Cranberry Salsa
Posted: 11/15/21
Updated: 11/21/22
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Cranberry salsa is such a deliciously fun and flavorful holiday appetizer or condiment, which we love spooned over cream cheese and served with crackers. This quick and easy recipe only takes about 5 minutes to make, and your friends and family will devour it!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Similar to cranberry relish, cranberry salsa is a delightful and fun holiday snack. I like to serve it with a block of softened or whipped cream cheese and buttery crackers for the best of all worlds – salty, sweet, creamy, and crunchy.
- A jalapeño pepper or two gives the salsa a little kick! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and heat. Of course, you can always adjust it to your tastes.
- This is a great make-ahead option for the holidays, a seasonal party, or even just a family snack. It’s best served at room temperature, but you can prepare the cranberry salsa in advance, refrigerate it, then let it come to temp before serving. It’ll keep in the fridge up to 8 days as long as it’s in an airtight container.
Key Ingredients
Cranberries – Fresh or frozen, whatever’s easiest for you! If you use frozen cranberries, thaw them completely first and drain any excess liquid so your salsa isn’t runny.
Cilantro – If you’re someone who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, you can leave it out.
Jalapeños – So, how much heat your cranberry salsa has is entirely up to you. For a milder salsa, remove the seeds completely and only use one pepper. For a hotter salsa, leave the seeds in the jalapeños and use 2 peppers.
Chef’s Tips
- I love a combo of cranberry and orange! I only use lime juice in this salsa recipe, but for an extra hit of citrus, add a tablespoon or so of orange juice, too.
- The longer the cranberry salsa sits before serving, the more flavorful all of the ingredients will be! You can serve it as soon as you make it, but I’d try letting it rest for 10-15 minutes first, if you have the time.
- It’s important that you don’t pulse the ingredients so much that you end up with a purée. We’re not making cranberry sauce! You can leave everything larger for a chunkier salsa, but for a smoother one, aim for medium-sized dices.
Don’t Miss These Cranberry Recipes
- Easy Cranberry Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cranberry Relish with Apple and Orange
- 20 Cranberry Recipes You Have to Try This Season
- The Best Spinach Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Maple Vinaigrette
- Cranberry Chicken Salad
Cranberry Salsa
Cranberry salsa is such a deliciously fun and flavorful holiday appetizer or condiment, which we love spooned over cream cheese and served with crackers. This quick and easy recipe only takes about 5 minutes to make, and your friends and family will devour it!
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce bag cranberries fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- ½ cup green onions roughly chopped, about 6 green onions or 1 regular bunch
- 1-2 jalapeño pepper(s) with seeds, minced; see Notes
- juice of 1 lime about 2 tablespoons
- ⅓ cup white sugar see Notes
- 1 pinch salt
To Serve
- 1 8-ounce block cream cheese softened, optional
- Ritz crackers
- tortilla chips
Equipment
- Food processor (see Notes)
Instructions
- Add cranberries, cilantro, green onions, jalapeño pepper(s), lime juice, sugar, and salt to bowl of food processor fitted with medium blade.
- Pulse until ingredients have been chopped to medium consistency. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator if not eating immediately. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Food Processor: No food processor? No problem. You can make this salsa by chopping all of the ingredients very well, then stirring them together with the sugar, salt, and lime juice.
- Jalapeños: For a milder salsa, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before mincing.
- Make it Added-Sugar Free: Use granular Swerve, monk fruit, or a similar sugar substitute. Note that different substitutes vary in sweetness; start with 1-2 tablespoons then taste and add more sweetener if needed.
- Make it Paleo: Use coconut sugar or monk fruit instead of white sugar, and serve with paleo-friendly crackers and a cashew cream cheese.
- Make it Keto: Use granular Swerve or monk fruit instead of white sugar. Serve with keto-friendly crackers and full-fat cream cheese.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 55kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 65mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 142IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 12g
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.
This recipe surprised me, I wasn’t so sure about the cranberries but wow, it’s very tasty!! I left the seeds in so it’s spicy! I’m so excited to serve this as an appetizer tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Thank you 40 Aprons for another WINNER – still waiting for you to write a cookbook!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU CREATE.
We’re thrilled you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Can this be made a day ahead of time?
Absolutely, Leah! Like we mention in the post, this is a great make-ahead option! It’s best served at room temperature, but you can prepare the salsa in advance, refrigerate it, then let it come to temp before serving. It’ll keep in the fridge up to 8 days as long as it’s in an airtight container.