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    Home » Recipes » Thanksgiving Recipes

    Cranberry Mayonnaise

    Published: Aug 2, 2012 · Modified: Mar 4, 2023 by Jessie · This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy something we'll earn a commission at no cost to you.

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    Wondering what to do with leftover cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving? Throw this easy cranberry mayonnaise recipe together! The perfect spread for a simple turkey sandwich. 

    Two sandwich halves stacked on top of each other, showing layers of turkey, cranberry mayonnaise, greens, and tomatoes. this recipe

    We love a good leftover remix (there are only so many times you can eat the same reheated Thanksgiving dinner, right?) and this easy cranberry mayo is one of our favorite ways to use extra cranberry sauce after the holidays! Use it immediately or keep it in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    PS - Looking for tasty ways to reimagine your Thanksgiving leftovers? See our full Thanksgiving Leftovers Recipe Collection →

    Cranberry mayonnaise sitting in a glass bowl with a gold serving spoon.

    This is a very loose "recipe": all you need is mayonnaise and some leftover cranberry sauce (we love using homemade cranberry sauce, but canned cranberry sauce works fine too!)  

    We've given you loose measurements in the recipe card below, but this cranberry mayonnaise will vary a bit depending on your cranberry sauce: do a taste test after mixing and stir in additional mayo or cranberry sauce as needed to balance the flavors. This spread is very forgiving!

    Riffs and Substitutions

    • Adjust the sweetness. If your cranberry sauce is especially tart, stir in a spoonful of honey or maple syrup to balance it out. If your cranberry sauce is too sweet, add a splash of lemon juice to bring a bit of that tart flavor back in.
    • For a smoother cranberry mayonnaise, blend the mayo with a food processor or immersion blender (you may need to double or triple the recipe to have enough volume to ensure smooth blending!)
    • Add leftover chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage for an herby cranberry spread.
    Cranberry mayonnaise in a glass bowl next to a bowl of fresh greens and a turkey sandwich.

    Ways to use cranberry mayo

    • Slather it on homemade crusty bread with leftover herb roasted turkey breast, brie or white cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, and lots of greens or lettuce for an epic turkey sandwich. (No turkey? You can also use sliced or slow cooker shredded chicken!)
    • Use as a quick aioli dip with some homemade crab cakes.
    • Add a dollop to salad dressing for a tart, creamy vinaigrette (cranberry mayo is great in place of the dijon mustard in our 5 minute lemon arugula salad dressing!)
    • Use as a spread for a simple turkey burger!

    More Cranberry Sauce Recipes

    Cranberry sauce is one of our favorite Thanksgiving leftovers - it's a delicious addition to all kinds of sweet and savory recipes! A few of our favorite ways to repurpose it:

    • Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese
    • Cranberry Brie Stuffed French Toast
    Two sandwich halves stacked on top of each other in front of a dark background.

    Video: Four ways to use leftover cranberry sauce

    Print
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    Gold spoon stirring cranberry sauce and mayonnaise together in a glass bowl.

    Cranberry Mayonnaise

    ★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Jessie
    • Prep Time: 2 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 minute
    • Total Time: 3 minutes
    • Yield: ⅔ cup 1x
    • Category: Sauce
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegetarian
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    The easiest cranberry mayonnaise - the perfect way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • 3 Tablespoons leftover cranberry sauce
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    Notes

    You may need to adjust this mayonnaise mix to suit your cranberry sauce - just give it a taste when you mix it together and add extra mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, or salt as necessary! If your cranberry sauce is too tart, stir in a spoonful of honey or maple syrup to add more sweetness. If the mayo is too sweet, add a splash of lemon juice to brighten it up.

    This recipe doesn't freeze especially well as the mayo can separate once defrosted. Cranberry sauce freezes very well on its own, though! We recommend freezing leftover cranberry sauce on its own, then defrosting as needed to make this cranberry mayo on demand.

