Holiday Cranberry Relish
This cranberry relish is sweet, tart, and brightly flavorful. Made with fresh cranberries, honey crisp apples, and navel oranges, it has all the flavors of the holiday season. Enjoy this colorful relish with any dish you would pair with cranberry sauce. Raw and vegan!
The sweetest little old lady stopped by my booth at the farmer’s market recently and shared one of her most treasured family holiday recipes with me, cranberry relish. Her sweet face positively glowed as she explained how to make it and how a holiday table just wouldn’t be complete without this simple yet surprisingly flavorful condiment.
She went onto tell that during a great snowstorm one year, a brave relative, climbed out onto their roof, above the snow line, to retrieve this holiday cranberry relish, which was stored in an outbuilding, for their Christmas dinner. Naturally I had to see what this secret sauce was all about!
Initially, I pictured canning jars and hours in the kitchen, but when I tossed 3 ingredients into the food processor and minutes later had cranberry relish I was absolutely delighted! This fresh and flavorful concoction is sweet and tart in the best way possible and just tastes like Christmas. If you love cranberry sauce, you’ll love cranberry relish!
What’s the difference between cranberry relish and cranberry sauce?
Cranberry relish is raw and less sweet than cranberry sauce.
Fresh cranberries, apples, and oranges (with the peel on!) are finely chopped in a food processed or ground up in a food grinder and then sweetened with sugar. Chopped nuts are a common mix-in.
Cranberry sauce is cooked and sweeter than cranberry relish.
Fresh or frozen-thawed cranberries are cooked down with water and sugar and then cooled to thicken. It’s often flavored to the chefs liking with orange juice or peel and classic holiday spices.
What equipment can I use?
There are 3 ways to finely chop your fruit:
Food processor
A basic food processor like a Cuisine Art is the simplest way to chop up all your fruit. The trick is to not over blend your ingredients, or you’ll end up with a smoothie instead of relish. I use the pulse button to chop the fruit separately (cranberries, apples, oranges) and then combine it all together in a bowl with the sugar.
Food grinder
This is the old-fashioned way. Use the medium grinder plate on an old-fashioned grinder. (The kind which sets/clamps on the edge of the counter or table.) Or you can use the grinder attachment to a Kitchen Aid. Alternate the fruit as you grind so that it’s nicely mixed up.
A sharp knife
If you don’t have a food processor or a food grinder, a sharp knife will do the trick. It will take a bit of patience, but you can finely chop up all of your fruit by hand.
After making this recipe, I have to agree with Mrs. Bower’s enthusiasm. This light, refreshing, and super flavorful cranberry relish is the perfect complement to so many of the heavier dishes on the holiday table and I’m very happy she shared it with me!
Why you’ll love Holiday Cranberry Relish:
Simple to make
Light and refreshing
Surprisingly flavorful
Colorful
Festive
Here’s everything you need to make this recipe
Ingredients
6 oz (170 grams) of fresh whole cranberries*
1 navel orange*, washed with the rind on
1 honey crisp apple*, washed and cored
6 tablespoons of beet sugar (or granulated sugar)
*organic if available
Makes 3 cups of cranberry relish
Note: This recipe uses ½ of a standard 12 oz. (340 gram) sized package of fresh cranberries. You can easily double the ingredients for a very large gathering.
How to make Holiday Cranberry Relish
Step 1:
1. Tumble your cranberries into a colander and pick out any spoiled berries. Give them a good rinse. Wash and dry the apple and orange next. Core and quarter the apple and then cut it into eighths. Slice the nubby top and bottom off the orange and slice it into 8 pieces as well, keeping the rind on.
Step 2:
2. Set a large mixing bowl on the counter and grab your food processor. Add the cranberries in first followed by the apple and orange pieces. Using the pulse setting, pulse the fruit in short intervals until it is very finely chopped but not pureed. You’ll need to stop now and then to scrape down the sides of the container and check on the texture.
Step 3:
3. Scoop the chopped fruit into the bowl and add ¼ cup of the sugar. Mix well and taste for sweetness. Add the other 2 tablespoons of sugar, if you like, and test again, adding more to taste.
Step 4:
4. Let stand and room temperature for an hour to fully macerate the fruit. Then store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This relish becomes more flavorful and less juicy as it sits. I’ve found 3 days is the sweet spot where the fruit is fully macerated, all the juice is absorbed, and the orange peel is tender.
Serve alongside all your holiday favorites!
Storage
Store in the fridge for a week (or two!) or in the freezer for 3 months. It freezes beautifully if allowed to fully macerate in the fridge for 3 days first.
Notes
Many recipes call for chopped nuts which I feel would be an excellent addition.
Audre Bower credits her mother-in-law for this recipe which I cut in half.
More delicious vegan recipes for the holiday season!
Vegan Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Cashew Cream
Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onion and Mushrooms
Holiday Cranberry Relish / Raw and Vegan
Ingredients
Instructions
- Tumble your cranberries into a colander and pick out any spoiled berries. Give them a good rinse. Wash and dry the apple and orange next. Core and quarter the apple and then cut it into eighths. Slice the nubby top and bottom off the orange and slice it into 8 pieces as well, keeping the rind on.
- Set a large mixing bowl on the counter and grab your food processor. Add the cranberries first followed by the apple and orange pieces. Using the pulse setting, pulse the fruit in short intervals until it is very finely chopped but not pureed. You’ll need to stop now and then to scrape down the sides of the container and check on the texture.
- Scoop the chopped fruit into the bowl and add ¼ cup of the sugar. Mix well and taste for sweetness. Add the other 2 tablespoons of sugar, if you like, and test again, adding more to taste.
- Let stand and room temperature for an hour to fully macerate the fruit. Then store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This relish becomes more flavorful and less juicy as it sits. I’ve found 3 days is the sweet spot where the fruit is fully macerated, all the juice is absorbed, and the orange peel is tender.
Notes
Store in the fridge for a week (or two!) or in the freezer for 3 months. It freezes beautifully if allowed to fully macerate in the fridge for 3 days first.
Many recipes call for chopped nuts which I feel would be an excellent addition.
Purchase organic fruit, if available.
For step-by-step instructions with photos, see blog post!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
44.41Fat (grams)
0.06 gSat. Fat (grams)
0.01 gCarbs (grams)
11.53 gFiber (grams)
1.13 gNet carbs
10.40 gSugar (grams)
9.44 gProtein (grams)
0.21 gSodium (milligrams)
0.61 mgCholesterol (grams)
0.00 mgNutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.
