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This 3-ingredient, 5-minute Cranberry Relish Recipe is the easiest side dish you’ll make this Thanksgiving. Make it ahead, too, because the flavor improves as it sits. Or, pop it in the freezer up to 3 months in advance.
This fresh Cranberry Relish recipe is the raw version of your standard cranberry sauce. Instead of simmering cranberries in a saucepan, you pulverize them in a blender or food processor with orange wedges and sugar. You even leave the peel (orange zest) on!
The sugar dissolves over time and infuses the cranberries and oranges with sweetness. Cranberry orange relish is the perfect contrasting taste to everything else on your Thanksgiving plate. It’s also delicious on a Christmas Charcuterie Board (drizzled over cream cheese or a round of baked Brie).
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Orange: Or substitute a blood orange, a tangerine, or a couple of clementines.
Step-by-step instructions
- Cut the orange (including peel) into 16 chunks, discarding any seeds. Working in batches in a food processor or blender, add orange chunks, cranberries, and sugar.
- Pulse to chop finely and evenly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature and stir well before serving.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 cups (1 pint) or 8 (1/4-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store leftover cranberry chutney in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Make this relish up to 3 days in advance (store covered in the refrigerator). The flavor improves the longer it sits.
- Freezer: Cooled sauce can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Spices: 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger may be added to the food processor with the cranberries. Or, try a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves.
- Cranberry orange apple relish: Add chopped Honeycrisp or Fuji apples to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cranberry lemon relish: For a tarter relish, substitute lemons for the oranges.
- Classic Cranberry Sauce: Sweetened with orange juice and sugar, this classic Thanksgiving side dish is perfect for cutting through all the richness of the other holiday recipes.
- Cranberry sauce with apples: Add 1 cup of peeled and diced apples (about 4 ounces) and cinnamon for a delicious twist on cranberry sauce.
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce: When stove-top and oven space are in high demand, Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce is a no-brainer.
- Cranberry Relish: This no-cook version is 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep (plus 8 hours of chilling time so the flavors can blend).
- Small batch: My Cranberry Sauce for Two has been scaled down for a pair.
- Leftovers: Extra cranberry relish is delicious on Leftover Turkey Sandwiches or folded into my favorite Cranberry Cheesecake Galette. You can also drizzle it over ice cream for dessert (maybe add a handful of pecans?), pancakes, waffles, and crepes. It’s also delicious on crackers with cheese or stirred into yogurt with nuts (walnuts and pecans are favorites) or raisins.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll start seeing cranberries at grocery stores in November, and they should be stocked all through December. I usually stock up and vacuum-seal a few bags for the freezer because once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Just five states produce all the cranberries in the United States. More than half come from Wisconsin. Massachusetts grows the second largest amount, about 30%, and the rest come from New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
More Thanksgiving recipes
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Cranberry Relish Recipe
Instructions
- Cut the orange (including peel) into 16 chunks, discarding any seeds. Working in batches in a food processor or blender, add orange chunks, cranberries, and sugar.
- Pulse to chop finely and evenly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature and stir well before serving.
Notes
- Orange: Or substitute a blood orange, a tangerine, or a couple of clementines.
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 cups (1 pint) or 8 (1/4-cup) servings.
- Make ahead: Make this relish up to 3 days in advance (store covered in the refrigerator). The flavor improves the longer it sits.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Ginger: 1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger may be added to the food processor with the cranberries.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I’m assuming the cranberries are raw. Yes? Or are they cooked before processing with the orange?
Can’t wait to try this !
You’re correct Louise, the cranberries go in raw. Hope you enjoy! – Meggan