Cranberry Recipes For The Holidays (2024)

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by Stacey Published: Dec 20, 2023

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There’s so much more to cranberries than just sauce (though you’ll find a bang up recipe for that here too). You’re not going to believe your eyes or taste buds when you see this festive line up of cranberry recipes! It’s your holiday guide to all things cranberries!

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Nothing says the holidays like cranberries! This tart red gem of a fruit can be stuffed in pork tenderloin, simmered in a crock pot as a cider, baked in a skillet with cheese and peppers, eaten for breakfast… and the list goes on! Make one or more of these cranberry recipes and enjoy this special berry all season long.

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Cranberry Recipes For The Holidays (3)

Best Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs

Sweet & savory with a little chili and jalapeno kick, these Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs are the perfect holiday party appetizer! Full of rich and tangy flavor, they take just minutes to prep and are guaranteed to disappear just as quickly!

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Cranberry Jello Salad

Deliciously sweet and festive, cranberry jello salad is filled with little mandarin orange slices, crushed pineapple, the crunch of chopped pecans and tart whole berry cranberry sauce suspended in a vibrant black cherry jello.

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Cranberry Holiday Butter

This easy, whipped compound butter with cranberries, cinnamon and a hint of orange is just the thing to make any holiday meal special. Perfect forscones,rolls,cornbread, pancakes andbiscuitsto name a few, you’ll find yourself serving this gorgeously festive, lightly sweet butter every time family and friends gather this season!

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Red Hot Cranberry Cider

Made with cranberry, orange and apples juices and sweetened with Red Hot cinnamon candies, a piping hot cup of Red Hot Cranberry Cider is just the type of cozy drink that holiday memories are made over year after year.A gorgeous ruby red and easy to make in the crock pot, it fills your home with all the warm aromas of the season and is perfect for holiday parties.

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Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing

This is one of the most delicious holiday cornbread dressing recipes! Loaded with seasoned sausage, green & red apples and plump, tart cranberries, Sausage Apple Cranberry Dressing is moist and full of seasonal flavors. Subtly sweet and richly savory, this easy recipe is sure to become one of your favorites!

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Homemade Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce

Take homemade cranberry sauce up a notch with a little sweet heat! This easy whole berry recipe is made with the expected fresh cranberries, delicious orange, cinnamon, and ginger but with just a little added sweet jalapeno twist.

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Served straight from the skillet, warm and melted with a little kick and topped with those wonderfully red Christmas-time cranberries, this cast iron creation can be scooped with crackers, Melba toast, pita chips, chunks of hot bread, even pecans.

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Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bark with Cranberries

The holidays mean lots of sweets and treats! But not every goodie has to be baked.Dark Chocolate Pretzel Barkwith Cranberries is an easy way to get festive in a snap. Rich dark chocolate, salty pretzels and bright cranberries make a quick and easy candy when you need a little gift to give or sweet to serve but you don’t have a lot of time.

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This French toast bake is packed with all the flavors of the holiday- soaked in egg nog and topped with loads of cranberries, pecans and orange zest. Wonderfully festive, beautifully indulgent, French Toast Bake with Egg Nog & Cranberry Pecan Topping is put together the night before and makes Chrismtas morning oh-so easy!

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Cranberry Bacon Walnut Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Collard Greens

In this stuffed pork tenderloin recipe, juicy roasted tenderloin wraps around a seasonal filling of bacon, collard greens and walnuts combined with cranberries and goat cheese to create a beautiful holiday and special occasions dish that looks fancy but is so easy to make!

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This easy winter fruit salad is filled with apples, dried cranberries, green grapes, kiwi and strawberries for a cheerful red & green, festive look! Tossed in a simple cinnamon orange honey dressing, this crisp and sweetly tart salad appeals to the senses and celebrates all the right flavors of the season.

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Whipped Ricotta Dip with Hot Honey Drizzle

Make this elegantly simple Whipped Ricotta dip recipe for your next party! Whipped up luxuriously light and creamy with rich honey, a touch of Parmesan cheese, garlic and dried oregano, topped with a drizzle of jalapeño hot honey for a subtle kick of spicy sweet heat, this easyappetizer recipedelivers elevated results without a lot of fuss.

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Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Strawberries

This fresh take on classic Crunchy Broccoli Salad is loaded with 2 kinds of broccoli, plump strawberries, sweet dried cranberries, tart green apples and a simple homemade dressing that is both creamy and tangy. Perfect for making ahead, it makes the holidays easy!

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Ultimate Leftover Turkey Sliders

This little turkey slider is the best thing about Thanksgiving leftovers! All hot and melted with piles of leftover savory turkey, tart cranberry sauce, and whipped cream cheese, these little Hawaiian roll beauties are a holiday dream. This simple recipe turns leftovers into melted baked goodness everyone will be asking for!

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Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Filled to the brim with rich goat cheese, bacon, pecans, cranberries and spinach, these beauties can serve as a gorgeous side dish forsteaks,pork tenderloinor chops or just be the whole meal by themselves. Packed with all the right flavors, they make fabulous additions to any holiday spread.

