How To Make Easy Cranberry Relish

About 15 minutes and a food processor is all you need to serve this bright, tangy, sweet but not too sweet easy cranberry relish this holiday season!

easy cranberry relish

This cranberry relish has been a staple at my family’s Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember. It’s sweet, it’s tart, it doesn’t require the stove or the oven at all. It tastes better the day or two AFTER you make it so it doesn’t have take up time or mental energy the day of Thanksgiving. It’s super easy-so even those of us without mad kitchen skills can bring something delightful to the table.

My aunt has been making this for years with a meat grinder. I make it in a food processor. Hers is prettier by far (the meat grinder makes slightly larger and more uniform pieces) but I am always short on time and patience so the food processor it is for me.

What kind of apples should I use?

I like to use a tart apple like a Granny Smith because there is quite a bit of sugar in this recipe to contrast the tartness of the cranberries and apples. That being said, a red apple actually looks best because the red apple skin adds to the red from the cranberries.

Do I really use the whole orange?

Yep! Peel and all. So this is a situation where you probably want to wash the outside of your orange or buy organic.

Do you serve cranberry relish hot or cold?

This is meant to be a cold relish. Serve it alongside your turkey and mashed potatoes for a little bit of sweet and tangy. It’s also excellent on your leftover turkey sandwich the next day.

How long does cranberry relish last?

It usually lasts about a week in the fridge.

Cranberry Relish

About 15 minutes and a food processor is all you need to serve this bright, tangy, sweet but not too sweet easy cranberry relish this holiday season!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 25 people

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 package cranberries
  • 1 medium sized orange
  • 6 medium sized apples
  • 1 small package lemon jello
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, pour jello powder. Add in boiling water, stir together and allow to cool. (I do this all in my glass measuring cup).
  • In the bowl of a food processor, chop up apples, cranberries, and whole orange (peel and all). I typically cut the apples and oranges into slices and add them to the food processor. You want to only pulse it a few times to get it nice and chopped, not applesauce. I typically have to chop everything in three different batches because of the size of my food processor.
  • Pour all the chopped fruit into a large mixing bowl.
  • Pour jello water over the fruit and stir to combine. Add in 1 1/2 cups sugar and stir to combine.
  • Put a lid on it and put it in the fridge at least overnight.
  • Enjoy!

Looking for something sweet for your Thanksgiving table? Try my chocolate pecan pie or no-bake peanut butter pie!

Don’t know what to do with those leftover mashed potatoes? Try making some leftover mashed potato cinnamon rolls!

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Happy Baking!