Made with cranberries, naval orange, and a pear, these Cranberry Relish recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Ready in 10 minutes with just 4 ingredients, it’s the perfect addition to any holiday table.
Are you team cranberry relish or cranberry sauce? Over here, we love both! In fact, you’ll often find both homemade cranberry sauce and this cranberry relish on the holiday table. This relish takes just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make and it’s always such a hit.
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Relish Recipe
Here are a few reasons I love this relish recipe.
- Sweet and tart. This relish is delightfully tart, thanks to the cranberries and orange, but still with a touch of sweetness from the pears and added sugar.
- Ready in 10 minutes. It takes less than 10 minutes to prep this cranberry relish as all you need to do is toss the ingredients in the food processor.
- Perfect for the holidays. This is one side you’ll always find on our holiday table, next to the Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham.
Cranberry Relish vs Cranberry Sauce
What’s the difference between cranberry relish and cranberry sauce? Cranberry relish is made with fresh or frozen cranberries and other fruit (usually orange and pears or apples) and pulsed to crush and combine the fruit. It tends to be on the tart side and no cooking is involved.
Cranberry sauce, on the other side, is cooked down and typically much sweeter than relish.
What You’ll Need
This easy cranberry relish is made with just 4 ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
- Cranberries – Fresh cranberries or flash frozen cranberries both work.
- Pear – A pear adds some sweetness to balance the tart cranberries and citrus.
- Orange – I used one naval orange. The citrus is a perfect complement to the cranberries.
- Sugar – You may need more or less depending on how sweet you want it and how sweet the fruit is.
How To Make Cranberry Relish
Here’s how to make this easy side dish in just a few minutes. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the printable instructions.
- Pulse the fruit. Pulse the cranberries in the food processor until chunk. Cut the orange into pieces, remove the seed, and add it to the processor. Do the same with the pear. Add the sugar. Pulse until the fruit is in coarse small pieces.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate until using.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few notes to help you make the perfect relish.
- Thaw the cranberries. If you are using frozen cranberries, thaw them in the fridge first.
- Do I need to peel the orange? Nope, you can put it in with the rind. Just be sure to remove the seeds. (Same goes for the pear.)
- Swap the pear for apple. You can also use an apple in place of the pear. It will give a slightly different flavor but still works to sweeten the relish.
- Sugar alternatives. You can also make this healthier by using Splenda instead of real sugar. If the fruit is ripe and in season it’s perfectly sweet by itself.
- Make in advance. I highly recommend making your cranberry relish with orange at least an hour or two in advance so that the flavors have time to meld.
Ways To Serve It
This cranberry relish recipe is extremely versatile! It stands alone in a bowl as a side dish but can do so much more. Here are a few ideas:
- Add it to the top of grilled chicken or baked turkey during the holidays.
- Take a hunk of goat cheese or cream cheese, form it into a ball and press the relish into the sides. Serve with crackers!
- Similarly, you can spoon it over cream cheese or brie (similar to this baked brie with cranberry) and use it as a dip
- Add it to yogurt
- This is a great for turkey sandwiches.
- Use as a topping for pancakes or waffles
How Long Does This Last?
Cranberry relish can be stored in the fridge for 5-7 days. I do not recommend freezing it as the fruits will release more liquid as they thaw and it can result in watery relish.
More Cranberry Recipes To Try
- Cranberry Muffins
- Cranberry Cheesecake
- Starbucks Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
- Cranberry Baked Brie
Cranberry Relish
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh or flash frozen cranberries
- 1 pear
- 1 naval orange
- 1/2 cup sugar or more to taste
Instructions
- If the cranberries are frozen, allow them to slightly thaw in the refrigerator.
- Add the cranberries to a food processor and pulse several times until you reach a chunky consistency.
- Cut the orange into pieces, remove the seed and add the entire thing, rind included, into the food processor.
- Cut the pear into chunks, removing the seeds, and add them to the food processor.
- Add the sugar to the processor
- Pulse several times until all fruit is cut into small coarse pieces and mixed thoroughly.
- Enjoy immediately or cover in plastic and refrigerate.
Last Step:
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2 comments on “Cranberry Relish”
I love that you added a pear! We also add chopped pecans.
Thanks Jean!