Why I love this cranberry salsa bites recipe
Cranberries are one of those flavors that immediately feel like the holidays.
I love serving them as an appetizer, and these cranberry salsa bites are an easy way to do it.
The salsa is sweet and tart with a little heat, so it still has that familiar cranberry flavor but in a completely different form.
They’re also well suited to serving at a party.
You can make the salsa up to three days ahead, then spoon it onto tortilla chips when you’re ready to serve it.
The individual bites are easy to pick up and eat, and the bright red cranberry salsa adds some holiday color to the appetizer table.
More cranberry appetizers
Ingredients
Here is your shopping list (for 16 servings):
- Fresh produce – 1½ cups fresh cranberries, ½ Jalapeno pepper, ½ inch fresh ginger root, 1 clove garlic, 1 lime.
- Herbs – ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Sugar – 3 Tablespoons sugar
- Seasoning – 1 pinch salt
- Snacks – 1 small bag Tortilla chips
How to make cranberry salsa bites
1 | Prep work
Remove the leaves from the cilantro stems.
Cut the jalapeno pepper in half. Then use a small spoon or knife to scrape out the insides with the seeds.
Grate the fresh ginger root.
2 | Make the cranberry salsa
Add the cranberries, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, sugar, grated ginger and garlic to the bowl of the food processor. Spread the ingredients around the bowl so they will chop more evenly when you begin pulsing.
Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice directly over the cranberry mixture in the food processor. Catch or remove any seeds before processing.
Pulse the food processor in short bursts until the cranberries and the other ingredients are finely and evenly chopped. Stop before the mixture becomes completely pureed; the salsa should still have some texture.
Add the pinch of salt, then pulse the food processor once or twice more to distribute it throughout the salsa.
Use short pulses rather than running the food processor continuously so the salsa stays chopped instead of turning into a puree.3 | Chill
Let the cranberry salsa chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving so the flavors have time to blend.
If making it ahead of time, transfer it to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
4 | Serve
Arrange the tortilla chips on a serving platter.
Spoon a small amount of cranberry salsa onto each chip just before serving so the chips stay crisp.
Assemble the bites shortly before serving. The tortilla chips will soften if the salsa sits on them for too long.
Serving suggestions
Just before the party starts, I spoon the salsa into some Tortilla scoops and set them out on a tray.
If you want to add some extra flavor, you can spread some goat cheese or cream cheese in the bottom of the chip before adding the salsa.
For a Christmas red and green color scheme, alternate the cranberry salsa bites with some guacamole bites.
Of course, if you don’t want to go to that much effort, you could serve the cranberry salsa in a bowl with some chips and let people help themselves.
Cranberry Salsa Bites
Ingredients
- 1½ cups fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro stems removed
- ½ Jalapeno pepper seeds removed
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- ½ inch fresh ginger root grated
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lime
- 1 pinch salt
- Tortilla chips
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- food processor
Instructions
- Combine the cranberries, cilantro, Jalapeno pepper, sugar, ginger, and garlic in the food processor.1½ cups fresh cranberries, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, ½ Jalapeno pepper, 3 Tablespoons sugar, ½ inch fresh ginger root, 1 clove garlic
- Juice the lime into the mixture.1 lime
- Pulse the food processor until all of the ingredients have been well chopped.
- Add the pinch of salt and mix again.1 pinch salt
- Let the salsa chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Spoon the salsa into individual chips and serve on a tray.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Other Christmas party recipes you might like
But before you go…
This post was part of our annual 12 Days of Christmas event where we team up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you oodles of DIY Christmas ideas and recipes.
Which means you’re about to get a whole bunch of other Christmas party recipes from all of the other bloggers involved in the 12 Days of Christmas event.
READ: The best holiday party appetizers.
Have comments or questions about our Cranberry salsa bites recipe? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on November 28, 2018 but was updated with new content on September 28, 2026.
Cranberry salsa? Oh yes please! Love everything cranberry and love salsa too so this is the perfect combination of both. Definitely serving these. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks so wonderful. Just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.
Thanks, Marie! It’s one of my favorite holiday appetizers, and so easy to make 🙂
Thanks, Debra! It is one of my favorite holiday recipes 🙂
I love cranberries! Mixing them with jalapenos is even better. Definitely going to serve this soon (no holiday gathering needed).
Thanks, Marie! I agree…I can eat this salsa anytime 🙂
What a fun idea! I happen to have some cranberries that need used too!
Yum! These look so good! I love the little salsa cups and they are pretty too!
These look great and would be perfect for holiday parties. I know my daughter would love them. Cranberries are one of her favorites.
Thanks, Carlee! It is a really good way to use up some of those cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving 🙂
Thanks, Jenny! They are really good, and they’re so easy to make 🙂
Thanks, Beverly! I love cranberries, too…and this salsa is one of my favorites 🙂
Sounds delish!
Thanks, Linda! It is 🙂
Those sound like they’d be really tasty!
Thanks! They are 🙂