Naturally sweetened, this brightly colored Cranberry Curd is wonderfully tart and packed with flavor from orange, honey, and pink peppercorn.

The first of a three-part series here on Zestful Kitchen, this festive Cranberry Curd will make two more appearances in a couple of incredibly delicious and timely recipes.

The vibrant hue of this Cranberry Curd offers insight into how incredibly flavorful it is. The balance of flavors makes it ideal for both sweet and savory applications—perfect for this time of year filled with an abundance of decadent treats and one-bite appetizers.

Aside from the appetizer and dessert recipes to come, this curd can be used in any application that you would normally use lemon curd.

Frozen cranberries in a glass bowl.

10 Creative Ways to Use Cranberry Curd

  1. Tarts & Pies
  2. Ice Cream Cake
  3. S’mores
  4. Appetizer crostini with whipped herbed ricotta
  5. Slather on flaky biscuits
  6. Serve with scones
  7. Drizzle on pancakes or waffles
  8. Swirl into a yogurt parfait
  9. Top oatmeal
  10. Gift It
    • Pack some curd in a small, resealable jar and give it to friends and family along with a bakery baguette or simple shortbread cookies.

Side angle of a bright pink curd dripping out of a glass jar set on a wood cutting board

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Side angle of a bright pink curd dripping out of a glass jar set on a wood cutting board

Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Curd Part I

  • Author: Lauren Grant of Zestful Kitchen
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2¼ cups 1x

Description

Naturally sweetened, this brightly colored Cranberry Curd is wonderfully tart and packed with flavor from orange, honey, and pink peppercorn.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bag fresh or frozen cranberries (12 ounces)
  • ¾ cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns (optional)
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier) or brandy

Instructions

Cook cranberries, orange juice, zest, and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until cranberries burst, about 15 minutes. Transfer cranberry mixture to a food processor and purée.

Strain cranberry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan with honey, butter, and salt; discard solids.

Cook mixture over medium heat until butter is melted, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together egg yolks and egg in a large bowl. Gradually whisk cranberry mixture into egg mixture, transfer back to saucepan over low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and coats back of spoon, about 8 minutes.

Off heat, stir in liqueur then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap on surface of curd and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Use as desired.


Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Make ahead tip:

Cranberry curd will last 1 week store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in freezer.

What you’ll need to make Cranberry Curd:

Equipment:

  • Saucepan
  • Fine mesh sieve
  • Food processor

Ingredients:

  • Frozen cranberries
  • Oranges
  • Honey
  • Butter
  • Orange Liqueur
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Small glass jar of cranberry curd with a crostini in the background

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Looking for more cranberry ideas?

Check out some others from the #yesyoucranberry collaboration!

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About The Author

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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Comments

  1. I just made the cranberry curd for the ricotta appetizer for our New Year’s Eve party. It is delicious and I am so glad I doubled it.
    What super way to use cranberries! Thank you for the recipe.

    1. I would probably double it! I will test this again soon and get a yield of how much this makes—this is a great question!