46 Festive Cranberry Recipes That Aren't Cranberry Sauce
Get creative with these little red berries.
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
When you think of cranberries, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the red sauce that sits next to your mashed potatoes and turkey. And of course the great debate that accompanies cranberry sauce—canned or homemade? But cranberries aren't just for the sauce that you find on your Thanksgiving table.
We have plenty of sweet and savory recipes that use the tart fruit in unique ways from baked goods and cocktails to appetizers and salads. Looking to make Grandma proud? Try our cranberry fluff salad or a centerpiece-worthy mold. Need something for a holiday cookie swap? We have lots of cranberry-flavored treats to wow any crowd. Or how about a festive cocktail? Try our holiday spin on Sangría. Whether you're using fresh, dried, or frozen berries, these 46 cranberry recipes will put anyone in a cheerful mood.
Cranberry-Orange Bundt Cake
Put a festive spin on your traditional pound cake recipe with tart cranberries, orange liqueur, and orange zest. Be sure to allow it to cool before adding the sweet orange glaze so it doesn't melt into the cake.
Cranberry Apple Pie
Move over plain apple pie, there's a new fall favorite on the table. Juicy and tart cranberries pair perfectly with sweet and crisp apples for an all around delicious pie. To save time, this recipe uses store-bought pie crust.
Cranberry Baked Brie Bites
Put a winter twist on this go-to easy appetizer. Switch out pepper jelly for a dollop of homemade cranberry sauce atop each puff-pastry baked brie bite.
Cranberry Fluff Salad
Antonis Achilleos, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Side or dessert, who's to say? You can find this retro fluff salad at any Southern gathering anytime of year, though it always feels particularly festive around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Pear-Cranberry Crisp
This warm dessert leans on two winter fruits that balance each other out. While slightly tart on their own, when you combine cranberries with neutral-flavored pears which impart their subtle sweetness on the red berries, you have a match-made-in-heaven treat.
Cranberry-Orange Bread
Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Have you ever seen a prettier slice of bread? Orange zest and cranberries give a pop of color throughout the loaf while a glaze made with orange juice and zest adds bright color on top.
Layered Cranberry Salad
This centerpiece-worthy mold gets its vibrant color from cranberry juice. Sweetened condensed milk added to part of the mixture creates the pretty pink-hued base layer.
Cranberry-Citrus Parfaits
Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
If you like cheesecake, you'll love this fuss-free, individually portioned alternative. Just be sure to prepare it in advance of your gathering, allowing time for the cranberry compote to chill for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Jennifer Causey
Dried cranberries and rich white chocolate are the star of these soft and chewy cookies. If you're looking for an extra hint of flavor, try adding a dash of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or orange zest.
Cranberry Mules
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Christine Keely
A classic Moscow Mule gets a festive and fruity upgrade with cranberry juice. To cut down on day-of party prep, prepare the mule mixture a day ahead, but wait to add the ginger beer until guests arrive so it doesn't lose its fizz.
Melissa Gray's Cranberry Granita
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis
Think of this refreshing treat like an fancier, homemade spin on the snow cones from your childhood. With just five ingredients, this recipe is made for the non-bakers.
Orange Chess Pie With Cranberry Gelée
Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
This stunning pie is made up of three layers within a flaky pie crust. The custard-like base gets a flavorful addition of orange zest and juice, while the jello-like topping is flavored with cranberries. Add an extra festive finish to the whipped topping with sugared cranberries.
Christmas Sweet Roll Wreath
Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey; Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke
This centerpiece-worthy brunch recipe is easier than it looks. The homemade sweet roll dough is filled with cranberries, pecan pieces, orange slices, and brown sugar to ensure each bite is full of flavor.
Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter
Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Torie Cox; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Apple butter gets enough attention in the fall, which makes this cranberry-pear version all the more special. Serve it with any array of breakfast breads or add it to your next charcuterie board.
Gingerbread Cake With Cranberry-Vanilla Frosting
Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
If you're looking to impress, you'll want to make this showstopping layer cake that is easier to pull together than it looks. Fresh cranberries give the otherwise vanilla buttercream its stunning shade of pink while sugar-crusted berries make for an eye-catching garnish.
Cranberry-Apple Casserole
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
This simple, fruit-filled casserole can pass as breakfast, dessert, or even a side dish on your dining table. We'll leave that decision up to you.
Cranberry Noel Cookies
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Nutty pecans and tart cranberries come together to give these buttery, shortbread-like cookies a hint of texture, flavor, and pop of red. To achieve their uniform circular shape, roll the dough into a smooth log and chill for two hours before slicing.
Brown Sugar-Cranberry Pound Cake With Caramel Frosting
Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
If cake decorating isn't your cup of tea, a Bundt cake is your no-fail answer. This one is speckled with fresh berries and toasted pecan pieces, then drizzled with a buttery caramel frosting.
Frosted Cranberry Kir Royale
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Cranberries give this classic champagne cocktail a festive twist. The tartness of the fruit juice balances the sweetness of the creme de cassis liqueur. Garnish with sugar-rolled berries for extra pizzaz.
Get The RecipeFrosted Cranberry Kir Royale
Cranberry Chiffon Pie
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Add this pie to your Thanksgiving line up for a burst of color and tangy flavor. The gingersnap crust is the perfect complement to the mousse-like cranberry filling. And while you could easily used the canned stuff, go the extra mile and make a homemade whipped topping with dash of ground ginger.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Keep holiday entertaining simple by serving this four-ingredient (all store-bought items) appetizer that's ready in just 20 minutes. All you have to do is fill the mini phyllo pastry shells with a slice of brie, dollop of cranberry sauce, and sprinkle of pistachios before popping them in the oven.
