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This cranberry orange relish is deliciously full of flavor, and it only takes 5 minutes to make! Perfect on the Thanksgiving or Christmas table, this easy, sweet-tart side is also great with roast chicken or pork. Great to make ahead for Thanksgiving or Christmas, as well.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- There’s no cooking. None! Pulse, stir, chill, serve.
- Serve it as an appetizer with crackers or toasted baguettes, or as a side dish for roast turkey.
- It’s perfect for leftovers! Dollop a spoonful of relish on top of oatmeal for a quick and easy Black Friday breakfast, or spread some on your weekend turkey sandwich for a little extra flavor and juiciness.
- You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days, and in the freezer for up to 2 months. You know what that means! Save time on cooking day by making this cranberry orange relish in advance.
Key Ingredients
Cranberry – Low in sugar and calories, and rich in nutrients, cranberries tend to be the star of the holiday season. They’re a little tart, which makes them the perfect complement for sweet and savory dishes. Cranberry relish is so good, it’s got its own annual “holiday” on November 22!
Orange – Oranges are delicious and super versatile. They’re famously full of Vitamin C, which is an added bonus during flu season. The juice from the oranges in this relish balances out the tart flavor of the cranberries.
How to Make It
This will be the yummiest, simplest dish you make this holiday season! Ready? Cut your orange into eight wedges and leave the peel on. Pulse those in the food processor until they’re chopped and the peel is in very small pieces. Add in half your cranberries, and pulse again until they’re chopped, but don’t purée them!
Move the fruit mixture to a medium bowl and repeat with the other half of your oranges and cranberries. When everything is chopped, mix all of the fruit and the sugar together, then cover the bowl and let it chill in the fridge for an hour or so.
Serve your relish chilled or at room temperature.
Chef’s Tips
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this cranberry orange relish! Chop the orange wedges and cranberries by hand until they are very fine, then stir in sugar and chill.
- Stir in one sprig of rosemary before chilling to infuse a deliciously gourmet taste that we love adding to our cranberry dishes. Remove the sprig before serving, and take care to remove any leaves that came off in the relish.
- Want to be sure you pick the perfect oranges? Navel oranges are one of the sweetest varieties, and ones with yellow-ish or green-ish peels will be sweeter than oranges that are bright… well, orange. Smaller, heavier oranges are typically juicier, too.
- I’ve made some suggestions for sugar substitutes in the recipe notes. One thing to keep in mind when swapping out sweeteners – sugar substitutes don’t always have a 1:1 replacement ratio to white sugar. For example, you’d need to use 2/3 of a cup of erythritol in place of the 1/2 cup of sugar in this recipe. Monkfruit and honey will have different conversion rates, too. Most name brand substitutes offer conversions on their packaging or websites, so be sure to check how much you’ll need before you start!
- Eating Whole30? Unfortunately no sweeteners – real or artificial – are allowed on a Whole30 diet, so this might not be the recipe for you. Fruit is fine, though, so if you’re craving that cranberry flavor, try our compliant Instant Pot Whole30 Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Rosemary (Paleo, No Sugar) recipe!
More Seasonal Sides
- Brown Gravy
- Cranberry Brie Dip
- Pumpkin Seed Butter
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans (Paleo)
Cranberry Orange Relish
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 navel orange peel left on, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
- ½ cup white sugar see Notes for Paleo, Keto
- pinch ground cinnamon
- white sugar to taste, optional
Instructions
- In the food processor bowl, pulse four orange wedges until peel is no longer in large pieces. Add half the cranberries and pulse until finely chopped but not puréed. Transfer to medium bowl.
- Repeat Step 1 with remaining oranges, then add remaining cranberries. Transfer second chopped mixture to same medium bowl.
- Stir in ½ cup white sugar and one pinch ground cinnamon.
- Cover and chill for at least an hour (see Note). After one hour, taste and add more sugar, if necessary.
- Make it Paleo: Substitute honey or coconut sugar for the white granulated sugar.
- Make it Keto: Substitute monkfruit or erythritol in the place of the granulated sugar.
- The orange peel is important to the flavor of the relish, so leave it on! Pulse the oranges before adding the cranberries to break the peel down better.
- For a little extra flavor, chill with one sprig of rosemary. Remove the sprig (and any stray leaves) before serving.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Strongly suggest using confectioner’s or powdered version of monkfruit or erythritol sweetener because it blends better and doesn’t leave a grainy texture behind. I don’t cook the cranberries, which is how my uncle used to make it for us every holiday dinner, so it was great to be reminded of it and how to make it work with my keto eating plan.
Glad you could make this work for your taste and diet!