Celebrate the fall season with this unique Cranberry Blueberry Pie made with sweet wild blueberries, tart cranberries, autumn spices and maple syrup baked inside of a flaky butter crust.

A baked Blueberry-Cranberry Pie with fall leaf cutouts in the crust.

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Since I have been making pies, this Cranberry Blueberry Pie has made its way to my Thanksgiving table every year. In my pie baking infancy, I followed a recipe by Bon Appetit magazine. While browsing through the magazine that year, it stuck out to me because it takes a decidedly summer fruit and pairs it with one that screams fall and I love that. But also it combines two fruits native to my home in New England (Massachusetts in particular being Cranberry central). Over the years, the pie has morphed and evolved into one that exactly suits my tastes with loads of wild blueberries mashed up against tart cranberries, sweetened with maple syrup and a hint of warmth from autumnal spices and a little bit of orange.

It wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving without an appearance by this pie, and I know that it would be a welcome addition on your table as well!

So, let's get to making it, shall we? The article below is jam-packed full of useful information. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe.

Jump to:

Ingredient Overview
Alternative Thickeners
Make Ahead Suggestions
Pie Crust Options
How to Make It
Choosing a Top Crust
Tips for a Well Baked Pie
Serving + Storing
More Fruit Pie Recipes
Full Recipe
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A slice of Blueberry-Cranberry Pie on a pie server.

Ingredient Overview

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.

blueberries (I love to use frozen wild blueberries whenever I make a blueberry pie, and that is the what the idea of this pie is based on. I'm partial to using Wyman's of Maine as I'm a New Englander, and believe these are the best blueberries in the world)
cranberries (You can go ahead and use either frozen or fresh here)
quick cooking tapioca (This is my preferred thickening method. However, there are a few other alternatives for this. See the paragraph below for more information.
maple syrup (make sure it's the real deal, and use grade A dark---it used to be called grade B, but they've changed it recently)
orange zest This is my favorite flavor to pair with blueberries, especially since this pie is paired with cranberry, an autumnal ingredient.
spices (cinnamon and cardamom to really make this pie special)
pie crust (either a classic butter or a super flaky pie crust work well here)

Alternative Thickeners

This recipe was tested with a few different thickeners: flour, cornstarch and quick cooking tapioca. They all work well enough, but have different components to them. The recipe is written with quick cooking tapioca, but feel free to use whichever thickener you'd like based on what your preference is.

Quick cooking tapioca is my preferred method to thicken a fruit pie because it leaves for a neat slice and fruit will remain clear and not muddled. The longer the pie sits, the more set the tapioca becomes. If you cut the pie while it is still warm, it will be a little more juicy than when it is cold or at room temperature.

To use flour: Add ¼ cup to the mixture. A flour thickener will leave the filling set but still very juicy. However, it can make fruit filling slightly cloudy.

To use cornstarch: Add 3 tablespoons to the fruit mixture. A cornstarch thickener will leave the filling set but still slightly juicy. Like flour, it will leave the fruit filling slightly cloudy.

Make Ahead Suggestions

There are a few steps you need to complete to get to the finished pie, but a lot of these components can be done ahead of time. As always, I encourage you to make the pie crust and roll it out beforehand. The more time you give the gluten to chill out, the better your pie will be.

Make-ahead options:

Make the pie dough ahead of time. You can make it up to 2 days ahead, stored in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Roll out the pastry. This can be done 1 day ahead of time.
Make and cook the pie filling up to 3 days ahead of time.
Assemble the pie: The entire pie can be assembled and frozen before being ready to bake. You can bake it straight from frozen, following this guide: How to Bake a Frozen Pie

Pie Crust Options

My top two choices for pie crusts for this recipe would be a Classic Butter Pie Crust or a Flaky Pie Crust. But, there are a few other options that would work well too:

Whatever pie crust you use, you'll need a bottom and a top crust, so if the recipe you are using only makes one, you'll need to double it. Of course, store-bought is always an option here as well.

New to making pie crust? Here are a few resources:

How to Make It

This is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!

Two hands pressing together a mound of pie dough on a counter surface, with a second mound of dough above

Step 1: Make the pie crust and let it rest.

A bowl with the filling ingredients for Blueberry-Cranberry Pie in it, with a rubber spatula.

Step 2: Macerate together the filling ingredients until the frozen fruit has started to release some liquid.

Step 3: Cook the filling until it reaches a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Shut off the heat, and cool to room temperature, or overnight.

An empty pie shell for Blueberry-Cranberry Pie.

Step 4: Roll out the pie crust and line a 9" pie tin.

An unbaked pie with the cooked blueberry filling in it.

Step 5: Transfer the cooled filling to the pie crust.

An unbaked Blueberry-Cranberry Pie with filling showing through fall leaf cutouts in the top crust.

Step 6: Cover the filling with your preferred top pie crust (see more below).

Choosing a Top Crust

As I've said, I've made this pie so many times over the years, and always with a different top crust. You can do a lattice, a full crust with a few steam holes cut out, or make it fun with some cookie cut outs, like I've shown in the photos here.

To make the crust with the cut outs, use a cookie cutter to stamp them out of the top crust, then place the top crust on the pie as usual. If you want to bake the cut out pieces, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. They can be egg-washed if desired.

