This gorgeous fuchsia-hued Cranberry Curd Tart features a luscious sweet-tart filling inside a delicate, tender crust. It’s the perfect elegant dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any fall or winter celebration. Make extra cranberry curd and use it as a spread or cake filling!
(This recipe was originally published in December 2011, but was updated with new photos and content in 2020).
Many curd recipes feature citrus as the star, but this cranberry curd recipe not only boasts a vibrant color, but its tart-sweetness is absolute perfection. It’s well-balanced, velvety smooth, and insatiably delicious.
Cranberries naturally thicken and gel when you cook them. But in this case we add some butter and eggs to yield a thick, silky cranberry curd which is perfect for filling a tart shell.
Some cranberry curd tart recipes require you to bake the tart with the curd inside. I prefer filling with the curd and simply chilling until the filling is set. It’s very silky and creamy this way, and reminds me texturally of pastry cream as a filling for tarts or pies (much like a classic fruit tart).
Ingredient notes
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are typically available in the weeks leading up to and through Thanksgiving and Christmas. Frozen cranberries will also work well in this cranberry curd tart.
- Eggs: This recipe requires 6 large eggs. One egg is divided to use for the crust and the other 5 go into the cranberry curd filling.
How to make the crust
Begin by preparing the pâte sucrée (sweet dough) for the crust. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine room temperature unsalted butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
Add half a beaten egg to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour. Beat until combined (PHOTO 1). On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a disk ½-inch thick. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a floured surface, roll it out to about ⅛-inch thick (around 11-inches in diameter). Carefully transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently ease the dough into the pan without stretching it, then use the rolling pin to trim the dough overhang by rolling it over the top (the metal edges will cut the dough) (PHOTO 2).
Additionally, you may re-roll your dough scraps and line a small tartlet pan with more of the dough to make a BONUS cranberry curd tartlet!
Chill the tart pan for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Then line it with a piece of parchment paper, and fill it with pie weights or dry beans (don’t plan on cooking those beans later!).
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the parchment paper filled with the weights and set them aside. If the dough has slouched in the pan use the back of a small spoon to right the edges. Then, lightly brush the inside of the tart with a bit of the leftover beaten egg from the half egg in the dough.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is set and faintly browning just at the edges. Remove from the oven and cool completely (PHOTO 3).
How to make the cranberry curd filling
Make the cranberry curd by combining fresh cranberries with a bit of water in a saucepan (PHOTO 4). Cook until the berries pop and are tender (PHOTO 5). Pass the cranberries through a food mill fitted with the plate with the smallest holes (preferred method) or press through a fine-mesh sieve (this will take longer and require a bit more effort). Return the puree back into the pan (PHOTO 6).
Add butter and sugar and bring the mixture to medium heat (PHOTO 7). Lightly beat the remaining 5 large eggs in a separate bowl. Add a couple spoonfuls of the hot cranberry mixture to the eggs and beat together to help temper the eggs.
Then add the tempered eggs to the saucepan stirring/whisking continuously so the eggs don’t scramble. The curd should thicken significantly and gently bubble in the saucepan. It’s thick enough when it easily coats the back of a wooden spoon and running your finger over it will leave a streak (PHOTO 8).
Once thickened to this point, pass through a fine-mesh sieve to make sure there are no scrambled egg remnants (PHOTO 9). You’ll have about 3 to 3 ¼ cups cranberry curd.
Pour the thick cranberry curd into the prepared tart shell (and a small bit into the baked tartlet shell too if you made one). Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the curd to keep a skin from forming.
Cool completely in the refrigerator for about 6 or more hours until the curd is completely set and cooled. The cranberry curd tart is still edible prior to that but the curd may be a bit loose and free-flowing if you cut it too soon.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips and FAQs
- Storage: Leftover cranberry curd tart will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for about 3 days after the day it's made.
- To halve the egg for the dough: Break one large egg in a small bowl and beat it with a fork until smooth. You will need half the beaten egg for the dough and the other half for brushing on the crust. The most accurate way to measure this is to weigh the beaten egg and then weigh out half (grams are preferable). You can also measure the volume of the beaten egg in a small measuring cup (or with measuring spoons) and measure out half.
- Crust variation: Add a big pinch of ground cinnamon to the tart dough for a cinnamon-infused crust.
- Cranberry curd variation: Use orange juice in place of the water to create a cranberry-orange curd filling!
- Alternative uses for cranberry curd: Use chilled cranberry curd on its own spread on biscuits or scones. Pipe it into cream puffs, or use it as a cake filling for white layer cake. This quantity of cranberry curd is just right for filling a 4-layer cake (two 9-inch cakes each split in half to yield 4 total layers). I recommend chocolate frosting for the cake if you go that route. It’s a wonderful flavor combination!
