Add a refreshing twist to your next party with this delicious homemade cranberry salsa recipe! Perfect for dipping with chips or adding to your favorite dishes. This fabulous salsa is a holiday favorite served over a brick of softened cream cheese.
Sometime in mid-October, the local grocery stores start carrying fresh cranberries. This tart berry makes so many outstanding recipes, including this salsa. Somehow, the spicy flavor of the jalapenos complements the cranberries just perfectly. It is not too spicy from the jalapenos or bitter from the cranberries. If you like this salsa, try pineapple salsa, peach salsa, and mango salsa!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries freeze very well and can maintain their texture and quality for almost a year, so I usually stock up on extra-large bags from Costco this time of the year.
- Zest: I use orange and lime, but you can use orange and lemon.
- Honey: I prefer honey in this recipe, but you can use granulated sugar.
- Jalapenos: choose mild peppers that are uniformly green in color and free of striations or blemishes.
- Cilantro: fresh chopped is a must for the best flavor
- Citrus juice: fresh lime is the best, but fresh lemon or orange works too
How to Make Cranberry Salsa
Add the cranberries, red onion, orange zest, lime zest, honey, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice to a food processor. Pulse several times to chop to the desired consistency.
Remove the lid several times to check for consistency. You don’t want to go too far; this step goes very quickly. If you are not serving it immediately, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ways to serve this salsa
- Spooned over grilled chicken or fish
- Ladled over a block of softened cream cheese
- With freshly baked cinnamon chips
- As an accompaniment to grilled beef or pork tenderloin
- In baked Brie with puff pastry
- Spooned over baked meatloaf
- With crispy cheese quesadillas
More Cranberry Recipes
Cranberry Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- ½ medium red onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- ½ cup honey
- 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and minced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 limes juiced
Instructions
- Combine cranberries, red onion, orange zest, lime zest, honey, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice in a food processor. Pulse several times to chop to medium consistency. Refrigerate if not used immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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edward valitutto
Just made this (day before Thxgiving) and I really like it! It will probably taste even better tomorrow. Since I avoid sugar, I only used 1 TBS honey and added 4 packets (1g each) of Stevia. This is a nice mix of tart and spicy that most of my guests tomorrow will enjoy! I also made a batch of the regular style sauce!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you like it. I love it too! I might fix this for one of my New Years appetizers.
Sandra
This is seriously amazing! I really love the combination of cranberry and jalapeno!
Allyson Zea
Cranberry salsa is one of my favs! This recipe is delicious!
Amanda Livesay
This is so fun for the holidays! And so easy!
Catalina
Cranberry salsa is a must for our holiday table. The addition of jalapeno makes it irresistible.
Vikki
Super easy and tasty! What a fun salsa
Dorothy Reinhold
I LOVE cranberries! This is going to be my holiday party go to!
Kimberly
How fun, festive and yummy! Bringing this to a an upcoming gathering with friends!
Maggie
This sounds great minus the cilantro.I don’t always love cilantro, it tends to take over my palate. Do you think this would be ok without it? Also, fresh zest? Because you can buy dried zest in the spice aisle! Thanks!
Beth Pierce
My daughter does not like cilantro either. I think it would be also be delicious without it. I like to use fresh zest because it is flavor packed but you could also use dried zest as well.
Kate
Thanks for the recipe! I think this is going to be a new Thanksgiving staple at my house 🙂
Ddmontg
If most aren’t fans of the spicy heat of jalapeño, would this be ok without jalapeño?
Beth Pierce
Yes it would still be delicious!
Casey
Do you think this would be good with cinnamon tortilla chips as well?
Beth Pierce
Yes I do think it would be!! Yummy!
Barb
Hi! I made this this afternoon. It’s delicious and such a beautiful, brilliant red colour!
Just wondering if you’ve had any success freezing it.
Beth Pierce
I don’t think I would freeze it. Too many delicate ingredients.
Barb
Thanks Beth
Linda
Do you think this recipe could be canned in jars?
Beth Pierce
I am not sure Linda. I know there are specific rules for canning. Perhaps one of the readers will know.
Lori Christensen
I made the Cranberry Salsa for a Christmas party at work. I loved it. A good mix of sweet, tart and heat. Will definitely make this again!
Jennifer K
How long does this last? I want to give it out as Christmas gifts.
Beth Pierce
About one week. Merry Christmas!
Tiffany
Prior to this last Thanksgiving, I had One person interested in cranberries. I made This beautiful tart/slightly hot cranberry salsa and I had Another four people join the cranberry crowd. We loved this. It is great on turkey and I’m pretty sure it would be great with cream cheese and a cracker (I’m making that for christmas) thank you for posting this.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Tiffany. I love this recipe as well. It is delicious on cream cheese! It will make a cranberry fan out of anyone.
Jeannette
Beth, can this be canned/water bathed? Would like to make ahead of the holiday season. Please send message as email box is massively full.
Beth Pierce
You know I have never tried. I researched it a little bit and I can not find anyone that has. Gut instinct tells me that it can not just because of the structure of it. If I have time I will look again and see if I can find anything on something similar.
Roberta Bliss
it might not be crunchy/crisp. But why not? The flavor would still be there like with jalopeno jam. Alittle heat, but the flavor is awesome on cream cheese and the flavor would still be good on turkey etc also. It just probably would not be the crunchy/crisp like I said. But sounds really yummy!