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Cranberry salsa with orange zest

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Text: Cranberry salsa with orange zest. Cranberry salsa in martini glass on wood board.

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.

Cranberry salsa with orange zest in martini glass on wood board.

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, 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.

Cranberry salsa with orange zest in martini glass.

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.)

How to use it

Slices of Field Roast Celebration Roast with cranberry salsa, collard greens, and mashed potatoes.

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.

Cream cheese appetizer on plate, topped with jalapeno slices and cilantro.

You can also use this salsa as a Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer, strewn over the top of non-dairy cream cheese.

(I do recommend draining the salsa before putting it onto the cream cheese, though. A puddle of pink cream cheese isn’t quite as eye catching.)

Get the full recipe for cranberry salsa with cream cheese.

Sweet potato black bean tacos with relish on platter.

And when you have “fall food fatigue,” 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.

How to make it

Whole cilantro, jalapeno pepper slices, cranberries, orange zest, and bell peppers in food processor.

Buy a 7.5 ounce container of cranberries. This kind comes in a plastic clamshell, like blueberries.

Rinse the cranberries. Throw away any that seem shriveled or soft.

Put the remaining cranberries & salsa ingredients into the 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.

Blended cranberries, peppers, onions, and cilantro in food processor.

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.

Overhead raw cranberry sauce in martini glass with gold spoon, cranberry mimosa, and salad.

Since the cranberries soften and sweeten with time, this is a good one to make a day or two before your get-together.

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!

Salsa in glass next to fresh cranberries.

Cranberry salsa with orange zest in martini glass on wood board.

Cranberry salsa with orange juice

Instead of the usual cranberry sauce cooked down with sugar in a pan, this raw salsa is brightened with the flavors of orange juice and zest. With pickled jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice, it has a spicy kick. It takes about a day for the cranberries to soften and sweeten in the refrigerator. So make this one ahead of time! Makes about 2 cups salsa.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan
Keyword: holidays, party food, thanksgiving
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 45kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

  • 7.5 ounces whole fresh cranberries
  • 2 Tablespoons yellow onion chopped small
  • 2 Tablespoons red bell pepper chopped small
  • 1 Tablespoon pickled jalapeño slices
  • 1 small clove garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • Zest of 1/2 small to medium-sized orange
  • 5 Tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/4 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, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed.
  • Transfer to a glass container, cover, and let the flavors meld for a day. The cranberries will soften and become sweeter with time.

Notes

Serve this cranberry salsa with your favorite vegan holiday roast. Or use it on sweet potato tacos as an entree, or cranberry salsa with cream cheese as an appetizer.

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Originally posted December 2014. Content updated October 2019. 

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Posted On: October 28, 2019
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Comments

  1. Shell says

    December 4, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    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).

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      December 4, 2014 at 1:40 pm

      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?

      Reply
  2. Bianca says

    December 4, 2014 at 2:33 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      December 4, 2014 at 2:51 pm

      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.

      Reply
  3. BurbankVegan says

    December 4, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    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. 😮

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      December 4, 2014 at 8:26 pm

      Oh, you’ll like this one! It’s definitely worth pulling out for your next get together.

      Reply
  4. Becky Striepe says

    December 5, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    This looks so simple and so good!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      December 8, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Thanks, Becky! Especially during busy cooking sessions, it’s nice to have something simple and quick to pull together.

      Reply
  5. glutenfreehappytummy says

    December 6, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    what a gorgeous color!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      December 8, 2014 at 10:44 am

      Yes, the red is quite striking!

      Reply
  6. Bianca Phillips says

    October 28, 2019 at 3:13 pm

    Ooooh, this looks like a fun alternative to traditional cranberry sauce!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      October 29, 2019 at 9:40 am

      Thanks, Bianca!

      Reply
  7. Debbie says

    November 25, 2019 at 9:35 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 25, 2019 at 10:30 am

      That’s great, Debbie! I hope it’s a hit at your Thanksgiving!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food blog featuring comfort food classics. Most recipes are ready in about 30 minutes.

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