Brushing egg wash on the blind-baked tart crust helps create a barrier to keep the crust from softening too quickly once the filling is added. It’s also a great way to use some of the leftover egg from making the tart dough!
Other recipes you may like
- Cranberry Daiquiri
- Cranberry Cinnamon Goat Cheese Log
- Cranberry Apple Scones with Cinnamon Glaze
- Cranberry Sage Pie
- Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- Browse all Dessert Recipes
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Cranberry Curd Tart
Ingredients
Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Dough):
- 4 ½ tablespoons (64 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 large egg beaten and divided in half
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (110 grams) all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
Cranberry Curd Filling:
- 12 ounces (340 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¾ cup water
- 5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) sugar
- 5 large eggs
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together on medium speed until smooth. Mix in ½ the beaten egg (save the other ½ for later) and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a disk ½-inch thick. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Place the disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out ⅛-inch thick (about 11-inches in diameter), rolling from center to edge in all directions. Lift and rotate the dough occasionally, to make sure it doesn’t stick to the board, adding more flour if necessary. Lightly wrap the dough circle over the rolling pin and carefully unroll it over a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- When the dough has been lightly pressed into the proper shape, use the rolling pin to roll over all the metal edges, thus cutting the overhanging dough perfectly. Do not stretch the dough into the pan or else it will shrink when baking. If the dough tears at all, patch it with leftover bits of dough, pressing firmly. This is a very forgiving dough, unlike some others.
- Additionally, you may re-roll your dough scraps and line a small 4-inch tartlet pan with more of the dough to make a BONUS cranberry curd tartlet!
- Place the tart pan into the fridge for about 15 minutes or until firm. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prick the insides of the shell with a fork. Line the shell with a piece of parchment and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the parchment paper filled with the weights and set them asides. If the dough has slouched in the tart pan at all you can carefully use the back of a small spoon to try and right the edges a bit. Then, lightly brush the inside of the tart with a bit of the leftover ½ beaten egg.
- Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is set and the edges are faintly starting to brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack until ready to use. This baked shell will keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 2 weeks.
To make the filling:
- Add the cranberries and water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the berries have popped and are tender. Pass the cranberries through a food mill fitted with the plate with the smallest holes (preferred method) or press through a fine-mesh sieve (this will take longer and require more effort). Return the puree back into the pan.
- Add the butter and sugar and bring to medium heat. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Add a couple spoons of the hot cranberry mixture to the eggs and beat together to help temper the eggs. Then add the tempered eggs to the saucepan stirring/whisking continuously so the eggs don’t scramble. The curd should thicken significantly and gently bubble in the saucepan. It’s thick enough when it easily coats the back of a wooden spoon and running your finger over it will leave a streak.
- Once thickened to this point, pass through a fine-mesh sieve to make sure there are no scrambled egg remnants. Pour the thick cranberry curd into the prepared tart shell (and a small bit into the baked tartlet shell too if you made one). Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the curd to keep a skin from forming.
- Cool completely in the refrigerator for about 6 or more hours until the curd is completely set and cooled. The tart is still edible prior to that but the curd may be a bit loose and free-flowing if you cut it too soon.
Notes
- Storage: Leftover cranberry curd tart will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for about 3 days after the day it's made.
- To halve the egg for the dough: Break one large egg in a small bowl and beat it with a fork until smooth. You will need half the beaten egg for the dough and the other half for brushing on the crust. The most accurate way to measure this is to weigh the beaten egg and then weigh out half (grams are preferable), but you can also measure the volume of the beaten egg in a small measuring cup (or with measuring spoons) and measure out half.
- Freezing: This dough can also be frozen in a freezer bag for and later defrosted in the fridge the night before use. The dough will keep well frozen for a few weeks.
- Crust variation: Add a big pinch of ground cinnamon to the tart dough for a cinnamon-infused crust.
- Cranberry curd variation: Use orange juice in place of the water to create a cranberry-orange curd filling!
- Alternative uses for cranberry curd: This recipe will yield about 3 to 3 ¼ cups cranberry curd. Use chilled cranberry curd on its own spread on biscuits or scones. Pipe it into cream puffs, or use it as a cake filling for white layer cake. This quantity of cranberry curd is just right for filling a 4-layer cake (two 9-inch cakes each split in half to yield 4 total layers). I recommend chocolate frosting for the cake if you go that route. It’s a wonderful flavor combination!
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Anoush says
Wow. This looks amazing!! Thank you for all the pictures you post as a guide.
Victoria says
Thanks, Anoush! I hope the step-by-step photos are helpful! Enjoy the recipe 🙂