This easy Cranberry Relish recipe comes together in 10 minutes or less in your food processor! My version includes a kick of orange zest, fresh ginger, and ground cinnamon for a fresh twist!
Have you tried cranberry relish instead of cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving condiment?
If not, I am here to tell you that cranberry relish adds a big burst of sweet and tangy flavor with a little texture, and the whole thing is ready in mere minutes!
All we need is a handful of basic ingredients and a food processor to whip it up at a moment’s notice.
So if you forgot to whip up cranberry sauce in advance, or you love the snappy texture of raw cranberries, whip up this easy recipe and prepare for compliments! Guests love the perfectly sweet and tangy flavors with the burst of fresh orange, ginger, and cinnamon flavors.
This easy cranberry relish is simply the raw version of my classic Ginger Orange Cranberry Sauce, which is my personal favorite cranberry sauce recipe.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for cranberry relish.
Cranberry Relish Ingredients:
Fresh Cranberries: Pick up fresh cranberries from the produce section of your grocery store. This recipe calls for 16 ounces, so you may need to adjust based on the sizes of the bags of cranberries.
Orange Zest and Orange Juice: Fresh orange zest and orange juice bring a magical zing of citrus flavor that complements the cranberry flavor famously! You can replace the orange juice with apple cider if you prefer.
Fresh Ginger: Amazing ginger flavor and the most subtle kick of spice comes from fresh ginger. Increase or decrease the amount according to your preference.
Ground Cinnamon: I love the addition of ground cinnamon in cranberry sauce because it softens the sharp gaze of mean mug cranberries.
Brown Sugar: We need sugar to tame the powerful tangy flavor of cranberries. You can adjust the amount to your personal taste. I use one cup of sugar. Regular cane sugar works too. Use sugar-free sweetener, such as monk fruit sweetener or allulose for a sugar-free version.
Sea Salt: A pinch of salt enhances all of the flavors.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s whip up this great side dish for your Thanksgiving table!
How to Make Cranberry Relish:
Transfer everything except for the sugar to a food processor and pulse several times until the cranberries are chopped into small pieces. They should look shredded but still hold form.
Mix in the brown sugar. Taste the cranberry relish for flavor and add more sugar or orange zest to your personal taste.
For the best results, refrigerate the relish for an hour or two (or up to 3 days) before serving to allow the cranberries to soften and the flavors to develop. Transfer it to a large bowl for serving.
Serve with your roasted turkey or main dish of choice for Thanksgiving dinner, and enjoy!
Store cranberry relish in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving side dishes, allow these gems to be your guiding light!
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes:
- Garlic Herb Roasted Vegetables
- Maple Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
- Crock Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Relish this delightful cranberry orange relish on Thanksgiving day!
Cranberry Relish Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 Tbsp fresh orange zest
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 cup brown sugar or regular granulated cane sugar to taste*
Instructions
- Transfer everything except for the sugar to a food processor and pulse several times until the cranberries are chopped into small pieces. They should look shredded but still hold form. Mix in the brown sugar. Taste the cranberry relish for flavor and add more sugar or orange zest to your personal taste.
- For the best results, refrigerate the relish for an hour or two (or up to 3 days) before serving to allow the cranberries to soften and the flavors to develop. Transfer it to a large bowl for serving.
- Serve with your roasted turkey or main dish of choice for Thanksgiving dinner, and enjoy!
- Store cranberry relish in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Cranberry sauce is cooked to a thick jam-like consistency, where cranberry relish remains uncooked. The cranberries stay raw in cranberry relish such that they have a bit of a snappier texture.
16 ounces fresh cranberries
1 large whole navel orange, zested and juiced
1 cup brown sugar or white sugar
Transfer the cranberries, zest of one large navel orange (about 1+ tablespoon), the fresh orange juice (squeezed from the orange), and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the cranberries are chopped into tiny shreds.
As an alternative, you can cut the nubs off of the orange, chop it into sections and toss the entire orange in, orange peel and all.
Typically, I am all about swapping refined sugars for pure maple syrup. However, we need quite a bit of sweetener, and adding pure maple syrup will bring too much liquid to the fresh cranberry relish. For this reason, I recommend sticking with a granulated sweetener.
