Description
This Vegan Cranberry Meringue Pie features a crisp vegan pie crust filled with a luscious, tangy cranberry curd flavored with fresh citrus zest and spices. Topped with a light and fluffy vegan Italian meringue, this stunning dessert is perfect for holiday celebrations or any special occasion. The pie requires several hours for chilling and setting, ensuring a firm, flavorful filling with a beautifully toasted meringue topping.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust
- 1 batch vegan pie crust dough (*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 (made from aquafaba reduced, see note 1)
Instructions
- Prepare in Advance: Up to two days before assembling the pie, prepare your vegan pie crust dough and refrigerate it. Also, reduce the aquafaba for the meringue topping and refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat 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. Optionally, line the base with parchment paper. 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 out the chilled dough to about ⅛-inch thickness, making it about an inch larger than the pie tin circumference. Use the rolling pin to transfer and ease the dough into the pie tin, press down edges with a fork, and trim excess dough around edges.
- Dock and Blind Bake Crust: Prick the base several times with a fork. Cover with a circle of parchment slightly larger than the pie tin and fill with pie weights or dried beans/rice/lentils. Par-bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove Weights and Finish Baking: Remove parchment and weights carefully, then bake for another 15-20 minutes until crust is golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
- Make Cranberry Filling: In a saucepan, rub the orange and lemon zest into the sugar until it feels wet. Add cranberries, orange juice, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and star anise. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until cranberries burst and soften.
- Prepare Cornstarch Paste: In a small bowl, whisk non-dairy milk and cornstarch together and set aside.
- Blend and Strain Filling: Remove cinnamon stick and star anise. Blend the cranberry mixture until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan.
- Thicken Filling: Stir in the cornstarch paste and cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in vegan butter until incorporated. Allow to cool slightly for 10-15 minutes.
- Assemble and Chill: Pour the cranberry curd into the cooled pie crust. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight until firmly set.
- Prepare Meringue Topping: Make the vegan Italian meringue using the chilled reduced aquafaba according to your recipe.
- Add and Torch Meringue: Spoon or pipe the meringue onto the set pie surface. Use a kitchen blow torch to lightly toast the meringue before serving for a beautiful finish.
Notes
- 1: The vegan pie crust dough and vegan Italian meringue require preparation ahead of time, including aquafaba reduction.
- 2: Fresh cranberries are essential for the best flavor and texture; frozen can be used if fresh are unavailable but may alter texture.
- Blind baking the crust ensures a crisp base that won’t become soggy under the moist filling.
- The cinnamon stick and star anise are optional but add warm depth to the cranberry filling.
- A blow torch is recommended for lightly toasting the meringue top but can be omitted or substituted with a quick broil in the oven if necessary.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes plus chilling and aquafaba reduction time
- Cook Time: 1 hour (including blind baking and filling cooking/thickening)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