Bake them for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 425º (which is the same initial temperature to bake this pie).

Tips for a Well Baked Pie

This pie has an atypical method of pre-cooking the fruit filling before putting it in the oven. Although I have made it without this step several times, I find that pre-cooking the filling results in a better outcome.

Pre-cooking the filling helps to prevent oven spillage and makes it easier to achieve the desired consistency without overbaking the pie, especially if you are using frozen wild blueberries and cranberries. Blueberries and cranberries can be messy due to their dark juice, and pre-cooking helps to contain it.

Because of this step, the only real "task" when it comes to baking it is ensuring the crust is properly cooked through.

There is one main rule to remember when baking a double butter pie crust: the very cold dough should be put in a very hot oven. All butter pie pastry should be thoroughly chilled before baking and then baked at a high temperature, ideally around 425ºF.

A few other tips:

Make sure your oven is at an accurate temperature (a cheap oven thermometer is useful for this)
The second tip is to strategically place the racks in your oven. The recipe below instructs for the pie to be baked initially on the lowest rack in the oven. Then, towards the end of cooking, the pie is moved up to the middle rack. Cooking it on the lowest rack will help ensure the heat reaches up to fully bake the bottom crust. It's moved to the middle rack towards the end of cook time to ensure the top crust is also fully baked, as the heat bounces back down from the top of the oven. This advice is geared towards ovens that have the heat coming up from the bottom. If your oven has your heat coming from a different source (such as the back of the oven or the top), then this advice will not apply.
And use a pizza stone if you have it! Place it on your lowest rack while the oven is preheating and cook the pie on it. I do this for everything I bake.

Serving + Storing

Serve this pie just slightly warm or at room temperature. It can be served as is, with whipped cream, or a la mode with ice cream.

This pie can be stored fully baked at room temperature, covered, for 1-2 days. If you are storing it longer, cover and place in a refrigerator.

A slice of Blueberry-Cranberry Pie on a plate with a fork.

More Fruit Pie Recipes

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Full Recipe

Cranberry and Blueberry Pie

Print Recipe

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5 from 2 reviews

Celebrate the fall season with this unique Cranberry Blueberry Pie made with sweet wild blueberries, tart cranberries, autumn spices and maple syrup baked inside of a flaky butter crust.

Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:30
Cook Time: 01:00
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 8-12 servings
Category: Fruit Pie
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

1 batch (2-9" pie crusts) Butter Pie Crust or Super Flaky Pie Crust
5 cups (25 ounces) frozen wild blueberries
1-½ cups (6 ounces) frozen or fresh cranberries
⅔ cup (210 grams) pure maple syrup (grade A dark, preferred)
3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca (see notes for alternatives)
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch salt
Eggwash (1 egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water)

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Instructions

Make the Pie Crust and Filling:

Prepare the pastry, let rest overnight, if possible.
In a large bowl, mix together the blueberries, cranberries, maple syrup, quick-cooking tapioca, orange zest, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. Let sit to macerate for 10-15 minutes, until the juices have started to release from the blueberries.
Transfer the filling to a large pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the filling comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the filling to a shallow container to cool to room temperature. Use immediately, or transfer to the fridge for up to 3 days.

Assemble and Bake:

Preheat oven to 425ºF and place an oven rack in the lower part of the oven.
Roll out one pie dough to an 11″ circle. Fit the pastry in a 9” pie plate, making sure to press the pastry into the sides and the bottom. Roll out the second pastry as desired (either a full top crust or lattice strips).
Place the pie filling inside of the pie plate fitted with pastry.
Add the top crust to the filling, and crimp the edges as desired.
Brush the crust with an eggwash and place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake on the lowest rack for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400ºF. If the crust is browning, cover the outer edges with aluminum foil or a pie shield, leaving the middle of the crust exposed. Bake for another 30-40 minutes, until the top crust of the pie is golden throughout.
Transfer the pie to a cooling rack, and let it cool for a few hours before serving.

Notes

You can do a lattice, a full crust with a few steam holes cut out, or make it fun with some cookie cut outs, like I've shown in the photos here. To make the crust with the cut outs, use a cookie cutter to stamp them out of the top crust, then place the top crust on the pie as usual.

I love to use frozen wild blueberries whenever I make a blueberry pie, and that is what the idea of this pie is based on. I'm partial to using Wyman's of Maine as I'm a New Englander, and believe these are the best blueberries in the world!

Alternative thickeners: To use flour: Add ¼ cup to the mixture. Once the mixture comes to a boil, shut off the heat. To use cornstarch: Add 3 tablespoons to the fruit mixture. Cook the mixture for one minute after it boils.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Recipe has been updated several times over the years, and recently I altered some of the ingredients. Here are the ingredients for the prior version of the recipe:

1 batch (2-9" pie crusts) Butter Pie Crust or Super Flaky Pie Crust
4 cups (20 ounces; 570 grams) frozen wild blueberries
2 cups (8 ounces; 225 grams) frozen or fresh cranberries
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) brown sugar
3 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca (see notes for alternatives)
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch salt
Eggwash (1 egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water)

This version of the pie was not parcooked, but instead all of filling the ingredients were mixed together then baked in a pie crust until golden brown, about 55-65 minutes.

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