Uncooked Cranberry Orange Relish

Although it seems odd to eat raw cranberries, chopped into this uncooked cranberry-orange relish, they are delicious. The tartness of the cranberries is balanced by the sugar and the citrus flavors (of cranberries and oranges) meld perfectly after the relish rests for just a short period. 

If you have never had this relish, suspend whatever prejudices you might have against uncooked cranberries and try it. While the taste is intense, if you like citrus fruits, I think you’ll find the flavor enticing. 

Making the relish is incredibly simple – all you do is chop the cranberries together with orange zest and hunks of the fruit. You will need a food processor (there simply is no other way to chop the fruit), but the whole process takes only a few minutes and the result is quite tasty.

The relish has just 3 ingredients – cranberries, sugar and a navel orange, so the taste is heavily dependent on using a flavorful and juicy navel orange. If you open one up to use in this relish and it isn’t juicy and deep orange, consider putting it aside for a different purpose and finding a better one. 

Along with plain cranberry sauce and cooked cranberry apple sauce, this relish has been a staple at our Thanksgiving dinners for years. I eat the leftovers in sandwiches and with yogurt. Sometimes, I even put it on top of brie or camembert cheese spread on a piece of baguette or a cracker. It is also delicious with vanilla ice cream or with a sweet, pound cake-type coffee cake. 

Print Recipe

Uncooked Cranberry-Orange Relish Yum

A simple, 3 ingredient uncooked relish that will amp up your Thanksgiving condiments.

Prep Time

5 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 bag cranberries (12 ounces)
• 1 navel orange
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup white sugar

Prep Time 5 minutes Servings Ingredients 1 bag cranberries (12 ounces) 1 navel orange 1/2 - 3/4 cup white sugar

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain the cranberries.
2. Grate the orange peel (the zest) taking care not to grate the white part below the skin. Discard the white part (called the “pith”) and break the orange into sections.
3. Put the orange zest, orange sections, cranberries and sugar in a food processor and pulse them until the mixture is chunky, but without large pieces of either orange or cranberry.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours before serving.

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