A perfect fall dessert that’s a little out of the typical apple and pumpkin, this cranberry pear crumble pie is juicy, sweet, tart, and crunchy all at once. With a great crumble topping, the cranberries give a burst of sweet and tart flavor, and the pears round out the flavor with a slightly different taste than the usual apples in a pie. This will be your new fall and winter holiday addition.
Inspired by a pear and cherry pie I saw many years ago, I started making this cranberry and pear crumble pie for Thanksgiving a few years ago and it’s quickly become a family favorite that I’m asked to make every year for the holidays. Whether for Thanksgiving or Christmas or both, it’s a slightly different dessert that’s sure to please and full of fall flavors.

Pears are so often overlooked, and when it comes to baking in a pie, you do need to approach them a little differently from apples. With that said, this crumble pie has an amazing flavor, and the cranberries give such a good flavor to balance out the pears that I can’t imagine a better combination. Well, I do have a good imagination, so that’ll probably change before long.
Ingredients for Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie
When it comes to pies for the holiday season, it can be easier to buy some premade pie dough or frozen pie crusts. Feel free to do so, no judgement here and I do it myself a lot of years. If you’d like to make your own pie dough though, try my all-butter flaky pie dough, it makes two shells, so use one for this and the other for another pie.
Pears – You can use whatever pear you prefer, though Bartlett and Bosc tend to work the best and I’ve used both. I prefer Bosc most of the time. Apple pies are great with thinly sliced apples, but pears tend to go mealy and too soft, so you’ll want to dice them instead.
Cranberries – You’ll need about 1 cup of cranberries, fresh or frozen. If using frozen, do not thaw.
Sugar – Here you’ll use both white and brown sugar, and brown sugar for the crumble.
Flour & Corn Starch – I like to toss the fruits in corn starch, and you’ll need some flour for the crumble portion.
Salt & Spices – A little bit of salt to bring out the flavors in the pie, and some cinnamon and ginger for the pie and the crumble. You could also use some pumpkin pie spice in addition.
Lemon – A little lemon juice and zest in the pie adds a nice acidity.
Butter – Add some melted, unsalted butter to the crumble to bring it all together.
How to Make Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie
If using a homemade pie dough, roll it out to about 13 inches and line a pie pan. Fit the pie dough into the pie dish and trim any excess. Crimp or flute the dough around the edges and refrigerate until ready to fill.
Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.
Peel, slice, and core your pears. Cut into roughly ½” cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the cranberries, sugars, corn starch, cinnamon, ginger, salt, lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Set aside.
Cut the butter into cubes and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Microwave in 20 second increments until fully melted and set aside to cool slightly. Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl, then pour the slightly cooled butter over top. Mix loosely with a fork until a nice crumble comes together and set aside.
Spoon the pie filling into your chilled pie dough, pouring any reserved juices over top. Now cover completely with your crumble topping and place onto a baking sheet set on a lower rack in your oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes until fully cooked. After 20-30 minutes, check on the color and cover with foil or a pie shield if the crumble seems to be browning too quickly.
Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream if preferred.
Storing Cranberry Pear Crumble
The cooled pie can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days covered with plastic wrap. If making for the holidays, don’t bake more than 2-3 days in advance.
You can also freeze the pie fully cooked for 2-3 months. Wrap the cooled pie in plastic wrap and again in foil.
📋 Recipe
Cranberry Pear Crumble Pie
Ingredients
Cranberry Pear Pie:
- 6 cups pears, peeled and cut into ½” cubes (about 5 pears)
- 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup corn starch
Crumble:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
Directions
- If using a homemade pie dough, roll it out to about 13 inches and line a 9” pie pan. Fit the pie dough into the pie dish and trim any excess. Crimp or flute the dough around the edges and refrigerate until ready to fill.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Peel, slice, and core your pears. Cut into roughly ½” cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the 1 cup cranberries, ½ cup white and ¼ cup brown sugars, ¼ cup corn starch, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Cut the ⅓ cup butter into cubes and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Microwave in 20 second increments until fully melted and set aside to cool slightly. Mix ¾ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small mixing bowl, then pour the slightly cooled butter over top. Mix loosely with a fork until a nice crumble comes together and set aside.
- Spoon the pie filling into your chilled pie dough, pouring any reserved juices over top. Now cover completely with your crumble topping and place onto a baking sheet set on a lower rack in your oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes until fully cooked. After 20-30 minutes, check on the color and cover with foil or a pie shield if the crumble seems to be browning too quickly.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream if preferred.
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