Cranberry Relish (Orange Cooked)
intro
Bright, tangy-sweet cooked cranberry relish infused with fresh orange and warm spice, perfectly balanced to cut through rich holiday roasts, stuffing, and gravy.
Ingredients
Steps
Sort and Rinse Cranberries
Pour the whole fresh cranberries onto the bamboo cutting board. Use the paring knife to nudge berries across the board surface, picking out and discarding any soft, discolored, or bruised berries, plus any small brown stems attached to fruit. Transfer sorted, intact berries to the fine-mesh stainless steel sieve, and rinse under cool running water for 30 seconds to remove any dust or field debris. Shake the sieve gently to remove excess water from the berries, then set aside.
Zest and Juice Orange
Place the clean navel orange on the cleared section of the bamboo cutting board. Hold the microplane zester at a 45-degree angle, and grate only the bright orange outer zest from the fruit, taking care to avoid the bitter white pith underneath, until you have 1 tablespoon of finely grated curly zest. Cut the zested orange in half with the paring knife, then press each half onto the stainless steel citrus juicer, twisting firmly to extract all juice, letting the juicer’s built-in ridges catch any seeds. Pour the collected juice into the clear glass measuring cup; you should have roughly 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice.
Combine Ingredients in Pot
Set the 2-quart stainless steel saucepan on the portable induction cooktop at the back of the counter over medium heat. Add the rinsed, drained cranberries, measured granulated sugar, fresh orange juice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and pinch of fine sea salt to the pot. Stir briefly with the silicone spatula to coat all cranberries evenly in the sugar and juice mixture, before the sugar begins to dissolve.
Simmer to Pop Cranberries
Bring the mixture in the saucepan to a gentle, low simmer, adjusting the induction cooktop heat to medium-low to maintain soft, steady bubbles rather than a violent rolling boil. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes with the silicone spatula to prevent sugar or cranberries from sticking and burning on the pot bottom. Cranberries will make faint popping sounds as their skins split from the heat; stop cooking when roughly 2/3 of the berries have popped, leaving 1/3 whole for pleasant texture.
Stir in Fresh Zest
Once the cranberries reach the desired chunky texture, turn off the induction cooktop completely. Stir the reserved 1 tablespoon of fresh orange zest into the hot relish, mixing thoroughly with the silicone spatula to distribute zest evenly throughout the mixture. The residual heat of the relish will release bright, aromatic citrus oils from the zest without cooking it long enough to turn bitter.
Cool to Thicken Relish
Remove the saucepan from the induction cooktop, and set it on the cork trivet to cool for 15 minutes at room temperature. Stir gently every 5 minutes to release trapped heat; the relish will thicken from a thin, watery juice consistency to a glossy, spoonable texture as it cools, thanks to natural pectin released from the cranberry skins. Do not add cornstarch or other thickeners, as they will make the relish gummy.
Transfer and Garnish Relish
Give the cooled relish one final stir with the silicone spatula to evenly distribute whole and broken berries through the thick syrup. Scoop the entire batch of relish into the footed cream ceramic serving bowl, smoothing the top gently with the spatula. Garnish the surface with a thin curled twist of fresh orange zest and one small sprig of fresh thyme for a bright, herbal accent. The relish can be served immediately warm, or chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
Tips
2.Do not overcook the cranberries: if every berry bursts completely, the relish will turn into a smooth, jelly-like texture instead of the desired chunky, textured consistency. Leaving 1/3 of the berries whole adds a pleasant pop of tart flavor and textural contrast in every bite.
3.Make this relish up to 3 days ahead of your holiday meal: the citrus and spice flavors meld and deepen as it chills in the refrigerator, which eliminates last-minute cooking stress on gathering day. Let the chilled relish sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving to bring out its full bright flavor.
Game changer! I’ve been making my grandma’s cooked cranberry relish for years and never thought to amp up the orange flavor like this. My kids usually pick at the cranberry sauce and leave most of it, but they asked for SECONDS this year at Thanksgiving dinner. 10/10, will be making this every year from now on.
