Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa is fresh and festive when served over a block of cream cheese with tortilla chips or crackers for dipping.

Perfect for holiday parties, this Cranberry Salsa is also called Cranberry Jalapeño Dip. Make a few days ahead of time and a delicious appetizer is ready to serve!

Thumb holding tortilla chip with cream cheese dipping in cranberry salsa

If you like this recipe you may also enjoy our Cranberry Mold.

Cranberry Salsa Over Cream Cheese

This salsa is filled with vibrant flavors and fresh, colorful ingredients. The tart cranberries blend together with jalapeños, cilantro, green onions, ginger and lemon juice to create a special party food.

All of the ingredients satisfy your craving for a delicious combination of fresh fruits and vegetables blended together.

A couple more cold dips that are always a hit at parties are our Cold Crab Dip and Black Bean and Corn Salsa. Eating salsa is a great way to eat more fresh veggies and fruits!

Complimentary appetizers with fresh flavors are Bell Pepper Dip, Marinated Tomatoes, Air Fryer Roasted Mushrooms and Open Faced Italian BLT.

A friend shared this recipe when I realized that I haven’t shared many fresh cranberry recipes. That is an oversight I can rectify! It’s been years since I’ve made a cranberry recipe for Thanksgiving and I’m SO glad that streak has come to an end!

This is the same friend that shared our very popular Taco Meatloaf recipe. When somebody with great taste shares recipes you make them ASAP!

She recommends making this recipe a few days ahead of big holiday meals or family parties. When it’s time to serve the food the hard work and clean-up have already been done!

Platter of cranberry jalapeno and cilantro salsa with chips and crackers for dipping

Also Called Cranberry Jalapeño Dip

Tortilla chips, thick Triscuits or wheat thins all taste great with a layer of cream cheese and scoop of dip.

I enjoy chopping the green onions, cilantro and jalapenos myself and adding to the chopped cranberries. But everything could be made in a food processor together. I have a Ninja Blender that I love for quick, consistent work on recipes like this.

Just be sure to clean all of the seeds out of the jalapeno before tossing it in the blender or salsa.

Typically I think of warm, crock pot cream cheese dips like Fiesta Sausage Dip and Buffalo Chicken Dip around the holidays. The cool cranberry flavors nicely complement warm dips that may be on the appetizer table.

Cranberry salsa over a block of cream cheese on white platter with chips

Tips for Making Cranberry Salsa

Fresh ingredients maximize flavor in this recipe!
Don’t use too much lemon juice as it will make the salsa too runny
Allow the flavors to blend together in the refrigerator for at least two hours
Salsa can be refrigerated for 3 – 5 days

How to Make Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa

Place berries in blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Pour into a mixing bowl and add other ingredients.
Mix well and refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 2 hours up to a few days to allow flavors to blend together.
Serve with tortilla chips or crackers over softened blocks of cream cheese.

collage of chopped cranberry and jalapeno salsa recipe on chip with cream cheese

Other Easy Recipes for a Party:

Printable Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa Recipe

Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa

Created by Jennifer Osterholt

Servings: people

Prep Time: 15

Chill time 2

Total Time: 2 15

Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa is fresh and festive when served over a block of cream cheese with tortilla chips or crackers for dipping.

Ingredients

▢ 12 ounces Fresh cranberries
▢ 1/4 cup green onions minced
▢ 2 small jalapenos cored, seeded & minced
▢ 1/2 cup sugar
▢ 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
▢ 2 tablespoons ginger freshly minced
▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh-squeezed
▢ 16 ounces cream cheese

Instructions

Place berries in blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Pour into a mixing bowl and add other ingredients.
Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend together.
Pour over softened cream cheese to serve. Tastes great with crackers and/or tortilla chips.

Notes

Fresh ingredients maximize flavor in this recipe!
Don’t use too much lemon juice as it will make the salsa too runny
Allow the flavors to blend together in the refrigerator for at least two hours
Salsa can be refrigerated for 3 – 5 days

Nutrition

Calories: 142kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 98mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 474IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

“Plowing Through Life” is not a dietitian or nutrition professional. Any nutritional information shared is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on specific products are used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator of your choice.