Description

This Vegan Cranberry Meringue Pie is a festive and vibrant dessert perfect for holiday gatherings or any special occasion. It features a crisp vegan pie crust filled with a smooth, tangy cranberry curd made from fresh cranberries, citrus zest, and juices. Topped with a luscious vegan Italian meringue that is toasted to perfection, this pie offers a delightful balance of sweet, tart, and creamy textures, all while being completely plant-based and dairy-free. The preparation includes par-baking the crust for a flaky base, simmering the cranberry filling until bursting with flavor, blending and thickening the curd, then chilling before crowning with the airy meringue topping.

Ingredients

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Pie Crust

1 batch vegan pie crust (makes extra dough; see note 1)

Cranberry Filling

250 g granulated sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
400 g fresh cranberries (see note 2)
270 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
80 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
2 star anise (optional)
80 ml non-dairy milk
50 g cornstarch
100 g vegan butter

Meringue Topping

1 batch vegan Italian meringue (prepared from aquafaba reduced ahead of time)

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Instructions

Prepare in advance: Up to 2 days ahead, prepare the vegan pie crust dough and chill it. Also prepare the aquafaba for the meringue topping by reducing it and refrigerate until ready to use.
Grease and prepare pie tin: At least 8 hours before serving, lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin with oil or vegan butter, dust with flour and tap out excess flour. Optionally add a parchment round to the base. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (374°F) or 210°C conventional (410°F). Preheat an aluminum tray or baking sheet in the oven as well.
Roll out pie crust: Roll the chilled dough out to ⅛-inch thickness, extending about an inch beyond the tin circumference. Carefully lift the dough over the tin and gently ease it into the edges. Trim excess dough with a knife or pastry scissors and press edges down with a fork. Pierce holes in the base with a fork to prevent bubbling.
Blind bake crust: Place a slightly larger circle of parchment paper on top of the dough, scrunch it slightly, then fill with pie weights (or dried beans, rice, lentils). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment carefully, then bake an additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
Make cranberry filling: In a saucepan, combine sugar with orange and lemon zest, rubbing zest into sugar until it feels wet. Add cranberries, orange juice, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until cranberries burst and soften.
Prepare cornstarch paste: While cranberries cook, whisk non-dairy milk and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
Puree cranberry mixture: Remove cinnamon stick and star anise from the cranberry mixture. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. Strain the purée through a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan for a silky texture.
Thicken the filling: Stir cornstarch paste into the puréed cranberry mixture on the stove and cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in vegan butter until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly for 10-15 minutes.
Assemble and chill: Pour the cooled cranberry curd into the cooled pie shell. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until fully set.
Add meringue topping: Prepare the vegan Italian meringue topping (using the reduced aquafaba). Spoon or pipe it decoratively over the set pie. Use a culinary blow torch to toast the meringue before serving, creating a beautiful golden finish.

Notes

Note 1: The vegan pie crust recipe makes extra dough; the extra dough can be frozen for later use or used for decorative elements on the pie.
Note 2: Fresh cranberries provide the best texture and flavor, but frozen cranberries can be used if fresh are unavailable.