Best-Ever Cranberry Recipes for Thanksgiving

Updated September 15, 2020

Whether you're looking for cranberry sauce or cranberry-studded salad, we've got all the cranberry recipes you need for your Thanksgiving table and beyond!

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Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

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The basic recipe for this cake is very versatile and can be made with apples, pears, peaches or any full-flavored, slightly acidic fruit. The cake is best served warm. (Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.) 

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Mulled Apple-Cranberry Cider

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Orange zest and cinnamon infuse this warm apple-cranberry drink with lots of holiday flavor. 

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Cranberry Galette with Sesame Frangipane

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Expand your holiday desserts repertoire with this cranberry galette. Frangipane is a sweet pastry cream typically made with ground almonds; here we substitute ground sesame seeds in the form of tahini to give it a complex, earthy flavor. If you've made the Cranberry-Almond Thumbprint Cookies (see Associated Recipes), you can use some of the leftover jam in Step 9.

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Cranberry-Apple Crisp

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Instead of the traditional apple pie, we opted for a brown sugar-sweetened cranberry-apple crisp. Tangy cranberry sauce and tart Granny Smith apples are topped with a walnut topping in this simple crisp.

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Cranberry Sauce with Star Anise

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This cranberry sauce recipe is scented with star anise, which has a dynamic flavor—earthy, spicy and sweet at the same time.

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Eggnog Pie with Cranberry Sauce

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This healthy custard pie recipe combines the flavors of gingerbread and eggnog into a festive holiday dessert. An easy cranberry sauce balances the sweetness of the pie with a touch of tartness. To lighten the load of holiday baking, each element can be prepared up to 5 days ahead.

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Cranberry-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

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This cranberry-pecan cinnamon roll recipe is a cinch to put together--there's no kneading and no rolling of any dough. These rolls are baked in a muffin tin and are already perfectly portioned, making them great for a morning treat or as part of a brunch menu.

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Cranberry Buttermilk Pie

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This cranberry pie puts a sweet potato pie to shame. It's made with the custard filling of a buttermilk pie—it tastes like a panna cotta with a bit of attitude from the tang of the buttermilk and a generous sprinkling of cranberries on top. 

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Cranberry, Cherry & Walnut Marmalade

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Fresh cranberries get crunch from walnuts and an infusion of sweetness from dried cherries in this take on a classic marmalade. Leftovers are great on a turkey sandwich.

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Cranberry Coconut Trifle

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No other dessert turns heads like a trifle. Festive in every way, this trifle recipe glows from within with scarlet layers of juicy cranberries to dazzle this holiday season. The filling is made from an astounding 6 cups of antioxidant-packed cranberries! We made the custard “skinny” with a combination of low-fat milk and light coconut milk. From-scratch brown-butter sponge cake, made with whole-wheat pastry flour, stands in for store-bought ladyfingers. You can use frozen cranberries if you can't find fresh fruit.

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Cranberry-Red Wine Sauce

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Classic homemade cranberry sauce gets a powerful flavor punch from red wine. As the sauce reduces, the wine gets syrupy, adding robust flavor with a bit of sweetness. Want to take it up a notch? Use port for even more sweetness and flavor. 

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Apple-Cranberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese

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The tangy-sweet dressing in this spinach salad beautifully amplifies the apples and cranberries--and the creamy goat cheese transforms it into the perfect salad. Tasters raved about this easy fall salad. If you can't find Pink Lady apples, any sweet, crisp apple is a worthy substitute. Want to make this salad a main meal? Top with some rotisserie chicken, chickpeas or tofu.

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Jalapeno-Cranberry Relish

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Give some zing to your traditional cranberry sauce recipe by adding jalapeño and lime. This healthy, homemade cranberry relish pairs beautifully with turkey, but also works just as well as a spread for sandwiches or even as a taco topping.

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Cranberry-Lime Cheesecake

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One bite of this light and airy cranberry cheesecake recipe and it will become your go-to recipe for dessert—the lime adds an unexpected tartness to offset the sugared cranberries. Part-skim ricotta cheese adds a delicate texture and stands in for some of the higher-fat cream cheese. Be sure to use a large, wide piece of heavy-duty foil to wrap the pan--the foil helps prevent water from seeping into the cake as it bakes.

