Homemade Holiday Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce Recipe
My homemade jalapeno cranberry sauce recipe is where family traditions and fresh cooking come together to make a memorable holiday meal. Let’s be honest, cranberry sauce from a can tastes like questionable life choices and leaves you wondering if it would survive the end times. This jalapeno cranberry sauce is what happens when you stop accepting the canned stuff as tradition and start using fresh ingredients as the standard. Whole cranberries, a little heat, bright citrus lime zest, and just enough sweetness to make it all come together in 25 minutes. No preservatives, just fresh, bold flavors that make turkey worth eating. One batch and your Thanksgiving dinner will never host that jiggly can again. Full recipe card below.
This post contains affiliate links. Please see my privacy policy for more information.
Why This Recipe Works
Regular cranberry sauce from the can always sits. Everyone thinks it’s weird and the only reason it’s even on the holiday table is because no one wants to break tradition. But when you learn how to make this cranberry jalapeno sauce you will see why it’s a good tradition that should not be skipped or dumped from a can.
Thanksgiving dinner is full of rich and heavy dishes that are screaming for a reprieve with some acidity. This is where a tart cranberry sauce with a little bit of heat comes in. It is the perfect side dish to give balance to the meal.
This isn’t just cranberries and sugar thrown in a pot to make an overly sweet cranberry sauce. This one is sweet, tart, slightly spicy, and citrusy all at once, which is what makes it addicting enough to eat by the spoonful or with chips as cranberry salsa, which I definitely do, haha! The balance here is tight, the technique is minimal, and the payoff is massive.
Ingredients
This easy homemade cranberry sauce uses a handful of ingredients common in most kitchens, but there are a few must-haves that really take it over the top. Here are my dos and don’ts when it comes to substitutions.
- Whole Fresh Cranberries – This is a must and the star of the show. Whole cranberries are firm, tart, and loaded with natural pectin, which is what thickens the sauce as it cools and gives it a jammy texture. Fresh cranberries start showing up in the grocery store sometime in late October. You will need to cook them briefly on medium heat to get them to open up, but fresh is the way to go! Tart cranberries really pair well with turkey.
- White Sugar – Balances the aggressive tartness of cranberries and allows them to release their natural juices. Brown sugar or honey will add molasses or floral notes that compete with the jalapeno, so stick with white sugar unless you’re intentionally going for a different vibe.
- Garlic – Garlic adds to the savory flavor and always brings an extra level of seasoning. Fresh garlic or jarred garlic is preferred here.
- Fresh Jalapeños – Jalapeno peppers bring a little kick. The heat level in jalapenos can vary widely so always taste before committing. One jalapeno gives you a gentle warmth. Two makes it noticeably spicy but not painful. Three if you like a higher spice level. I always remove the seeds but it will be much hotter if you leave the seeds in. If you are not into spicy food you can leave this out. I usually use 1 to 3 jalapenos, gauging the heat based on who will be sitting at my Thanksgiving table.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds freshness to the dish. It brings subtle flavor but really takes it up a notch.
- Green Onions – Green onions add a ton of flavor to any dish. For this recipe I use the green and white part of the onion, cutting just above the roots.
- Limes – The juice and the zest! Did you know the peels of citrus fruit have even more flavor than the juices? Adding the zest is another great way to add freshness and flavor. While you can use orange zest or orange juice instead of lime, I prefer lime in this recipe.
- Ginger – This one is optional, but it definitely adds another level of freshness. Stash some fresh ginger root in the freezer and use a zester to grate a little bit over the top. It brings more fresh notes and a hint of spice. If you don’t have fresh ginger you can skip this ingredient.
- Mixing – You want to use a non-reactive bowl to mix this in. Because many of the ingredients have high acidity, you want a bowl that won’t react chemically with the ingredients. Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel work best. If you are using plastic it should be non-staining plastic. Mix all of the ingredients with a spoon to keep that thick salsa-like consistency.
* Note to my readers. I strive to bring home cooks reliable recipes you can count on. Every recipe on this site is tested and made by me personally in my own kitchen and given to my harshest recipe tester critics for invaluable feedback. This site does not review its own recipes or participate in paid reviews nor does it purchase recipes and photos from third parties. Photos are taken of each recipe and not artificially generated. All reviews are real trustworthy reviews and if you make a recipe and have feedback, please feel free to contact me.