Cranberry Christmas Cake
Orange zest, cinnamon, and chopped cranberries give this cake lots of flavor while buttermilk ensures it's tender. Frost with an orange buttercream and garnish with more cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary for a pretty presentation.
Apple-Cranberry Salad
Cranberries aren't just for baked goods. This hearty mixed greens salad gets an extra autumnal touch thanks to dried cranberries and fresh apple slices.
Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies
Instead of a ho-hum graham cracker crust, crushed gingersnap cookies add an extra layer of flavor to these bite-sized cheesecake pies.
Cranberry-Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip
Everyone loves cream cheese and pepper jelly together, so we took that concept and put a winter twist on it. Generously top a spread of whipped cream cheese with a blend of fresh and dried cranberries, orange zest and juice, parsley, and chopped jalapeño.
Pecan-Cranberry Shortbread
Shortbread in a hurry? You don't have to wait for the butter to soften with this 10 minute hands-on recipe that calls for melted butter. The cookie is speckled with toasted pecans and dried cranberries while a drizzle of melted chocolate gives each one a pretty finish.
White Cake With Cranberry Filling And Orange Buttercream
This cranberry filling-flooded layer cake is reader approved. "I made this for a luncheon at my women's club and it was absolutely gorgeous. Everyone was very impressed not only with presentation, but also with the taste," says Priscilla.
Cranberry-Orange Butter Cookies
While it's hard to beat a traditional butter cookie, this holiday version is the perfect recipe for cookie swaps and gifting throughout the season.
Spiced Cranberry Mold
In lieu of Thanksgiving's go-to cranberry sauce, dust off your jello molds this year and make this eight-ingredient, picture-worthy version. Ginger, cloves, and cinnamon add extra fall flavor to the dish, while apple juice gives it a little sweetness.
Cranberry Sangría Punch
Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: William Smith
Sangria isn't just for enjoying in the summertime heat. This cranberry, orange, and apple version is one you'll want to make all winter long.
Chewy Apple-Cran-Oatmeal Cookies
Throw out the raisins and toss in finely chopped fresh apple slices, dried cranberries, and walnuts to upgrade your oatmeal cookies. Finish with a drizzle of powdered sugar and orange juice glaze.
Cranberry-Orange Cake with Orange Buttercream
Looking for a festive, but not overly decadent way to end your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? This cranberry studded orange cake is just the thing.
Sugared Cranberries
Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
There are endless ways to use sugared (or sparkling) cranberries throughout the holiday season. Prepare a batch and keep them on hand for anything from a cocktail garnish to sprucing up a cake.
Baked Oatmeal with Apple, Cranberries, and Pecans
Loaded with oats, nuts, and fruits, you'll want to prepare this spiced breakfast bake the night before so all you have to do is pop it in the oven.
Cranberry Eggnog Bread
Whether you're looking to bake something for a neighbor or have a special treat on hand for your holiday guests, between the pops of cranberries, walnuts, orange flavor, and eggnog drizzle, this quick bread is sure to satisfy.
Cranberry-Lemon Bars
Lemon bars are the ideal make-ahead dessert which makes them great for busy holiday seasons. Adding a layer of homemade cranberry jam between the pastry dough and tangy lemon curd makes these fit for any celebration.
Cranberry-Apple-Pumpkin Bundt
There are endless recipes that highlight each of these produce ingredients, few incorporate all three into one. But when you do, the result is the ultimate fall cake which seals the deal with a maple glaze drizzled on top.
Mini Pear-Cranberry Pies
The only thing better than a delicious fruit pie is a mini version. Despite its petite size, there's no shortage of flavor thanks to sweet pears, tart cranberries, and buttery oats.
Hot Cranberry Bake
It only takes minutes to have this warm dessert ready to go in the oven. Spread fresh apples and cranberries mixed with lemon juice and sugar in the bottom of your baking dish then top with the crumbly oat mixture and bake until crisp and golden.
Cranberry Dreamsicle
Iain Bagwell
Is it really a Southern holiday if there isn't a trifle at the table? There are endless reasons we love these desserts, especially because they're easy to throw together, taste better the longer they sit, and are pretty enough for the buffet table.
Cranberry Chicken Salad
There are countless renditions of this lunchtime favorite, but in this interpretation among the expected ingredients we're also calling for dried cranberries, sweet pickle relish, parsley, and chives.
Cranberry Mojito
A dash of cranberry reduction gives this beloved beachy rum cocktail a wintertime spin. Garnish with sprigs of mint and lime slices. For a bonus touch, add sugared berries.
Cranberry-Almond Cookies
This recipe makes a whopping three and a half dozen cookies, so you won't even need to double the batch to have enough for your family and friends.
Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling Recipe
This glowing review from one reader says it all. "I made this cake many years ago for a Christmas party and it was such a hit that my family doesn’t consider it Christmas without this cake! It’s a great combination of winter flavors with a stunning presentation."
Apple-Cranberry Coleslaw
Whether as a side or on top of a barbecue sandwich, you'll definitely want to bring this slaw to your next potluck. To save time, use pre-shredded cabbage.
Classic Cranberry Salad
This crunchy alternative to cranberry sauce might call for an unusual combination of ingredients, but we promise once you try it, you'll see why it's Test-Kitchen approved.
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Read the original article on Southern Living.
