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Last Updated on January 4, 2020

This Instant Pot Cranberry Relish recipe takes only four minutes of cooking at pressure. It’s easy, healthy, and delicious enough to serve all year round.

Cranberry Relish is an Awesome Condiment

I’m of the mindset that cranberry relish should be a thing all year around. It’s not just great with turkey, but can be served with oatmeal, toast, pasta, pancakes, and meatloaf! Am I crazy or do you agree?

Cranberries are pretty amazing little berries, they have lots of antioxidants and they’re known for helping to prevent urinary tract infections. They’re just so darned pretty, too.

How to Make Instant Pot Cranberry Relish

Of course, as anyone knows who has tried to eat a plain cranberry, they’re tart beyond words. They get sweetened so nicely with freshly-squeezed orange juice and maple syrup in this recipe, and I allow for some adjustment with the sweetness level.

If you want your relish less sweet, use only 1/2 cup maple syrup (but add another 1/2 cup water to make sure you have enough liquid). If you want a sweeter more traditional cranberry relish, use the full cup of maple syrup and don’t add any water to the pot.

3-Quart Mini Instant Pot

I used my 3- quart Instant Pot for this recipe, but you can also use a 6-quart. I bought the appliance specifically with this exact recipe in mind. Since I usually make my Instant Pot holiday recipes, I like to have both hands on hand. I use my 6-quart to make my Instant Pot Turkey Breast with gravy.

Steps to Making This Cranberry Relish Recipe

1. Combine the cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup in the base of a 3-quart or 6-quart pressure cooker.

2. Cook on high pressure for four minutes and then let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes.

3. Serve hot or cold, but the relish will thicken if you put it in the refrigerator.

Questions about Making Instant Pot Cranberry Relish

Can I use fresh cranberries instead of frozen?

Yes, I have tried it both ways. But, you are less likely to get foam when you use frozen cranberries.

Will the relish thicken as it cools?

Yes, it does! I like to make mine the day before I want to use it, and let it cool and thicken overnight in the fridge.

I thought you weren’t supposed to cook cranberries in the Instant Pot because of foam?

In my experimentation, there is a lot less foam when you use frozen cranberries. I did have foam and sputtering when I tested this using fresh cranberries, so my recommendation is to use frozen cranberries.

Instant Pot Healthy Holiday Recipes

If you like this Instant Pot Cranberry Relish, you might like these other Instant Pot recipes.

You can also download my free Instant Pot Thanksgiving Holiday e-book. All I ask is that you join my free newsletter list. Subscribe now; unsubscribe anytime. The free e-book is my gift to you!

Here’s the recipe for this easy Instant Pot Cranberry Relish:

4-Minute Instant Pot Cranberry Relish

★★★★★ 5 from 12 reviews

Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 10 1x
Category: Side dishes
Method: Pressure cooker
Cuisine: Paleo, vegan, healthy

Print Recipe

Description

An easy side dish that can be served all year round.

Ingredients

2 10-ounce bags of frozen cranberries
1 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 cup maple syrup (use ½ cup for less sweetness + ½ cup water)
pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Combine the cranberries, orange juice, and maple syrup in the base of a 3-quart pressure cooker.
Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes and then use the quick-release to release any remaining pressure.
Serve hot or cold. The relish will thicken in the refrigerator.
Refrigerate any leftovers for up to a week.

Notes

If you want your relish less sweet, use only 1/2 cup maple syrup (but add another 1/2 cup water to make sure you have enough liquid).

If you want a sweeter more traditional cranberry relish, use the full cup of maple syrup and don’t add any water to the pot.

Pin this Instant Pot Cranberry Relish recipe to your favorite holiday recipe board to save it for later!

