Our 12 Best Thanksgiving Cranberry Recipes To Make The Most Of This Seasonal Fruit
It’s not just cranberry sauce (although that, too)
Cranberries are a distinctive red fruit with a sour taste that's often sweetened to balance other heavier Thanksgiving dishes well. Our favorite cranberry sauces pair nicely with turkey, or as a standalone side to spoon onto your plate. Whether you're looking to start off your feast with a cranberry cocktail, or finish off the evening with a sweet, frozen fall pie, with our best Thanksgiving cranberry recipes, you're guaranteed to find a favorite way to use this seasonal fruit.
Cranberry recipes often call for the frozen berries, but for your next Thanksgiving, seek out the fresh gems at the market. When you find them, try them in one of our favorite Thanksgiving cranberry recipes:
No Thanksgiving feast is complete without cranberry sauce—forget the canned variety and make this recipe instead. Get the recipe for Classic Cranberry Sauce »
An elevated twist on a classic vodka-cranberry using housemade cranberry vinegar. Get the recipe for Shaker Vodka Cranberry »
Brandy adds depth and black peppercorns balance the tart flavor in this version of the classic cranberry sauce. Get the recipe for Brandied Cranberry Sauce »
Pickling takes the natural sweet-tart nature of the cranberry and amplifies it. Get the recipe for Pickled Cranberries »
A burnished red wine and cranberry sauce swirls into this simple semolina cake, perfect for breakfast or a light afternoon snack. Get the recipe for Cranberry Swirl Semolina Cake »
This bracingly tart relish, from Matthew Jennings of Townsman in Boston is the perfect foil for a rich Thanksgiving spread. Whole pieces or orange flesh and peel add texture to balance the creamy smoothness of mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing. Get the recipe for Cranberry-Orange Relish »
Fresh orange and grapefruit juice add zest to this seasonal staple. Get the recipe for Whole Cranberry Sauce »
Essentially torn pieces of pancake topped with oozing lingonberry or cranberry sauce, this dessert is a cinch, even for the baking-challenged. Get the recipe for Brown Butter Skillet Cake with Berry Compote (Kaiserschmarrn) »
If you find yourself with a surplus of fresh cranberries, these elegant cakes are the perfect solution. They can be cooked in individual miniature pans, or in a single skillet for convenience. Get the recipe for Apple and Cranberry Upside-Down Cakes »
Sautéed garlic and onion, plus a little bit of salt, add a savory note to this sweet-tart relish, which gets its body from the natural pectin in the poached, puréed cranberries. A twist on Thanksgiving's traditional cranberry sauce. Get the recipe for Apple-Cranberry Relish »
Fresh or frozen cranberries make the base for this tart custard pie. Get the recipe for Cranberry Chiffon Pie »
Tart, colorful cranberries are not just for cooked and canned sauces. Paired with rich whipped ricotta spread and toasted baguette slices, the raw fruit has a punchy flavor and crunchy texture that's a light, bright complement to crostini. Prepare the dip up to one day ahead and store covered in the refrigerator. Stir or buzz in the food processor briefly before spreading onto toasts. Get the recipe for Cranberry Crostini »
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