No Bake Cranberry Cream Pie

This No Bake Cranberry Cream Pie brings together tart cranberries, cream cheese, and whipped topping in a cool, refreshing dessert. It's full of holiday flavor but requires zero time in the oven! 

Cranberry Cream Pie is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas when your oven is already packed. Plus, you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to serve!

During the holidays, my oven is usually stuffed with turkey, ham, or side dishes, so this no bake cranberry cream pie is a total lifesaver. The cream cheese and cranberry filling is smooth and creamy, and that hint of orange zest makes it taste extra special.

What I really love about this recipe is how simple it is to customize. Sometimes I use a vanilla wafer crust instead of graham crackers, or I'll swap in homemade whipped cream for the Cool Whip. 

Around Christmas, I like to decorate the top with fresh cranberries and a sprinkle of orange zest - it looks so festive on the dessert table!

The filling sets up perfectly in the fridge, and you can make it a couple days ahead of time. Honestly, I think it tastes even better on day two when all the flavors have had time to come together. 

Ingredient Notes

See the printable recipe card below for all ingredients, specific measurements, and complete instructions.

• Graham crackers: Regular graham crackers work great here. Store brand is totally fine - you'll be crushing them up anyway.
• Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work in the crust. It helps hold everything together and adds a nice sweetness.
• Butter: Melted butter is what makes the crust stick together. You can use salted or unsalted.
• Orange zest: This adds a bright, fresh flavor that brings out the cranberry taste. Make sure to rub it into the sugar to release all those good oils. (Optional ingredient)
• Cream cheese: Make sure it's softened before you start. Cold cream cheese will leave lumps in your filling.
• Cranberry sauce: I use Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce. The whole berries add nice texture to the filling.
• Whipped topping: Cool Whip makes this super easy, but you can swap in homemade whipped cream if you prefer.
• Granulated sugar: This balances out the tart cranberries without making the pie too sweet.

How To Make No Bake Cranberry Cream Pie

First, let's make the crust. Place your graham crackers and brown sugar into a food processor and run it until you have fine crumbs. Then, slowly pour in the melted butter while the processor is on low speed. You'll see the crumbs start to clump together - that's exactly what you want.

Grab a 9-inch pie dish and grease it lightly. Press those buttery crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Use the back of a measuring cup to really pack them down firmly. Once your crust is ready, pop it in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to firm up.

Now for the filling. In a large mixing bowl, if adding the orange zest, use your fingertips to rub it into the sugar. This little step makes a big difference - it releases all the orange oils into the sugar. Add your softened cream cheese and blend it with the orange sugar until it's completely smooth. Mix in the cranberry sauce until everything is well combined.

Finally, fold in the whipped topping. Take your time here and be gentle - you want to keep all that fluffiness. Once it's all mixed, spoon the filling into your chilled crust and spread it out evenly.

Cover the pie with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

When you're ready to serve, you can top it with extra whipped cream and some fresh cranberries if you like.

Make-Ahead, Storing and Freezing

Make Ahead: This pie is perfect for making ahead! You can prepare it up to 3 days before you need it. Just keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

Store: Keep your Cranberry Cream Pie covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. The graham cracker crust might start getting a bit soft after that, but the filling will still taste great.

Freeze: The whole pie freezes really well for up to 2 months. Just wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil to prevent freezer burn. When you want to serve it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure your cream cheese is really soft before starting. If you forgot to take it out early, cut it into cubes to speed up softening.
• Try rubbing the orange zest into the sugar with your fingers - this releases more orange flavor throughout the pie.
• For the smoothest filling, blend the cream cheese and sugar until there are absolutely no lumps before adding the cranberry sauce.
• The crust will be easier to slice if you freeze it for the full 20 minutes before adding the filling.
• You can use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip - just make sure to whip it until it's really stiff so your pie sets properly.
• If you're serving a big crowd, you can easily double the recipe and make two pies.

Can I use homemade cranberry sauce?

Yes! Fresh cranberry sauce works great in this recipe. Just make sure it's completely cooled before mixing it into the filling. If your homemade sauce is chunkier than canned, you might want to give it a quick pulse in the food processor to break up any large pieces.

We enjoy making Cranberry recipes for the holidays. Especially for Thanksgiving or Christmas. A few favorites include these Cranberry Lemon Bars, Cranberry Apple Pie and Cranberry Sauce Muffins.

This Cranberry Cream Pie is a stress-free holiday dessert that looks and tastes amazing. With its creamy filling and graham cracker crust, it's the perfect ending to any holiday meal - and you never have to turn on your oven!