With hints of orange, fresh ginger, and cinnamon, this truly is THE BEST Cranberry Relish Ever!
So growing up my mother would gratuitously buy that canned cranberry gelatinous stuff. Now I’m not knocking it but there is just something odd about it. Actually I think it’s that suction sound it makes coming out of the can that wigs me out more than anything. Food shouldn’t make that sound. Just sayin…
Now I love love LOVE fresh cranberries and one of my favorite things to me is my Lemon Cranberry Orange Bruffins however I’ve never found a homemade cranberry relish I’ve liked. Their were either sickening sweet, had 9,000 things in it (seriously.. nuts in cranberry relish? Um no, that’s yucky) OR it was so bitter that every part of your body puckered. So that being said I set out on making what I feel is the ultimate cranberry relish.
I knew what flavors went together but it was just figuring out the ratio. Once I got that down, I was in LOVEEEEEEEEE. I always keep a jar of this in my fridge as it’s great in cakes, sauces or yes, even on toast. Plus if you want a savory treat… add this on top of a brie round, wrap it in dough and bake. Oh dear LORD child you will think you’ve died and gone to heaven!
Anyway, I thought it was time to share this with you having Thanksgiving next week. Now please, continue buying the canned stuff as it’s good in its own right however I strongly urge you to make this! You see once you taste this amazing relish you’ll use it more than just for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This as the fruit filling of a cupcake or cake with some cream cheese frosting or better yet, cheesecake… EPIC!
If you wanted to kick this up a notch you could easily add in some crispy minced bacon and minced jalapeno to give it an over-the-top taste. Or add in some bourbon or whiskey while the liquids are boiling to give it a true flavor treat!
What I tend to do is buy about 4 pounds of cranberries when they are season and then just freeze them as this stuff in the summer over grilled pork chops is incredible. And trust me I learned my lesson the hard way one summer trying to find cranberries in the store. Yeah, you can buy frozen but nah, it’s not the same as the ones you get fresh.
This recipe is ridiculously easy to make. Just bring the liquid, sugar and seasonings to a boil and then pop in the cranberries. What I recommend is add a small dab of butter to the mix to help curb the foaming. You really want to remove that stuff for your final presentation. It doesn’t really muddle the taste much but it makes the mixture cloudy.
When you make this if you don’t like the whole berries, once it’s cooked just puree it or run it through a food mill. Same great flavor, just no chunks. But then I’d guess you’d have to call it Cranberry Sauce and not relish cause relish kinda implies chunks.
So this Thanksgiving along side your turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes you need to have this gorgeous dish as well.
The best Cranberry Relish… ever! No really, like EVER!
- Yield: 3-4 cups 1x
With hints of orange, fresh ginger, and cinnamon, this truly is THE BEST Cranberry Relish Ever! | thekitchenwhisperer.net #cranbery #cranberryrelish #thanksgiving #relish #sidedish #cranberrysauce
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (go with 1 cup if you prefer a more tart version)
- 1/2 cup cranberry juice
- 1/2–3/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 16 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- Zest of 1 orange – just the orange part
Instructions
- In a large, heavy saucepan, add sugar, juice and cinnamon and grated ginger.
- Cook, stirring often, until sugar dissolves, syrup is clear and comes to a rolling boil, about 3 minutes.
- In a colander, rinse and pick over the cranberries to remove any mushy ones.
- Add cranberries to boiling syrup and continue cooking, uncovered, just until they begin to pop, about 2-5 minutes (set the timer). Be careful not to cook them too long or they will get mushy.
- Skim the foam off the surface with a metal spoon and discard.
- Remove from heat, stir in orange zest and cool to room temperature, uncovered.
- Place in container, cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Notes
If you prefer to have it smoother, once you add in the orange zest either use an Immersion blender on it or run it through a food mill/sieve to remove any pieces.
Keywords: cranberry relish, side dish, thanksgiving, christmas, fresh cranberries
Delicious! I didn’t have cranberry juice so I used the juice from the orange (after I grated the zest) and cut the water to 3/4 cup. Next time I would use 3/4 cup of sugar. FYI, instructions should be corrected. The syrup cannot boil clear because it has cinnamon in it. Highly recommend.
★★★★★
Turned out very well. Used Stevia instead of sugar and unsweetened juice.
Oh awesome; thank you so much!
For the Stevia was it a 1:1 even swap for real sugar?
Best Kitchen Wishes and Happy Thanksgiving!
Yes, it’s that good! I added a splash of Grand Mariner and a few thin ribbons orange zest for garnish. The fresh ginger and fresh cinnamon add an unexpected kick. 👍🏻
★★★★★
Yes, it’s that good! I added a splash of Grand Mariner and a few thin ribbons orange zest for garnish. The fresh ginger and fresh cinnamon add an unexpected kick. 👍🏻
★★★★★
Oh I love the Grand Marnier splash! I make an adult version of this with bourbon and it’s so good!
So happy you loved this! Thank you so much
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This relish looks so good. So flavorful and perfect for holidays. I will definitely save this and make for my family.
★★★★★
YUM this looks delicious! I love the ginger and orange zest you have added in this cranberry relish. I am pretty excited to try it, and just in time for Thanksgiving 🙂
Thank you so much, Sam! The ginger adds that little bit of “zing” to it while the orange zest gives you that bright note. Happy Thanksgiving!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
I love the addition of fresh ginger here. The flavor of ginger with tartness of cranberries and sweetness from sugar makes this a well balanced side dish. Looks yum
★★★★★
I love the addition of ginger and cinnamon in this relish! It definitely adds a nice bit of spice to liven things up!
★★★★★
A true classic! I love ginger in my cranberry relish, and the addition of cinnamon is fun. Yum!
It’s a must try Tara!
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oh my word! usually only eat the canned jelly as I found the canned whole berry vile. now this my go to cranberry relish! great on turkey sandwiches, pork loin, even chicken
LOVE the addition of ginger to this recipe! Will be trying this one for Thanksgiving!
★★★★★
Looks amazingly delicious. Love the flavors in this relish .
★★★★★
Yum! This is really mouthwatering! The hints of orange, fresh ginger, and cinnamon made it the perfect Cranberry relish. Can’t wait to try this!
★★★★★
This does sound really yummy! I love the added spices and orange! Going to make this and take to my inlaws who are hosting this year
★★★★★
I also grew up on the canned cranberry sauce and always thought that the noise was so strange. I love the fresh ginger you added to your recipe taking this cranberry relish to the next level.
★★★★★
Can this recipe be canned like jelly to save?
Yes, but you’d need to use the water bath method. These would make great holiday gifts!
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Everyone loved it
★★★★★
Yeah! Thank you so much!
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I bought a 8 oz bag of cranberries. Can I just cut the recipe ingredients in half?
Hi Roz,
Yes you can!
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I made this for Thanksgiving and it was the best… loved the ginger and slight orange zest flavors. TFS
★★★★★
Thank you so much Pat! So happy that you loved it! BTW — it freezes beautifully! I buy extra cranberries and freeze them so I can make this all year long!
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Delicious! I made a sweet potato bread and it suggested serving with pineapple butter. I thought no, let’s add some of this cranberry relish to whipped butter. Yum yum
★★★★★
OMG that sounds AMAZING!!! So happy you loved it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!