This flaky cranberry custard pie is such a unique winter fruit pie, and it makes a delightful Christmas dessert. Made with a butter pie crust, this cranberry pie has a flaky base to hold the sweet cranberry custard filling. And the whole thing is topped with a buttery streusel.

Homemade Cranberry Pie with Streusel Topping

While I love the classic flavors of Christmas, like the almighty sugar cookie and quintessential gingerbread, once of my favorite and slightly underrated flavors is the cranberry orange combination.

Similarly to lemon rosemary, I feel like cranberry orange is one of those flavor pairings that gets lost in the holiday shuffle, but is one of the best Christmas flavors. I bake these Cranberry Orange Scones as often as possible each season, and this Cranberry Orange Cake has become one of my favorite Christmas Eve desserts.

But this incredibly rich cranberry custard pie with a buttery crumb streusel might just be my favorite way to east cranberry and orange together. The all butter pastry crust is flavorful and so flaky. The orange cranberry custard is rich and sweet with lots of cranberry flavor (and just a hint of the cranberry tang).

The maroon of the cranberries is so pretty as well, and we all know what a sucker I am for pretty things. It has all the color and flavor of the season, and it just might be the pie of the season.

My Four Favorite Things About Cranberry Pie:

Streusel: I love a good streusel topped pie, and often I like to use more of a crumb cake based topping, but for this cranberry streusel pie, we use a traditional streusel made of sugar, flour, and butter. It pairs so well with the cranberry, especially because this is a sour cream cranberry pie so the sweet streusel is exactly what a slightly tart cranberry needs.
Custard: Made with sour cream and eggs, this custard has such a perfect texture.
Orange: Cranberry and orange belong together, and the fresh orange adds just a little punch to the pie.
Pastry Crust: I love homemade pie crust, and honestly, it might be my favorite thing about pie in general. My favorite homemade butter pie crust is flaky and buttery and perfect.

If you love cranberry as much as I do, this No Bake Cranberry Orange Pie is one of my absolute favorite recipes! And, this Cranberry Almond Bundt is a Christmas dessert favorite.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour
Unsalted Butter
Ice Water
Salt
Granulated Sugar
Orange Zest
Orange Juice
Cranberries: I love using fresh cranberries, but you can substitute with frozen.
Almond Extract: Almond is a really nice flavor with cranberry, but if you don’t have almond extract, you can replace with vanilla.
Vanilla Extract
Eggs
Sour Cream

How To Make This Cranberry Custard Streusel Pie:

Pie Crust: Mix flour and salt together. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter, fork, or standing mixer until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the ice water a little at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together (it’s okay if it’s a little bit crumbly—in fact you want it a tiny bit crumbly rather than wet). Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and carefully form into a disc shape. Cover with the rest of plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Streusel: In a separate bowl, mix flour and sugar together. Once combined, add in melted butter and almond extract. Use a fork to mix the whole things together until you get the texture of wet sand. Set aside.
Cranberry Pie Filling: Mix orange zest and sugar together (the sugar releases the oils in the orange zest, which makes it extra fragrant and flavorful). Once combined, add in the cranberries. Next, add in the flour. Mix until combined. Set aside.
Custard Pie Filling: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs, orange juice, vanilla extract, salt, and sour cream. Set aside.
Assembly: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle, about 1/4” thick. Gently transfer the dough to a 9” or 10” deep dish pie plate. Cut off any excess pie dough, leaving about 1/2” overhang. Tuck the overhang underneath the crust, and crimp the edges. Pour cranberry filling into the bottom of the pie, spreading the filling in even layer (try to evenly distribute the sugar, if possible—sometimes it comes out in a clump in one area). Then, pour the custard on top of the cranberry filling. Sprinkle the streusel on top in an even layer.
Bake: Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes. Once the cranberries are bubbling, remove the pie and allow it cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Pro Tip: If you want to eat pie warm, cool 1 hour. If you want it room temperature, cool 2-3 hours. If you want it cold, cool 2-3 hours at room temperature and then place in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Storage Tips:

Because it’s a custard based pie, you will need to refrigerate any leftovers. This pie can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Make Ahead:

You can definitely make this custard cranberry pie ahead of time, especially if you want to serve it chilled. I like to make it the day before and refrigerate overnight. If you want to still serve it at room temperature, remove it from the fridge 2-3 hours before serving. If you want it warm, you can place it back into the oven (covered with tin foil) and reheat for 15-20 minutes.

Toppings:

I believe pie isn’t pie without ice cream, and honestly, this cranberry custard pie a la mode (served slightly warm with cold vanilla ice cream) is practically a chef’s kiss. My favorite way to eat this custard cranberry pie is at room temperature with ice cream, but you can serve it cold too.
You can also serve with whipped cream (homemade whipped cream is my favorite, and this caramel whipped cream is maybe the best ever).
Or, top with a little powdered sugar. It gives it a pretty and “snowy” look.

Quick and Easy Cranberry Pie Tips:

Pastry Crust: You can use store-bought pie dough, but I really suggest a homemade pie crust. Make sure you use cold butter and ice cold water.
Cranberries: Use fresh, if possible. If you need to use frozen, keep the cranberries frozen when you make the filling.
Custard: You really don’t want to over bake the custard filling, so as soon as the cranberries begin to bubble and the streusel is turning lightly golden, the pie is done. Allow it to cool at least an hour before serving. If you cut into it too soon, the filling will run everywhere.
Pie Plate: You really need a deep dish pie plate for this recipe. I suggest using a deep dish 9” or 10” pie plate.