These Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites are ready in 30 minutes and are fabulous for entertaining during the holiday season or all year round! Layer vegan cream cheese, tangy vegan cranberry sauce, hazelnuts, and rosemary in puff pastry for irresistible bites that nobody can resist.
These simple, elegant bites are the perfect vegan appetizer or snack for holiday parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve; they're festive and a crowd-pleaser.
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Why You Will Love These Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
These festive bite-size appetizers are just what to make when you have leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving
If you don't have any leftover sauce, I recommend making my vegan cranberry sauce with orange recipe; it comes together in 20 minutes. You can make it the day before or the week before you make these bites.
If you have the puff pastry thawed, you can have these appetizers ready to be devoured in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
You only need five simple ingredients to make the perfect holiday appetizer!
- Vegan puff pastry - many brands are accidentally vegan, such as Aussie Bakery and Pepperidge Farm. You can find these in the freezer section of the grocery store near the frozen pie crusts.
- Vegan cream cheese - I like Kite Hill's plain cream cheese alternative, which is tangy and works well in this recipe; another good one is Tofutti.
- Vegan cranberry sauce, preferably made with fresh cranberries -not the jellied store-bought kind, although that can be done in a pinch.
- Chopped hazelnuts - use any chopped nuts you like.
- Chopped rosemary for a festive garnish.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
What is Puff Pastry?
Puff pastry is a light, buttery, and flaky pastry dough used in sweet and savory dishes. It is time-consuming and moderately difficult to make, so I buy it. Whether you make it yourself or buy it, it's essential to keep it cool and flour your work surface.
It's a laminated dough that looks similar to a croissant, with hundreds of flaky layers, but it doesn't contain any leavening agents or yeast.
Where to Buy Puff Pastry
As mentioned above, you can usually find puff pastry at all the major grocery stores (and smaller stores, too) in the frozen dessert section where frozen pies are sold. It's typically near frozen phyllo. You may see it labeled as puff pastry sheets or puff pastry dough. I've never seen it refrigerated, but maybe you will!
The brand I used for this recipe is Aussie Bakery, which I found at Whole Foods. Pepperidge Farm makes puff pastry sheets, too. I haven't tried any other brands. Ask someone at your local grocery store if you can't find any puff pastry. You might be able to order it online if your local grocery store delivers.
Substitutions
- Store-bought puff pastry - use crescent roll dough instead, or phyllo cups. You can substitute puff pastry with phyllo dough, but it won't rise as much, and the result will be crispier.
- Vegan cranberry sauce - use cranberry preserves instead. I recommend this over using tinned cranberry sauce for the best flavor. If the preserves are too thick, thin them with a splash of water, lemon juice, orange juice, or amaretto.
- Vegan cream cheese - try Miyoko's plant milk cheese spread in classic chive.
Variations
To make these throughout the year, you can replace the cranberry sauce with your favorite jam or jelly. Try different preserves, fig jam, mango chutney, cranberry jalapeno dip, or jalapeño pepper jelly. Instead of preserves, you can use a fruit compote, like this cherry compote, blueberry compote, or rhubarb compote.
- Get creative and try other nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or pecan.
- Stir in lemon zest or a little orange zest.
- Garnish with fresh herbs such as chopped fresh thyme instead of rosemary once the bites are out of the oven.
- I've made a savory version by sauteeing onion, garlic, and tempeh and mixing it with chopped vegan cheese.
How to Make Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
Here is an overview of how to make these delicious appetizers. Thaw the vegan puff pastry according to the package directions. I usually put it in the fridge the night before.
- Step 1: Oil the mini muffin tins (as seen below) lightly with avocado oil or grapeseed oil. Preheat the oven.
- Step 2: Roll out the puff pastry on parchment paper and cut it into 16 squares. I did not need to sprinkle the parchment paper with flour using this method, although that's an option to prevent sticking, especially if you're using a marble surface that also helps keep the pastry cool.
- Step 3: Separate the squares in the mini muffin tins, gently pressing them at the bottom.
- Step 4: Fill the squares with vegan cream cheese.
- Step 5: Fill the squares with cranberry sauce and chopped nuts on the vegan cream cheese.
Expert Tip
Place the frozen puff pastry in the fridge the night before using it. I've had greater success doing this rather than thawing it on the counter before use; I find it's more likely to get gummy in texture.
- Step 6: Bake until golden brown, and top with chopped rosemary. To keep the vibrant green color of the rosemary, I garnish it after the bites come out of the oven. Let the bites cool for a few minutes before serving.
Helpful Hints
Do not use your chef's knife to cut pastry on your marble board; use a pastry cutter or a dull knife; otherwise, your chef's knife will get dull immediately.
- Keep the puff pastry cool and flour your work surface. A marble pastry board is perfect for working with pastry since it is naturally cool.
