Healthy Cranberry Recipes

Find healthy, delicious cranberry recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Cranberry Relish

Take a detour from traditional cranberry sauce and try this recipe that combines fresh cranberries with sweet dates, sage and orange. 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.
By Tara Mataraza Desmond

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.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Cranberry Crumble Bars

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These cranberry-orange bars freeze well. Make a batch on a free afternoon and pop them in the freezer so you'll always have a healthy dessert on hand when company calls.
By Summer Miller

The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce

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This is our go-to recipe for homemade cranberry sauce. It's simple (just five ingredients!), is lightly sweet without being too sugary and has just the right amount of zesty flavor from orange peel. Plus, it's so easy--it goes from stove to table in just 20 minutes!
By Carolyn Casner

Cranberry Clafoutis

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One of Colorado chef Eric Skokan's favorite desserts is this simple French dish. The sweet, custardy cake is a wonderful foil for tart cranberries.
By Eric Skokan

Cranberry-Balsamic Chicken Thighs

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To round out this healthy chicken dinner recipe, put some farro on to cook before you start cooking the chicken. Add some steamed broccoli and serve with a glass of pinot noir.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Pomegranate, Cranberry & Brie Bruschetta

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Make this simple festive appetizer for your holiday guests. Toasted baguette slices with creamy, melted brie are topped with an orange-cranberry-pomegranate mixture--each bite delivers an explosion of flavor and texture!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Banana Energy Bites

Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack, these energy bites will keep you fueled.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

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.
By Carolyn Casner

Apple, Onion & Cranberry Stuffing

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Apples and fresh cranberries add a unique twist to this variation on the classic stuffing. Use fresh sage or rubbed sage in this healthy stuffing recipe; the ground version is too bitter.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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Inspiration and Ideas

Cranberry Apple Pie Crisp
Apple pie spice gives an autumn zing to this apple cranberry crisp.
Cranberry-Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
This cinnamon rolls recipe is as easy as making muffins—no kneading! They contain less butter and sugar and more fiber than traditional recipes.
Cranberry-Orange Fruit Bars
7 Holiday Recipes That Use Fresh Cranberries
Cranberry Coconut Trifle
10
Cranberry Salad

This colorful and healthy cranberry salad will brighten up any Thanksgiving spread. It's sweet but not overly so, with juicy oranges, crunchy walnuts and crisp celery and apples. It's easy to make and can be prepped ahead--plus, you can use fresh or frozen cranberries, which extends the season of this salad. We call for Honeycrisp apples, but Gala or Fuji would also work well. Serve this cranberry salad with your Thanksgiving turkey, of course, or try it with chicken or pork any time of year.

All Healthy Cranberry Recipes

Citrus-Rosemary Cranberry Sauce

This easy cranberry sauce recipe calls for simply jazzing up canned cranberry sauce with orange zest and juice and fresh herbs. Serve it with your Thanksgiving turkey, on leftover turkey sandwiches or along with any holiday meal.
By Andrea Mathis, M.A., RDN, LD

Cranberry-Apple Relish

New Mexican chef Jonathon Perno shares his favorite raw sauce of bracing cranberries tamed a bit with apple and sugar. The orange goes in unpeeled so it adds both juicy sweetness and the essential oils from the skin. This relish complements any roast turkey but makes a great match for the complex flavors in Perno's chile-glazed bird (see Associated Recipe).
By Jonathan Perno

Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars

There are plenty of granola bar options at the grocery store, but they're also easy (and often healthier) to make at home. Feel free to vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or chocolate chips for the dried cranberries and nuts in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Pumpkin-Cranberry Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

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Pumpkin puree and applesauce provide tenderness and moisture to this pumpkin Bundt cake, eliminating the need for butter or oil.
By Laura Kanya

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry-Port Sauce

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This healthy roasted pork tenderloin is crusted in mustard and fresh herbs for a flavorful bite, while the sweet-tart cranberry-port sauce adds brightness and acidity.
By Adam Dolge

Mini Cranberry-Orange Shortcakes with Cranberry Compote & Brown Sugar Crème Fraîche

