3 ingredient orange cranberry relish is such an easy side dish. It is a great colorful make ahead addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.
Start with fresh cranberries and an orange. Mix in just enough sugar to round it out and end up with a delicious garnet colored relsih with big fruit flavor.
We first had this recipe at Thanksgiving this year. My sister-in-law made it and it was a hit, even with the people who generally avoid the cranberries during the feast.
I’ll admit I am normally one of those folks. I like cranberries more and more with each passing year but I can’t get behind wasting some of my appetite on the canned jellied cranberry sauce.
But this was so good. I was surprised by how much the orange flavor came through.
So of course we asked for the recipe and Little Dude insisted we make it right away. The recipe was in my sis-in-law’s family cook book from her husband’s side of the family and was attributed to his twin sister, Trina.
I did make a couple of very small adjustments to make it extra easy and moderate the sugar a bit. You can easily add more if that is your preference.
Making the Relish
All you need is a food processor, cranberries, an orange and some sugar. You could probably get away with using a blender or magic bullet style machine if that is what you have.
Start by reserving a 4 inch by one inch section of orange rind. Be sure to get as little of the white pith as possible.
Keep it to just the orange skin if possible. That will bring you big orange flavor without the bitter.
Now remove the rest of the skin and white pith from the orange. Break it into sections and remove any seeds and the white part from the center as well.
Toss the orange, the rind and half the sugar into the food processor and process until smooth. Remove the resulting orange goodness from the food processor and set aside.
Now add a bag of cleaned fresh cranberries and the rest of the sugar to the food processor. Pulse until they are the consistency you like, we prefer what looks like a small dice.
Now stir together the cranberries and orange. Then chill until you are ready to serve the relish.
You can technically eat it right away, but it is better if you give it a few hours for the flavor to meld. It is good for several days after the fact as well, so feel free to make it ahead of time.
More great cranberry recipes
Cranberry Jello salad would make a perfect fruity addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. It takes only three ingredients and is a perfect make ahead dish. Serve it plain or top with with whipped cream for an extra special treat.
Cranberry fluff made from fresh cranberries as a fun side dish or simple dessert. It will be such a pretty addition to your holiday menu but is great for any day.
Cranberry snack cake is a perfectly simple and delicious dessert for the holidays. Use fresh or frozen cranberries and cut into bars for a tasty treat.
Cranberry applesauce is delicious and vibrant. It is perfect served alongside pork or chicken. It will be great on your Thanksgiving table as well!
Try frozen cranberry pineapple salad for a refreshing change of pace. Or check out my full collection of cranberry recipes for even more inspiration.
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Fresh Orange Cranberry Relish
Ingredients
- 1 navel orange
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar divided
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Wash the orange and cranberries.
- Remove a 4×1-inch piece of orange zest, trying to get as little of the white pith as possible.
- Peel and section the orange, removing any seeds and as much of the white as possible.1 navel orange
- Put the piece of orange zest, orange slices and ⅓ cup of sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Scoop into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the cranberries and the other ⅓ cup of sugar and pulse until the cranberries are chopped to the consistency of a fine dice.12 ounces fresh cranberries
- Stir cranberry pieces into orange mixture.
- Chill for at least two hours to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.