Cranberry Pumpkin Tart

Switch up your Thanksgiving dessert menu this year by preparing this delicious Pumpkin Tart. This tart recipe features a delicious cranberry pecan topping that makes it unique. The pecan topping requires minimal effort but takes classic pumpkin tart to the next level!

Creating this Pumpkin Tart

This year our Thanksgiving was pretty laid back. We stayed home, just the four of us.

So even though I enjoy cooking for a crowd, it was nice to not have any of that pressure. And because of that, I decided to take a few liberties with a couple of recipes.

The kitchen was just a little quieter, definitely less crowded, and a bit more relaxed. With the kids busy helping decorate the Christmas Tree, I decided to experiment a bit.

I took my very favorite Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping and switched it up a bit.

At first I was just going to bake it as a tart instead of pie, but at the last minute I decided to add some fresh cranberries to the topping.

That was a smart move! I increased the cinnamon and a couple other spices and added some cardamom too. I like this pie (or tart) even better than before, which I didn’t think was possible.

My husband and I both agreed that not only is this version even tastier, but it’s also beautifully festive.

As trite as it may sound, this tart was, in a word, perfection. It barely lasted a full 24 hours in our home. And nothing stopped me from eating a slice for breakfast the next day.

Tools Needed to Make this Pumpkin Tart Recipe

My suggested equipment for preparing this recipe is listed below. Having these items on hand makes preparing this pumpkin tart even easier. 

• Food Processor – a food processor is helpful when preparing the crust for the tart shell.
• Silicone Pastry Mat – to use as a work surface to roll the tart dough out on. Alternatively, use a lightly floured surface (such as a counter).
• Rolling Pin – to roll out the tart dough.
• Large Bowl – for combining the pumpkin filling mixture for the tart.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons – to measure the ingredients for the tart dough, pumpkin mixture, and cranberry pecan topping.
• Wire Whisk – to combine the pumpkin tart filling ingredients.
• Rubber or Silicone Spatula – to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl as you prepare the tart filling.
• Small Bowl – to mix up the pecan topping.
• Tart Pan with Removable Bottom – to bake the pumpkin tart in.
• Rimmed Baking Sheet – a sheet pan is helpful to transfer the pumpkin tart to the oven.
• Wire Rack – I like to cool the tart on a cooling rack after it bakes.

What is in a Pumpkin Tart?

This recipe is a little different than a traditional pumpkin tart recipe. It has three parts to it: the tart crust, the pumpkin tart filling, and the cranberry pecan topping. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

Pumpkin Tart Ingredients

• Pumpkin Puree
• Eggs
• Half and Half or Heavy Cream
• Vanilla Extract
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Flour
• Orange Zest
• Sea Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Cloves
• Cardamom
• 1 Tart Crust

Cranberry Pecan Topping for the Pumpkin Tart:

• Fresh Cranberries
• Brown Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Pecans
• Sea Salt
• Cold Butter

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make this tart recipe, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Tart

Don’t use canned pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix when preparing this recipe for homemade pumpkin pie with pecans. Canned pumpkin pie filling has sugar, spices, and other ingredients added so this pie recipe would not turn out the same. You need to use pure pumpkin puree.

Unsweetened canned pumpkin puree works fine, but if you want to use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned, check out this tutorial on How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree.

If you plan to use pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices, you’ll need to use a total of 1 3/4 teaspoons.

Pumpkin Tart Recipe Adaptations

If you don’t want to use a traditional pie crust recipe for the tart crust, you could try preparing a graham cracker crust, a gingersnap crust, or a biscoff cookie crust. This Strawberry Lemon Tart has a biscoff cookie crust – just model it after that recipe.

How to Serve this Pumpkin Tart

Served with a dollop of vanilla cinnamon whipped cream, I don’t know how it could get any better.

It’s simple to make the vanilla cinnamon whipped cream: I just made whipped cream like usual, adding some vanilla extract and a few dashes of cinnamon.

If you prefer, vanilla ice cream would also taste delicious served alongside this tart recipe.

How to Store Leftover Pumpkin Tart

Leftovers of this pumpkin tart should be stored refrigerated. Cover the serving plate in plastic wrap. It will last up to five days in the fridge.

More Thanksgiving Desserts with Pumpkin

If you’re looking for additional dessert inspiration in addition to this pecan praline pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving Menu this year, here are a few other favorite recipes.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache is a decadent and unconventional way to get your pumpkin in for Thanksgiving.

This Pumpkin Cobbler recipe is totally homemade, no cake mix required! It features a spiced streusel topping and a creamy pumpkin filling.

If you’re looking for the perfect kid-friendly Thanksgiving treat, check out this Easy Pumpkin Pudding; it combines a few pantry ingredients for a perfect autumn treat.

The combination of fall spices, sweet, creamy pumpkin, and a carmel-y topping in this recipe for Pumpkin Creme Caramel received a unanimous “yes” in our book.

These No Bake Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars are so good and so easy! They feature yummy layers of gingersnap crust and no bake pumpkin cheesecake filling. They’re like cute little individual pumpkin cheesecakes.

