This Cranberry Relish is a super fresh and delicious way to have cranberries when they are in season! The best part is you don’t need to cook them at all. The cranberries, apple, orange juice and zest and spices get blended up right in a food processor. Couldn’t be easier!
Unlike a Traditional Cranberry Sauce that is more of a jelly-like texture, this Cranberry Relish is raw and textured.
Serve this Cranberry Relish as a side dish during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Leftovers are great on turkey sandwiches, salads and even ice cream!
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Cranberry Apple Relish Ingredients
Just a couple simple ingredients to make this fresh Cranberry Relish;
Fresh Cranberries: This is not the time for frozen or canned cranberries. You will want fresh raw cranberries.
Granny Smith Apples: These are nice and firm and tart, they pair perfectly with the tart cranberries.
Sugar: Cranberries and green apples are very tart so it is essential that you add sugar. Start with a ½ cup and add more as you like to suit your taste.
Orange: Make sure you zest the orange before squeezing the juice. A microplane makes quick work of getting the zest. Use the juice and pulp from the orange too.
Clove and Cinnamon: These two spices lend a holiday flavor to your Cranberry Relish.
How To Make Cranberry Relish
This is a quick overview of how to make Fresh Cranberry Relish, for more detailed instructions and ingredient amounts pop down to the recipe card.
Step 1
Clean and sort through your cranberries. Place in a food processor or blender.
Step 2
Add all the other ingredients with the cranberries.
Step 3
Pulse the food processor or blender about 25-30 times so it creates a relish texture, not pureed.
Step 4
Refrigerate for at lease 30 minutes up to 24 hours before serving.
How To make It ahead
You actually need to plan a little bit ahead of time to serve cranberry relish. It is better if it refrigerates for at least 30 minutes. However it can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Just prepare the Cranberry Relish completely and then place in a covered bowl until you are ready to serve. Serve it cold, straight out of the fridge, or let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Additions
You can absolutely customize this recipe to your families taste preference! Here are some options:
- Add additional warm spices for a different flavor profile.
- Stir in some toasted pecans or walnuts right before serving.
- Stir in a little crushed pineapple.
- A smidge of fresh grated ginger could add a nice flavor.
What To Serve With Raw Cranberry Relish
Cranberry Relish is a very traditional side dish for the Holidays; specifically Thanksgiving and Christmas. Which makes sense because that is the time of year fresh/raw cranberries are available.
The Relish goes great with Roasted Turkey or Roasted Pork, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans and Dinner Rolls!
Thanksgiving Dinner for 10
Check out the full menu with recipes included for a large Thanksgiving Feast.
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Raw Cranberry Relish Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh raw cranberries - (about 3 ¼ cups)
- 1 small granny smith apple - cored and cut into 2 inch pieces (no need to peel)
- ½ cup granulated sugar - more as desired
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice - pulp is great too!
- zest of 1 navel orange
- pinch of ground cinnamon and ground clove
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse everything about 20-25 times so that it blends down into a fine crumble. Be sure not to over-blend, you want it to be like a relish, not a puree.12 oz fresh raw cranberries, 1 small granny smith apple, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup fresh orange juice, zest of 1 navel orange, pinch of ground cinnamon and ground clove
- Taste for additional sweetness or spices!
- Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- Serve as a fresh, tart side dish! Great at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Make Ahead
- This dish can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Give it a good stir before serving.
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