This vegan Cranberry Pear Pie is the perfect way to end your Thanksgiving meal. With the right balance of sweet and tart, and pretty to look at! Check out our blog post for some useful tips!
Pies are the star of the Holiday table when it's time for dessert. Whether it's apple, pumpkin or pecan, there's something for everyone!
We personally like the addition of a tart element to balance the sweetness of a pie. Which is why we LOVE this Cranberry Pear Pie, made with fresh cranberries.
Useful tips on how to make a beautiful cranberry pear pie
The first time we tested this recipe, we used raw, fresh cranberries for the filling. For our taste, the sweet to tart ratio was perfect. Everyone else, however, disagreed. They thought it needed a little more sweetness, so on the next try, we cooked the cranberries with some sugar and orange juice before adding them to the pears. That seems to solve the "problem".
1. Rather than making a lattice top for the top crust, which looks beautiful, but can be a bit cumbersome for beginners or someone who isn't very crafty (read: us), we cut up some holes on the crust to create a cute polka dot pattern. For even-sized circles, we used the tip of a piping bag, which had the perfect size.
2. Rolling the dough over a piece of parchment or wax paper makes it a lot easier to transfer it to the pie dish. Taping the corners of the paper to the countertop will keep it from sliding all over while you roll the dough.
3. When you place the bottom crust on the pie dish, make sure some of the dough comes up the sides. Using a clear glass pie dish will help you see if the dough is cooked (it should be golden brown when it's ready).
4. Once the filling is in and you've placed the top crust, pinch the sides all around. Flatten the pinched sides it slightly so the dough doesn't burn before the pie is ready. Place a baking sheet on the rack underneath the pie, to catch any juices that might drip from it.
5. For a nice, sweet crunch, sprinkle the top of the Cranberry Pear Pie with sugar before baking it. Let it cool slightly before serving.
Did you like this Cranberry Pear Pie recipe? Share it! You didn’t? Tell us why! You want to make it, but you have questions? We’re here to help! Connect with us via Twitter , Pinterest or Facebook or simply leave us a comment here. We want to get to know you
Print
Cranberry Pear Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
This vegan Cranberry Pear Pie is the perfect way to end your Thanksgiving meal. With the right balance of sweet and tart, and pretty to look at! Check out our blog post for some useful tips!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened non dairy milk
For the filling:
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup fruit juice (we used orange here, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
- 5 Anjou or Barlett pears, slightly firm, peeled, cored and diced (about 5 cups)
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- To prepare the crust, combine the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add the coconut oil and pulse a few more times, until you get a cornmeal like consistency. Add the almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, and keep pulsing until the mixture comes together and form a dough (you might not need all 6 tablespoons). Refrigerate for 10 minutes
- In the meantime, prepare the filling. Combine the cranberries with 1/2 cup of the sugar, juice and grated ginger in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries start to break down. Set aside to cool slightly
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll one of the pieces into a 10 1/2 inch circle, on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Cut out 15 to 17 circles (we used the tip of a piping bag) and do not discard the extra dough
- Add the extra dough to the remaining piece and roll it into an 11 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Carefully transfer it to a 9.5 inch deep pie dish, so there is some dough coming up the borders of the dish. Set aside
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven (this will catch any juices that might drip from the pie)
- Combine the cooked cranberries, diced pears, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well. Add the corn starch and toss well, so the fruit is well coated
- Transfer the filling to the pie dish. Carefully place the dough with the cut out circles on top, pinching the sides all around (see picture above). Sprinkle some sugar on top (this is optional, but gives the crust a nice sweet crunch) and place it on the middle rack. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden brown
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of the pie
- Calories: 409
- Sugar: 32
- Sodium: 67.3
- Fat: 16.7
- Saturated Fat: 13.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 61.5
- Fiber: 3.7
- Protein: 3.4
- Cholesterol: 0
Raquel says
This looks delicious!!! Sounds like the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness and like the perfect way to end any dinner (especially a Thanksgiving meal)!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you!! Enjoy 🙂
Gil Bynoe says
This was great 🙂 I tested making it 1st because I want to serve it at Access Ballroom Studio 's Christmas party and there are a lot of people who are vegetarian or vegan so this will work wonderfully. Such a great Recipe, Thank you For posting it.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you, so much!
Joyce says
Lovely and yummy looking as are all your recipes! What flour substitute would you use to make the pie gluten free? Do you think using honey or maple syrup in both the pie and crust would work as a replacement for sugar?
Thank you both for all you do - love your cookbook!
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Joyce!
Thank you so much for buying our cookbook! So happy to hear you're enjoying it 🙂
We recommend using a gluten free one-to-one baking flour, such as Bob Red Mill's ( ). We've made pie crust with it, and it works perfectly. If you're going to use honey or maple syrup for the crust, you might need to cut down the amount of milk you use. Add one tablespoon at a time, and stop adding when the mix comes together to form a dough.
For the filling, you'll need to add a little more cornstarch (maybe a tablespoon or so), to make sure the filling isn't too wet and makes the crust soggy.
Hope this helps!