Wait, this only takes 15 minutes? I was planning to spend forever on a fancy relish for my office holiday potluck tomorrow and this looks perfect. Quick question—does this hold up okay in the fridge for a couple days, or should I make it the morning of?
Made this last night to go with our weeknight pork chops and it slapped. Way better than the store bought relish I usually grab, and so simple even I can’t mess it up. Will definitely be adding this to our regular weeknight rotation.
I was worried this would be too sweet for my taste, but the orange zest cuts the sugar so nicely! I used a little less granulated sugar than the recipe called for since my cranberries were extra ripe, and it was perfectly tart and sweet. 10/10.
Brought this to my neighborhood cookie swap and potluck last weekend and every single person asked for the recipe! I didn’t have fresh oranges on hand so I used a splash of good quality orange juice concentrate and it still turned out amazing. So versatile!
Solid, easy relish. Not too fussy, doesn’t require a million weird ingredients. I made it for meal prep to put on turkey sandwiches all week and it’s chef’s kiss. Way better than slathering mayo on everything, honestly.
My grandma used to make a cooked cranberry orange relish almost exactly like this, and this recipe tastes just like I remember! I added a handful of chopped pecans at the end for a little crunch, just like she did, and it took me right back to childhood Christmases. Thank you for this!
Wait, has anyone tried serving this warm instead of chilled? I’m making a big holiday ham tonight and wondering if it would be good served right off the stove instead of waiting for it to cool.
OMG this is SO good! I was in a huge rush before Thanksgiving dinner because I forgot to buy cranberry sauce last minute, and this came together so fast I didn’t even break a sweat. The orange flavor is so bright and fresh, no one believed it only took me 15 minutes to make.
Pretty good, I added a splash of bourbon to mine to give it a little extra depth for our adult Friendsgiving. Would recommend, it pairs so well with the orange and cranberry flavors. Easy recipe to tweak to your taste.
My kids loved it! I was convinced they’d turn their noses up at anything cranberry that wasn’t the jiggly canned kind, but they thought the little orange flecks were “fun sprinkles” and ate every bite on their plates. Win for this mom!
I made this for the first time last night and I think I messed up? My cranberries got super mushy way faster than the 15 minute cook time said, and it turned out more like a jam than a relish. Did I do something wrong?
This is my new go-to cranberry recipe! I’ve tried so many over the years that are either too tart, too sweet, or require way too many steps. This is perfectly balanced, dead simple, and tastes like the holidays in a bowl. Already bought extra cranberries to make a second batch this weekend.
Made this to go with our post-Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches and it was *chef’s kiss*. The bright tang cut through all the rich leftover turkey and stuffing so well, I’m actually mad I didn’t make a double batch because we ate all of it in two days.
Wait, can I freeze this? I have a ton of fresh cranberries left over from my last grocery run and I want to make a few batches ahead for all the holiday dinners we have coming up next month.
Not gonna lie, I was skeptical about a cooked cranberry relish because I’ve only ever had the raw kind with orange and apple, but this won me over. The cook time makes the cranberries so soft and the orange flavor really infuses every bite. Definitely a convert.
Made this for a work potluck today and multiple people came up to tell me it was their favorite dish on the table! I added a tiny bit of orange liqueur at the end for a little fun twist, and it was a hit. Will absolutely be making this again.
Super easy, minimal cleanup, great flavor. I don’t cook much so I was nervous to make a side for my family’s Christmas dinner, but this was totally foolproof. Even my very critical mother in law said it was excellent, which is basically a Michelin star as far as I’m concerned.
Is there a good substitute for oranges? My kid has a citrus allergy so I can’t use orange zest or juice, but I really want to make a cranberry relish this year that’s not just plain.
Great basic recipe that’s easy to customize. I threw in a handful of dried cranberries and a little orange extract because I was short on fresh cranberries, and it still turned out amazing. Perfect for when you don’t have a fully stocked pantry during the busy holiday season.