Best Cranberry Relish Recipe

Not a fan of cranberry sauce, make this easy Cranberry Relish instead. No cooking required, just throw everything into the food processor or blender and chop up into one of the best holiday side dishes ever made.

Cranberry Orange Relish

If you’re like me, you’d be willing to skip right over Thanksgiving and get to the good stuff. I’m itching to decorate the house for Christmas but I think my husband would kick me to the curb. We’re still overloaded with slashes of fall color and decorative pumpkins in the house….and he’s ready for a full Thanksgiving feast.

The whole shabang, buttery roast turkey, piles of homemade mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce are his favorites. But me….I like to mix things up a bit and this Cranberry Orange Relish recipe is like my new favorite thing ever. It’s like a modern take on cranberry sauce without having to actually cook anything.

Cranberry Relish is refreshing, light and fruity. And although the cranberries are raw, the added fruit and sugar mellow out the tartness of the cranberries amazingly well. It’s a great option instead of traditional cranberry sauce.

You really can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without some sort of cranberry side and this easy cranberry relish is fantastic because it takes about two minutes to make from scratch! If that’s not reason enough to whip this one up for your next holiday gathering then I don’t know what is.

We have several holiday traditions when it comes to food and this Cranberry Orange Relish has clinched a permanent place at the thanksgiving table.

Ingredients for Cranberry Relish

• Cranberries – Fresh cranberries are best for their tart, crisp flavor but frozen cranberries work well as a substitution.
• Apple – A sweet, tart apple variety like a fuji apple or honey crisp apple balances the relish.
• Orange – Mandarins, Navel oranges or clementines can be used. The orange peel is used in the relish. If you feel the addition of the whole peel is too much, you can use just the orange zest.
• Walnuts – Walnut pieces can be substituted with pecans.
• Sugar – Because cranberries are notoriously tart, sugar is added for balance. White sugar or brown sugar can be used. If you prefer, you can substitute with pure maple syrup.
• Ginger – Fresh ginger adds a peppery bite.

For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.

How To Make Cranberry Relish

You’ll need approximately two minutes to make this fresh Cranberry Relish recipe:

1. Add the cranberries, apples, the entire orange and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor.
2. Pulse the fruity until finely chopped and small pieces are formed.
3. Stir in the sugar and ginger.
4. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
5. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

If your cranberry relish is too watery, you can drain it using a fine mesh sieve or just serve it with a slotted spoon. 

What is Cranberry Relish?

Cranberry Relish is a raw condiment that’s commonly served at Thanksgiving alongside the roasted turkey. It’s made of fresh cranberries, apples, oranges, sugar and may or may not contain nuts.

I like to add raw walnuts to my cranberry relish recipe for a buttery background note but one thing I LOVE to add that most relish recipes do not is fresh ginger. It adds a fruity, peppery zingyness to the relish that’s so fantastic and unexpected even though ginger seems to be in ALL THE THINGS during the holiday months.

You can totally leave the ginger out of your relish but I urge you to try it because it’s such a modern departure from the usual fruit relish recipes.

If you would like to stay true to an old fashioned cranberry relish recipe skip the nuts, too.

How To Store Leftovers

You can make cranberry relish up to 5 days in advance and the flavors will just get better the longer it sits. Store your relish in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. This relish is even better the next day.

I would not recommend freezing the relish because the consistency will become a bit mushy and won’t taste as fresh. Because this relish recipe is super easy to make and quick to prepare, there’s really no reason to freeze it.

What To Serve With Cranberry Relish

While most of us tend to think of cranberry sauce and cranberry relish as a Thanksgiving recipe, it goes so well with many other dishes during the year so be sure to snag up as many bags of cranberries to freeze for later in the year. It’s the perfect complement to Christmas dinner. We, also, love to add it to turkey sandwiches for the tart-sweet contrast and fresh flavor.

I love to serve raw Cranberry Relish with my favorite Thanksgiving turkey but it also pairs well with this easy Spiral Ham for Christmas, too. And don’t forget the beef…..it’s fantastic addition to your condiment buffet for the easy Roast Beef Tenderloin recipe.

And if you’re already thinking of leftovers, like I always do, you could serve it as a dip with some tortilla chips or add it to your day after Thanksgiving sandwich!

I also like to spoon it over a block of cream cheese for a simple, delicious appetizer.

Cranberry Relish Variations

As I mentioned before, the rules to making cranberry relish are rather loose.

It’s an easy recipe so here are a few suggestions to mix it up a bit.

• Nuts – Substitute the walnuts with toasted pistachios, pecans or macadamia nuts.
• Spices – Stir in a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg for a Christmasy flavor or a bit of cayenne for a southwestern hit of heat.
• Fruit – Substitute the apple with a pear and the orange with a grapefruit. 

Feel free to get as creative as you want with your own cranberry relish recipe! Pineapple is also an unexpectedly fantastic mix in, too!

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More Easy Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Cheesy Creamed Spinach Recipe
• Easy Green Beans Almondine
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
• The Very Best Mashed Potatoes