Savory Roasted Cranberry Salsa

This Savory Roasted Cranberry Salsa with Apple is a zingy hybrid of cranberry sauce and salsa. Serve it over a mound of cream cheese and bring it along to holiday get-togethers. Or if you’re anything like me, throw in the towel and call it dinner!

As a food blogger, I’m probably not supposed to tell you this, but here it goes….chips and salsa is my favorite meal. Never mind the fact that I know far better than to be eating this for a meal, but if I have a jar of salsa in the fridge, a bag of tortilla chips in the pantry, and no one to cook dinner for, the odds are very high that chips and salsa will be dinner.

And you know the phrase “if you can’t beat em, join em”? Well that sort of applies here. If I can’t beat the habit, I may as well make the most kick-butt homemade salsa that I can. Enter this Savory Roasted Cranberry Salsa.

If you’re going to make salsa at home, there’s no point in making it boring. I’ve made pineapple salsa and mango salsa before, but with the holidays quickly approaching, I thought today we could really step out of our usual salsa comfort zone and make it with cranberries!

Ingredients in savory roasted cranberry salsa

To make this salsa we’ll be using a base of cranberries along with flavorings like brown sugar, garlic, cumin, and even jalapeño. We’ll also throw in an apple for some extra fall flavor layers.

• Cranberries: Start with 3 cups of cranberries. You can use fresh or frozen – your choice!
• Brown Sugar: Next, you will need ¼ cup of brown sugar. This will add a delicious sweet flavor that will help to offset any bitterness from the berries.
• Jalapeño: 1 deseeded and finely chopped jalapeño will add some slight heat. If you like things extra hot, you can keep some of the seeds! More seeds = more heat.
• Garlic: For flavor, add 1 clove of minced garlic. No cloves on hand? Use ⅛ tsp of powder.
• Seasonings: Additional seasonings include ¼ tsp each of cumin, salt, and pepper.
• Apple: 1 finely diced apple will add delicious flavor and crunch! Use your favorite variety.
• Cilantro: Add some herby zing with 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro.
• Lime: Follow up the cilantro by adding the zest and juice of 1 lime.
• Cream Cheese: Finally, we will use 1 8oz block of cream cheese for serving!

How to make cranberry salsa

We’ll prepare cranberry salsa by roasting most of the ingredients, but the true magic will happen when we refrigerate the mix and let the flavors really set in.

Step 1: Prep the cranberries
Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Toss together the cranberries, sugar, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper, and then transfer the mix to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 2: Bake the mixture
Bake the cranberry mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst. Spoon the cooked cranberries from the pan and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Leave the juices behind.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients
Next, add the diced apple, cilantro, and lime juice/zest to the bowl of roasted cranberries. Cover the bowl and set it in the fridge to cool and let the flavors blend. It should be refrigerated for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

Step 4: Serve
To serve, place some cream cheese on a serving dish and spoon the cranberry salsa on top. Serve with an assortment of crackers and chips!

The best apples to use in this recipe

Though any apple variety will work well, there are a few apple flavors that would make this salsa even more delicious! I recommend going with something like honeycrisp, which are crunchy, sweet, and refreshing.

Another great option is granny smith! This variety is sweet and tart. It will taste delicious when paired with the cranberry flavor!

Click here to learn more about apple varieties and differences.

The kitchen floor cleanup assistant is never far away.