You only need four ingredients and a food processor to make delicious crunchy Fresh Cranberry Apple Relish. And it’s refined-sugar free!
I was never a big fan of overly sweet cooked cranberry sauce.
Or especially that jelly-like stuff that comes in a can.
My mom used to make a fresh relish with cranberries and Granny Smith apples, but it was full of white sugar.
I think it had over a cup!
But fortunately now I can enjoy a crunchy relish that’s naturally sweetened with fruit, and so can you!
The secret to sweetening Fresh Cranberry Apple Relish without refined sugar is Medjool dates.
I absolutely love them!
I use them to naturally sweeten Wild Rice Salad, Peanut Butter Green Smoothies, and Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding.
And I’ve been known to eat them stuffed with peanut butter for a treat.
I always keep a supply of Medjool dates on hand.
Cranberries are a very healthy fruit.
They are full of Vitamin C, fiber, and manganese.
And they are a festive part of any holiday table.
I’ll be adding this recipe to my vegan Thanksgiving menu plan.
This recipe uses half a bag of cranberries.
You can either make a second batch of relish with the other half, or freeze the rest for later.
I really love using my extra frozen ones to make Cranberry Pineapple Smoothies any time of year.
Or you can make your own dried cranberries at home!
I’ve never tried it, but I love this idea, especially since the store-bought version usually contains oil and sugar.
Then you can use them in recipes such as Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples or Broccoli Salad.
Check out the short video to see how easy it is to make Fresh Cranberry Apple Relish!
Fresh Cranberry Apple Relish (Sugar-Free)
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries rinsed
- 1 Granny Smith apple roughly chopped
- 4 Medjool dates roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw pecan pieces
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, apples, and dates to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until the fruit is roughly chopped.
- Add the pecans to the food processor. Pulse a few more times, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Be sure not to over-process. Keep it chunky and crunchy!
- Refrigerate the relish in an air-tight container until ready to serve.
Becky Striepe says
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe how easy this is! It looks delicious!
Amy says
Thanks Becky! Kids like it, too!
Jennifer Bliss says
That looks delightful!
Amy says
Thank you, Jennifer!
Dianne says
Yeah, that canned jelly stuff is pretty nasty. This look so good though – so fresh and light! This would be a welcome addition to my Thanksgiving menu!
Amy says
Thanks Dianne! I never understood the jelly stuff.
Cadry says
What a great idea to add apple & dates to balance the tartness of cranberries. Thanksgiving can be a very heavy meal, and so I like dishes like this one that add some freshness & color to it.
Amy says
Thanks Cadry! I try to make Thanksgiving as colorful as possible!
Andrea says
This is a recipe after my own heart 🙂
Amy says
Thanks Andrea!
Liz says
Can I make it on Sunday for Thanksgiving or will it turn too brown? (i.e. how many is “a few” days?) Thank you-
Amy says
Hi Liz! I found that it didn’t turn brown after that many days, but it did get a little watery. I plan on making it on Tuesday to serve on Thanksgiving.
Melissa says
Very easy to make, but it is very, very tart. I doubled the recipe and used one granny smith Apple and one honey crisp Apple. I added about 3 tablespoons of sugar after tasting how tart it is, still tart which I love, but a little more palatable with a bit of sugar in it. Thank you for sharing!
Amy says
Hi Melissa! I’m glad you were able to make it work for your taste. If the cranberries are too tart, another think you can do is add more dates.
Jason says
How innovative. Thanks for the recipe.