Nantucket Cranberry Pie is an old recipe, passed down to me from my mother-in-law.
I got this recipe from my mother-in-law twenty plus years ago. I have no idea where she got it from since she was born in Minnesota, and as far as I know, never lived in Nantucket. After Googling it though, I realized there are about a zillion versions of this recipe.
It’s one of the easier holiday desserts to make. There are no pie crusts to roll, and nothing to whip. Just spread a layer of cranberries, walnuts and sugar, then top with a batter and bake. Since it’s not an overly sweet dessert, it’s the perfect counter-part to Pecan or Pumpkin Pies.
Nantucket Cranberry Pie.
Nantucket Cranberry Pie can also be made two weeks in advance and frozen, making holiday prep that much easier.
It reminds me of a French clafoutis. Although a traditional clafoutis is made with unpitted cherries, the method is the same. Butter a pie plate, add fruit, top with thick batter and bake. The best bit about this pie/cake is how fast…really fast it is to whip up, since there is no crust to roll.
You can assemble it in five minutes, making it a great last minute addition to your Thanksgiving buffet! It would work well with other fruit as well…apricot and almonds, pear and almonds and plums!
Just a few simple ingredients, and no mixer to pull out and dirty.
Layer a buttered pie plate or tin with fresh or frozen cranberries. Add chopped walnuts and sugar.
Top with batter and bake. The batter is fairly thick and will need to be spread over the cranberry and walnuts.
Nantucket Cranberry Pie makes a wonderful addition to any dessert buffet.
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 1/2 cups sugar divided
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
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Preheat oven to 325* F. Grease a 10" pie plate and spread cranberries over the bottom of the pan.
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Sprinkle chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup sugar over cranberries.
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In a bowl, whisk eggs, 1 cup sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract. Fold in flour until well blended.
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Pour mixture over cranberries. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Cool. Can be made ahead and frozen for up to two weeks. Serve warm.
Nicky says
November 2, 2013 at 5:35 amHi Cynthia! This is soooo simple. I’ve never had a Cranberry pie before and I feel like I’m missing out. I bet these would also make great tartlets. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us during our Thanksgiving Menu Planning Event.
Nicky says
November 17, 2013 at 4:53 pmHi Cynthia. I made this pie today it was super tasty. The kids loved it. I subbed whole wheat flour and it was great. I’ll have to make another for Thanksgiving as this one won’t last long enough to put up in the freezer.
Michelle says
November 17, 2015 at 9:45 amIt says 1 1/2 cups of sugar divided, then 1 cup of sugar for the topping…does that mean only 1/2 cup of sugar is used for the sprinkling on the cranberries? Or is the 1 cup of sugar in the topping in addition to the 1 1/2 cups added to the cranberries! 🙂
Cynthia says
November 20, 2015 at 6:48 pmYes! Sorry, the 1/2 cup of sugar goes on the cranberries. The 1 cup goes in the batter. Amened!
Christina | Christina's Cucina says
November 12, 2016 at 8:37 pmHow have I missed this recipe? Wow! It looks awesome and sooo easy! This is another one that’s got to go on my “to try” list. Agree that it’s perfect for Thanksgiving, too!
Cathy Arkle says
November 20, 2016 at 3:20 pmJust made this and it is so delicious!
Christina says
November 23, 2017 at 12:58 pmIsn’t it great? I love it!
Cynthia says
November 26, 2017 at 12:49 pmThank you!
Christina says
November 23, 2017 at 12:57 pmUpdate: made this pie last year and just took another out of the oven. It’s a delicious pie, even when made gluten free! Yes, I subbed a gf baking mix with some oat flour, added 1/2 tsp baking powder and love the result. I wouldn’t mind it with the regular flour, but my hostess is on a gf diet, so I did it for her. Great recipe, Cynthia!
Cynthia says
November 26, 2017 at 12:49 pmThat’s a great sub for a gf version!
Traci says
December 9, 2017 at 9:11 amCan this be made without the walnuts? Would there have to be a substitution to make it nut free our just skip them? Thanks!
Cynthia says
December 10, 2017 at 4:06 pmSure! I don’t see why not?
Denise A says
December 28, 2017 at 8:01 pmI found your recipe for Nantucket Cranberry Pie and I must say it is ridiculously easy and amazingly delicious! It was a hit at our Christmas Dinner! Thanks so much! I made a bourbon barrel aged maple syrup whipped cream to go with it! Killer!
Cynthia says
January 2, 2018 at 6:22 pmThank you so much Denise! It’s a holiday keeper!
Sheila Klimas says
January 19, 2019 at 2:16 pmmade the pie with leftover cranberries for early December…and am making again to use up cranberries…the pie was a hit with all ages…simple, easy and really tasty…Snowing like crazy…so this will be a good dessert today..
Cynthia says
January 19, 2019 at 4:59 pmLucky you that you still have cranberries! I always promise myself I’ll freeze a bag or two for later and then forget!