Cranberry relish with Jello is tangy and sweet, and so simple to prepare with fresh cranberries! Make this recipe for any holiday gathering.
The holidays of feasting are here and I for one enjoy cranberry relish, homemade cranberry relish. I love this spread on sandwiches or for breakfast, with cottage cheese a sprinkle of nuts.
It’s fresh and crunchy, tart and tangy. I use a secret flavor weapon and it’s name is cherry Jello. That’s right, cranberry relish with Jello!
With the crunch coming from the diced celery, warm nutty flavors of pecans and walnuts, this is one fantastic addition to your holiday dinner table.
Honestly, if you haven’t had fresh cranberry sauce or cranberry relish, you are missing out. Definitely worth making instead of that jelled, dark lump that comes from the can.
I make this relish recipe several times a year – it doesn’t just have to be for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner! It’s great over cottage cheese or yogurt for breakfast, too.
You don’t even have to cook the cranberries!
Making Cranberry Relish with Jello
Process fresh cranberries with orange segments, diced celery, nuts, and just boil some water for the cherry Jello. This recipe makes a fresh and delicious condiment that you can use any time of the year.
TIP: Buy fresh cranberries in bulk and freeze them. Then you can use them to make delicious treats any time of year. Buy bag or ten, like I do.
I find that orange zest added a nice clean pop of flavor, too and when the fresh cranberries are pulsed in the food processor the orange segments go in too. The nuts get chopped up as well and then I dice celery into small bits for crunch appeal. It can’t be all one texture note, this is a winner at our house.
Other Uses for Fresh Cranberries
Not only are cranberries good for you, but with the nuts this doesn’t have to get relegated to being just a condiment. Fresh cranberry relish tastes fantastic on a scoop or two of cottage cheese, on top of oatmeal and spread on toast for a light snack. The flavor combination of the cranberry and cherry is too good and I hope you give this a try.
For other cranberry recipes make my Cranberry Glazed Pork Loin Chops, or some Cranberry Turkey Meatballs!
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Cherry Cranberry Relish with Jello
Ingredients
- 6 oz Cherry Jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups cranberries (fresh or thawed)
- 1 medium orange zest and segments
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Instructions
- Dissolve jello in hot water, right in the pan. I use a glass 8x 8", and stir completely until clear.
- Pulse the cranberries, orange segments, zest, sugar, celery and nuts several times in a food processor. Keep in mind this can be left chunky, but small. Do not over process until smooth!
- Pour mixture into liquid jello pan and stir to mix thoroughly.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. After 1 hour stir the jello to mix it up, recover and refrigerate until set. Stir thoroughly to break it up prior to serving.
Serving
- This is a fantastic side for any Thanksgiving table with turkey, you can also serve with chicken and I even have this for breakfast over cottage cheese or yogurt.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Has anyone made a sugar-free version? would love to know.
I actually did this year for a family member who is diabetic and used sugar-free jello and Swerve sugar substitute. I could not find a sugar-free cherry, only a black cherry, and it came out fantastic, no issues Des.
This is a winner at our house!!
Haha! I just made a batch, love it year round, especial with a bowl of mixed fruit and nuts for breakfast Judy! I buy bags of cranberries to freeze and have year round. Thanks for coming back and letting me know. Cheers!
We called this cranberry salad and sometimes my grandmother would put mini marshmallows in. Delish either way! The celery is not weird even though it might sound like an unwelcome addition if you have never had this before. Sooo good.
What a great idea adding marshmallows! Thanks for stopping by!
This is just like the cranberry relish that my Nana used to always make in Texas. I’ve made it for years and many people have requested the recipe, too. The only difference in my recipe is that it also contains crushed pineapple, and does not contain nuts. I think the nuts sound like a great addition and I plan to make a batch with the nuts. Also, as a side note, my family was divided over the two preferred cranberry sauces: smooth (canned) or cranberry sauce “with twigs” (the name my dad’s uncle in West Texas came up with in… Read more »
Team Twigs Alice! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! By th eway the pineapple sounds delicious, too.
Hiya! Have you by chance made this with cranberry jello? Wondering how that would taste . Also, wondering if green apple would be a sufficient sub for celery ? Thank you :).
I would definitely do that Jada, sounds good to me! 🙂
Old school! I think this relish needs to loose the celery and gain some Cool Whip.
A little homage to mom, ya know? The celery is just a great little crunch. Cool Whip, wow, hadn’t thought of that in ages. 🙂
Along those lines, some people (my mom and some others in the South) put a small dollop of mayo on the cranberry relish. It might sound gross, but the salty-sweet-tart combo is great. As this relish is already on the sweet side (especially the way my family makes it, with crushed pineapple added), cool whip might take it into overly sweet territory.
Team Cool Whip for me Alice. I’m not a mayo fan myself. Cheers!
Agree. Nothing could beat a homemade cranberry sauce. I usually make it with orange juice and some spices (normally, cinnamon), and I do like the idea of incorporating a cherry flavor as well. Lovely!
This cherry cranberry combo flavor is just sensational Ben. Thanks!
Hello Kevin, I love cranberry sauce, and find it very interesting! Never tried from the scratch! yours looks wow 🙂 and I love your new photography tyle too, really the photos stand out! Now the challenge is to find fresh cranberry here!
Thank you so much Farida. Cranberries are just so versatile, I love them. I buy them fresh in bags and freeze them since they are seasonal. I hope you can find some quick!
Hey Kevin! I am an idiot – could I omit the jello and add cherries with a slurry of cornstarch?
Now there you go, definitely! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Kevin, I’ll take the “lump” for what it is: it’s own unique taste and texture. I like it. I love home made cranberry sauce for what it is: it’s own unique taste and texture. I can’t wait to try yours, I’ve not done one with Jello. Thanks much and Happy Holidays to you and David!
K.
Hey there Kathy! Definitely give it a try and Happy Holidays to you and Michael! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, too.
Hey Kevin! My girlfriend recently gave me a recipe for a cranberry crumble pie that uses a can of whole berry sauce. This would make it SO much better! 🙂
Hi Dorothy! While this is great as a side dish and served cold, I’m not sure how it would work in a dish that needs to be baked actually. Due to the fact the jello is in this, it may melt and make the dish uncooked and messy. Not sure if I would. Let me know if it does though if you go through with it. I just love it as a side and topping, like with the cottage cheese or with granola for breakfast. Have a great day!
Kevin, first of all, that is just a beautiful, festive photo. I can’t quit looking at it. And I was already planning to make this after first sight, but when you said to put it on top of cottage cheese, I want to make it right now! I stock up on cranberries and freeze them because around here I can only buy them through January and we love just about anything “cranberries” in my family. This is going to be breakfast very soon. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Thanks Sally. We are too similar! The cottage cheese breakfast with this is sensational and I freeze bags of them too. They are so good for you, too. Have a great day.