This Cranberry Salsa Recipe is sweet, savory, and tastes amazing! It’s the perfect appetizer for your holiday gatherings, and it can be ready in under 10 minutes!
If you’re planning to entertain this holiday season, here are a few more easy appetizers we think your guests will love – Marshmallow Fruit Dip, Caprese Skewers, and Grape Jelly Meatballs. (<- Those are my favorite!)

Cranberry Salsa
I was first introduced to this delicious cranberry salsa from a neighbor over 15 years ago! She gifted a jar to our family for Christmas one year with a bag of Tostitos Lime chips and it was (and maybe still is!) one of my very favorite neighbor gifts we’ve ever received for Christmas!
This delicious and thoughtful gift completely solidified our friendship forever – and we are still friends even after all these years! If you’re looking for the perfect holiday appetizer for your next Christmas or Thanksgiving gathering, or if you just want your neighbors to like you more, make this salsa. I promise you won’t regret it!
How to Make Cranberry Salsa
Making this salsa is as easy as tossing some simple ingredients in a food processor… no chopping required! As with any salsa, you can adjust the flavor by adding more or less of the ingredients listed.
INGREDIENTS –
- fresh cranberries
- sugar
- jalapeno pepper
- cilantro
- green onions
- lime juice
- salt
NOTE – Depending on how tart your cranberries are you may want to add up to a half cup more of sugar.
INSTRUCTIONS –
The prep time for this salsa is literally 5 minutes or less!
Simply place all of the ingredients (except the cream cheese) in a food processor and pulse until it is mixed well and chopped fine.
Serving Suggestions
There are 2 ways my family enjoys this cranberry salsa –
- Serve it in a small bowl next to some tortilla chips. (If you’ve never tried any chips flavored with lime – TRY IT! They are delicious with this salsa!!
- Pour over a brick cream cheese and serve it with crackers. Make sure you get crackers that are sturdy enough to cut into the cream cheese. Wheat Thins, Triscuits, or a variety of entertaining crackers work well, but Saltine or Ritz Crackers tend to crumble and break.
Storage Instructions
Store salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Other Cranberry Recipes
- Cranberry Butter
- Orange and Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones
- Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad
Here’s a printable recipe card so you can print this and save it for your next holiday gathering –
Cranberry Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, add more to taste
- 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped coarsely (leave the seeds in if you like it spicy)
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 green onions
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- pinch of salt
- 1 – 8 ounce block of cream cheese
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients (except the cream cheese) in a food processor and pulse until it is mixed well and chopped fine.
- Serve over cream cheese and with tortilla chips or crackers.
I made this for Christmas Eve, and it was a HUGE hit!!!
This cranberry salsa looks incredibly delicious!! I can’t wait to try it!
This salsa is freaking amazing! I love this so much! thank you for sharing this recipe
So tasty! I served it with a variety of different kind of crackers! It was a big hit!