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.
10 Creative Ways to Use Cranberry Curd
- Tarts & Pies
- Ice Cream Cake
- S’mores
- Appetizer crostini with whipped herbed ricotta
- Slather on flaky biscuits
- Serve with scones
- Drizzle on pancakes or waffles
- Swirl into a yogurt parfait
- Top oatmeal
- 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.

Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Curd Part I
- 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
- 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
Looking for more cranberry ideas?
Check out some others from the #yesyoucranberry collaboration!
- What Annie’s Eating – Cranberry Gin Fizz
- Square Meal Round Table – Cranberry Orange Streusel Pie
- Easy and Delish – Avocado Cranberry Hummus Dip
- The Cooking of Joy – Cranberry Curd Tart
- Jessie Sheehan Bakes – Cranberry Buckle
- Ciao Chow Bambina – Cranberry Pecan Cracker Spread
- Baking The Goods – Cranberry Apple Brown Butter Crumble Pie
- Katiebird Bakes – Cranberry Sauce Breakfast Rolls
- Crumb Top Baking – Cranberry Orange Overnight Oatmeal Muffins
- The Baking Fairy – Vegan Cranberry Apple Bundt Cake
- You Can Live Rich On Less – Cranberry Cherry Tarts
- Sift & Simmer – White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Ronnie Fein – Baked Goat Cheese with Honey Sauce and Cranberries
- Lemon Thyme and Ginger – French Toast with Apple Cranberry Compote
- Hola Jalapeño – Cranberry Agua Fresca with Mint and Lime
- Susannah Chen – Cranberry Pico de Gallo
- Katherine in Brooklyn – Cranberry Cinnamon Buns
- Pie Girl Bakes – Dark Chocolate Chunk Cranberry Cookies
- Clean Plate Club – Glazed Cream Puffs with Cranberry Buttercream
- Tiny Kitchen Capers – White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Le Petit Eats – Dark Chocolate Tart with Cinnamon Sugared Cranberry
- Prickly Fresh – Cranberry Crostini with Prosciutto & Port Salut
- Simple and Sweet Food – Fresh Ricotta and Spiced Cranberry Crostini
- Frosting and Fettuccine – Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
- Cosette’s Kitchen – Orange Cranberry Scones
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.
★★★★★
Hi Alene! I am so glad you liked it, thank you for stopping by! 🙂
I can’t wait to make cranberry curd this weekend! It sounds delicious!
★★★★★
I hope you like it!! 🙂
If I am making this for a tart, should I double it?
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!
Hi Gabby, I tested it again and it makes 2 1/4 cups which I think would be enough for a tart!
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it.