Julie Clark
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Easy Cranberry Relish
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No cooking necessary! It only takes 5 minutes and 5 ingredients to make this easy cranberry relish recipe. Serve this fruit relish with crackers, meat, on sandwiches or with cream cheese.
I love cranberries during the holiday season. They have a big, beautiful, bold color which makes everything a bit more cheerful. Serve them in orange cranberry jello salad, pear cranberry pie or cranberry punch. Cranberries are versatile and delicious almost any meal of the day.
We got this cranberry orange relish recipe from friends during the last holiday season. It was the first time I had ever tried a fresh cranberry sauce and I was surprised at how much I liked it. Bonus points for it being ready in 5 minutes!
What is the difference between cranberry relish and cranberry sauce?
Cranberry sauce is normally cooked and sweet in flavor. Cranberry relish is made with fresh fruits and is uncooked. It is usually much more tart than cooked sauces, but that makes it a nice complement to a rich Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner.
How do you chop fresh cranberries?
One of the things you might be wondering about is how to chop up all those little cranberries to make relish. The easiest way to do this is to use your food processor and “pulse” it until the cranberries are as chopped as you’d like.
What is cranberry relish made of?
You’ll need the following:
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 whole orange with the ends cut off. You’ll get the orange zest and the orange juice!
- 1 peeled lemon
- The juice of 1 lime
- granulated sugar
The amount of sugar you use will depend on how sweet you’d like it. We like our relish to be tart so only add in ½ cup. Honey and maple syrup also can be used as sweeteners.
How do you make cranberry relish?
It’s very easy! No cooking involved. You need a food processor for it to be easy though.
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it is evenly chopped.
That’s it! This might be your easiest Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish.
What to Serve with Cranberry Relish
- Serve cranberry relish on turkey, used on leftover turkey sandwiches, pork chops or even just eaten with a spoon as a fruit side dish.
- Spoon the relish over a block of cream cheese and serve it with crackers. It’s a great appetizer idea!
- Serve on top of a bowl of yogurt, apple waffles or oatmeal pancakes.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover cranberry relish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Can you make cranberry relish ahead of time?
We like to make our cranberry relish no more than 2 days in advance. You might get away with 3 days. It will create juice as it sits, so be prepared for that.
Have leftover cranberries?
Make one of these cranberry recipes:
Easy Cranberry Relish
No cooking necessary! It only takes 5 minutes and 5 ingredients to make this easy cranberry relish recipe. Serve this fruit relish with crackers, meat, on sandwiches or with cream cheese.
Servings 12
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime (only the juice)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or to taste)
Instructions
- Add the fresh cranberries to a food processor. 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- Cut off the ends of the oranges, quarter the orange and take out any seeds you seed (if it is not a seedless orange. Leave the peel on and put the quartered orange in the food processor with the cranberries. 1 orange
- Peel the lemon, separate it into wedges and remove any seeds you see. Place in the food processor. Juice the lime and add the juice to the food processor. Discard the rest of the lime. 1 lemon, 1 lime (only the juice)
- Add the sugar. We like ½ cup of sugar. You can add more if you'd like the relish to be sweeter. ½ cup granulated sugar (or to taste)
- Pulse the fruit until it is evenly chopped. Be careful not to over process so that it becomes liquidy. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Notes
- Add a pinch of cinnamon to the fruit mixture.
- Add a handful of pecans or walnuts for a nutty crunch.
Nutrition
Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 15.1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.1mg
