Cranberry salsa? Why not! This surprising salsa is bold and tangy. The bitterness of the cranberries is tempered with sweetness from orange juice and a little bit of honey. Most cranberry salsa recipes are too sweet, calling for as much as one cup sugar. This one is well-balanced, and you can adjust it to suit your taste buds.
This cranberry salsa recipe was inspired by one my late grandmother brought to our family’s Christmas celebration years ago. It was festive and colorful, and I just loved it.
With my grandmother’s recipe in mind, I improvised this salsa last year when our friend Tessa and her husband came over. My grandmother served her salsa with cream cheese, but I noticed we all ignored the cream cheese and kept going back for more salsa. I don’t think it requires an accompaniment, but you’ll find serving suggestions below.
Cranberry salsa is very easy to make. The ingredients require minimal prep work since we rely on the food processor.
You’ll find the full recipe below. Simply combine fresh cranberries, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, orange juice, lime juice, honey, and salt. If you prefer mild salsa, omit the jalapeño.
Process for 10 to 15 seconds, then taste and add more honey if the mixture tastes bitter. Let it rest for 10 minutes to give the flavors time to meld, then enjoy!
Cranberry Salsa Serving Suggestions
Serve this salsa as an unexpected appetizer at your Thanksgiving or Christmas party, or enjoy it as a snack during cranberry season.
Serve it with tortilla chips, perhaps with a creamy, tangy dip on the side like Classic Guacamole or Festive Pomegranate Guacamole, Baked Goat Cheese, sour cream or labneh.
For a full meal, try enchiladas like my Christmas Enchiladas. For cocktailss, make my Vanilla-Pear Holiday Punch, Skinny Margaritas or Ranch Water Cocktail.
More Fun Appetizers to Make
Here are a few more of my favorite dips for the holiday season. Browse more appetizers here.
Please let me know how your cranberry salsa turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Cranberry Salsa
This cranberry salsa recipe is bold, tangy and lightly sweetened with orange juice and honey. Add jalapeño for spicy or skip it for mild salsa. Recipe yields a generous 2 cups.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine everything including just 1 tablespoon of the honey. Process just until the ingredients are finely chopped—this happens quickly, in about 10 seconds in my food processor. Scrape down any larger pieces stuck to the sides of the bowl, and process for just a few more seconds to chop those up.
- Scrape the mixture into a small serving bowl. Taste, and if the mixture is too sour or bitter, stir in additional honey by the teaspoon or add another squeeze of orange juice.
- Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate it for later. This salsa keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make it vegan: Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
