Cranberry Salsa

Our Cranberry Salsa combines fresh cranberries, orange, lime, and sugar with fresh ginger, scallions, cilantro, spices, and jalapenos. It’s fantastic served over cream cheese or simply as a dip for crackers and chips.

Fresh and Fantastic Cranberry Salsa

This fresh Cranberry Salsa is a flavor sensation that you’ll want to serve at every holiday party. It’s a great option when you want to serve something fresh and zesty among the other heavier holiday appetizers.

Fresh cranberries are pulsed in a food processor, then mixed with chopped scallions, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, fresh ginger, lime juice, plus both orange segments and orange zest. Some sugar balances the tartness of the cranberries and other zesty ingredients, and ground cumin and coriander add some nice undertones of flavor.

We spooned our Cranberry Salsa over whipped cream cheese with crackers on the side for dipping.

The cool and creamy cream cheese, the zesty-sweet-tart cranberry salsa, and the salty crackers were a great combination of flavor in every bite.

• The combination of flavors is refreshing and delicious!
• It’s so easy to make – especially if you have a food processor to do all the chopping and mixing.
• This is a recipe you can make ahead of time, and it travels well – so it’s a great option to bring to any party.

• Fresh Cranberries – You could also use frozen cranberries, but fresh will give you the best flavor and texture.
• Scallions
• Cilantro  
• Jalapeno Pepper – Leave out the seeds and inner ribs for a gentle, zesty heat. If you like things spicy, you can add a Serrano pepper to the mix.
• Fresh Ginger
• Lime Juice  
• Orange – You’ll add both orange segments and zest to your salsa.
• Sugar – This recipe uses both granulated and powdered sugar to balance the tartness of the fresh cranberries. The powdered sugar will absorb some of the juices, making the salsa a slightly thicker texture.
• Spices – Ground cumin and ground coriander both go so well with all of the other flavors in this salsa recipe.
• Cream Cheese – We softened a block of cream cheese and whipped it ourselves before serving. You could also buy whipped cream cheese for an even lighter texture.
• Crackers – Purchase a simple club cracker for dipping. Or, tortilla scoops are another great serving option.

1. Place cranberries in the food processor and pulse a few times to break them up a little.
2. Add scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, ginger, chopped orange segments, orange zest, lime juice, both sugars, coriander, and cumin. Pulse again to mix – being careful not to over chop.
3. Pour the cranberry mixture into a bowl and let sit covered for a few hours or overnight.
4. Whip cream cheese to fluffy and place onto a serving platter.
5. Pour salsa into a strainer over a bowl to remove most of the liquid then spread the strained salsa over the top of the cream cheese.
6. Line the outside of the platter with crackers and garnish with a little chopped cilantro and grated orange peel. Place a few lime wedges on either end for garnish.

• Can I make Cranberry Salsa Spread ahead of time?  Yes, the flavors meld as it sits so you ideally want to make it at least a few hours ahead or give it time to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
• How do I store leftovers?   Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If a lot of additional liquid releases as it sits, feel free to drain that off.
• Can I freeze the leftover salsa?  No – we don’t recommend it.

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