47 Sweet And Savory Recipes To Make With Cranberries Year-Round
We use dried, fresh, and juice so you can enjoy cranberries year-round.
When you think of cranberries, we bet you immediately jump to cranberry sauce and… maybe not much else. We’re here to tell you, these tart little berries are so versatile, and not just for Thanksgiving. Whether you’re working with fresh, dried, or cranberry juice, there’s something for you here, from apps to mains to cocktails. Check out our 47 cranberry recipes for ideas—you’ll never relegate this great fruit to just sauce again.
Speaking of cranberry sauce, we think our recipe is the BEST. We like it so much, we’re using it to make a variety of other dishes, all fall long. Check out our cocktail meatballs, our cranberry brie jalapeño poppers, our cranberry brie bites, and our cranberry rosemary thumbprint cookies to see all that you can do with it. Not a fan of sauce (or need that burner space come Thanksgiving)? Try our cranberry relish instead.
Now that you’re set for Thanksgiving, let’s talk about the rest of the year. Fresh cranberries are hard to find year-round, so instead you’ll want to look to dried cranberries and cranberry juice to get your fix. Dried cranberries are a great addition to anything you want to have a little extra going on, both in texture and in flavor. They’re not dissimilar to raisins, but with a sweet-tart flavor that pairs well with cheese, like in our cranberry cheese ball bites or our sweet potato feta salad; with white chocolate, like in our copycat Starbucks cranberry bliss bars or our oatmeal cranberry cookies; or with citrus, like in our mandarin orange salad. Take inspiration from our holiday roasted vegetables with Brussels and carrots, our broccoli bacon salad, or our cranberry balsamic chicken, and try adding them to all your meals.
Where cranberry juice comes in clutch is in cocktails. It can add a fun spin to everything from mimosas to whiskey sours to Jell-O shots. The best part of these is that you can usually go for cranberry juice cocktail (sweetened or cut with other juice like apple) rather than the more expensive pure stuff. Try it out in all your favorite drinks too, all year long.
Want other seasonal fruit inspiration? Check out our favorite orange recipes, our top apple recipes, and our best fig recipes too.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Our love for crescent roll recipes is no secret. Why make dough from scratch when everyone loves the canned stuff?! These are a fan favorite every fall. They always disappear within minutes, probably because the combo of salty, creamy brie, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, and crunchy pecans is PERFECT.
Get the Cranberry Brie Bites recipe.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
This sweet-tart sauce is almost as easy as opening up the canned stuff, and you know your Thanksgiving spread deserves better. This is one of the Thanksgiving dishes you can make up to a week in advance. (Bonus: The flavors will meld and deepen while it hangs out in the fridge.)
Get the Cranberry Sauce recipe.
Cranberry Pie
The filling of this pie tastes like a combination of coconut panna cotta, cranberry curd, and, mysteriously, raspberry sorbet. The crust, made of crushed Biscoff, is the perfect foil for the sweet-tart filling. Plus, it tastes like cookie butter.
Get the Cranberry Pie recipe.
Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour
We crave cranberry cocktails all winter long, and this is our go-to cocktail this holiday season. It's warm and spicy from the whiskey and ginger beer, but refreshing and tart from the cranberry and citrus. The perfect cocktail combo.
Get the Cranberry Orange Whiskey Sour recipe.
Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread
Pull-apart bread reaches a whole new level, thanks to brie and cranberry sauce. Use your favorite homemade sauce recipes, but store-bought works too if you're short for time.
Cranberry Jell-O Shots
The second-best use for fresh cranberries, if you ask us. These are the perfect end to a raucous Friendsgiving.
Get the Cranberry Jell-O Shots recipe.
Easy Cranberry Stuffing
You don't need meat to make a stuffing everyone will love. This vegetarian option is filled with everyone's favorite Thanksgiving flavors—apples! cranberries! sage! thyme!—if anyone complains about meatless stuffing, just send them home without dessert. 😉
Get the Easy Cranberry Stuffing recipe.
Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
This is the easiest Starbucks copycat recipe. These chewy blondies are studded with white chocolate chips and cranberries and then get a sweet orange cream cheese frosting and an extra drizzle of white chocolate just for fun.
Harvest Chicken Casserole
This satisfying casserole has ALL of your fall favorites—Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, cranberries. Make it for a big crowd, or pack it up and eat the leftovers for lunch. It's a meal prep DREAM.
Get the Harvest Chicken Casserole recipe.
Cranberry Cake
This cranberry loaf cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The cranberries will burst and release all of their juices while baking, making each bite exciting. The sugar topping adds a subtle crunch and the sour cream keeps this cake moist for days.
Get the Cranberry Cake recipe.
Sweet Potato Salad
This sweet potato salad is the perfect way to lighten up any autumnal dinner, and especially your Thanksgiving spread. Feta, dried cranberries, and red onions pair really nicely with the earthy sweetness of the orange super food. Did we mention it's great warm or cold (which means you can make it ahead!)?
Get the Sweet Potato Salad recipe.
Mistletoe Margaritas
Tart cranberries go perfectly with tequila and triple sec in these seasonal margs. If you prefer your margaritas on the rocks, feel free to skip the blender step (they'll be just as delicious).
Get the Mistletoe Margaritas recipe.
Mandarin Orange Salad
When it comes to dinner-worthy salads, this one takes the cake. The mandarin oranges give it a burst of freshness while the Parmesan gives it a bite of sharpness and nuttiness. Its homemade poppy seed vinaigrette (super-simple!) is unbelievably delicious—you'll want to make it all fall long.
Get the Mandarin Orange Salad recipe.
Cranberry Apple Pie
Just like sweet potato casserole and mashed potatoes, apple pie is a Thanksgiving staple. Why not push it further into the holidays by adding tart fresh cranberries into the mix?
Get the Cranberry Apple Pie recipe.
Virgin Cranberry Basil Sangria
Sangria without the wine? Yes, please. The fruit is the real star here—use whatever’s in season and get creative with the combination (think cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary for the holidays and mixed berries and mint for summer).
Cranberry Brie Biscuit Dip
Not only is this dip perfect for fall parties, it's the best way to use up any extra homemade cranberry sauce! If you don't have any of those, canned works too. Just make sure you use whole berry—not jellied—canned cranberry sauce.
Get the Cranberry Brie Biscuit Dip recipe.
Cranberry Bread
Few flavors go together as well as cranberry and orange. This cranberry bread is full of warm spices and a sweet orange glaze that gets drizzled on while the bread is still slightly warm so that it can seep into the bread. Check out our cranberry cheesecake banana or our sparkling cranberry cheesecake too for even more cran-orange flavor.
Get the Cranberry Bread recipe.
Apple Salad
While we love this recipe for its tangy blue cheese, bittersweet cranberries, and fresh shallot vinaigrette, this salad is endlessly customizable. Add some grapes and make a pseudo-Waldorf salad. Toss in some croutons or roasted chickpeas for crunch. Whatever you do, don't skip on the apple or leafy greens!
Get the Apple Salad recipe.
Harvest Bowls
These brown rice bowls have all your fall favorites—Brussels sprouts, kale, cranberries, and sweet potatoes. You're going to want to put the Dijon apple cider dressing on everything.
Get the Harvest Bowls recipe.
Cranberry Cheese Ball Bites
Mini bites are so much more fun than a large cheese ball. These tangy bites are rolled in tart cranberries for the perfect little app that will keep everyone wanting more. Rosemary makes them extra festive!
Get the Cranberry Cheese Ball Bites recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
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