Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (2024)

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese is a delicious appetizer perfect for the holidays! It’s fresh, tangy, ready in minutes, and an easy make-ahead recipe!This Cranberry Salsa recipe is a tasty crowd favorite anytime!

This Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese is a festive, favorite appetizer we love and serve often for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. And if you are looking for other appetizers to make for the holidays, you’ll love my spinach artichoke dip, cookie dough dip, and bacon ranch cheese ball.

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (1)

Juicy cranberries and other fresh ingredients make a sweet, tangy, and spicy salsa that’s absolutely divine! This is so delicious that I wait impatiently for the fresh cranberries to arrive at the grocery store. And then I stockpile bags for my freezer! Cranberry Salsa is great served as a salsa with chips and more. And it’s out of this world delicious served over cream cheese and eaten with crackers, fruit, or chips. It’s a great make-ahead recipe for the holidays, too!

Table of Contents

  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • How to Make Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese
  • Ingredients
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Easy Make Ahead Holiday Appetizer
  • Storage Tips
  • Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread
  • Other Favorite Cranberry Recipes
  • Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Tastes amazing. It is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy, and fresh! Great as a salsa with chips and over cream cheese, too!

Quick and easy. It comes together quickly and is such an easy recipe!

Make-ahead perfection. Make the cranberry salsa up to 7 days ahead to make entertaining even easier!

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (2)

To make this cranberry salsa, you will need:

How to Make Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese

Ingredients

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

  • cranberries – Use fresh cranberries, or if using frozen cranberries, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
  • sugar – Use granulated sugar
  • jalapeno pepper – Remove the seeds and the pith, then chop the jalapeno.
  • green onion
  • cilantro – Use fresh cilantro
  • orange zest
  • orange juice
  • cream cheese – For serving
  • Serve with crackers, fruit slices, or tortilla chips.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add fresh cranberries (or frozen cranberries you’ve thawed overnight in the refrigerator) and sugar to your food processor or high-speed blender. Then, pulse about 30 pulses until the cranberries are coarsely chopped.

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (3)
Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (4)

Stir in jalapeno, green onions, cilantro, orange zest, and orange juice.

After adding these ingredients to the cranberry sugar mixture, pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (5)
Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (6)

Serve the cranberry salsa recipe with chips or enjoy it on a sandwich, wrap, beef, or fish.

You can also spoon the salsa over softened cream cheese on a serving platter. Serve on the platter with sliced fruit, butter crackers, wheat thins, or tortilla chips, and enjoy!

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (7)

Easy Make Ahead Holiday Appetizer

This cranberry salsa recipe becomes even more magical as a make-ahead appetizer. Pour the salsa into a bowl, cover it with a tight-fitting lid, or wrap it with plastic wrap and then refrigerate it overnight (or at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop).

It is one of my favorite make-ahead recipes for the holidays!

Storage Tips

To Store: Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. You can make the cranberry salsa well in advance to keep your holiday entertaining as stress-free as possible.

To Serve: When ready to serve, place your cream cheese onto a serving platter about 15 to 30 minutes before serving time. Then, as you begin to serve, spoon your cranberry salsa onto your cream cheese and watch a crowd gather around it!

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (8)

Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread

Spread softened cream cheese in a shallow bowl and combine with some of the cranberry salsa. Spread on bagels, toast, Ritz crackers, wheat thins, or fruit slices. It is perfect for dipping!

Other Favorite Cranberry Recipes

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Orange Scones

Sweet and Spicy Cranberry co*cktail Meatballs

Warm Brie with Honeyed Fruit Compote

Here’s the Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!

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Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe

Robyn Stone

5 from 4 votes

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese is a quick appetizer perfect for the holidays! It's fresh, tangy, delicious, ready in minutes, and an easy make-ahead recipe!Delicious served with crackers, fruit, or chips. You can also serve the fresh, zesty cranberry salsa with chips or over beef, fish, and sandwiches!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 medium jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons sliced green onions,
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened, for serving
  • crackers or fruit slices, for serving

Instructions

  • Add cranberries and sugar to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 30 pulses. Stir in jalapeno, onion, cilantro, orange zest, and orange juice, and pulse a few times until these ingredients are roughly chopped and blended with the cranberries. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

  • To serve, arrange cream cheese on a serving tray, strain away juices from the cranberry salsa, and spoon on top of the cream cheese. Serve with assorted crackers or fruit slices. The salsa can also be served on its own with tortilla chips.

Notes

Make Ahead Cranberry Salsa

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

When ready to serve, place your cream cheese onto a serving platter about 15 to 30 minutes before serving time to reach room temperature. Then top with cranberry salsa and serve.

Storage Tips

To Store: Place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 7 days. You can make the cranberry salsa well in advance for busy holiday entertaining.

