Fresh Cranberry Relish

 fresh cranberry relish

Every other year, we have the whole family here for Thanksgiving! It takes a lot of hours of preparation and planning to feed that many people. (Haha, and the meal is consumed in about 15 minutes!) You know how Thanksgiving is all about tradition…Well, my family has come to expect certain dishes for the biggest meal of the year. One of them is my Fresh Cranberry Relish. It doesn’t take much effort, and it is better if made a day or two ahead of serving because it helps the flavors to blend (It also helps to get things prepared ahead of time.) This is delicious with the roasted turkey, but I have seen some spread it on a roll almost like jam!

Years ago, I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Janeen, who knows her way around the kitchen for sure! It is scrumptious!

1 pkg. fresh cranberries

1 medium orange, seeds removed, (do not peel)

1 medium apple, cored (do not peel)

2 cups sugar

Dice the apple and cut the orange segments into pieces. Grind all of the fruits in the food processor. (I like to use my Cuisinart Immersion Hand Blender with Attachments for small recipes like this! It has the this little food processor attachment.)

Pour out into a medium size bowl and stir in sugar.

Fresh Cranberry Relish

Cover and refrigerate until the big day!

Making it a few days in advance allows the flavors to blend.

8 thoughts on “Fresh Cranberry Relish”

    1. I don’t have instructions for canning this recipe. I know that to can things safely, there needs to be the right amount of acidity, etc. You should probably check with your state extension service for advice on canning this.

  1. My mother gave me the recipe for Cranberry Relish back in the 1960’s. I use 1 lb. cranberries, one orange seeds removed, one apple seeds/core removed and 1/2 cup pecans. I use a grind all the ingredients together then add sugar starting at 3/4 cup till I get the sweetness we like – usually a little over a cup. Let set in the refrigerator overnight before using. It freezes really well and keeps up to a year. Since I can buy cranberries in 3 lb. bags, I use 3 oranges, 3 apples, 1 1/2 cups pecans and two or more cups sugar. After refrigerating overnight, I put in containers and freeze. Great with all meats.

  2. I make a recipe that begins like this. On Monday, I grind the cranberries and orange and add sugar. Cover and refrigerate. On Wednesday morning, I chop the apple, celery, and pecans. I layer these in a large measuring cup. The recipe calls for crushed pineapple too. I usually put it over the apple as soon as it’s cut to keep it from browning. On top of it all, mini marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate until ready to do the final step! On Wednesday night or very early Thanksgiving morning, prepare Jell-O. My mother-in-law used cherry but I started using cranberry. Instead of water, I use cranberry juice and orange juice – 50/50 mix – heated to boiling instead of water to dissolve gelatin. Then the cold prepared items are added and all goes into a mold and refrigerated until dinner time! It is beautiful with Turkey for Thanksgiving or with ham for Christmas. And it tastes so good. The secret of the flavor is allowing the flavors to mix together.

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