Cranberry Salsa – Easy, only Two Ingredients!

Two ingredient easy cranberry salsa will be the hit of the dip table at your next party – and it takes less than five minutes to make!

Perfect for the holidays, this easy cranberry salsa is a unique, fruity twist to ordinary salsa. It’s so beautiful, too, isn’t it, with jewel-like tones of cranberry red garnished with bright green jalapeño? The contrast of the sweet cranberry sauce, savory tomato salsa, with zingy jalapeño peppers, and salty chips is pretty hard to beat.

If you’re looking for a really quick appetizer idea, this one is for you! You probably have the ingredients you need already in your pantry, especially this time of year.

I always grab a can or two of cranberry sauce when I see it on sale at the grocery store. Often there are stacks of it in the middle aisles. I figure I’ll use it somehow and I always do although not usually on the Thanksgiving table. I like to make my own Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Sauce or Orange Cranberry Sauce with Cardamom. 

Even if you have a couple of cans still hanging out in your pantry after the holidays, cranberry salsa is welcome in the coming months. Serve it at your next party and just watch it disappear. It’s perfect with a festive cocktail like cranberry margaritas or a pomegranate mojito. 

About this cranberry salsa

This insanely easy cranberry salsa is made with only two ingredients: whole berry cranberry sauce and a jar of thick and chunky salsa.  That’s it! 

Because there are only those two ingredients, make sure you have the right stuff. You need whole berry cranberry sauce, not the jellied cranberry sauce that comes out of the can all in one can-shaped piece. Use a thick and chunky salsa for best results.

So here’s the how-to’s: Open a can of cranberry sauce, put it into a bowl, and break up any largish chunks. Open the jar of salsa, drain lightly to remove some of the watery juice, and add that to the bowl. Stir lightly until the two ingredients are blended. That’s it!

The bright green garnish of chopped jalapeño peppers is totally optional but it does add a nice pop of color. Chopped cilantro would do the trick, too, if you’re not crazy about peppers.

Serve the salsa with tortilla chips. Have you noticed how many different kinds of tortilla chips out there to choose from? Lately one of my friends has been bringing pumpkin tortilla chips to parties. I’m not sure where she buys those but they have just a hint of cinnamon and I could so easily get addicted to those babies. Super tasty!

Choose the tortilla chips you like best. Have you ever tried blue corn tortilla chips? They’re fun to serve with this colorful salsa. Kale/spinach chips with their green tint would be great, too! Crackers aren’t bad, either.

Make this cranberry salsa your own

Well, since there are only two ingredients, it’s a little hard to be creative with this one. I like to use medium salsa but maybe you prefer mild, or fiery hot. That’s up to you. 

If you want to go beyond the two basic ingredients, stir in finely chopped red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, or finely diced jalapeños. Or maybe you’d like to try my popular restaurant style salsa or homemade pico de gallo. Mexicali dip is always a hit at parties.

Make ahead and storage

This cranberry salsa can easily be made ahead. In a tightly covered container, it will keep well in the fridge for at least a few days. Makes it a rather perfect appetizer idea, right? I love recipes that can be prepared ahead of time although, admittedly, since this one only takes a couple of minutes to make, the advantage of making it ahead is minimal. But hey, anything you can do to avoid the last minute rush is good, right?

Easy Appetizers

I’m always on the look-out for easy appetizer ideas. Try:

 

• Homemade French Onion Dip — goes great with potato chips or veggies
• Mexican Corn Dip
• Cherry Cheesecake Dip with Lime (10 minute recipe)
• Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels or Pickle Roll Ups with Ham (Pinwheels)
• Olive Oil Roasted Almonds or Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (Sugar Free)
• S’Mores Popcorn
• Candied Bacon