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Comments

tina says
December 26, 2017 at 9:10 am
What an easy and yummy instant pot recipe! Thank you!
STACEY CRAWFORD says
December 26, 2017 at 10:18 am
Wow, this is so pretty & I adore cranberry so I’m sure it would be divine in relish!
★★★★★
Joyce says
December 26, 2017 at 2:18 pm
Cranberries are my favorite!
Amber says
December 27, 2017 at 6:48 am
I had all the ingredients so I made it to serve with a last-minute dinner. Delish! Gotta love that Instant Pot. 🙂
- Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
  December 27, 2017 at 9:06 am
  Awwww, so great to hear, Amber! Happy you liked the relish.
ChihYu says
January 1, 2018 at 9:04 am
Love instant pot recipes and this recipe is so quick and simple. Amazing !
★★★★★
Becky Winkler says
January 1, 2018 at 3:13 pm
My mom loves cranberry orange relish. I’ll have to make this for her!
Tammi Arenkiel says
September 10, 2018 at 11:30 am
Is this something that can be canned/pressure cooked in jars?
- Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
  September 10, 2018 at 12:49 pm
  Ohhhhh, good question, Tammi! Do you mean canned after the cooking process or cooked actually in the canning jars? I am not a canning expert, so I’m probably not the best person to ask!
Jenni says
November 21, 2018 at 5:26 pm
Can I use fresh cranberries instead of frozen? Need to adjust cook time any?
- Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
  November 22, 2018 at 5:52 am
  Yes, you can use fresh cranberries, Jenni! The directions are the same.
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
September 22, 2019 at 5:13 pm
This is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes. I make it every year for Thanksgiving.
★★★★★
GUNJAN C Dudani says
November 6, 2019 at 6:37 am
I would love to try this cranberry relish. it looks amazing and sounds doable also. Love your images too. Most importantly i like the fact that its made with only 4 ingredients therefore, its budget friendly too.
★★★★★
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
November 9, 2019 at 10:12 am
I buy 25 pounds of cranberries every fall and freeze them just so I can have “fresh” ones all year round. I make cranberry relish I swear like it’s my job. I hadn’t tried it in the IP yet. Definitely have to try this! Loving the time saving aspect of it big time!
★★★★★
Denise says
November 9, 2019 at 11:26 am
This looks delicious. I think I would enjoy this relish all year round. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Shelley says
November 10, 2019 at 9:27 am
Oh my gosh – thank you for this recipe! I adore using my Instant Pot – it’s just so easy! And especially around the holidays when stoves and ovens are filled to overflowing, it’s great to have recipes you can throw in the Instant Pot, too! Plus just 4 simple (delicious!) ingredients, and you can even make it ahead … what’s not to love!?!?
★★★★★
Marisa F. Stewart says
November 10, 2019 at 11:34 am
What a gorgeous color and I can’t believe you made it in 4 minutes. The Instant Pot is sure worth its weight in gold. Santa may be bringing me one. I’m pinning this recipe to try it out.
★★★★★
Jenni LeBaron says
November 10, 2019 at 7:50 pm
This Instant Pot cranberry relish sounds delicious and I love that it’s naturally sweetened! This will be superb as a side dish for Thanksgiving or on top of breakfast dishes like pancakes!
★★★★★
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
November 10, 2019 at 9:11 pm
Love this! I often make a homemade cranberry relish for Thanksgiving but I never realized you could do it in an instant pot. I’ll definitely have to give your recipe a try!
Sara says
November 10, 2019 at 9:31 pm
My cousin is the biggest fan of the canned cranberry stuff at Thanksgiving, and no one eats it but her! I bet when I make this relish this year, everyone will be dying to try it! Thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Jo says
November 11, 2019 at 12:31 am
Absolutely love using my instant pot for my dishes. Cranberry relish looks delicious and very tempting. With few ingredients and little time the best holiday side dish could be made easily.
★★★★★
Amy Dong says
November 11, 2019 at 2:15 pm
Fabulous colors and texture in this cranberry relish! I’ve never liked canned cranberry relish, but homemade is a totally different story. So so good!
★★★★★