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Cranberry Relish

Cranberry relish is a bright, chunky side made by pulsing fresh cranberries with orange and apple, then chilling until the sugar dissolves. The result is a crisp, tangy relish with pops of orange peel and optional pecans.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
chill 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry relish base
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1 orange small, unpeeled, seeded, cut into chunks
  • 1 apple cored and chopped
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup pecans chopped (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 food processor

Method
 

Chop and combine
  1. Pulse the fresh cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped, 10-15 seconds total, then transfer to a bowl with visible cranberry pieces (no pureeing).
  2. Pulse the orange and apple in the food processor until finely chopped, 10-15 seconds total, so the texture looks uniformly small with tiny orange peel flecks.
  3. Stir the pulsed orange, apple, and sugar into the cranberries until the sugar looks evenly distributed and the mixture is glossy from the juices.
Chill and serve
  1. Cover and chill the relish for at least 4 hours or overnight so the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly with a brighter color.
  2. Stir in the chopped pecans just before serving for crunch, adding small toasted-looking flecks throughout the relish.

Notes

Pro tip: leave the relish covered tightly so it doesn’t pick up fridge odors, and stir once during the first hour if your kitchen is warm to help the sugar start dissolving. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze is not recommended because the texture of the fruit softens after thawing. For a lighter option, replace the sugar with an equal amount of a 1:1 granulated sugar substitute meant for dissolving (use the package directions for best results).