Cranberry relish with orange is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving recipe! I love the bold flavor of the cranberries mixed with the sweetness of the oranges and apples. PLUS, the two tasty secret ingredients in this dish – pineapple and lemon!

This cranberry recipe is such a fun and tasty addition to your holiday meal. Whole cranberry sauce is the Thanksgiving and Christmas classic but you have to give this refreshing alternative a try! Just do it. Please. It’s always a crowd-pleaser and it could not be any easier to make!

Vegan, Nut-free, and Top 8 allergen free!

What is Cranberry Relish?

Curious what the difference is between cranberry relish, cranberry sauce, and cranberry chutney?

Cranberry relish is an uncooked cranberry dish made of chopped cranberries, oranges, and apples and then sweetened with sugar. It often contains nuts, usually pecans, and is chunkier than cranberry sauce.

Cranberry sauce is a cooked cranberry dish made with whole cranberries. The cranberries are sweetened and served in a sauce. It’s the typical Thanksgiving cranberry dish.

Cranberry chutney is also cooked and is typically made with whole cranberries. It differs from cranberry sauce in that it typically has a more jelly like consistency and often has a savory flavor. Cranberry chutney is often made with onion or jalapeno.

Recipe Variations

This cranberry relish with orange recipe is a vegan and nut-free version of the one my mom has been making every Thanksgiving for 20 years. It’s my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dish and I’m begging you to try it because I know you’ll love it too.

Here are some different variations you can try:

Low Sugar

I actually prefer my cranberry relish on the tart side. If you prefer a lower sugar version, or just prefer your cranberry sauce on the tarter side, you can easily get away with only 1/2 cup of sugar rather than the full 3/4 cup.

Pecans

The version my mom makes contains pecans, which you can most certainly add if you want to! I chose to omit them for this cranberry recipe in order to make it top 8 allergen free. If you choose to use them just simply add 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the food processor along with everything else.

Lemon Gelatin

The original version of this recipe also contains lemon flavored gelatin. In order to make this recipe vegan I omitted the gelatin and instead added a fresh lemon to the rest of the ingredients in the food processor. I also added 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds to act as a gelling agent.

This recipe contains a bit of pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple) so it needs a little something to thicken it up a bit. If you cannot eat chia seeds due to dietary restrictions then see the section below!

If you want to try the lemon gelatin version here are the instructions:

1. Omit the fresh lemon. Chop all fruit in the food processor.
2. No need to dissolve the sugar in the pineapple juice first. Just add the juice and the sugar right into the cranberry mixture.
3. Dissolve a 3 ounce box of lemon flavored gelatin in 1 cup of boiling water. Add it to the cranberry mixture and mix well.
4. Chill well for several hours before serving. Chilling overnight is best.

Without Chia Seeds

If you prefer not to use the chia seeds, or cannot for gut issues, then you can easily omit them! Make these adjustments:

1. Drain the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple and discard it.
2. Stir the sugar straight into the cranberry relish with orange
3. Depending on how sweet you like your cranberry relish, you may want to increase the amount of sugar by 1 or 2 tablespoons.

What You Need for this Cranberry Relish with Orange Recipe

Equipment

• Food processor
• Small saucepan

Ingredients

• Fresh cranberries
• Apple: Honeycrisp is my favorite but you can use just about any kind. I would avoid tart green apples though. Cranberries are tart enough!
• Orange: just a medium navel orange with the peel.
• Lemon: peel on!
• Canned pineapple chunks: you’ll need the juice too!
• White sugar: you could also use honey if you prefer. I would avoid maple syrup as a sweetener as it has a stronger flavor.
• Chia seeds: optional. See instructions above for making this cranberry orange recipe without chia seeds.

Cranberry Relish with Orange Recipe FAQs

How do I serve this cranberry relish with orange recipe?

This cranberry recipe can be served just as you would a typical cranberry sauce. Serve it as a condiment alongside your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. It’s also delicious on your day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich!

You can also serve it on top of a block of vegan cream cheese as a dip for gluten-free crackers or pretzels!

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes! Absolutely! I’m a big believer in making as much of Thanksgiving dinner the day before as possible. Probably because growing up my mom spent DAYS and DAYS preparing Thanksgiving dinner. There is no Thanksgiving feast like my mom’s. It’s the best.

This recipe can be made 2 to 3 days ahead of time.

Other Holiday Recipes

All of my recipes are free from wheat, gluten, eggs, dairy, peanuts, and cashews! Check out these other holiday favorites!

• Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
• Sweet Honey Cornbread

Holiday Cranberry Relish with Orange Recipe

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Cranberry, apple, orange, lemon, and pineapple come together in with delicious classic cranberry relish with orange recipe! Plus it’s nut-free and top 8 allergen free!

• Author: Hannah
• Prep Time: 15
• Chill Time: 1 hour plus
• Total Time: 26 minute

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 apple, unpeeled
• 1 orange, unpeeled
• 1 lemon, unpeeled
• 1 (14.5 oz) can pineapple chunks, undrained
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup white sugar, depending on preference
• 1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds, optional. See notes section below for instructions.

Instructions

1. Wash cranberries, apple, orange, and lemon. Slice the ends off the orange and lemon and cut them into 4 to 8  large pieces. Cut the apple off the core.
2. Pour off the pineapple juice into a small sauce pot. Add the sugar and heat over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the pineapple chunks, lemon, orange, apple, and cranberries to a high powdered food processor. Chop into small pieces, scraping the sides as needed.
4. Add fruit to a medium large bowl. Stir in the sugared pineapple juice and chia seeds. Mix well.
5. Chill, covered, for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

If you prefer not to use the chia seeds for dietary restrictions, feel free to omit them and make the following adjustments.

1. Omit the pineapple juice.
2. Increase the amount of sugar by 2 tbsp.
3. Stir the sugar directly into the cranberry fruit mixture.

Calorie information below is for the chia seed version.

Nutrition

• Calories: 111
• Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 26 g
• Protein: 0 g

Keywords: Cranberry Relish, Cranberry Sauce with Orange, Cranberry with Orange Recipe

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