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Cranberry Recipes For The Holidays (2024)

FAQs

What is the tradition of cranberries at Christmas? ›

Stringing cranberries for Christmas trees is a tradition that probably began back in the 1840's with the earliest Americans who decorated their trees with fruits, nuts, and candies.

What is the tradition of cranberries at Thanksgiving? ›

An account from the American colonies in 1672 mentions the ways that both Native Americans and European settlers used cranberries, "boyling them with sugar for a sauce to eat with their meat." And one of cranberry's earliest documented appearances with turkey can be found in the 1796 cookbook American Cookery, where ...

Is cranberry a Christmas food? ›

Besides the obvious turkey, one of the symbols of the holiday is the cranberry. For many, this means canned cranberry sauce. Cranberries are a fruit native to North America. Harvest is a short few weeks in the fall, but like most farmers, they are working the ground and crop year round.

How do you eat cranberries at Thanksgiving? ›

Add cranberries to the apples in a crisp. Add chopped fresh cranberries to rice, wild rice and other grains when cooking them for a side dish. Add chopped, fresh cranberries to horseradish and use as a condiment. Add chopped fresh cranberries to muffins.

What did Native Americans do with cranberries? ›

Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, the most popular being pemmican, a high-protein combination of crushed cranberries, dried deer meat, and melted fat. They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow wounds and as a dye for rugs and blankets.

How to use cranberries for Christmas decorations? ›

Surround the candles with a handful of cranberries. Take several asymmetrical, transparent vases or glass cylinders and fill them halfway with cranberries. You can also place candles on top of the cranberries. This piece is ideal for table settings and the fireplace mantel.

What did pilgrims call cranberry? ›

The Pilgrims gave this fruit the name "crane berry" because its pink blossom reminded them of the head of a crane, a large wading bird. Over the years its name has been shortened to cranberry.

What does cranberry symbolize? ›

Over time, Cranberry Red became a popular color choice for clothing, accessories, and home decor. Cranberry Red is a bold and vibrant color that symbolizes passion, energy, and excitement. It is a color that is often associated with love and romance, making it a popular choice for Valentine's Day.

Why is cranberry sauce served at Christmas? ›

Why Do We Serve Cranberry Sauce at Christmas? Following in the footsteps of America, we traditionally add cranberry sauce to our plates at Christmas to add a sweet and tangy taste to our turkey.

What are 3 traditional Christmas foods? ›

These are the top-rated main dish and side dish recipes you need for a perfect traditional Christmas dinner. They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.

What is the traditional Christmas fruit? ›

Dried fruits such as raisins, figs, dates, apricots, or apples are common on special occasions, being part of several main dishes, typical Christmas desserts or Easter sweets.

Why are cranberries associated with the holidays? ›

When someone mentions Thanksgiving dinner, the image that traditionally comes to mind includes turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. As one of the very few commercially grown fruits native to the United States, the cranberry symbolically represents an American harvest on our holiday tables.

What pairs well with cranberry? ›

cranberry
  • Thyme (Orange) citrus. grassy. woody. floral.
  • Sage (Common) savory. menthol.
  • Rosemary. savory.
  • Mexican Tarragon. citrus. anise. sweet.
  • Zaatar Marjoram. woody. floral.
  • Marigold Flower. citrus. grapefruit. grassy.
  • Epazote. oregano. anise. gasoline.
  • Basil (Purple Ruffles) cinnamon. anise. menthol.

What is the cranberry sauce for on Thanksgiving? ›

Cranberry sauce is a crucial component of the Thanksgiving table, where its tart, bright acidity cuts through all of the heavy turkey and gravy and stuffing and mashed potatoes.

Why do people eat cranberry on Thanksgiving? ›

According to Wick, they helped the pilgrims understand what cranberries were and how to use them. Cranberries were later featured at a large meal shared between the two groups — a meal that later became known as the first Thanksgiving dinner.

What are cranberries a symbol of? ›

They also used cranberries as a symbol of peace and friendship. Native Americans also used cranberries for dying rugs or blankets, and as medicine for treating wounds and preventing illness. Adapted from Food is Medicine: Dream of Wild Health Healthy Lifeways Cookbook, 2015.

What fruit is associated with Christmas traditions? ›

The stirring ceremony or what we know today as fruit mixing, is a part of an age-old Christmas tradition. On the eve of Christmas, this rich pudding prepared from oats, dried fruits, spices, and honey soaked in wine over a long period of time was cooked to relish before the feasting and drinking began.

What is the blessing on cranberries? ›

The Bracha Rishona on Cranberries is Borei Pri Hoadama, and the Bracha Acharona is Borei Nefashos. The Bracha is Hoadama because they grow from small bushes in a bog.

What is Hallmark cranberry Christmas about? ›

A separated couple feign marital bliss on national television to help their town's Christmas festival and their business. But what will the future hold for them when rekindled love is complicated by new opportunities.

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