Sweet and spicy cranberry salsa served over cream cheese is the best holiday appetizer. This easy dip pairs well with chips or crackers and will be a hit at holiday parties!
Some of our other favorite holiday appetizers are bacon ranch cheese ball, cranberry brie bites and cranberry meatballs!
Table of Contents
Fresh Cranberry Salsa Recipe
Whenever I bring this cranberry salsa dip anywhere, I always get asked for the recipe. It’s the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving or serve it on on a Christmas charcuterie board to add a colorful vibrant touch!
I love this appetizer because the flavor combination of sweet cranberries with spicy jalapeno are unique and unexpected. The salsa is then served over softened cream cheese, which adds a creamy and tangy component that tastes absolutely amazing.
Recipe Ingredients
Cranberries become the star of this appetizer with the help of a few flavorful ingredients.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Cranberries: Look for a bag of fresh cranberries that have a vibrant dark red tone.
- Green onions: Use green onions, as they have a milder taste but still add plenty of flavor.
- Cilantro: This herb is loaded with flavor and blends together nicely with the other ingredients.
- Jalapeno: This gives the salsa the perfect amount of spice. Keep the seeds on the pepper if you like spicy (remove them if you don’t).
- Sugar: The sugar helps maximize the sweetness of the fresh cranberries. You can add more or less to taste.
- Lime juice: Mix in a spoonful of lime or lemon juice to add some acidity to the salsa.
- Cream cheese: It’s creaminess and tang compliments the sweet and spicy flavors from the dip. Make sure to soften cream cheese before serving.
How to Make Cranberry Salsa
Use a food processor or blender to blend together the rinsed cranberries, green onions, cilantro and jalapeno. You want the mixture to be finely chopped, but not pureed.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the sugar, lime juice and salt. Cover the bowl and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours so that the flavors can marinate together. The longer it marinates, the more flavor the salsa will have.
Spread the softened cream cheese on a plate or in a shallow pie dish. Drain any extra juices from the salsa, then spread it evenly on top of the cream cheese. Serve with your favorite crackers or chips!
Tips and Variations
- Make sure to rinse and dry your cranberries really well. I like to rinse them in a strainer and then place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.
- I’d recommend making this salsa the day before, so that the flavors can marinate together overnight. Add on top of the cream cheese just before serving and strain any extra juices.
- Add an extra jalapeno for extra spice.
- Add chopped pecans to the salsa just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
While I love to serve cranberry salsa with cream cheese, you can serve it over baked brie instead. You can also serve the cranberry salsa on it’s own and don’t add the cream cheese.
I love to serve it with Wheat Thins, tortilla chips, Ritz Crackers or other favorite crackers.
We love fresh salsa recipes including restaurant style salsa, fruit salsa and corn salsa.
More Cranberry Recipes
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Cranberry Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro , plus more to taste
- 1 jalapeno , minced and seeded (leave seeds if you like spice)
- ½ cup granulated sugar , plus more to taste
- 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces cream cheese , softened
For serving: Crackers (I prefer Wheat Thins and Ritz) or tortilla chips
Instructions
- Rinse and dry cranberries. Rinse 12 ounces of fresh cranberries in a strainer and remove any that may be mushy. Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.
- Chop ingredients. In a food processor or blender, pulse the cranberries, 1/2 cup green onions, 1/3 cup cilantro, and 1 jalapeno until finely chopped, but not to puréed.
- Combine with sugar. Pour into a bowl (leaving any extra juice in blender) and stir in 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon lime juice, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Store in a covered container and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Spread cream cheese in dish. When ready to serve, spread cream cheese onto a plate or in the bottom of a shallow 9-inch pie dish.
- Serve. Drain any excess juice from the salsa and spoon on top of the cream cheese. Top with a sprig of cilantro, if desired. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
No, but it will take longer to finely chop the ingredients. You will need to use a sharp knife to carefully mince the cranberries.
While fresh cranberries provide the best texture, you can use frozen cranberries for a softer texture. Using frozen cranberries is a great way to make this dip all winter long since fresh cranberries are sold mostly in stores during peak season – November and December. Be sure to thaw frozen cranberries completely and pat dry.
Cranberry salsa with cream cheese can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. The cranberry salsa on it’s own can be stored up to 7 days, just drain juices before serving over cream cheese.
Absolutely! Store the salsa in a freezer bag and spread out so it is flat. Place it in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Categorized as: American, Appetizers, Christmas, Dips, Thanksgiving
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Hi. Made this for Thanksgiving. Delightful change for an appetizer. My family loved it. Daughter took any left home with her. Thanks for this recipe.
I just made this. Beautiful color!! I couldn’t wait until tomorrow, so I dipped a cracker in. FABULOUS 😍
Have you tried this with goat cheese?
I haven’t, but I bet that would be yummy too! Let us know if you test it out.
So yummy! A little too sweet, but you could always reduce the sugar.
Yes, you can definitely reduce the sugar :)
Can I make this ahead of time? How many days? thanks
Yes, I’d actually recommend making this salsa the day before, so that the flavors can marinate together overnight. Add on top of the cream cheese just before serving and strain any extra juices.
We wait all year for fresh cranberries to come out so we can make this! It is the perfect holiday appetizer or side dish. It’s delicious!
Yay, I’m so glad you love it! I can’t wait to make it again this year too :)
This is such a festive and refreshing appetizer! Crowd pleaser!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
This is a new staple in my house for the Holidays, with or without Jalapeño this is incredible the only change I made was using whipped cream cheese instead of regular.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a comment Gina!
Was a big success, everyone loved it including me and I don’t even like cranberries! Will do this again!
My entire family loved this! I have kids aged 14-2 and everyone thought it was delicious. We liked it with corn chips!
So you don’t cook the cranberries?
Nope! Fresh cranberries.
Can I use frozen cranberries??
I’ve never tried but I think that should work good, let us know if you try it :)
Could I use frozen cranberries?
I’ve never tried but I think that should work good, let us know if you try it :)
What do you think about adding raspberrys to the dip.??
I haven’t tried it before but I bet it would be delicious! :)
I love this salsa! It’s such a fun, different take on cranberries and perfect for holidays!!
I’m so glad to hear you love it! :)
I absolutely love cranberry salsa! It is almost addictive! It has become my favorite way to use cranberries.