These cranberry-orange shortcakes are essentially a cross between a biscuit and a scone. They make a light base for a rich cranberry compote and a brown-sugar-laced crème fraîche topping. These are designed to be on the small side, since there are usually many desserts on offer on Thanksgiving, but you can make them any size you like, just adjust the baking time accordingly.
By Stacey Ballis

Blueberry-Cranberry Smoothie

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Ready to try kefir? We use it in place of yogurt in this healthy smoothie recipe packed with berries and banana.
By Devon O'Brien

Cranberry-Oat Energy Balls

Craisins and dried figs do double duty as sweeteners and binders to make these easy energy balls both tasty and practical. These portable snacks mix in sunflower butter for plenty of protein. They're ready in just 25 minutes and can be stored in your freezer for easy snacking.
By Katherine Martinelli

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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vanilla-Cranberry Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight oats can simplify your morning routine while still providing a hearty, nutritious breakfast. You can prepare this in a 2-cup mason jar or other to-go container if you usually transport your breakfast.
By Patsy Jamieson

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.
By Danielle Centoni

Spinach Salad

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This fresh-tasting, 10-minute salad is a simple mixture of fresh baby spinach and dried cranberries. To save time, we use bottled Italian dressing, but with a few extra minutes you can easily switch up the flavor by making your own dressing--just try our All-Purpose Vinaigrette (see associated recipe).
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Roasted Cranberry, Squash & Cauliflower Salad

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Serve this healthy salad as a main course or as a starter for a special meal. To speed up prep, look for precut butternut squash in the refrigerated area of the produce section at your grocery store.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Cranberry-Apple Smoothie

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This riff on a classic fruit juice combines sweet apples with tart cranberries for a healthy, fiber-filled smoothie.
By Devon O'Brien

Oatmeal-Coconut Cookies with Cranberries & White Chocolate

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Our classic oatmeal cookie recipe gets a flavor twist with coconut, white chocolate chips (which have a more delicate flavor than milk or dark chocolate) and tart dried cranberries. The result is a chewy, sweet treat that's sure to leave you coming back for more.
By Carolyn Casner

Broccoli-Cranberry Salad

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This easy broccoli salad is tossed in a creamy dressing and spiked with sweet cranberries, Cheddar cheese and toasty walnuts. This easy side is great for lunch--add shredded chicken to make it a main dish.
By Liz Mervosh

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins

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These lemony cranberry-studded muffins crunch lightly with cornmeal and are topped with a kiss of sugared lemon zest. They're great warm from the oven, but also keep well for a few days and freeze beautifully.
By Melissa Pasanen

Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce with Chile & Ponzu

This make-ahead cranberry sauce recipe features chile and ponzu for a kick of heat and acidity.
By Nik Sharma

Sausage & Cranberry Whole-Wheat Stuffing

This cranberry-sausage stuffing features both fresh and dried cranberries. The fresh fruit adds juicy, tangy flavor, while the dried cranberries add chewy bits of sweetness.
By Laura Kanya

Stuffed Pork Loin with Wild Rice

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A clever knife technique is the key to this stuffed tenderloin, which gets rolled up with a sweet-savory combo of wild rice, apples and cranberries.
By Jamie Gates

Pumpkin Cake with Dried Cranberries

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This pretty pumpkin-cranberry Bundt cake is a delicious alternative to holiday pumpkin pie.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries & Turkey

Give leftover turkey new life with these delicious stuffed potatoes. A drizzle of homemade honey-mustard dressing soaks into the hot potatoes, adding tons of flavor.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Cranberry Pork Loin Chops

In addition to pork, you can use the tangy orange-and-cranberry sauce side dish recipe over grilled chicken or fish too.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pavlovas with Cranberry-Ginger Sauce

This healthy, gluten-free dessert has everything--crisp-on-the-outside, gooey-inside meringue base, whipped cream, tart cranberry sauce and toasted nuts. Plus, you can make everything ahead of time, then simply assemble and serve.
By Summer Miller
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