Trina’s Cranberry Salsa

Trina’s Cranberry Salsa is perfect for the Thanksgiving table, and this is a fresh cranberry recipe that’s not too sweet and just slightly spicy. And this recipe has become a Thanksgiving favorite in my family, even with people who don’t love traditional cranberry sauce!

PIN the fresh Cranberry Salsa to try it later!

Trina’s Cranberry Salsa is something I’ve made many times through the years for Thanksgiving, and I’ll be making it this year for sure. I admit, for a long time I wasn’t a big cranberry fan, and when my friend Trina first told me about the fresh cranberry salsa she’s been making for years, I was skeptical until she told me the ingredients list.

But the combination of fresh cranberries with cilantro, green onion, lime juice, and Jalapeno had so many of my favorite flavors, it was pretty much a given that I’d like this cranberry salsa recipe. And it was simple to switch out the sugar in the fresh cranberry salsa recipe for a low-carb sweetener.

As soon as I tasted my lower-carb version of Cranberry Salsa I knew it would become a must-have Thanksgiving dish for me! I hope you grab some cranberries the next time you’re at the grocery store, and make this delicious salsa!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• fresh cranberries
• Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or other sweetener of your choice
• green onion
• cilantro,
• fresh Jalapeno
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice

Who can enjoy this Cranberry Salsa recipe?

This is a fresh salsa recipe that’s relatively low in carbs, and it’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan!

How did we make Cranberry Salsa lower in sugar?

There’s natural sugar in the cranberries so Cranberry Salsa will never be a sugar-free recipe. But I use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) to make it low in sugar. And if you use an approved sweetener this is actually pretty low in carbs since you’re not eating a huge amount! And for me it’s definitely the savory flavors that make this so appealing, so please don’t think of it in the same category as a sweet cranberry sauce.

How low in carbs is this Cranberry Salsa?

My version of this recipe made with Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or any type of low-carb sweetener has only 4.2 net carbs per serving. (I recently discovered the automatic calculator on my site had not calculated this correctly, so the nutrition info has been corrected.)

Can you make the Cranberry Salsa without cilantro?

If your tastebuds don’t enjoy the flavor of fresh cilantro, just use more thinly-sliced green onion in this recipe.

Can Trina’s Cranberry Salsa be frozen?

I was quite excited when I discovered that this fresh salsa will freeze well! Now I always freeze some and make Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip in December!

Want more healthy ideas for Thanksgiving?

Use my Top Ten Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes to find more ideas for turkey day if you’re still narrowing down the menu!

How to make Trina’s Cranberry Salsa:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Start with a 12 oz. bag of cranberries like the kind you see in all the stores at this time of year!
2. Be sure to WEAR RUBBER GLOVES when you cut the Jalapenos in half and scrape out the seeds because those little seeds are no fun at all if you get them on your hands or rub your eyes. 
3. You can also use a few teaspoons of Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) instead of Jalapenos.
4. Have the chopped cilantro (if using), chopped green onion, and chopped Jalapeno ready when you start to process the cranberries.
5. Chop the whole bag of cranberries in the food processor. I used my Cuisinart Food Processor (affiliate link), but Trina says you can use a blender.
6. I chopped the cranberries first and then added the sweetener and pulsed a few more times.
7. Then add the chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, chopped Jalapenos, lime juice, and olive oil and pulsed until the other ingredients are chopped and it’s well-combined.
8. Chill the salsa for several hours or overnight and then serve. 
9. I promise that all your guests will devour this!

How to serve Cranberry Salsa:

• Of course, fresh cranberry salsa is fantastic on your Thanksgiving dinner plate next to the turkey.
• Every year I love using cranberry salsa to make Turkey Pita Sandwiches (with my favorite low-carb pita bread.)
• The cranberry salsa is great dipped up with celery or pita chips in this Cranberry Salsa Cream Cheese Appetizer.
• Of course you can enjoy fresh cranberry salsa spread on a turkey sandwich. 
• And if you’re up for a bit more cooking after Thanksgiving this salsa would be delicious as a sauce over pan-fried pork or roasted chicken.

More Tasty Recipes with Cranberries:

• Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese
• Cabbage Apple Salad
• Thanksgiving Green Bean Salad

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 8 servings

Trina's Cranberry Salsa

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

My friend Trina’s Cranberry Salsa is absolutely a winner for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• one 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 3/4 cup sliced green onion
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro, or use more sliced green onion
• 2 fresh Jalapenos, seeds removed and chopped (see notes)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (see notes)

Instructions

Chop the green onions and cilantro.

Then WEAR RUBBER GLOVES for chopping the Jalapenos, being careful not to touch your face or eyes or let the juice squirt up.  (I don’t put Jalapeno seeds into the disposal either, because the fumes when they are grinding can irritate your eyes.  If you’re worried about handling the Jalapenos, I’ve had good luck making this with Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link).)

Put the cranberries into a food processor or blender and pulse until they are partly chopped.

Add sweetener of your choice and pulse a few times more to combine.

Add sliced green onions, chopped cilantro (if using), chopped Jalapenos (or Green Tabasco Sauce), olive oil, and lime juice.

Pulse until all ingredients are chopped and the mixture is well combined.  (If you’re not sure about using 2 Jalapenos, add one and taste the mixture before you add the other, but I’m kind of a lightweight on spicy things and this was just right for me.)

Put mixture into a glass or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and chill for several hours or overnight.

If you end up with leftovers, the Cranberry Salsa will freeze very well!

Notes

I'd use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this, but use any sweetener you prefer.

If you want to make this easier, you can use Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) instead of fresh Jalapenos.

I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for this recipe.

Nutritional information based on 1/4 cup serving size.

Recipe is from my friend Trina who got it from her friend Georgianna.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 40Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gSodium 9mgCarbohydrates 6.2gFiber 2gSugar 2.2gProtein 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Since Trina’s Cranberry Salsa contains fruit, it’s obviously going to have some carbs but if you check the nutritional information you’ll see a moderate portion of this cranberry salsa made with an approved sweetener is not too much of a splurge on carbs. It’s limited to phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Sauces to find more sauce recipes. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This cranberry salsa recipe was first posted in 2011, and I’ve made it nearly every Thanksgiving since then! It was last updated with more information in 2025.

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