    Use this cranberry mayonnaise on a leftover turkey sandwich, a cranberry brie grilled cheese sandwich, or add a dollop to a quick vinaigrette in place of mustard for a tart, creamy salad dressing!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
    • Calories: 83
    • Sugar: 1.7 g
    • Sodium: 70.1 mg
    • Fat: 8.2 g
    • Carbohydrates: 2.2 g
    • Protein: 0.2 g
    • Cholesterol: 4.6 mg

    Keywords: thanksgiving, leftovers, sauce

    Tag @lifeasastrawberry on Instagram to show us what you're cooking! Nutrition information is calculated per serving; it is approximate and will vary based on many factors.

    SaveSave

    More Our Best Thanksgiving Recipes

    • Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls (Makes 6)
    • Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dried Cranberries and Goat Cheese
    • Crusty Cranberry Pecan Bread (No Kneading)
    • Cranberry Brie Stuffed French Toast

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes #LifeAsAStrawberry on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!

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    Reader Interactions

    Discussion

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    1. Karen

      September 12, 2022 at 6:19 pm

      Try using cranberry wild rice bread with any of the recipes. You won't ever use anything else.

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        September 13, 2022 at 12:04 pm

        That sounds fabulous!

        Reply
    2. Carly

      October 07, 2020 at 11:42 am

      I made a wrap with this using apple slices, spinach, turkey, provolone cheese, and the cranberry mayo. It was delicious! I used to get a similar wrap from a local place around me but they have closed down and I could never find anything close to it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        October 07, 2020 at 6:09 pm

        So happy to hear you were able to use the mayo to recreate an old favorite!

        Reply
    3. MARGARET CULBERTSON

      May 25, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      Delicious! We used it on a chckn salad sandwich on Hawaiian Rolls.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Kay

      September 14, 2018 at 11:00 am

      I am going to try your cranberry mayo recipe been looking for a pre made one at Lunds ( its a grocery store in MN) with no luck wanted to recreate a turkey sandwich they make...thanks to you I can
      Kay

      Reply
      • Jackie @ Life As A Strawberry

        October 01, 2018 at 10:32 pm

        Hi Kay, how did it turn out?

        Reply
    5. elizabeth

      May 12, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      sorry, but this tasted awful! i tried just a can of whole berry sauce and 1/2 cup of mayo and it was great!

      Reply
    6. Sarah Moschenross

      January 10, 2016 at 10:38 am

      I just googled cranberry mayo to recreate the Q's sandwich on the challah I made and found that you had already done it!! Thanks, Jessie! I hope you are doing well and thanks for your great blog post!

      Reply
      • Jessie

        January 12, 2016 at 1:12 am

        Ahh! I miss Q's so much! Thanks, Sarah - so happy you found the site and hope you're doing well!!

        Reply
    7. kim

      December 19, 2015 at 11:51 am

      Is this Galesburg in IL?

      Reply
      • Jessie

        December 22, 2015 at 3:58 pm

        It is indeed! I did my undergrad work at Knox College 🙂

        Reply
    8. Winifred

      October 12, 2015 at 7:34 pm

      Thanks for the recipe. It's Canadian Thanksgiving here (we had our turkey yesterday) and I just made panninis with it. Turkey, stuffing and cranberry mayo on herb and garlic focaccia with gravy on the side for dipping. They were a big hit.

      Reply
      • Jessie

        November 05, 2015 at 8:48 am

        I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!

        Reply
    9. Elyssa

      June 28, 2015 at 9:28 pm

      Omg I went to a restaurant this afternoon and the sandwhich I ordered consisted of honey wheat bread, turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bean sprouts, and cranberry mayonnaise. My new favorite sandwhich ever!

      Reply
      • Jessie

        July 13, 2015 at 7:52 pm

        That sounds amazing! I'll definitely have to try that sandwich combo. next time I make this mayonnaise.

        Reply
    10. Cady

      October 12, 2014 at 10:33 am

      The restaurant I used to work at made turkey paninis with just turkey, cheddar cheese, and cranberry mayo. Other restaurants just don't even compare. Thank you for this recipe!!

      Reply

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