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Clementine, Date & Port Cranberry Relish

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Cranberry sauce has a role beyond tradition at the T-day meal. The tart berry adds excitement to mild turkey, but it also provides balance by cutting through the richness in other dishes. For this easy relish recipe—which comes together in minutes—the earthy sweetness of dates and cinnamon, plus a touch of citrus, complement the zing of the berries to create a familiar holiday flavor profile.

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Cranberry Grand Marnier Sparkler

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This colorful cocktail gives a new way to use Grand Marnier liqueur that makes a festive option for holiday toasts and special occasions. Frozen cranberries make a playful garnish and also do double duty by keeping drinks cold throughout your holiday party. 

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Cranberry Relish

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Take a detour from traditional cranberry sauce and try this recipe that combines fresh cranberries with sweet dates, sage and orange for a side dish your guests will remember. You can make this no-cook cranberry relish in less than a minute in the food processor. It's a divine accompaniment to roast turkey and perfect on a turkey sandwich as well.

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Cranberry-Almond Thumbprint Cookies

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A dip in egg white and a quick roll in sugar adds a delightfully crisp crust to these holiday cookies. You'll have leftover jam--perfect for spreading on toast or for glazing the Cranberry Galette with Sesame Frangipane (see Associated Recipes). 

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Roasted Salmon with Spicy Cranberry Relish

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This ruby-red cranberry relish recipe gets refreshing crunch from apple and celery. It's also delightful alongside a roast chicken or pork loin. 

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Apple Spice Cake with Cranberry-Mandarin Compote

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Apple butter and applesauce make this spice cake exceptionally moist and tender. The bright berry compote, orange juice and billowy whipped cream provide perfect counterpoints.

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Cranberry Bundt Cake

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In this healthy cranberry-walnut Bundt cake recipe, Greek yogurt and shredded apple or pear keep the cake moist and are a healthy substitute for extra butter. If you want to use something other than allspice, try pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon in the filling. For a nut-free variation, omit the walnuts in the cake or use chopped dried cranberries in their place.

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Winter Squash Muffins with Cranberries

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Grated winter squash, such as butternut or acorn, adds a bit of sweetness and keeps these tender muffins moist in this easy recipe. Shredded zucchini is a good substitute in summertime.

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Cranberry Pancakes

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Start your day off right with these easy pancakes, packed with cranberry's sour spike. One of you can make the coffee and heat the maple syrup while the other makes the pancakes. It's instant relationship bliss.

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Cranberry-Coconut Bread Pudding

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In this healthy bread pudding recipe, whole-wheat bread, fresh cranberries, candied ginger and toasted coconut come together for a memorable dessert. To make individual bread puddings instead of one large pan, divide the batter among 12 small oiled individual baking dishes (about 8 ounces each). Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, uncover, sprinkle with coconut and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more.

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Cranberry-Rosemary Stuffed Pork Loin

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This cranberry-rosemary stuffed pork tenderloin recipe looks gorgeous with the cranberry- and rosemary-flecked stuffing bursting from the juicy browned pork loin. Don't be scared by the task of double butterflying a pork loin--the process is fairly simple.

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No-Sugar-Added Cranberry Sauce

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Most cranberry sauce recipes add tons of sugar to mask the tart taste of the cranberries. In this simple cranberry sauce, we lighten things up by skipping the sugar and opting for a healthier combination of dates and apple cider which adds just enough sweetness without overpowering the cranberry flavor.

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Cranberry-Orange Fruit Bars

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These sweet-tart cranberry-orange bars are a great addition to a holiday cookie tray or cool weather grab-and-go treat.

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Cranberry-Citrus Meatballs

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Mix chopped dried cranberries together with your meatball mixture to add a hit of sweetness in every bite. These meatballs start in the skillet but finish in the slow-cooker, making them an easy make-ahead appetizer.

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