Cranberry Relish

by Sabrina Snyder

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12 Comments

5 from 5 votes
16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
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Cranberry Relish is the fresh version of the classic Thanksgiving Day favorite Cranberry Sauce punched up with citrus and ginger flavors.

I always make a batch of Easy Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving dinner, but this year I thought I’d add this old fashioned relish to my holiday table. It’s really easy to make, and is a great Topping to almost any Thanksgiving dish. You should also try Cranberry Dip!

relish in white bowl

Sabrina’s Cranberry Relish Recipe

Cranberry Relish isn’t the traditional option most people reach for when planning their holiday meals. Instead of going the traditional cranberry sauce route, try making this Relish. This is one of the easiest cranberry recipes you’ll ever make, and you don’t just have to use it on the turkey, it’s delicious on pretty much every Thanksgiving side dish.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Cranberry Relish Recipe

Cranberry Relish is the fresh version of the classic Thanksgiving Day favorite Cranberry Sauce punched up with citrus and ginger flavors.
Yield 16 Servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Red relish in white bowl
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 large orange
  • 1 medium lemon
  • 12 ounces cranberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ginger , chopped

Instructions

  • Cut the orange and lemon into wedges, then peel and remove any seeds you find.
  • Add the orange, lemon, cranberries, sugar, and ginger to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  • Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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Note from Sabrina

I tested this recipe for prepping ahead and it is just as delicious as much as five days ahead of time! Consider this a full speed ahead on getting a jump start on Thanksgiving day prep.

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About this Recipe

This old fashioned Cranberry Relish is full of orange, lemon, ginger and fresh cranberries, which not only gives it a complex, delicious favor but a great texture. This recipe only takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and doesn’t involve any stove or oven, so it is truly a game changer on busy holidays.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Cranberry Relish is a perfect dish to prep the day before to cut down on the stress of making everything all at once on Thanksgiving day, right before your guests start showing up. Making it ahead of time also gives the relish time to fully combine all the wonderful flavors.

How to Store

  • Serve: You really shouldn’t leave Cranberry Relish at room temperature for longer than about 2 hours.
  • Store: This dish can last in the fridge for up to 1 week as long as it’s properly sealed up, but tastes best for about 5 days if prepping ahead for your holiday meal. Keep it in plastic wrap or an airtight container to prevent moisture from seeping in. You also want to serve it cold or at least chilled rather than room temperature.
  • Freeze: This will stay good in an airtight container for around 2 months in the freezer.

Frequent Questions

u003cstrongu003eWhat’s the difference between cranberry relish and cranberry sauce?u003c/strongu003e

Cranberry sauce is most commonly made with cranberries, sugar, and orange juice and is cooked. Cranberry Relish is an uncooked dish with more ingredients in it that give it a fresher feel with a more complex taste.

u003cstrongu003eWhat can I do with Cranberry Relish?u003c/strongu003e

Cranberry Relish is great on pretty much all Thanksgiving foods, like mashed potatoes, casserole, and sweet potatoes, but it’s also delicious on leftover turkey sandwiches or your favorite healthy breakfast foods like oatmeal and a yogurt.

u003cstrongu003eHow did you get a deep red color all over the cranberries?u003c/strongu003e

In testing this recipe I found that making it 2 days before allows for the best red color all over as well as the best flavors.

Variations

  • Nuts: Make Cranberry Relish more festive by garnishing with nuts like chopped pecans, walnuts, or cashews.
  • Topping: Cover a block of cream cheese with the Cranberry Relish for a festive dip or  top some crockpot oatmeal with it on Black Friday morning for a healthy, hearty breakfast that will give you all the energy you need for shopping.
  • Other Variations: You can add finely diced granny smith apples, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, or even a splash of cointreau to make your Cranberry Relish just how your family likes it.

More Yummy Holiday Side Dish Recipes

Cranberry topping pin image

Photos used in previous version of post

cranberry topping in a bowl

 

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. What an awesome idea!! Never had this before until making it and it was SO good! A fun twist for Thanksgiving too!

    Reply