23 Cranberry Recipes That Go Way Beyond the Can

Whether cooked down into relish or baked into pies, there's nothing like a tart, juicy cranberry during the holidays. You know that gelatinous... stuff... you get in a can? We give you permission to leave that on the back shelf. It's time to think outside the cylinder.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Taneka Morris1/24Easiest Cranberry Sauce
Okay, so maybe the easiest one does come from a can. But this is also the best, most-streamlined cranberry sauce recipe you'll ever make. Turn the leftovers into a round of turkey cranberry sliders.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski2/24Cranberry Linzer Tart
Inside two layers of buttery, crumbly walnut crust hides a tart cranberry filling.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova3/24Baked Oatmeal with Warm Cranberry-Apple Sauce
This baked oatmeal is the make-ahead breakfast your holiday plans need.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski4/24Cranberry Orange Sauce With Cinnamon
This recipe makes a bright condiment for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, but it's also a delicious, zesty topping for a breakfast of steel-cut oats.
Elizabeth Cecil5/24Croque-Madame With Cranberry-Mustard Relish
You know how the cheese sometimes oozes out of a grilled cheese while it’s cooking and gets all brown and crunchy when it hits the skillet? Well, this open-face sandwich recipe is dedicated to making that happen on purpose.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski6/24Fancy Jellied Cranberry Sauce
We have a thing for canned cranberry sauce, so we dreamed up a sauce as sliceable and jiggly and fun, with deep fruit flavor and a pretty topping.
Photo by BOBBI LIN7/24Cranberry-Lime Pie
The spirit of a Key lime pie in the guise of a luscious cranberry curd. The contrast between the snappy press-in crust and the tart filling in this recipe is pure genius.
Kelsey McClellan8/24Cranberry Wafer Cookies
You could also use dried tart cherries or whole dried figs in place of the cranberries.
Alex Lau9/24Cranberry Chutney With Orange, Figs, and Mustard
If using frozen cranberries, which are just as good for this recipe, don’t bother thawing them first.
Alex Lau10/24Cranberry-Pear Crumble
A Thanksgiving-worthy dessert that can be baked in your toaster oven? Yes, please!

Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski12/24Cranberry-Fig Sauce
Figs bathed in butter and sugar bring a sweet, tawny balance to tangy cranberries.
13/24Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake
This cake calls for Greek-style yogurt, which makes it especially thick and rich.
Danny Kim14/24Cranberry and Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
“Good for dessert but even better for breakfast.” —Brad Leone, test kitchen manager
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott15/24Cranberry and Walnut Relish
With just a hint of sweetness, this bright, bracing uncooked relish is an antidote to all the saccharine jellylike cranberry sauces out there (unless you’re into that sort of thing).
Danny Kim16/24Cranberry Rum Punch
This makes you feel like you’re on vacation no matter where you are.
17/24Cabernet Cranberry-Kumquat Sauce
Tart-sweet cranberries and sour kumquats make this a bright sauce worthy of your Thanksgiving plate.
18/24Cranberry Pie
This pie is seasonless: Bake it in fall with fresh cranberries and frozen raspberries and blueberries. Come summer, use the reverse.
Alex Lau19/24Pumpkin Scones With Cinnamon Butter
Everyone needs a solid pumpkin scone recipe in the fall. This one is yours.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski20/24Spicy Cranberry Sauce
Jalapeño and lime give this year's cranberry sauce the zesty-spicy kick it deserves.
21/24Cranberry Spice Cake
If you manage to have any leftovers, this moist spice cake makes a nice afternoon treat with a cup of tea. For an extra-tart garnish, serve with Citrus-Cranberry Compote (click for recipe).
22/24Cranberry Cobbler
Absolutely acceptable to start drinking before 5. After all, it is Thanksgiving.
Zach DeSart23/24Almond-Cranberry Quinoa Cookies
These cookies are also delicious made with dried cherries instead of cranberries.
