Cranberry Orange Relish
This cranberry orange relish is bright, tart, and ready in 15 minutes with no cooking at all: fresh cranberries pulsed with a whole orange, a little sugar, and orange zest until chunky and jewel-bright. It is the fresh, zingy counterpoint every rich Thanksgiving table needs — and it tastes even better made a day ahead.
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries about 3 cups, rinsed and picked over
- 1 medium navel orange washed, quartered, and seeded (peel on)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or mint for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the fruit: rinse the cranberries and pick out any soft or damaged ones. Wash the orange well, cut it into quarters, and remove any seeds. Leave the peel on — it gives the relish its bright, slightly bitter edge.
- Pulse in batches: add half the cranberries and half the orange quarters to a food processor. Pulse 8 to 10 times until coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides once. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining cranberries and orange.
- Season and sweeten: stir in the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and salt. Taste and add sugar a tablespoon at a time until the tartness is balanced but still bright — it should taste zingy, not syrupy.
- Chill: cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. The flavors meld and the relish thickens slightly as it chills.
- Serve: stir once more, garnish with rosemary or mint if you like, and serve cold or at cool room temperature alongside turkey, ham, or roast pork.
Notes
- Do not over-process. Short pulses keep the relish chunky and textured; over-blending turns it into a smooth sauce and loses the fresh crunch.
- Keep the orange peel on. A peeled orange makes a flat, sweet relish; the peel adds the bright bitterness that balances the sugar.
- Taste before you chill. Cranberries vary in tartness, so adjust the sugar to your batch — then let it rest, because the flavor mellows as it chills.
- Make it ahead: this relish keeps 5 days in the fridge and actually improves after day one, making it the easiest make-ahead dish on the Thanksgiving table.
- No food processor? Chop the cranberries and orange finely by hand with a sharp knife — it takes about 10 minutes and gives a beautifully rustic texture.