This homemade Pumpkin Custard is incredibly easy to prepare and makes for a wonderful fall dessert. Perfect for family gatherings!

Cranberry Pecan Pumpkin Tart Recipe

Yield: 10 to 12

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Chill Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 5 hours

This cranberry pecan pumpkin tart has a silky smooth pumpkin custard filling and cranberry-pecan crumble topping. It’s a stunning alternative to pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and can be baked days in advance!

Print

Ingredients

Pâte Sucrée (Crust)*

• 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons (200 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup (150 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large egg yolks (about 36 g)
• 1–2 tablespoon ice water, as needed
• 1 egg white, whisked

Pumpkin Custard Filling

• 19 oz (540 g) canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 4 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3–4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup (135 g) packed brown sugar
• 5 ½ tablespoons (41 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon cardamom

Cranberry Pecan Topping

• 6 oz (170 g) fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (27 g) all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 cup (120 g) medium-chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
• 5½ tablespoons (75 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
• ⅜ tsp kosher salt
• Zest of ½ orange
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Instructions

Make the Pâte Sucrée

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 200 g (1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons) flour, 65 g (⅓ cup) sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
2. Add 150 g (⅔ cup) cold butter cubes. Cut in with a pastry blender or fingertips until you see coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter bits.
3. Mix in 2 egg yolks (36 g) with a fork until the dough looks shaggy.
4. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon ice water. Mix gently. Add up to 1 more tablespoon only if too dry. Barely damp is the sweet spot. Too much water = tough crust.
5. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead just 2–3 times, shape into a disk, wrap, and chill at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).

Roll & Blind Bake the Crust

1. Roll dough to ~⅛-inch thick and fit into an 12-inch tart pan. Trim edges, dock bottom, and freeze 15 minutes. (Katie’s Tip: After rolling, let the dough rest for 5–10 minutes before fitting it into the pan. This relaxes the gluten and helps prevent shrinkage later.)
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line with parchment, fill with pie weights/beans, bake 15 minutes.
3. Remove weights, bake 5–7 minutes more until lightly golden.
4. Brush warm crust with beaten egg white and bake 2 minutes more.
   Cool slightly before filling. (Katie’s Tip: Lower-temp blind bake keeps crust from overbrowning later.)

Make the Pumpkin Custard Filling

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3–4 tablespoon sugar, ⅔ cup (135 g) brown sugar, 41 g (5 ½ tablespoon) flour, ½ teaspoon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice, and ⅛ teaspoon of cloves and cardamom.
2. In another bowl, whisk 540 g pumpkin, 4 eggs + 1 yolk, ⅔ cup cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth.
3. Fold dry into wet just until combined.

First Bake (Filling Only)

1. Pour pumpkin custard into the blind-baked crust, filling it to just below the rim (about ¼ inch from the top). This gives room for the topping later without spillover.
2. Transfer the filled tart to a baking sheet. This will catch any accidental spillovers and make it easier to transfer in and out of the oven.
3. Bake the filled tart at 375°F (190°C) for 8–10 minutes, until edges are just set but the center still has a gentle wobble.

Make the Cranberry Pecan Topping

1. Toss 6 oz (170 g) chopped cranberries with 1 tsp of flour. This coats them lightly and keeps juices from bleeding too much into the custard.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 75 g brown sugar, 25 g granulated sugar, the remaining flour (about 24 g), ⅜ tsp kosher salt, and zest of ½ orange.
3. Add 42 g cold butter cubes. Use fingertips or a pastry blender to rub until coarse crumbs form — aim for pea sized clusters.
4. If the topping looks dry, squeeze a handful in your palm before adding the cranberries — it should just hold together, then crumble apart easily.
5. Once texture is right, fold in the cranberries and pecans gently so the berries don’t bleed.
6. Pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm the butter. This makes chunkier, more defined crumbs that hold shape as they bake.

Finish Baking (with Topping)

1. Remove tart from oven. Sprinkle topping evenly over custard, but leave a 1 ½-inch border around the edge so the pumpkin layer shows.
2. Scatter a few extra visible cranberries across the top for brighter color.
3. Lightly press just a few clusters into the custard so the topping anchors, but don’t mash them in — you want lift and texture.
4. Return tart to 375°F oven for 35–40 minutes, until filling is set, topping golden, and crust deep golden brown. The custard is done when the center barely jiggles when nudged, and the topping is golden and crisp.

Chill and Serve

1. Cool completely on a rack and let rest at least 2 hours before chilling. This prevents condensation from forming under the topping.
2. Chill at least 3 hours for clean slices.
   Serve chilled or at room temperature.
3. Garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

Tart pans can vary in depth, so if you end up with a little extra custard, don’t cram it in — this will cause the tart to overflow once the topping is added. Pour it into a buttered ramekin, bake alongside the tart for 10–20 minutes (depending on volume), and enjoy it warm as a silky pumpkin custard cup — the cook’s treat!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 656Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 210mgSodium: 307mgCarbohydrates: 85gFiber: 4gSugar: 74gProtein: 8g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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