Cranberry Orange Relish

Cranberry and Orange Relish

The Spruce / Abby Mercer

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 10 servings

This is an easy cranberry relish recipe using fresh or frozen cranberries and fresh orange. The relish is a classic traditional accompaniment to a holiday bird, or you can serve it with pork or wild game. It's also great with roasted turkey, too. It has a bright, fresh, delicious flavor.

If you've never made a relish before, they are really easy to put together and don't require many ingredients. The best part about this cranberry relish is that it doesn't even require cooking. The actual assembly part takes just minutes, but it's wise to make it ahead of time so there is ample time to chill it before serving. Cranberry relish is typically served chilled or at room temperature.

If you're looking for something warmer and closer to a sauce, you can make this relish in the slow cooker.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cranberries (frozen or fresh, rinsed and drained)
  • 1 large orange
  • 3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Cranberry Orange Relish ingredients

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  2. Chop cranberries finely in food processor or put through a meat grinder.

    cranberries in a food processor

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  3. Peel orange, without too much of the white pith, reserving peel; remove seeds and white membrane. Put orange and orange peel through a grinder or chop in a food processor.

    orange peel in a food processor

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  4. Add the sugar and mix all ingredients together. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

    Cranberry Orange Relish in a bowl

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

What Is the Difference Between Cranberry Relish and Cranberry Sauce?

There are a couple of essential differences that distinguish cranberry relish and cranberry sauce. First, cranberry relish is typically comprised of cranberries, sugar, and citrus peel, and prepped in a food processor. Tartly flavored, it's raw, uncooked, and not usually very sweet.


On the contrary, cranberry sauce is usually a combination of cranberries, water (or other liquid), and sugar—sometimes spices, apples, or other ingredients are added. It's sweeter, and because it's cooked down for about 20 to 30 minutes, it's thicker than relish. Both can be served chilled or at room temperature. Some people serve cranberry sauce warm.

Tips

Leftover cranberry relish is great with meats, but you can also eat it in ways that might surprise you. Try it on top of warm, cooked oatmeal as a garnish, topped on pancakes or waffles, or mix it in with plain Greek or regular yogurt. It also works well when whisked into extra-virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar and turned into a salad dressing.

How to Store Cranberry Relish

Stored covered in the refrigerator, cranberry relish should keep for up to two weeks. Cranberry relish can also be frozen in airtight containers or zip-close freezer bags for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for several hours, and use as desired.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
77 Calories
0g Fat
20g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 77
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 0g
Calcium 9mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)