Cranberry Orange Relish (make ahead!)

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Here is one of the easiest side dishes you’ll ever make. This no-cook Cranberry Orange Relish comes together in minutes. It’s sweet, tart, and loaded with fresh flavors. Make this relish several days in advance and have it ready for the big meal! 

During the holidays when we’re cooking everything, it’s so nice to have a dish that is homemade but requires no cooking and very little prep work. This cranberry orange relish is quick, easy, and delicious. 

Prefer cranberry sauce? Find that here: Cranberry Sauce.

Ingredients needed

Cranberries: You’ll need one 16-oz bag of fresh cranberries. 

Orange: Half of a large orange adds lots of fresh orange flavor. Remove the peel and coarsely chop the orange.

Apple: Use one medium-sized crisp, sweet apple. Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, or Gala all work well here. 

Sugar: The added sugar is necessary to make the cranberries palatable. Add just enough to make it sweet but still keep some of the tart flavor. 

Recipe overview

In order to get the proper “relish” consistency this recipe is made in a food processor. Pulse the ingredients several times, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is broken down into very small pieces, but not pureed. 

Recipe tips

Use fresh cranberries. Frozen cranberries will have too much moisture and will make the relish too wet.

Use a food processor, not a blender. If using a blender the ingredients will likely get over-processed.

Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Add a little finely grated orange zest for a stronger orange flavor, sprinkle in some cinnamon or ginger, add finely chopped nuts.

Allow enough time for the flavors to meld. This relish is best made at least one day before you serve it.

If the relish is too wet you can drain off some of the excess liquid using a fine mesh sieve. This will vary based on how juicy your apple and orange are.

Serving and storage

Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

More cranberry recipes

Recipe

Cranberry Orange Relish

Here is one of the easiest side dishes you'll ever make. This no-cook Cranberry Orange Relish comes together in minutes. It's sweet, tart, and loaded with fresh flavors. Make this relish several days in advance and have it ready for the big meal! 

5 from 7 votes

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 – 14 (makes approximately 3 cups)

Calories: 92kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a food processor. I recommend adding them in the order that they are listed. Pulse the ingredients, stopping to stir every few pulses, until everything is evenly chopped into tiny pieces. Transfer to a bowl, refrigerate for several hours up to several days. See notes.

Notes

• Use fresh cranberries. Frozen cranberries will have too much moisture and will make the relish too wet.
• Use a food processor, NOT a blender. If using a blender the ingredients will likely get over-processed.
• Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Add finely grated orange zest for a stronger orange flavor, sprinkle in some cinnamon or ginger, or add finely chopped nuts.
• Allow enough time for the flavors to meld. This relish is best made at least one day before you serve it.
• If the relish is too wet you can drain off some of the excess liquid using a fine mesh sieve. This will vary based on how juicy your apple and orange are. 

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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