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Recipes

21 Cranberry Recipes To Try This Holiday Season

They're good for a lot more than just sauce (but we've got a recipe for that, too).
Cranberry cheesecake

Cranberries have a lot to offer the holiday table! From a traditional homemade sauce (obviously) to a decadent cheesecake topping and a savoury stuffing, here are just a few ideas for how to use these ruby-red berries before, during and even after the holiday.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is one of the quickest and easiest things to make for Thanksgiving dinner. All you need is sugar and fresh cranberries. (Seriously, leave the canned stuff on the shelf this year. You won’t believe how much better homemade sauce tastes.) Get our homemade cranberry sauce recipe.

Homemade cranberry sauce in small white serving bowl on a set Thanksgiving table

Cranberry And Clementine Eton Mess

Eton mess—kind of a cross between trifle and pavlova—makes the perfect sweet-tart-creamy-crunchy ending to a festive meal. Both the meringues and the saucy fruit can be made days ahead, so all you need to do is whip your cream and assemble your mess—either in individual bowls or glasses or on a platter, family-style—when you’re ready for it. Get our cranberry and clementine Eton mess recipe.

A person offering a tray of Cranberry and Clementine Eton Mess to a happy party guest

Mini Gorgonzola-Cranberry Quiches

These festive tartlets come together quickly are bursting with flavour. They can also be made ahead and reheated. Get our recipe for Mini Gorgonzola-Cranberry Quiches.

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A blue striped, oval-shaped plate with three mini quiches on it.

Easy Cranberry Sauce

Quick, easy and classic, this cranberry sauce recipe takes only 10 minutes to make. Get our easy cranberry sauce recipe.

easy cranberry sauce

Sugared Cranberries

These sugared cranberries are the perfect garnish for almost any holiday dessert (but they're pretty good for snacking, too!). Get our sugared cranberries recipe.

Candied or sugared cranberries in a bowl next to a sprig of rosemary for a post on on two easy candied or sugared cranberries recipes(Text and recipe by Jennifer Pallian. Produced by Sun Ngo. Photography by Carmen Cheung. Food Styling by Eshun Mott. Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.)

Bushberry Pudding Cake

Drizzle whisky-butter sauce over warm raspberry and cranberry cake, top with whipped cream, and let the good times roll. Get our bushberry pudding cake recipe.

a patterned square metal tin with berry pudding cakePhoto, Roberto Caruso.

Cranberry Aperol Spritz

A festive twist on a classic spritz, this version adds cranberry juice and uses frozen cranberries to both chill and garnish the drink and sprigs of rosemary to add wintry enchantment. Get our cranberry Aperol spritz recipe.

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A cranberry Aperol spritz cocktail in a tall glass made with Aperol, soda, cranberry juice, ice cubes and garnished with frozen cranberries, orange slices and sprigs of fresh rosemary for a post on an easy, festive cranberry Aperol spritz recipe(Photo, Erik Putz. Styling, Lindsay Guscott. Prop styling, Catherine Doherty)

Pear Mulled Wine Sangria

Use an assortment of pear varietals, such as Anjou, Bosc and Bartlett in this warm drink (it boosts the Fall flavour even more). Get our pear mulled wine recipe.

Mulled wine sangria in a white potPhoto, Roberto Caruso.

Sangria Cranberry Sauce

Get this sangria cranberry sauce recipe.

21 Cranberry Recipes To Try This Holiday SeasonPhoto, Erik Putz. Food styling, Ashley Denton. nProp styling, Rayna Marlee Schwartz.

Cranberry Gin Smash

Adding a spoonful of jam is an easy way to make a flavour base for a cocktail, and cranberry sauce ticks that same box. If your sauce is super chunky, you can chop it up—by hand or with a food processor—before using. Get Eshun Mott's cranberry gin smash recipe.

Three glasses of Cranberry Gin Smash cocktails—two on a pink serving tray with holiday decor, and one beside it.Recipes and Food Styling by Eshun Mott. Produced by Sun Ngo. Photography by Carmen Cheung. Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.

The addition of coconut turns buttery shortbread cookies into moist chewy bites. Popping with flavour, these one-bite morsels burst with fresh lime and zingy cranberry. Get our cranberry shortbread cookie chews recipe.

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The addition of coconut turns buttery shortbread into moist chewy cookies. Popping with flavour, these one-bite morsels burst with fresh lime and zingy cranberry.

Cranberry-Almond Baked Brie

An elegant (and easy) way to update baked brie is by adding a simple sauce of maple syrup, nuts, citrus peel, cranberries and spices. Get this baked brie recipe.

cranberry almond baked brie in a cast-iron panPhoto, Roberto Caruso.

Pistachio And Cranberry Biscotti

The crunch of pistachios meets the sweet-tart flavour of cranberries in this easy biscotti recipe. Get our pistachio and cranberry biscotti recipe.

A cranberry-pistachio biscotti on a white background for a post on an easy Pistachio and cranberry biscotti recipe (Photo: Erik Putz)

Candied Cranberries

How pretty is this? And this sweet-tart treat is easy to make. Get this candied cranberry recipe.

Candied cranberriesPhoto, Kristen Eppich.

Classic Cheesecake with Cranberry Sauce

A citrus-laced cranberry sauce is the perfect topping for this creamy cheesecake. Get the classic cheesecake with cranberry sauce recipe.

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Cranberry Cream Cloud Pie

We guarantee this will be the most delicious way you will ever use a can of cranberry sauce. It takes on a luxurious cheesecake texture without any baking needed. Get this cranberry cloud pie recipe.

a slice of cranberry cream cloud pie, with a chocolate crumb crust and sugared cranberriesAndreas Trottmasndorff

Cranberry Butter-Tart Squares

This gooey Canadian classic—one of our most requested recipes—gets a colourful holiday spin with the addition of fresh cranberries. Get this cranberry butter tart recipe.

a red square box of christmas cookiesAndreas Trauttmansdorff

Cranberry-Ginger Cocktail

Serve up some sparkling cocktails as you put the finishing touches on dinner. Muddled cranberries, mint and lemon mixed with vodka and ginger beer make for a refreshing and festive drink. Get the cranberry-ginger cocktail recipe.

a tall glass of sparkling cocktailPhoto, Sian Richards.

Italian Polenta Stuffing

That’s right — you can bake cranberries into your side dishes, too. Get the Italian polenta stuffing recipe.

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a dinner plate loaded with a turkey breast, italian polenta stuffing, and roasted cranberries

Cranberry-Mandarin Trifle

Our twist on classic trifle sparkles with fruit. Since it tastes better if refrigerated overnight, you only have to dollop on whipped cream before serving. Get this cranberry trifle recipe.

a glass bowl of trifle with layers of cream, mandarin slices and fruit.Photo, Andreas Trauttmansdorff.

Cointreau Cranberry Jelly

We retrieved this jiggly gem from 1977, and (spoiler alert) it’s still a favourite. Our moulded version makes a stunning centrepiece. Get our Cointreau cranberry jelly recipe.

A tall Cointreau Cranberry Jelly topped with an orange wedge, served on a cake dishProduced by Chantal Braganza and Stephanie Han Kim, Photography by Christie Vuong, Food Styling by Sage Dakota, Prop Styling by Andrea McCrindle

Cranberry-Orange Vodka Soda

A fun citrus-infused drink, this vodka soda goes well with our chocolate-covered pretzels and can also be turned into a mocktail. Get our cranberry-orange vodka soda recipe.

A plate of chocolate covered pretzels on a table next to a chess board and a drink

Watch: How to make homemade cranberry sauce

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