10 Cranberry Recipes That Go Beyond the Sauce

The star fruit of the season is undoubtedly cranberry. From Thanksgiving to Christmas the tart berry graces our tables in the form of a gelatinous blob that seems to only get any recognition due to nostalgia. Impress your guests and hosts with these recipes that give cranberry the prominent place on the table it deserves—front and center.

1. Vegan Cranberry Christmas Fluff
Photo by Erin Collins of Meaningful Eats
Marshmallow fluff has so many uses, but feel free to eat this tart, sweet treat by the spoonful if you feel so inclined. Or go the traditional route and put it into a peanut butter sandwich.

2. Crock Pot Cranberry Meatballs
What is it about meatballs that makes beef and fruit so amazing? Cranberry makes the perfect substitute for the typical crock pot recipe (which usually calls for grape jelly). You can provide toothpicks for these festive meatballs (pictured at top), but don’t be surprised if your guests are taking them by the plateful.

3. Cranberry Brie Crostini
Photo: NeighborFood Blog
Cranberry sauce, eat your heart out. Nobody will miss that amorphous clump when they have creamy brie, sweet cranberry and crisp pastry with their meal.

4. Cranberry Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
Photo: Joanne Eats Well With Others
Orange and chocolate is a no-brainer, so it’s no surprise that cranberries go equally well with this warm winter beverage.

5. Pork and Cranberry Crostini
Photo: Culinary Ginger
So long as you don’t have any vegans at your holiday table, swap out the typical bruschetta appetizer for this pork and cranberry crostini. The salty pork with the sweet cranberries will have guests’ appetites well whetted for the rest of the meal.

6. New Years Morning Cranberry Sweet Rolls
Photo: Sheri Silver
Wake up your family bright and early with the smell of these delicious sweet rolls wafting from the kitchen. Move over, cinnamon rolls—these little delights take the cake.

7. Garlic Pistachio Cranberry Tarts
Photo: Spabettie
The best thing about this recipe is that I don’t know if it’s dinner or dessert. All I know is that I want it in my belly right now. Extra points: this recipe is vegan!

8. Cranberry Orange Custard Pie
Photo: The Creative Bite
Cranberries are finally invading the dessert course, after years of being resigned to an appetizer. And what a wonderful way to honor this transition than a gorgeous custard pie

9. Cranberry Balsamic Roasted Chicken
Photo: Cotter Crunch
One pan. Low carb. High flavor. There isn’t much else to say about this recipe except that balsamic vinegar and cranberries should have started hanging out a long time ago.

10. Boozy Cranberry Sauce
Photo: Saving Dessert
I know the point of this post is getting away from cranberry sauce, but this one has BOOZE in it, so it gets a pass. Plus, it looks pretty damn tasty. Cheers!

Ashley Blom is a New Englander and haphazard foodie living in Austin, Texas. Her book, “How to Eat a Lobster” is coming from Quirk Books in 2017, and you can find her recipes and ramblings at forkingup.com.