To Serve: When ready to serve, place your cream cheese onto a serving platter about 15 to 30 minutes before serving time. Then, as you begin to serve, spoon your cranberry salsa onto your cream cheese and watch a crowd gather around it!

Nutrition

Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Potassium: 24mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 2.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Categorized as:30 Minutes or Less Recipes, All Recipes, Appetizers, Christmas Recipes, Cooking, Dip Recipes, Egg-Free Recipes, Game Day Recipes, Halloween Recipes, Make-ahead Recipes, No Cook Recipes, Recipes, Salsa Recipes, Shower Recipes, Snacks, Thanksgiving Recipes, Valentine’s Day Recipes

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

Read more about Robyn

Cranberry Salsa over Cream Cheese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cut the tartness out of cranberry sauce? ›

Add A Splash Of Vinegar

Their sharp tang counteracts bitter flavors without having to add extra sugar. While citrus is a natural pairing for cranberry sauce, bright, savory vinegars like sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar play well with the bitter-tart berries.

How to get cranberry sauce to thicken? ›

Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.

What are the two types of cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce can be served either as a gooey liquid or as a solid jelly. The jellied version is solid enough to retain the shape of the container in which it's placed whereas the sauce version is much more fluid. The difference between the fluid sauce and the jelly versions comes down to pectin.

Why is my cranberry sauce so watery? ›

Mistake #2: Your Cranberry Sauce Is Too Runny

But what if you've been cooking it forever and it's still not right? You may have added too much liquid to the cranberries. In addition to pectin, cranberries contain water, which means you only need to add a splash of liquid to get the cooking going.

What takes the bitterness out of cranberry sauce? ›

"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."

What cancels out tartness? ›

How Do You Neutralize Sour Taste in Food? If a dish is too sour, add a little bit of sugar! Sweetness balances out sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help soften the blow of the sour food.

How do you spruce up cranberry sauce from a can? ›

Top with dried or fresh fruits

Sure, you can go all meta with some dried cranberries or sliced fresh raw cranberries, but I also like to think about complementary flavors — dried cherries, dried mulberries, golden raisins, chopped apricots. All work great with cranberry sauce.

How do you fix cranberry sauce that didn't gel? ›

If you have followed these instructions, and for some reason the sauce still won't gel, add 1 envelope of unflavoured gelatin to the sauce and bring to a hard boil, stirring frequently.

How do you fix too much sugar in cranberry sauce? ›

Luckily, there is a very easy way to fix an over-sugared homemade sauce: You just need a little citric acid.

What is the best store bought whole berry cranberry sauce? ›

Best Whole Berry: Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

For those who prefer a whole berry sauce, Ocean Spray was the clear winner. Not only did editors love it for the freshness, texture, and flavor, but several also noted that it was the most visually appealing of the bunch.

What's healthier homemade or store bought cranberry sauce? ›

Nutritional Facts Face-Off

We can see there is a significant difference in the nutrition facts between the two sauces. The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!

Is canned cranberry sauce better? ›

While there are some editors who prefer homemade cranberry sauce, the canned variety also has quite a following. "There's something so beautifully perfect about the texture of canned cranberry sauce, and none of those homemade mess will ever compete," says Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland.

Does homemade cranberry sauce thicken as it cools? ›

Reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes, until the berries have all burst. Remove from heat. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

How to enhance cranberry sauce? ›

Stir-in one (or more) of the following add-ins to one can of whole or jellied cranberry sauce:
  1. 2 Tbsp. of orange juice plus 1 tsp. of finely grated orange peel.
  2. ½ can of mandarin oranges.
  3. ½ cup pineapple.
  4. ½ tsp. cinnamon.
  5. ½ cup chopped dried apricots.
  6. ½ cup toasted pecans.
  7. 2 Tbsp. Zinfandel Wine.
Aug 11, 2022

Why do you open cranberry sauce upside down? ›

But why? Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”

How do you fix cranberry sauce that is too sweet? ›

My cranberry sauce is too sweet now that I taste it. How do I fix it? Add a splash of red wine or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt to lessen sweetness.

How do you get the tart taste out of sauce? ›

You can smooth out your sauce and remove the tartness by adding cream, butter, cream cheese, and/or grated cheese such as Parmesan.

How do you mellow out tartness? ›

Tartness is a subset of sourness, but it implies that the acidity is coming specifically from citrus. It's easily counteracted with a small amount of sugar, honey or maple syrup.

How do you counteract tart taste? ›

How to Make Food Less Acidic. Add a fat such as butter, heavy cream, sour cream, cheese, or olive oil to coat the tongue and physically block some of the acidity from your taste buds. You might also try adding a sweetener such as sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

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