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December 18, 2014 5 Comments

Cranberry Salsa

Cranberry-Salsa-real-life-dinner

 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.

Cranberry-Salsa-with-cream-cheese

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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!

Cranberry-Salsa-Real-Life-Dinner

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.

a two image pinterest collage with the name of the recipe separating the two pictures

chef’s tools:

  • Food Processor
  • Blender
  • Serving Bowl
  • 8×8 Serving Dish
  • Serving Spoons

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Soft Batch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie BarsNo-Bake-Cherry-Cheesecake-2No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake {9×13 size}Stack of three plates with a piece of pineapple dessert o top and a fork is taking a bite out of it. in the background you can see the corner of a 8x8 glass baking dishPineapple Dream Dessert

5.0 from 2 reviews
Cranberry Salsa
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Total time
10 mins
 
Delicious Cranberry salsa spread over cream cheese served with chips make this a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Holiday
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. Pulse cranberries, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro in a food processor or blender until desired consistency.
  2. Place cranberry mixture into a bowl and add sugar and cumin. Stir until well combined.
  3. Allow to chill for at least one hour before serving.
  4. Serve with chips and crackers.
  5. 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.
  6. Enjoy!
3.4.3177

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a pinterest image for cranberry salsa. a chip taking a dip out of a bowl of dark red cranberry salsa

 

After School Snacks, Appetizers, Christmas, Condiments, Cream Cheese, Gluten Free, Healthy Recipes, Holiday, Ingredients, More, New Year's Eve, Recipes, Salsa, Thanksgiving
Christmas recipes, cranberry dishes, cranberry recipe, cranberry recipes, cranberry salsa, cranberry salsa recipe, holiday cranberry recipe, Holiday recipes, recipes with cranberries, spicy cranberry salsa, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Recipes
5 Comments

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5 Comments

  1. kim p

    December 18, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    Having eaten half your bowlful just last night, I can vouch for this recipe. It’s deeeeelish!!

    reply to this comment
  2. Amy Sharp

    December 19, 2014 at 9:59 am

    Hey maria,

    This recipe looks and sounds amazing! Question, do you put in 5-6 whole green onions, heads, stems, and all?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 19, 2014 at 10:06 am

      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!

      reply to this comment
  3. Aubrey

    February 24, 2021 at 10:47 pm

    This is definitely a crowd pleaser! I make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas and without fail I’m sharing the recipe.

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 27, 2021 at 7:49 am

      Now I’m craving it! I’m so glad you like it and it’s become a part of your holiday season! 🙂

      reply to this comment

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Welcome friends!

Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


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Hi, I'm a professional recipe developer, with a degree in teaching and a minor in nutrition. I love helping busy families, like mine, "eat good" despite their crazy schedules...join the fun! Start here

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