’m very worried because the batter was not pourable at all! it was so thick I had to spread it on top of the cranberries and pecans. I used a scale and measured 130 grams of flour. Too late now, I just asked Siri and she said “1 cup of all purpose flour is 120 grams”! I wonder if that was the problem. I don’t have time to make another because it’s Thanksgiving morning and there’s so much more to cook.
Hi Gina, how did this come out for you?
Hi Jenn, it turned out more like cake, with the cake part on top and the cranberries and nuts at the bottom- but everyone liked it! I will try again with the scoop and measure method instead of by weight. Sorry for my original 2 star rating- I should’ve waited to review. I was under a lot of holiday morning stress 😐
Hi Gina, no worries – all well that ends well and so glad to hear it came out nicely! And, I think my pictures are a bit deceiving – for the most part, the cranberry/Nut mixture remains on the bottom of the dish and the cake portion is on top.
Mine was a thick cake batter (using spoon and level method), easy to spread over the berries and the baked outcome was perfection. I think maybe people are getting hung up on the word pourable.