Let’s face it. Cranberries get a bad rap. People generally love them or hate them, not leaving a whole lot of room for fence-sitters. Five years ago, admittedly I would’ve been dangerously close to the hater’s side of the fence. However, this Cranberry Salsa–and this recipe for Cranberry Sauce–threw me right over to the LOVE side, baby, and I’m not turning back!
Fresh Cranberries, cilantro, and green onions are the star players in this super simple, crowd-pleasing, DELICIOUS Cranberry Salsa.
If you ever need a boost of confidence in your cooking abilities, just make a batch of this salsa and take it to a party. EVERY TIME I make this recipe for a party, I get mondo amounts of compliments and numerous requests for the recipe…I leave feeling pretty awesome about myself.
More Delicious Appetizers
- Texas Caviar
- Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip
- Easy Homemade Pot Stickers
- Bacon Wrapped Cheese Fries
- Spicy Sausage Queso Dip
- Classic Guacamole Recipe
You can eat it plain, but we prefer our Cranberry Salsa over cream cheese. The flavors complement each other PERFECTLY! I also suggest getting the tasty salsa and cream cheese to your mouth via a corn chip or a wheat thin cracker. So go on, get out there, and buy up some fresh cranberries, People! Your fellow holiday partygoers are counting on you!
how to make cranberry salsa
- Pulse cranberries, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro in a food processor or blender until desired consistency.
- Place cranberry mixture into a bowl and add sugar and cumin. Stir until well combined.
- Allow to chill for at least one hour before serving.
- Serve with chips and crackers.
- If serving with cream cheese, evenly spread cream cheese on the bottom of an 8×8 serving dish.
- Then, spread the salsa on top of the cream cheese.
- Enjoy!
Tips for making Cranberry Salsa
- Use a food processor or blender to finely chop ingredients.
- The recipe calls for a seeded Jalapeno, but I have substituted half of a poblano pepper with great success. If you want to add a little heat, leave a few seeds in the jalapeno.
- Avoid adding the cilantro stems when placing the cilantro in the food processor or blender. You only want the cilantro leaves in the salsa.
- If you want to serve it with cream cheese, I have found the best way is to spread the softened cream cheese in the bottom of an 8×8 serving dish, and then spread the salsa on top of it.
chef’s tools:
Cream Cheese Recipes
- 1 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
- 5-6 green onions
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro, approx. ½ a bunch (try to avoid the stems)
- 1 jalapeno, seeded
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 8 oz cream cheese, softened (optional)
- Corn chips or crackers of your choice
- Pulse cranberries, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro in a food processor or blender until desired consistency.
- Place cranberry mixture into a bowl and add sugar and cumin. Stir until well combined.
- Allow to chill for at least one hour before serving.
- Serve with chips and crackers.
- If serving with cream cheese, evenly spread cream cheese on the bottom of an 8x8 serving dish. Then, spread the salsa on top of the cream cheese.
- Enjoy!
Sweet Appetizers
Having eaten half your bowlful just last night, I can vouch for this recipe. It’s deeeeelish!!
Hey maria,
This recipe looks and sounds amazing! Question, do you put in 5-6 whole green onions, heads, stems, and all?
Yes Amy, I put in the whole onion with the stems. I usually cut them into 2 or 3 pieces so they will pulse better. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
This is definitely a crowd pleaser! I make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas and without fail I’m sharing the recipe.
Now I’m craving it! I’m so glad you like it and it’s become a part of your holiday season! 🙂