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Keto-Friendly Cranberry Salsa is a Low Carb — Sugar-Free Festive Dish

Cranberries are officially in season and available in grocery stores nationwide.  Fresh cranberries mark the beginning of my favorite season of the year.  Bring on all the peppermint and Cranberries! I have many favorite cranberry recipes, but this recipe is the first one that I reach for. This keto-friendly cranberry salsa is at the very top of that list and is ALWAYS the dish that I bring to any holiday gatherings.

Be sure to prepare this festive dish for all of your Thanksgiving and Christmas potlucks, parties, family gathers, work events — or just make a batch for your family to eat on all week like we do. Whatever the gathering you will surely be the life of the party, and at least one person is bound to ask you for the recipe.

Don’t worry about serving this dish to your non-keto family and friends, they will gobble it up. Just make sure to bring crackers for them to enjoy, and savor your keto crackers!

Who knew cranberry salsa would be the life of the party?

For years I have shared this recipe with family and friends, and they have added it to their must make dishes for holidays. To me, there is really no greater compliment that people sharing your recipes with those that they love most.  

This recipe has surprised even some of the most skeptical food critics and converted people who have never been cranberry fans.  The very unique flavor of the cranberries mixed with jalapeno, lime, green onions, cilantro, and cumin blend together so beautifully to create a flavor, unlike any other dish.  The flavor profile is enough to make your taste buds dance. There is no other dish that tastes quite like this, and its uniqueness is what makes this cranberry salsa so special.

Have I mentioned yet that this salsa is easy to make?

There is no cooking necessary! Yes, that’s right. So if you’re busy preparing an entire Thanksgiving meal, take a load of stress off yourself and make this easy appetizer ahead of time. You can even make the salsa a few days ahead, making this a no stress dish for your holiday gatherings.

Be sure to make the salsa at least 6 hours before you intend to serve it. The flavors need a chance to merry. Do you see what I did there? Joking aside, the salsa only gets better as it has a chance to sit in the fridge.

Sweet savory simplicity is the best part of preparing this super simple keto cranberry salsa dish.  You will only need the ingredients listed above and your favorite keto-friendly sweetener, and a food processor or blender.  I used my Blendtec to make this batch, so whichever you have on hand should work just fine.   

Are cranberries keto? 

One cup of fresh cranberries has approximately 12 total carbs, and 5 grams of fiber. Total carbs – subtract fiber = net carbs, making a cup of cranberries 7 net carbs.

For comparison sake 1 cup of blueberries has 17 grams of net carbs, raspberries contain 7 grams of net carbs, and blackberries have the least at 6 grams net carbs. I honestly find it shocking that cranberries have a similar carb count to raspberries, as raspberries are naturally so much sweeter.

Cranberries do require sweetening. Simply use whatever low carb keto-friendly sweetener you prefer. I usually use granulated Stevia, or lately, I have been buying Lakanto and loving it.

How to serve the cranberry salsa:

My recommendation

I always serve this cranberry salsa over cream cheese for parties and events. For your non-keto friends serve with wheat thins or another sturdy cracker that won’t break apart easily. In my experience wheat thins taste best with this dish.

My favorite keto-friendly cracker to use is the Savory Seed Microwave Crackers from Kawaii Treats and Eats. These crackers are the ONLY keto-friendly cracker that my toddler will eat, and they are often compared to wheat thins because they’re just that good. You also can’t beat the fact that you can have these crackers made in under 5 minutes in the microwave. My daughter also loves to help me roll the crackers, which makes this mamma really happy!

I recommend assembling the entire dish beforehand. If you plan to have the cranberry salsa assembled over cream cheese, don’t forget to let this dish sit out for 15 minutes before digging in. This makes the cream cheese much easier to eat with a cracker.

Alternative ways to enjoy this salsa —

• As a topping
• To stuff inside of your favorite meats
• As a side for ham or turkey
• With a spoon

Just last week I topped a batch of egg loaf with this cranberry salsa, and gobbled it up with some ham! It was absolutely an amazing addition to my plate.

Yield: 15

Keto Cranberry Salsa

Print

Cranberry Salsa is the perfect festive dish to enjoy while fresh cranberries are available

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 ounces of fresh cranberries (washed)
• 4 green onions loosely chopped
• 3/4 cup of Lakanto erythritol blend or sweetener of choice.
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves loosely chopped
• 1-2 Jalapenos (de-seeded and rinsed)
• Juice from 2 limes
• 16 ounces of cream cheese

Instructions

1. Add jalapeno, cranberries, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, green onions, and sweetener to your food processor or blender.
2. Blend the ingredients together until your desired salsa consistency is achieved. For a chunky salsa, a food processor is best. Pulse the ingredients in the food processor until the salsa is evenly chopped.
3. The Blendtec works great if you want a nice smooth well-combined salsa. I threw all the ingredients in and blended for about 1 minute. You can also achieve a smooth consistency with a food processor, just blend until the salsa is smooth.
4. Chill the salsa for at least 6 hours before serving.
5. To assemble the salsa over cream cheese spread the cream cheese in the bottom of a shallow serving dish. Next, add the cranberry salsa on top of the cream cheese. You can do this step ahead of time and have the entire dish ready to serve. Just place the serving dish back in the refrigerator until approximately 15 minutes before you are ready to serve.
6. Allowing the cream cheese to come to room temperature makes the dish much easier to eat with crackers.

Notes

I usually blend my cranberry salsa to a smooth even texture. If you prefer a chunky salsa, simply stop blending the ingredients when the salsa has reached your desired texture.

For an extra special festive touch mix in diced scallions after blending to add a pop of green. This makes a beautiful presentation for serving.

Jalapeno and cilantro also makes a beautiful garnish.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 16gNet Carbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gProtein: 2g

brilliantlyketo.com offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from multiple online calculators. Although all attempts to provide accurate nutritional information have been made, these figures are only estimates as products and ingredients macros vary.