
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love creating the menu, planning every detail and seeing everyone enjoy themselves as they fill their bellies with everything I worked so hard to prepare for them. Our Thanksgiving menu rarely changes but this year I’ve decided to take one of our favorite dishes, fresh cranberry orange relish and try to make it a little healthier than normal.
I’m not a lover of cranberry sauce. The thought of that weird, jiggly, canned substance makes my stomach turn. Luckily, my Mom introduced me to what has become a family favorite in our house, Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish. It’s tart and sweet and never lasts long. The best part about it is that it’s super easy to make and my kids can help me make it since there is no cooking involved!
All you need is a 10oz bag of fresh cranberries, 2 navel oranges, some sugar and a little water. The regular recipe calls for a cup of sugar, but this year, I decided to take that down to 1/4 cup.
Take the cranberries and add them to your food processor. Depending on the amount and size of your processor, you may need to do this in two rounds.
Peel and cut up your oranges and add those to the food processor, as well as a small piece of orange rind. This gives the relish some tartness. You can add more or less, depending on your taste.
Next, add your sugar and a couple of teaspoons of water. You may also consider substituting the water for some sort of juice to give it a little something extra. Chop all of the ingredients coarsely and place it all into a sealable container and put it into the refrigerator overnight. You can make this up to 2-3 days in advance if you’d like. The longer it sits, the better it will taste.
When it’s time to serve, you can plate it like it is, or add a cute little garnish to the top. This year, I created little oranges in the shape of a heart and my kids loved it! They didn’t even notice the lack of sugar either! It’s a refreshing dish that can be eaten with dinner, as an appetizer or even as a dessert. Enjoy! Don’t forget to check out our Dill Stuffing recipe too!
Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish Recipe
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Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish
- Yield: 8 people 1x
Description
The delicious and refreshing alternative to your standard cranberry relish side dish. Perfect for Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 2 navel oranges
- 10 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp water or orange juice
Instructions
- Peel and cut oranges.
- Add oranges, cranberries, sugar, a small piece of the orange rind and water or orange juice to food processor and process until coarsely chopped.
- Place mixture in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
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Check out the other sensational dishes created by our Mom Blogger friends as part of our Thanksgiving BlogLuck series:
Roasted Turkey
Stuffing
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Gluten Free Chocolate Cranberry Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Spiced Cranberry Pear Dump Cake










We love fresh cranberry and orange relish, I’ll have to try this lower sugar variation.
This looks amazing and perfect with a yummy fall dinner and Thanksgiving 😉 I am pinning this one so thank you for sharing!
Yum! This is making me excited for the holiday season. We always have cranberries.
Ooh this fresh cranberry relish looks delicious and is perfect for the festive season. I would love this with a vegan roast, yum!
I really love the sound of this. It would be perfect to use on Christmas day!
Sounds like a great combo, though I don’t know yet what to dip into it or to fill it with.
This recipe is perfect for the upcoming holidays, looking forward to giving it a try.