Five Minute Cranberry Relish with Orange and Apple

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This five minute cranberry relish recipe is made with a whole orange and apple, and is an easy, healthy, delicious Thanksgiving side recipe that goes perfectly with turkey! It tastes fantastic after chilling in the fridge, so you can prepare it very easily a day in advance. That said, it only takes five minutes to make, so you can also throw it together as a delicious last-minute side.

Cranberry relish in small white bowl with spoon.

Okay, so maybe the question of cranberry relish or cranberry sauce isn't always an 'either-or' situation, but truthfully... I am partial to this cranberry relish recipe! It's both sweet and tart from cranberries, unpeeled oranges, and apples balanced out with just enough organic cane sugar to get flavor-popping, tangy-sweet results.

With recipes like maple walnut roasted Brussels sprouts and healthy mashed potatoes, we've got a whole lot of savory going on at the Thanksgiving table. So let's serve up this fruity and fresh cranberry relish to balance out it! (And also for the break in cooking, because this relish only takes five minutes with four ingredients.)

P.S. My wild rice and pomegranate salad also offers a little pop of sweetness at the holiday table. You may want to take a look at that one too!

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Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
How to Make an Incredible Cranberry Relish
Success Tips
Cranberry Relish FAQs
Related Side Dishes
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

Fresh cranberries, an apple, orange, and organic cane sugar.

Whole cranberries - You can buy these fresh in most grocery stores, especially around the holidays (side note: the health benefits of cranberries are pretty impressive!).
Unpeeled oranges
Apples - I recommend a sweet or sweet-tart variety that's crisp (not soft). My favorites are Honeycrisp, Jazz, Pink Lady, or Fuji.
Granulated sugar - Preferably an organic and/or unrefined, regenerative variety.
Optional: salt, to taste

Please see recipe card for full ingredient quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

This cranberry relish recipe is a classic, but it's not entirely inflexible! Below are some swaps and variations you can try to have fun with flavor profiles, or simply make the recipe work for you.

Sweetener - This is one recipe where I do prefer granulated sugar because it creates an excellent texture. Organic cane sugar is typically my go-to, but you could also swap 1:1 with any granulated sugar, including maple sugar or date sugar. If you feel strongly about using a natural liquid sweetener (such as agave, maple syrup, or honey), just note that the final texture will be slightly runnier, and the flavor slightly different.
Pineapple or pear - For slight variations on the fruit flavor, you can try replacing half the apple with pineapple or pear. Note that a juicier fruit will yield a runnier texture, as will adjusting the fruit ratios significantly. I recommend starting small, tasting, and adjusting from there!
Apple & orange varieties - Just like in my citrus mint salad recipe, different types of oranges have slightly different sweetnesses, flavors, and colors. The same goes for apples - for example, Jazz apples of notes of pear in them. Have fun with this! Try using different types of apples and oranges to get different flavor notes.
Orange zest - If you're nervous about plopping a whole orange in this relish (don't be!), you could also zest the orange using a microplane, peel it, and only add the zest and orange flesh.

How to Make an Incredible Cranberry Relish

Cranberries, orange segments, apple pieces, and organic cane sugar in food processor before blending.

Step 1: Wash the cranberries, orange, and apple; then, cut the orange and apple into chunks (note, no need to peel the orange). Place into a food processor with sugar.

Cranberry relish in food processor after ingredients were blended.

Step 2: Blend until the mixture has a relish-like consistency (usually about 45-60 seconds). Taste, and if more sugar or a touch of salt is needed, stir it in with a spoon instead of blending more. Once it tastes perfect to you, transfer to an airtight container to refrigerate until it's ready to eat!

Note: Depending on the orange peel's thickness, sometimes it's best to place the orange chunks in the food processor first so that they're closest to the blade. This ensures that there won't be large chunks of orange peel in your cranberry relish.

Cranberry relish in small white bowl with spoon on the side.

Success Tips

Chill before eating. It's totally okay if you don't have time, but even if you can get this relish in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes, I highly recommend! The flavors get to sit together and it tastes extra refreshing when slightly cold.
Taste and adjust. This is one of those recipes where the perfect balance is a little bit subjective. The recipe I've provided is one I enjoy after years of making relish, but sometimes I make it a little sweeter or add a pinch of salt to enhance all of the flavors. Feel free to taste, adjust, and
Orange peels. A couple things here. First, if you have access to organic oranges, I definitely recommend using those in this recipe since we use orange peels. Non-organic orange peels often contain pesticides, so if you don't use organic, be sure to wash your orange really well! Second, you may wish to blend the oranges first when they are closest to the blade, as this helps chop them up uniformly. Otherwise, you might have larger orange peel chunks, and if you keep blending the relish trying to get at them, you'll over-blend everything else.

And one more thing, if you have extra fresh cranberries, this wholesome cranberry orange muffins are a great way to use them up!

Cranberry Relish FAQs

What's the difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry relish?

Cranberry sauce is boiled on the stove with cranberries, sugar, water, and other flavors, whereas cranberry relish is uncooked and blended with other fruits like oranges and apples. As a result, the sauce is more syrupy and sweet, while the relish is a bit more fresh, textured, and may have a slight tartness to it.

What are some good serving suggestions?

Serve this relish with a roasted turkey (literally, dip the turkey in it!) whether for Thanksgiving or any time, turkey burgers, or turkey sandwiches. It would also be delicious with roasted whole chicken or pork tenderloin.

How do I store or freeze cranberry relish?

To store, place the relish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. To freeze, you can place the relish in an airtight container (leaving a bit of air spice for relish to expand when frozen), and keep it in your freezer for up to three months. When you're ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight and enjoy the next day!

Will it taste like I'm eating plain orange peels?

Nope! If you make the recipe as written, the orange peels will taste cohesive with all of the other ingredients, and you'll taste the citrusy component of the orange flesh and orange oils release from the peels. The sweetness from the sugar and apples balances everything out, so while you will taste citrus, it won't taste like you're eating straight orange peels.

We're all about the side dishes when it comes to Thanksgiving -- here are some other favorites that would be delicious with your meal!

Did you try this delicious cranberry relish? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!

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