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Cranberry Relish

Cranberry relish with a bright, chunky texture made by pulsing fresh cranberries, orange, and apple into quick pieces. Chill until the sugar dissolves for a sweet-tart, scoopable side.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
chilling 4 minutes
Total Time 14 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 160
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberries
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
Orange and Apple
  • 1 small orange unpeeled, seeded, cut into chunks
  • 1 apple cored and chopped
Sweetener and Optional Add-in
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup pecans chopped (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 food processor

Method
 

Chop the cranberries
  1. Pulse the fresh cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then transfer them to a bowl. Stop when you still see chunky pieces rather than a full puree.
Chop the orange and apple
  1. Pulse the orange and apple in the food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down as needed so the pieces chop evenly.
Mix and chill
  1. Stir the orange, apple, and sugar into the cranberries until evenly distributed. The mixture should look bright and chunky with no dry sugar pockets.
  2. Cover and chill the relish for at least 4 hours or overnight so the sugar dissolves and the flavors meld. Keep it refrigerated until fully chilled and cohesive.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the chopped pecans just before serving. This keeps the nuts crunchy and prevents them from softening in the relish.

Notes

For the best texture, pulse in short bursts and stop as soon as you reach the right chunk size—over-processing turns relish into puree. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 4 days; it’s not freezer-friendly due to texture changes. If you want a lower-sugar option, replace the sugar with a 1:1 granulated sweetener and chill the same way to dissolve.