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Best Cranberry Relish with Nuts (or Not)

Create this fresh cranberry relish with nuts for your holiday gathering. People will think it is the best relish they have ever tasted.

Fresh Cranberry salad in a glass bowl before and after mixing

I make a raw cranberry salad with oranges and apples for Thanksgiving every year. My friends and family always request it.

I usually double the recipe and share it with friends and neighbors. They await this for their meal each year. Yes, that is a lot of cranberry chutney since this recipe makes 8 cups.

This is truly the best cranberry relish with pecans that I have ever had! It is also tasty when you make it with walnuts, but it works without nuts at all, too.

Cranberry Relish with Nuts Recipe

You will love this cranberry sauce recipe because:

  • no cooking is involved
  • can be made with or without nuts
  • you will get so many compliments and requests for the recipe
  • goes well with all sorts of dishes

Plus it is the perfect use for a bag of cranberries.

Fresh Cranberry Chutney Ingredients

Gather the following ingredients for this recipe:

  • a bag of fresh cranberries
  • two different apples (Granny Smith and Fuji)
  • an orange
  • mandarin oranges
  • can of crushed pineapple
  • sugar

The inclusion of pecans or walnuts is optional.

How to Make Fresh Cranberry Salad

This Thanksgiving recipe is so easy to make! It is the perfect make-ahead side dish, as the flavors blend together nicely when made a day or two in advance.

  1. Chop the cranberry in a food processor and place in a mixing bowl.
  2. Core and the apples, then process them into small pieces. Move to the bowl.
  3. Peel and section the orange and chop it in the food processor for a very short time.
  4. If using fresh mandarin oranges, peel and section, then add them to the orange above. Otherwise, drain the can and add directly to the mixing bowl.
  5. Add the entire can of crushed pineapple to the bowl.
  6. Stir all the fruit together until well combined.
  7. Mix in the sugar.
  8. If using nuts, chop and stir them in.
  9. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The same preparation technique is used for Cranberry Salsa.

The diagram below shows you how I make this recipe layer by later in a 2 Qt Glass Bowl. This is the bowl I refrigerate the relish in.

cranberry relish recipe layered ingredients

This is what the recipe looks like, all stirred up. Can you believe how much of the red from the cranberry comes through when it is mixed? Yum!

cranberry orange relish in a glass bowl

Crazy for Cranberries

Cranberry season is one of my favorites of the year. I cannot seem to get enough cranberry. I have also made Cranberry Pepper Jam.

This cranberry-orange apple relish goes with just about anything. I have added it to a salad, eat it for breakfast, and put it alongside various casseroles. You can even eat it with Cranberry Muffins.

My sister and I text each other whenever we find a new food or dish that goes well with it. It is not too tart or sweet, so it goes with many different foods.

I made several batches of this in November and December. This Fresh Cranberry Relish is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What would you eat this cranberry orange pineapple relish with? Check out my Cranberry Apple Crisp.

collage of fresh cranberry relish in a glass bowl

Yield: 8 cups

Cranberry Relish with Nuts

close up of fresh cranberry relish

This is the best cranberry relish, made with fresh cranberries, pecans, and other fruit.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bag fresh cranberries (12 oz)
  • 1 fuji apple
  • 1 granny smith apple
  • 1 orange or tangerine
  • 1 small can of mandarin oranges or 2-3 fresh mandarin oranges
  • 1 can crushed pineapple
  • 1/2 – 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup pecans

Instructions

  1. Rinse off the cranberries and apples.
  2. Coarsely chop the cranberries in a food processor.
  3. Core the apples and place them in the food processor. Chop the cranberry and apple together.
  4. Peel the orange and pull the sections apart and place it in the food processor. Chop for a very short time.
  5. Pour the cranberry mixture into a 2 Qt glass bowl that has a lid.
  6. Drain the mandarin oranges and add them to the bowl.
  7. Dump the can of crushed pineapple into the bowl.
  8. Stir all the fruit together, combining well.
  9. Add the sugar to the bowl and stir.
  10. Optional: finely chop the pecans and stir them into the cranberry relish.
  11. Refrigerate. Stir once a day.

Notes

This recipe tastes best if made at least 24-48 hours before eating.

I love it when readers share photos of my recipes! Upload one here on Pinterest.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

32

Serving Size:

1/4 cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Carbohydrates: 1.34gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Lorna

Thursday 22nd of November 2018

The fresh apple taste is amazing. This has just become a Thanksgiving meal tradition!

Diana Rambles

Friday 23rd of November 2018

Thank you! It goes with so many things!!

Katlyn

Wednesday 21st of November 2018

How long can this last when refrigerated? Thank you!

Diana Rambles

Friday 23rd of November 2018

5-6 days

Tyler

Monday 20th of November 2017

If making the night before, should the pecans still be stirred in? Is the idea to soften them?

Diana Rambles

Tuesday 21st of November 2017

I'm making it today and YES stirring in the pecans. I chop them pretty fine.

Pat

Monday 21st of November 2016

I used to make this. My mother in law always made it..delicious

Diana Rambles

Monday 21st of November 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennifer

Sunday 20th of November 2016

What a creative spin on cranberry for Thanksgiving! I just love the cranberry/apple/orange combination. YUM!

Diana Rambles

Monday 21st of November 2016

It's a great combination!

Comments are closed.
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