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Cranberry Fluff Pie has the perfect balance of tartness from the cranberries, citrusy notes from fresh orange zest, and a sweetened whipped cream filling. This creamy no bake pie is the best make-ahead dessert for the holidays and it only needs 6 ingredients!
Cranberry Fluff Pie Recipe (No Bake Cream Pie)
Enjoy cranberry season by making this holiday desert recipe that’s perfect for your Thanksgiving table! No bake cranberry fluff pie is just like the classic Cranberry Fluff side dish, but with the texture of a no bake fluffy cream pie inside a buttery graham cracker crust.
Simple to make with only 6 ingredients with the perfect balance of those sweet and tart cranberry flavors throughout.
6 Simple Ingredients For This Thanksgiving Dessert
- Graham Cracker Crust : You can make a 9-inch homemade graham cracker crust inside a pie plate or make it really easy and use a ready-to-use graham cracker crust from the store. I actually prefer using the store-bought crumbs crusts because they’re so easy, convenient, the crust holds together better, and it comes with a very convenient plastic lid inside for easy storage in the fridge.
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar : Helps to balance out the tartness of cranberries in the creamy cranberry filling.
- Fresh Orange Zest : Orange + cranberry were meant to be!
- Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce : This is a canned item.
- Cool Whip : Use a tub of thawed cool whip or make your own whipped topping by beating 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream + 1/3 cup powdered sugar together in a bowl until stiff peaks form.
How To Make No Bake Cranberry Cream Pie (Printable Recipe Card Below)
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange zest. Use an electric mixer, or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, to beat until it’s smooth and creamy.
Add the whole berry cranberry sauce in and beat on low speed until well combined.
Gently stir in the Cool Whip using a rubber spatula until combined.
Evenly spread the creamy cranberry mixture into the prepared crust. Cover the pie with the enclosed plastic lid (from the packaging) or cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
Once the pie has set, garnish it as desired, slice it, and serve it chilled from the fridge.
How To Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers inside the pie tin or plate (it will help the crust keep it’s shape), covered with a lid or plastic wrap, inside the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cranberries will start to release some juice the longer it sits in the fridge, so eventually the crust will get soggy and the pie won’t look as fresh.
If you’re wanting to freeze the pie please take note that the texture will be slightly different once the cream pie has been frozen and then thawed. I don’t love the texture of freezing cream pies so I never do it, but it can be frozen if wanted. Freeze the pie, covered well in plastic wrap and then in foil, for up to 3 months. Allow the pie to thaw in the fridge before serving it or it can be served frozen.
Substitutions & Variation Ideas
- Don’t Want To Use Cool Whip? : This is a simple swap if you prefer to not use Cool Whip. Add 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream + 1/3 cup powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form, starting at low speed and increasing the speed as needed, and use that amount in place of the Cool Whip. If I am doing this substitution then I always just whip an entire 2 cup container of heavy whipping cream and save some for serving so that I can pipe it along the edges of the pie.
- Canned Cranberry Sauce : If you don’t want the cranberry chunks in the cream pie then try using a can of cranberry sauce instead. You can also run the whole berry cranberry sauce through a food processor real quick to chop it up more. Or use 1.5 cups of homemade cranberry sauce instead of the canned sauce.
- Pink Food Coloring : For a deeper, more pinkish hue for the cranberry pie try adding 1-2 drops of pink gel food coloring. This is not a standard food color so you will have to go to a craft store, or the cake decorating aisle, to find a pink food coloring gel.
Recipe Notes & Tips For Creamy Cranberry Pie
- Use Brick-Style Cream Cheese : Make sure you are using the bar/brick of cream cheese that comes wrapped in the silver foil wrapping. Do not use the whipped tub of cream cheese or spreadable cream cheese as it’s not the same consistency and won’t provide the same structure and thickness as the bar style.
- Room Temperature Cream Cheese : To ensure that the pie filling is smooth with no lumps, make sure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature before using it. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for no longer than 2 hours. It really only needs about 30 minutes to come to room temperature before using it in the recipe.
- Chill Time : As with any no bake pie, this no bake cranberry pie needs the fridge time in order for the pie to set, thicken, and the flavors to come together. Plan for at minimum at least 6 hours in the fridge before serving it. It can also be refrigerated up to overnight before serving.
- Garnish Ideas : You can easily dress up this pie for the holiday season! Use a piping bag + a large 1A tip to pipe on additional whipped cream around the edges of the pie, or spread it over the pie as another layer to the pie, or garnish each slice individually with whipped cream. You can also add some fresh sugared cranberries onto the whipped cream garnish. Regular cranberries are pretty tart on their own so I definitely recommend sugaring the cranberries is using them as a garnish. Here is a tutorial for how to make Sugared Cranberries.
More Holiday Recipes To Try
- Watergate Salad
- Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie
- No Bake Banana Cream Pie
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Turkey Cheese Ball
- Easy Pumpkin Mousse Pie
- Homemade Stove Top Stuffing
- Ambrosia Fruit Salad
- Brown Sugar Ham (In The Crockpot)
- Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
No Bake Cranberry Fluff Pie
Ingredients
- 1 (6 oz) ready-crust graham cracker crust
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese room temperature
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 can (14 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange zest. Use an electric mixer, or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, to beat until it's smooth and creamy.1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest
- Add the whole berry cranberry sauce in and beat on low speed until well combined.1 can (14 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
- Gently stir in the Cool Whip using a rubber spatula until combined.8 ounces Cool Whip
- Evenly spread the creamy cranberry mixture into the prepared crust. Cover the pie with the enclosed plastic lid (from the packaging) or cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.1 (6 oz) ready-crust graham cracker crust
- Once the pie has set, garnish it as desired, slice it, and serve it chilled from the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love to see it! You can share it with me on @togetherasfamilyblog and follow on Pinterest @together-as-family-blog-recipes or Facebook @togetherasfamilyblog for more!
Thanks for sharing. I would use real whipping cream.
Yes of course, real whipped cream is an easy sub for this pie.