Robyn Stone
Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread Recipe – This quick and easy appetizer recipe made with a delicious fresh cranberry salsa over cream cheese and then is served with crackers, fruit, or chips. Makes a great make-ahead recipe for the holidays!
There are some dishes that are just so good that you wait impatiently for the fresh cranberries to arrive at the grocery store. So much so that you plan ahead by stockpiling bags of fresh cranberries in your freezer so you are much more prepared next year before cranberries arrive in the south.
Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread Recipe
How to Make Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread Recipe
This Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread recipe is most definitely the recipe to spark such a devotion to cranberries! It uses a version of my fresh orange cranberry salsa that I then spoon over top softened cream cheese and serve with fruit, crackers and chips! Let me tell you, it makes one of those dishes that everyone raves over!
To make it, I simple add my fresh cranberries and sugar to my food processor or high speed blender and then pulse about 30 pulses until the cranberries are coarsely chopped. I then stir in jalapeno, onion, cilantro, my orange zest and orange juice.
Make Ahead Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese Recipe
Now, this is where this cranberry salsa with cream cheese appetizer recipe becomes even more magical. I pour the salsa into a bowl, cover it with a tight fitting lid or wrap with plastic wrap and then refrigerate it overnight (or at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop). Meaning, I totally prep this appetizer recipe in advance for one of the best make-ahead appetizer recipes for the holidays! The cranberry salsa keeps well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week, so you can even make the salsa portion well in advance to keep your holiday entertaining as stress-free as possible.
When ready to serve, just place your cream cheese onto a serving platter about 15 to 30 minutes before serving time. Then, right as you begin to serve, spoon your cranberry salsa onto your cream cheese and you are ready!
Here’s the Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Spread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 jalapeno pepper deseeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
- crackers or fruit slices for serving
Instructions
- Add cranberries and sugar to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 30 pulses. Stir in jalapeno, onion, cilantro, orange zest and orange juice. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
- To serve, arrange cream cheese on a serving tray, strain away juices from the cranberry salsa and spoon on top of the cream cheese. Serve with assorted crackers or fruit slices.
Nutrition Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Are you able to find fresh non-GMO cranberries?
Hi Juanita,
You should be able to find fresh cranberries in stores now. I used fresh, organic cranberries in this.
I must admit they can be hard to find sometimes here in the south earlier in the fall, so when I find fresh ones I’m known to freeze a lot of them so that I have them anytime I want them!
Hope you enjoy this – it’s so delicious! xo
Hi, how much orange juice?
Thanks.
Hi Brenda,
You’ll use 2 Tablespoons OJ plus the orange zest amount listed in the recipe. Enjoy!
How much orange juice? Thanks. J
Hi Jeanette,
You’ll use 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Thanks for catching that! xo
Where I live in the Caribbean we don’t get fresh cranberries. Can I use craisins instead and reduce or eliminate the sugar to my taste? This sounds like something I want to try. Thanks
Where I live in the Caribbean we don’t get fresh cranberries, I am wondering if we could use craisins instead, and eliminate or reduce the amount of sugar to my taste. Definitely want to try this. Thanks
I took this to a church fellowship and to say it was quite a hit is an understatement! There were several “demands” for the recipe right then and there – good thing I had it on my phone. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You mentioned “orange cranberry chicken” – do you have a recipe for that?
Can I use stevia instead of sugar? Also ban I use fresh squeezed orange juices instead of store bought?
Hi Angel,
I’ve not used stevia in this recipe. You can use fresh squeezed orange juice if you wish. Enjoy it! xo
Love this recipe. Had to use a blender, because I don’t have a food processor. I just would pulse small amounts of the cranberries after I sliced them in half first. So I’d divide the 12oz into pulsing 4 oz at a time and it came out great 🙂 a little more work, but I love this recipe. Much better than using lime juice in my opinion.
Thanks so much, Sophia! We love this salsa too – so glad you did as well! xo