Print
Homemade Holiday Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 Cups 1x
Description
Classic cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner staple. This easy jalapeno cranberry sauce recipe is made with all fresh ingredients giving it a sweet and tart flavor with the perfect balance for your holiday meal. Bright, bold, and ridiculously easy. Sweet cranberries with jalapeno heat create the sauce that actually makes turkey exciting again.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Fresh Whole Cranberries
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1-3 Jalapenos diced
- 3 Green Onions chopped
- 1/4 cup Cilantro chopped
- 1/2 Lime zest and juice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger grated (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot bring hot water to a boil.
- Add cranberries to boiling water and reduce heat. Cook for 2-5 minutes until cranberries start to pop open.
- Drain cranberries and let cool while you chop your other raw ingredients. I cool mine in the fridge.
- Chop garlic, jalapenos, green onions and cilantro and set aside.
- Add sugar and chopped ingredients to cooled cranberries and gently stir in.
- Zest half of a lime and squeeze the juice of half of lime into the cranberry mixture and stir in.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste. I usually do a few shakes of each.
- For an additional fresh component, grate some fresh ginger on the top and mix in (optional)
- Add to your favorite serving dish and enjoy!
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Fresh cranberries can be found in the produce section of your grocery store. They usually come in bags and are often by the brand Ocean Spray.
- You can include the seeds or exclude the seeds of the jalapenos. The more seeds you use the spicier it will be.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauce, Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
More Cranberry Recipes to Try
- Holiday Cream Cheese Cranberry Jalapeno Dip Recipe
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Crostini Party Appetizer
- Sparkling Cranberry Christmas Cocktail with Vodka
More Holiday Side Dishes to Try
- From Scratch Homemade Green Bean Casserole Recipe
- Savory Sweet Potato Casserole with Feta and Honey
- Secret Ingredient Creamy Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Baked Corn Casserole Recipe Without Sour Cream
Storage
In the event you have leftover cranberry sauce, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, I do not recommend freezing but it can be made a day ahead of time. The cranberries will actually make more cranberry juice the longer they sit and the spicy flavors will intensify.
What to Serve with Cranberry Sauce
This festive holiday dish is the perfect sauce with a little sweet heat to complement both a Thanksgiving and Christmas feast. But here are a few different variations of how I have used this classic cranberry sauce.
- Chips and Dip – This cranberry sauce can totally stand on its own and be served as salsa! In fact, we often eat it that way as a Thanksgiving appetizer. But don’t worry, I make a double batch so we can have it with the turkey too 😉
- Texas Roadhouse Butter – Ok, stick with me for a minute on this one. Every holiday season I use this easy recipe with my leftover smoked turkey, Hawaiian rolls, and Texas Roadhouse butter to make little turkey sandwiches. The combo of the sweet butter and the tartness of the cranberry sauce paired with smoky turkey and some sharp cheddar cheese seriously makes the best leftover lunch!
- Holiday Dinners – Traditional cranberry sauces are a staple on most people’s holiday menu. It is the perfect balance with Thanksgiving turkey. Like Thanksgiving, Christmas is a great time to put cranberries on the menu. It pairs really well with ham and even cornbread!
- Cranberry Sauce Pizza – Ok, I know this sounds strange, but give me a chance. This one may just be my favorite way to eat it! You all know homemade pizza is a weekly tradition around here and on day three of Thanksgiving leftovers you start to get a little burnt out. So last year I had the idea to make a cranberry smoked turkey pizza using the spicy jalapeno cranberry sauce as the pizza base and the leftover turkey as the meat. It was definitely an experiment but it was AMAZING!
Happy Holidays!!!
Love new recipes and kitchen talk? Subscribe so you never have to ask what’s on the menu. Delicious recipes delivered straight to your inbox 😉 Plus you will receive access to all my free printables! These are only available to my awesome subscribers as my way of thanking you for your continued support!
Did you enjoy this Homemade Holiday Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce Recipe? Hover over an image and save to Pinterest! And if you don’t already follow me on social media (Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok or Facebook) I would love for us to be friends!
Did you love this recipe? Give it a five star rating and Tag @garrison.street.eats on Instagram and hashtag it #garrisonsteats.
This post, Homemade Holiday Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce Recipe, appeared first on Garrison Street Eats.
