Fresh Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa
Cranberry jalapeño salsa is an easy holiday appetizer with a sweet-tart flavor and a vibrant color. Serve this low-effort appetizer at your next party, gathering, or on game days.
Looking for more cranberry recipes? Try my whole berry cranberry sauce, cranberry apple oat crumble, or sparkling cranberry mocktail with ginger & orange.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fresh cranberry salsa:
- Fresh cranberries
- Jalapeno pepper
- Maple syrup
- White onion
- Cilantro
- Lime zest and lime juice
- Kosher salt – to taste.
How to Make Jalapeño Cranberry Salsa: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Wash and sift. Add the fresh cranberries to a colander, rinse well, and drain off any excess water. Sift through the cranberries, discarding any bruised berries.
- Pulse. Place cranberries in the bowl of a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Pulse several times until all the ingredients are broke down but still have texture. Season with more maple syrup or salt as needed, to taste.
- Chill. Let the cranberry mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes in order for the flavors to meld.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with tortilla chips, your favorite crackers, toast, etc. Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- If you don’t want any spice, remove the membranes and seeds from the jalapeno.
Quick Tip: Don’t fully blend the salsa, only use the pulse button. Otherwise, it’ll have too much liquid.
Storage
Store leftover salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this jalapeno cranberry salsa recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No maple syrup? – you can substitute organic cane sugar, white sugar, or coconut sugar but you’ll need to bump up the amount to 4-5 tablespoons, to taste.
- No white onion? – sub yellow onion, red onion, or shallot.
- Don’t like cilantro? – use green onions or chives.
- No limes? – use lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Make cranberry orange salsa – use orange zest and orange juice in place of the lime.
- Make cranberry jalapeno dip – serve over dairy free cream cheese or cashew cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can eat cranberries raw, but the real magic happens when you let the salsa chill so the flavors can fully develop.
More Cranberry Recipes
- Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry Apple Oat Crumble
- Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail With Ginger & Orange
- Fall Harvest Salad With Cranberry Vinaigrette
I hope you love this Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa! If you make this recipe, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Fresh Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds & membrane removed if desired, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup white onion roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- zest and juice of 1 lime about 2 tablespoons juice
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and sift. Add the fresh cranberries to a colander, rinse well, and drain off any excess water. Sift through the cranberries, discarding any bruised berries.
- Pulse. Place cranberries in the bowl of a food processor with the remaining ingredients. Pulse several times until all the ingredients are broke down but still have texture. Season with more maple syrup or salt as needed, to taste.
- Chill. Let the cranberry mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes in order for the flavors to meld.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with tortilla chips, your favorite crackers, toast, etc. Enjoy!