Get Sauced! 30 Sweet, Savory and Sometimes Sinful Cranberry Recipes
From breakfast to dessert, savory to sweet, we have your cranberry fix with 30 unique recipes that incorporate the tart, surprisingly versatile berry. While nary a Cosmo graces this page, we totally have you covered in the cocktail department. If you’re looking for something gin-based, definitely check out our cranberry-pear ginger fizz or the the cranberry crush, the latter is laced with two types of bitters — pretty sure Carrie Bradshaw would approve.
1. Skillet Cranberry-Vanilla Buckle: This moist skillet cake is topped with a crisp, vanilla-scented topping. Brimming with bursting berries, it makes a great breakfast or dessert. (via Seasons and Suppers)
2. Homemade Cranberry Sauce, in a can: Homemade, season-how-you-like it jellied cranberry sauce is cleverly molded in a can to give it its classic shape! Perfect choice for the whole berry sauce-averse. (via Food52)
3. Cranberry Crostini: Crisp slices of baguette are spread with goat cheese and topped with dollops of honey- and orange-laced cranberry sauce making a terrific appetizer for your next holiday party. (via Cookie and Kate)
4. Cranberry-Sage Shrub: What better way to get into the Thanksgiving spirit without spirits than with a drink that was popular back in Colonial America? This non-alcoholic drinking vinegar combines roasted cranberries with sugar, apple cider vinegar and sage, and would be a great digestif to serve after a large holiday meal! (via Cooking Stoned)
5. Cranberry-Ginger Pear Pie: Three types of ginger — fresh, crystalized and ground — lend this pear-cranberry pie a nice, layered warmth. With a crumb topping instead of a double crust, it satisfies both the fruit crisp and pie crowds. (via Brown Eyed Baker)
6. Cranberry-Orange Breakfast Buns: What a wonderful treat to wake up to on a holiday morning — the second rise occurs in the fridge overnight making this possible without bleary-eyed hassle! In one way or another, orange appears in the dough, filling and icing in these perfectly-balanced, cranberry-filled buns. (via Smitten Kitchen)
7. Quinoa Salad with Dried Cranberries, Pistachios and Sherry Vinaigrette: A handful of dried cranberries add a touch of contrast and visual intrest in this nutty grain salad. (via California Olive Ranch)
8. Cranberry-Pistachio Baked Brie: Can you believe that this baked brie topped with a homemade cranberry sauce can be ready in twenty minutes? Bookmark this recipe for when you need a quick, crowd-pleasing and impressive appetizer! (via Gimme Some Oven)
9. Cranberry-Fennel Refresher: Not your ordinary cranberry-vodka-lime cocktail. A toasted fennel seed simple syrup lends a sweet complexity to this drink, the anise flavor plays surprisingly well with the tart berries. (via The Boys Club)
10. Sufganiyot with Cranberry Jam: Whether or not you’re celebrating Hanukkah this year, who can resist a homemade — through and through — jelly donut? (via The Everything Soap Blog)
11. Orange-Rosemary Ice Cream with a Cranberry Swirl: Just because it may be snowing where you are doesn’t mean the ice cream maker should be relinquished to the basement. Woodsy-citrusy-sweet-tart, a scoop of this atop pound cake makes a mean alternative dessert to pie. (via 10th Kitchen)
12. Orange-Cranberry Upside Down Cake: Barely sweetened with maple syrup and orange juice, this grain-free upside down cake is a great base recipe for year-round baking — use cranberries, apples or pears in the fall and come summer, your favorite berry. (via The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen)
13. Whole Wheat Crepes with Cranberry-Apple Compote: Apples, cinnamon and just a spoonful (or three) of sugar sweeten this tart cranberry compote, a terrific topping for crepes — in keeping with the French origins of the sauce — or pancakes. (via Food, Pleasure and Health)
14. Pear and Cranberry Crostata: Crostatas and galettes are such a fantastic choices for when you feel like pie, but don’t want to bother with — or don’t own — a pie plate. Here we have a cranberry and roasted pear filling baked atop an almond cream (not unlike the good stuff that fills almond croissants, but I digress) combining to form a rustic-yet-gorgeous free-form tart. (via Food Network)
