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This Cranberry Salsa is my fall take on my favorite appetizer! It’s tart, citrusy, herby, and has just a little heat—and comes together fast. I think it’s perfect for scooping up with tortilla chips, but it’d also be delicious as alternative to cranberry sauce alongside turkey.
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This 10-minute cranberry salsa requires almost zero chopping. Instead, you let the food processor do the work of blitzing everything together. This fresh cranberry salsa is sweet, savory, and just a little spicy! While I think it’d make a great addition to a holiday spread, if you have leftover cranberries after Thanksgiving, I can totally see this salsa being delicious with roast chicken or air-fryer salmon!
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
Dietary Info: Vegan
Key Flavor: Cranberries
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Minimal ingredients: This cranberry salsa is a no-fuss recipe with just 7 ingredients (including salt!).
- Make-ahead: You can absolutely make this easy cranberry salsa a day or two beforehand and pull it out of the fridge when you’re ready to serve it!
- Versatile: Scoop it up with tortilla chips or pita chips, serve it with roasted meat or fish, add it to a cheese board, or eat it with a quesadilla...this fresh cranberry salsa can go with a lot!
Ingredients to Make Cranberry Salsa
- Fresh cranberries: Tart and sweet, cranberries are actually fruit, not berries!
- Cilantro: This has such a distinctive flavor! Some people think it tastes like soap, but I can’t imagine salsa without it.
- Granulated sugar: Even though this is a savory recipe, this helps offset the tartness of the cranberries.
- Jalapeño: This adds a gentle heat. You could use another Chile, like Serrano, instead!
- Orange and lime juice: Two types of citrus juice make this salsa so bright and fresh-tasting.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Add citrus zest. Do this before you juice the orange and lime. It will really amp up the citrus flavor!
- Swap out the sugar. Try maple syrup or honey instead.
- Experiment with different citrus. You could use lemon or grapefruit instead of the orange and lime.
- Add a little spice. Season this cranberry salsa to taste with chili powder! (Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t add less.)
How to Make Cranberry Salsa
This salsa really has just two steps: add everything to the food processor and blitz. That’s it!
Tips for Making the Best Cranberry Salsa with Jalapeños
- Add more sugar to sweeten it. Make sure to taste the salsa after it sits for half an hour and adjust the sugar if needed. I found ¼ cup to be the perfect amount to balance the tartness of the cranberries.
- Use frozen cranberries if needed. True story! I tested this in August, and there were no fresh cranberries anywhere, so I left frozen cranberries in a bowl at room temperature for a couple of hours and then made the recipe. It worked perfectly!
- Make sure to remove the seeds from the jalapeño. The seeds are where the pepper’s heat is! I like to cut the pepper in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Also, make sure to wash your hands well after handling the pepper!
- Watch the salsa as it processes. I like to use the manual pulse option on my food processor to stop the salsa when it reaches a perfect medium consistency. If you let it process for too long, it could become a bit watery.
What to Serve With Fresh Cranberry Salsa
- Homemade Pita Chips, tortilla chips, crostini
- Dry Brined Turkey Breast
- Pan Seared Salmon
Frequently Asked Questions
Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, this salsa will last for up to 5 days.
You could try making it in a blender or with an immersion blender, but the consistency might not be right (you don’t want it to be blended smoothly). I wouldn’t recommend trying to chop the cranberries by hand, though. This would be very difficult!
If you like spicy salsa, you don’t need to deseed it. As I said, this pepper’s heat is all in the seeds.
I like to plan my Thanksgiving menu months ahead of time and this Cranberry Salsa is definitely going to make an appearance this year. It’s tart enough to cut through the richer foods at the table, but still mild, so you’ll keep going back for bite after bite.
More Holiday Appetizer Recipes:
- Baked Brie Cranberry in Bread Bowl
- Focaccia Charcuterie Board
- Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
- Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
- Baked Brie Appetizer
- Holiday Cheese Board
- Mushroom Tartlets
- Butter Board
If you try this feel good Cranberry Salsa recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
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Cranberry Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce bag) fresh cranberries
- ½ cup fresh cilantro packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 jalapeño deseeded
- 1 orange juiced
- 1 lime juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine cranberries, cilantro, sugar, jalapeño, orange juice, lime juice, and salt. Process to medium consistency.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
