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.
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- 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:
- 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! 🙂