15. Polenta Squares with Cranberry Mostarda (Vegan, Gluten-free): Cranberries get the savory treatment in an Italian take on fruit chutney. If you want to cut down prep time, use pre-made polenta that comes in a tube — cut slices off the log and fry as directed! (via Vegetarian Times)
16. Guajillo Cranberry Sauce: Sweet and spicy with some nice texture courtesy of a pepita garnish, this cranberry sauce is sure to add some pizzaz to your holiday table. (via Sweet Life)
17. Cranberry-Flax Stuffing (Paleo): This bread may be free of a lot of things — dairy, gluten, grains — but with cranberries, aromatic vegetables and a few spices stirred in, flavor isn’t one of them. (via Healthful Pursuit)
18. Fresh Cranberry Scones: Cream scones flecked with fresh, not dried, cranberries are perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. As a bonus: they can be fully made ahead of time, frozen and baked as needed! (via Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)
19. Cranberry and Cheese Danish Cupcakes: These personal-size cheese and cranberry pastries come together quickly with the use of store-bought puff pastry dough! (via Cupcake Projet)
20. Rugelach with Cranberry-Port Jam, Chocolate and Walnuts (Gluten-free): Don’t these rugelach sound decadent? Another great Thanksgivukkah treat! (P.S. A whole wheat variation is included if gluten isn’t an issue.) (via The Bojon Gourmet
21. Cranberry Meringue Pie: Cranberry curd cleverly stands in for lemon in this unique — and pink! — take on the classic meringue pie. (via The Baker Chick)
22. Cranberry Almond Granola Bars: With all of the hustle and bustle around the holidays, having these grab-and-go granola bars on hand is sure to come in handy, providing a quick and healthy pick-me-up when you need it most. (via What She’s Having)
23. Caramelized Cranberry and Brie Pull-Apart Bread: Just like baked brie, pull-apart breads are always a hit. You get the best of both worlds here with layers of brie and cranberries in the middle of homemade dough. (via Vegetarian Ventures)
24. Sausage, Mushroom and Cranberry Tart: Give [this] quiche a chance! It may seem strange to pair cranberries and sausage, but tart-fatty combos are (usually) terrific, the acidity providing a nice balance. (via Jimmy Dean)
25. Chocolate-Hazelnut-Cranberry Wreath with a Cocoa-Date Filling: Dates are camouflaged by cocoa powder in this cinnamon bun-inspired wreath. Dotted with cranberries and hazelnuts, the presentation is simply stunning. (via Elemental Custard)
26. Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese, Cranberries, Almonds and Bacon: As far as salads go, the wedge salad is just about as easy as they come. Go all out and make a homemade blue cheese dressing — our lightened up version is a great choice — or use your favorite bottled variety. (via Almond Accents)
27. Stuffed Prosciutto Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze (Gluten-free) : Where oh where to begin? To create these sweet-salty, bite-size masterpieces, fresh pearl mozzarella is stuffed inside naturally gluten-free pork meatballs that are then wrapped in a paper thin slice of prosciutto and baked. The finishing touch is a quick toss in a homemade cranberry glaze. (via Kitchenette)
28. Lemon and Miso Cranberry Sauce: Sweet white miso adds a lovely earthy note to this chunky, maple syrup-sweetened cranberry sauce. (via Fettle Vegan)
29. Turkey Tostadas with Cranberry-Chipotle Sauce: Holiday leftovers get a complete makeover in these tostadas. Chipotle punches up whole berry cranberry sauce to create a spicy topping to enliven shredded turkey and beans. (via Apple A Day)
30. Cranberry Margaritas: Make the holiday season merrier with a pitcher of these cranberry margaritas. No cranberry juice cocktail here; tequila, Cointreau and a splash of lime get the top-shelf treatment with a homemade cranberry syrup. (via Sweet Life)
What’s your favorite recipe that uses cranberries? Do you find yourself reaching for the fresh, dried or juice-form the most? Talk to us in the comments!
