Striking the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and spicy, my Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce recipe turns a Thanksgiving table staple into the star of the show. This easy holiday side dish is a low-effort recipe that cooks in about a half hour. Plus, you can make it ahead to save time and use it in so many festive ways!
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store homemade cranberry sauce
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose jalapeno cranberry sauce
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Upgrade the flavor of the holidays with a sweet and spicy combination no one can resist.
- Jalapeno cranberry sauce is great for appetizers, spread on leftover turkey sandwiches, and, of course, served with Thanksgiving dinner.
- Use orange juice and orange zest for the best flavor.
Ditch the canned cranberry sauce and impress your guests with this deliciously spicy homemade version. They don't have to know that it only took a handful of ingredients and a couple minutes of prep!
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- If you've got a pretty good heat tolerance, add cayenne pepper to kick up the spice, or use serrano peppers for even more heat.
- You can add a pinch of ginger or cinnamon for extra holiday flavor. Freshly ground spices will taste best.
- Some people like to swap the orange juice with pineapple juice for a more unique flavor profile, though it's a bit more tart.
- Add a splash of your favorite holiday whiskey while the cranberry sauce simmers... 'tis the season!
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Combine the jalapenos, sugar, orange juice, and zest.
Add the whole cranberries to the saucepan ingredients.
Simmer the cranberry sauce mixture, stirring often.
Add water if needed. Cook until cranberries burst open.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Let guests know the cranberry sauce is a little spicy by adding a few jalapeno slices as a pretty topping, as I did in the photos. Plus, the red/green combo is the perfect addition to your Christmas dinner!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
🥫 Leftover love: how to store homemade cranberry sauce
Homemade jalapeno cranberry sauce can last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks—that is, if everyone can resist it for that long! Store it in a heavy-duty, airtight container (like a glass mason jar) for best results.
You can also freeze homemade cranberry sauce for up to six months. Be sure to seal it tightly in a freezer-safe container.
Let frozen sauce thaw in the fridge at least overnight, but longer if you've frozen a lot of sauce. Serve it chilled or heat slowly on the stove until bubbly and warm—you may need to thin it out with a splash of orange juice or water if it's too thick.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Cut the jalapeno in half and use a spoon or paring knife to scoop out the seeds—remove the white pith and the seeds if you don't want it too spicy. You can also buy a jalapeno corer to make this easier.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- One average-sized orange produces about ¼ cup of orange juice. So, you'll need about three if you want to use fresh OJ.
- Otherwise, store-bought orange juice works, too, but don't forget to grab one orange for its zest!
- Fingers always burn after cutting jalapenos? Dish soap is formulated to remove oil (which makes your fingers burn) better than hand soap, so pull out the Dawn to wash your hands after cutting.
- Don't try to force the cranberries to pop before they're ready—otherwise, hot cranberry juice can spray out and burn you.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
No. It has a little heat, but the other ingredients balance it out. It won't have your mouth burning up, but there's a kick for sure.
Sure, frozen will work fine. Don't worry about thawing them. Simply go on with the recipe as directed—you may just need to add a few extra minutes of cooking time.
Canned cranberry sauce already has sugar added to it, so I don't recommend substituting it in this recipe.
Use it any way you like traditional cranberry sauce! This is great as an appetizer or side dish. See below for more ways to use it.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Jalapeno cranberry sauce lasts up to 14 days in the fridge, so prep it a few days early to save valuable time before the big dinner!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose jalapeno cranberry sauce
Leftovers, shmeftovers. Give this easy holiday dish a new life with these tasty ideas:
- Spread leftover jalapeno cranberry sauce over a log of goat cheese. Serve with crackers for an effortless, irresistible party appetizer.
- Blend the cranberry sauce with cream cheese and sour cream for homemade Cranberry Jalapeno Dip that's better than Costco's!
- Make Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches with turkey, French bread, slices of cheese, and a slathering of leftover cranberry sauce.
- Simmer pre-cooked meatballs in jalapeno cranberry sauce until warm for a juicy, flavorful appetizer or game-day snack.
- Like sweet 'n spicy desserts? Cranberry jalapeno sauce would taste great dolloped onto a slice of sweet, plain cheesecake.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
I like to toss several bags of cranberries in the freezer while they are in season. They're great for baking, cranberry cocktails, and I like to have cranberry sauce more than just on Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Do add more jalapeno if you like it spicier!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons grated orange rind, the rind from one orange
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except cranberries in a large saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Add cranberries and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. Add a little water if it starts to look too dry.
- Once the mixture is thick and cranberries have popped open remove from heat and spoon into a container with a lid. A Mason jar works great.
- Let cool completely. Refrigerate.
Notes
- One average-sized orange produces about ¼ cup of orange juice. So, you'll need about three if you want to use fresh OJ.
- Otherwise, store-bought orange juice works, too, but don't forget to grab one orange for its zest!
- Fingers always burn after cutting jalapenos? Dish soap is formulated to remove oil (which makes your fingers burn) better than hand soap, so pull out the Dawn to wash your hands after cutting.
- Don't try to force the cranberries to pop before they're ready—otherwise, hot cranberry juice can spray out and burn you.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Midge says
To clean jalapeno seeds I use a grapefruit spoon. It works great
Marye says
Great idea!