Fresh Cranberry Relish Recipe with Mandarin Orange (2024)

With bright pops of citrus and a pleasant freshness, this cranberry relish recipe is a welcome addition to the holiday table. It's easy to make and takes only a few minutes.

Jump to Recipe | Key Ingredients | Tips | Variations | Questions

You'll need fresh cranberries, citrus fruit, and a little sugar for sweetness. Then, after just a minute or two in the food processor, the relish is done. It's the perfect complement to Thanksgiving turkey and a great alternative to traditional cranberry sauce.

I love the vibrant, tart flavors of this easy cranberry relish. It's one of my favorite ways to use cranberries and a great alternative to cranberry compote and other cooked sauces.

Key Ingredients

• Fresh, raw cranberriesare the cornerstone of the recipe. They give the relish a beautiful tart flavor touched with a delicate bitter note.
• Citrus fruitcomplements the cranberries and gives the relish moisture. Orange is popular, but mandarin oranges are my favorite thanks to their sweet flavor, pleasant acidity, and floral undertones. You'll use the entire orange in this recipe, including the rind and the flesh.
• Sugarprovides much-needed sweetness to cranberry orange relish. It also tempers the bitter notes from the orange peel while allowing its more delicate floral notes to shine. Whole, unrefined cane sugar, such as rapadura, is our favorite, but you can also use white or brown sugar.
• Apple and lemon juicehelp the relish to come together. Apple juice lends sweetness, while lemon juice adds another layer of acidity, ensuring the relish is sharp, sweet, and acidic all at once.
• Corianderis a warming spice with a delicate, citrus-like flavor. It's an excellent companion to both cranberries and citrus fruits and adds a light element of spice to the relish.
• Grand Marnier or another orange-flavored liqueursuch as Cointreau amplifies the citrus flavor, bringing another level of intensity to the recipe.

Recipe Tips

• Sort your berries first. The bags of cranberries you find in the store often have soft, wrinkled, or mushy berries. Buy extra cranberries because there's bound to be some loss when you pick through them.
• Make sure to remove the seedsfrom the mandarin oranges. Or, opt for a large, seedless orange instead.
• Chop the oranges into small pieces(about ¾-inch) before adding them to the food processor; that way, the relish will be more uniform in texture.
• Use a food processorto make cranberry relish to ensure uniformity. Blenders will work but may result in inconsistent texture. Alternatively, many people prefer to use an old-fashioned food grinder, too.
• Taste the relish as you go, and make adjustments by adding sugar, more lemon juice, or more orange zest. Since fresh fruits vary in flavor by season and farm, you may find your oranges are less sweet than you prefer or that the relish needs more acidity.

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Recipe Questions

How long does it keep?

You can keep cranberry relish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can you freeze it?

Yes. You can freeze it in a small, freezer-safe container. Allow it to thaw completely in the fridge before serving. Freezing may alter the texture slightly.

Can I use frozen cranberries?

No. You need to use fresh, raw cranberries for this recipe.

Can I use maple syrup or honey instead?

No. Since both maple syrup and honey are liquid sweeteners, they change the consistency of the relish. Instead, consider a dry sweetener such as coconut sugar or maple sugar.

Can I use less sugar in this recipe?

Yes. The sugar only provides sweetness in this recipe. But reducing or eliminating the sugar will dramatically change the flavor and increase the bitter notes from the orange peel.

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