Cranberry salsa is a fresh and easy recipe to make over and over again all season long!
Fresh tart cranberries, a bit of onion, jalapeno, and seasonings get a quick whirl in the food processor to create a flavorful holiday appetizer.
Serve on its own with crackers or tortilla chips or spoon over cream cheese.
An Easy Anytime Appetizer
- Cranberry salsa is beautifully bright with a sweet and tart flavor.
- This recipe needs just a few ingredients along with cranberries. Jalapenos, some cilantro, and some onions.
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Serve this festive sweet and spicy snack with tortilla chips or other dippables like crackers or Crostini.
Ingredients for Cranberry Salsa
Fresh Cranberries – I love this recipe with fresh cranberries, but frozen cranberries taste great too!
If using frozen, thaw and drain before blending. If frozen, the salsa may need to be drained a bit before serving.
Sugar and lime juice add a sweet-tart flavor.
Jalapeño peppers – make it just a little bit spicy! If you’re using canned jalapenos, stir a little of the juice into the salsa to up the spiciness!
How to Make Cranberry Salsa
Cranberry Salsa is one of those easy recipes that comes together quickly.
- Pulse cranberries in a food processor with green onions, cilantro, and jalapeno (per recipe below) until cranberries are chopped fine (but not too finely).
- Add lime juice and sugar mixture and pulse just to mix.
- Season with salt and refrigerate before serving for at least an hour.
Tips for the Perfect Salsa
Perfect dips are made with the right combination of taste, texture, and presentation.
- Avoid over-processing the mixture so it still maintains some structure.
- If using frozen cranberries, the salsa will need to be drained before serving.
- Serve chilled as is or scooped over a block of cream cheese for a great presentation.
- Or, simply stir the cranberry salsa directly into the cream cheese for a delicious spread that is perfect on turkey burgers, or for leftover turkey sandwiches!
How to Store and Freeze Cranberry Salsa
- Keep cranberry salsa in a covered container in the refrigerator. It’s even better the next day when all of the flavors have had a chance to blend! Add an extra shot of lime juice or some freshly diced jalapenos to brighten up the flavors before serving.
- Freeze it in zippered bags with the date labeled on them and they will keep for about 2 months in the freezer.
- Once thawed, the salsa will likely need to be drained a bit.
More Holiday Appetizers
Did you make this Cranberry Salsa? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Cranberry Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lime juiced
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar or to taste
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 2 green onions cut into 1″ pieces
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 jalapeño seeded and chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
Instructions
- Combine lime juice (about 2 tablespoons) and sugar in a small bowl.
- Add cranberries, green onions, cilantro and jalapeno to a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to break up the cranberries.
- Add sugar mixture and pulse a few more times. Stir in salt to taste and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dip, Party Food, Snack
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how about some chopped peaches for a slight sweet taste??
That sounds like a great add-in, Sherry!
Good salsa idea! I like it and made this yesterday during my parents anniversary celebration, they loved it because cranberries are my mom’s favorite. Not just tasty but also healthy. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad everyone loved it. Happy Anniversary to your parents!
Hi Holly, made this , turned out way to spicy!!, Can’t really tell how hot the jalapeno is going to be until you use it, even made sure I got all of the seeds out. Anyway, not wanting to waste anything, took the whole lot , added about 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water (boiled down first) and then let it cook down. Now have a really interesting, slightly spicy cranberry sauce that should be good with leftover turkey, etc. Thanks for the recipe, Ed from Airdrie
Oh no, sounds like you really got a hot pepper Ed! Thank you for sharing your tips for cooking it down.