Vibrant cranberry salsa is packed with cilantro, red bell pepper, onions, garlic, lime juice, orange zest, and orange juice. It really wakes up the palate on a meal of comfort foods. Vegan & gluten-free.
Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating the bounty of the harvest. And yet, so many of the foods that make up a holiday plate are beige.
Mashed potatoes, chestnut gravy, vegan stuffing, seitan roast…
It’s easy for a Thanksgiving meal to be a sea of brown.
Brown foods are delicious, sure. But it’s nice to have some vibrant color to break things up.
How to brighten up a holiday plate? Add a seasonal beauty to the meal by way of cranberries.
Fresh cranberry salsa is awash with bold color and flavor. It’s packed with tart cranberries, sugar, lime & orange juice, jalapeño pepper slices, bell peppers, onions, and garlic.
(Don’t try to make this cranberry salsa without sugar! Raw cranberries are mighty tart. Some sugar is required to balance them out. Without some sweetener, they are far too mouth puckering.)
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“I made this today for our Thanksgiving. It smell and taste delicious. I used the entire bag(12oz) of Ocean Spray whole cranberries and adjusted everything else for the extra 4.5oz. Can’t wait to taste after it’s been refrigerated for a day!” – Debbie
Step by step instructions
Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Put the following into a food processor:
- Fresh or frozen cranberries
- Onions
- Red bell pepper
- Cilantro
- Garlic
- Lime juice
- Jalapeño slices
- Orange juice
- Orange zest
- Sugar
- Pinch of salt
Turn the food processor to low. Stop once or twice to scrape down the sides.
Once the ingredients are broken into small, even pieces, move the cranberry salsa to a covered container. Put it in the refrigerator.
Let is sit for about a day while the sugar and citrus juices do their magic.
After some time in the refrigerator, you’ll be greeted by a bright, zesty cranberry salsa.
Serving ideas
Cranberry salsa pairs beautifully with vegan holiday roasts, seitan, and vegan turkey.
I served it here with slices of Celebration Roast from Field Roast, garlicky easy collard greens, and mashed potatoes.
You can also use this salsa as a Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer, strewn over the top of non-dairy cream cheese.
Get the full recipe for cranberry salsa with cream cheese.
Cranberry salsa can also be used like any other kind of salsa on tacos.
It works best with tacos that have bold flavors, like sweet potato black bean tacos.
This taco recipe includes chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. The smokiness works particularly nicely with the tart/sweet combo of the cranberry salsa.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Since the cranberries soften and sweeten with time, this is a good one to make a day or two before your get-together.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will last for about a week.
Cranberries are only available for a couple months of the year. So stock up now. And remember, that cranberries freeze well.
And don’t forget to set a few aside for a cranberry mimosa!
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry salsa with orange juice
Ingredients
- 7.5 ounces whole fresh cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons chopped yellow onion chopped small
- 2 Tablespoons chopped red bell pepper chopped small
- 1 Tablespoon pickled jalapeño slices
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice freshly-squeezed
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice freshly-squeezed
- Zest of ½ small to medium-sized orange
- 5 Tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a food processor, briefly combine all of the ingredients until they are equal sizes with the ingredients fully incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Transfer to a covered container, refrigerate, and let the flavors meld for a day. The cranberries will soften and become sweeter with time.
Notes
Nutrition
Content updated September 8, 2021. Originally posted December 3, 2014.
Debbie
I made this today for our Thanksgiving. It smell and taste delicious. I used the entire bag(12oz) of Ocean Spray whole cranberries and adjusted everything else for the extra 4.5oz. Can’t wait to taste after it’s been refrigerated for a day!
Cadry
That’s great, Debbie! I hope it’s a hit at your Thanksgiving!
Bianca Phillips
Ooooh, this looks like a fun alternative to traditional cranberry sauce!
Cadry
Thanks, Bianca!
glutenfreehappytummy
what a gorgeous color!
Cadry
Yes, the red is quite striking!
Becky Striepe
This looks so simple and so good!
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! Especially during busy cooking sessions, it’s nice to have something simple and quick to pull together.
BurbankVegan
Finally a recipe for a vegan cheese ball that doesn’t call for store-bought (vegan) cream cheese! I have nothing against short cuts, but the cream cheese at the regular supermarket has grody ingredients. 😮
Cadry
Oh, you’ll like this one! It’s definitely worth pulling out for your next get together.
Bianca
Ooh, nice Thanksgiving spread!! I love that Field Roast in the puff pastry. That one is probably my fave plant turkey of all!! I did Gardein Holiday Roast this year, and it was also very good. I MUST try that cheese ball soon. It is all over the vegan internets!
Cadry
It’s my favorite too of all of the ones I’ve tried. I haven’t had the Gardein Holiday Roast yet; although, I have tried the Gardein turk’y cutlets, and I imagine they’re similar.
Yes, you need to get on the cheeseball. This was our fourth or fifth time making it. You’ll love it.
Shell
I wish I could have joined you for Thanksgiving dinner! Everything looks and sounds great. The salsa looks like a delightful alternative to cranberry sauce (which I’ve never been brave enough to try).
Cadry
I wish you could have joined us too! I can’t believe you’ve never tried cranberry sauce. What about it is unappealing or scary to you?