- If your puff pastry gets too warm or gummy, place it back in the fridge.
- If you have trouble separating the folds of the puff pastry, roll it out into an even 9-inch x 9-inch or 10-inch x 10-inch square anyway. It works!
- If you wish to balance the sweetness of the cranberry sauce, add a little salt and pepper-season to your taste.
How To Serve
- I love pairing these vegan bites with a sparkling cocktail with bubbles like this blood orange French 75 or this sparkling cranberry mocktail.
- Pair these delicious vegan cranberry bites with this pomegranate gimlet cocktail or vin chaud (French mulled wine) to bring holiday cheer!
- Serve these bites at a holiday party or brunch with this vegan cranberry orange bread and this festive and savory Christmas poinsettia foccacia bread from Bella.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze them if you have any leftovers! Thaw them overnight in the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature on the counter before serving them.
If you wish to enjoy them heated, place them in a preheated oven at 350°F and bake for approximately 10 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't get burnt at the edges. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Yes, you can make these vegan cranberry cheese bites up to 3 days ahead. Assemble the bites and do not bake them. Cover them in plastic wrap or place them in a ziplock bag. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before serving them, bake them according to the recipe directions, and serve them right out of the oven (let them cool for a few minutes first) or cool to room temperature.
The ingredients will vary depending on the brand. The vegan cream cheese I used contains Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Salt, Enzyme, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Mushroom Extract (to help preserve freshness), Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, and Cultures.
More Vegan Holiday Recipes
If you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
EQUIPMENT
- 1 Mini muffin pan a 24-well mini-muffin pan or 2 12-well mini-muffin pans
- rolling pin
- Spoons
- wooden spoon
- marble pastry board (nice to have)
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz vegan puff pastry 1 sheet thawed
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or grapeseed oil to prep mini muffin tins
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese half a container (I used Kite Hill)
- ½ cup vegan cranberry sauce try my vegan cranberry sauce with orange
- 3 tablespoons hazelnuts chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Thaw the vegan puff pastry according to package directions. Oil the mini muffin tins with avocado or grapeseed oil or spray. Preheat the oven to 375°F.8 oz vegan puff pastry, 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- Gently roll out the puff pastry to a 9-inch or 10-inch square. With a pastry and pasta cutter wheel or a knife, cut the dough into 16 squares.
- Separate and place the squares in the mini muffin tins, gently fitting them into the wells.
- Place a dollop of the vegan cream cheese in each of the pastry squares, follow with cranberry sauce, and top with chopped hazelnuts.4 oz vegan cream cheese, ½ cup vegan cranberry sauce, 3 tablespoons hazelnuts
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges of the puff pastry and golden brown and puffed up.
- Take out of the oven and top with fresh chopped rosemary. Let cool for several minutes, place on a serving platter and enjoy!1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
NOTES
- I prefer to thaw the puff pastry in the fridge the night before, or refer to the package for thawing instructions.
- If you want to make only 12 bites, then put the rest of the puff pastry in the fridge or freezer for another use.
NUTRITION
Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.
Justina says
A Question - the recipe says "mini" muffin pans, and yet as there are 12, rather than 24, they appear to be the regular sized muffin pans? Are they really minis? Thank you!!
Emily Miller says
Hi Justina, they really are minis; the muffin pan shown is a "mini" muffin pan that has 12 slots.
Ieva says
Made these for a New Year's Eve party last night, and they were superb - everyone loved them. All the beautiful flavours of the season! Highly recommend.
Emily Miller says
Thank you for sharing, Ieva! We're so happy to hear that you and your guests enjoyed our vegan cranberry cream cheese bites. The holiday season is always a time for delicious treats and we're glad that our bites were able to add to the festivities. Happy new year!
Anjali says
I made these for a new years eve brunch I went to today and they were a huge hit! Everyone loved them and they were gone in minutes!
Emily Miller says
Thank you for taking the time to review these vegan cranberry cream cheese bites, Anjali! I am so happy to hear that they were a success at your New Year's Eve brunch!
Sara Welch says
This was such a unique and unexpected recipe that does not disappoint! Turned out light, fluffy and delicious; easily, a new favorite recipe!
Emily Miller says
I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my vegan cranberry cream cheese bites, Sara! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and share your experience!
Stephanie says
These vegan cranberry bites are just delightful! Full of flavor and guilt-free. These were gobbled up at our football party yesterday - I already plan to make for our next gathering.
Emily Miller says
Thanks for trying out these vegan cranberry cream cheese bites, Stephanie. I am thrilled to hear they were a hit at your football party!
Kushigalu says
These cranberry cream cheese bites are fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Emily Miller says
Thank you for your kind words, Kushigalu!
Marian says
What a fantastic recipe idea! Endlessly customizable and so quick, easy and impressive. Thankyou.
Emily says
Thank you, Marian!
Anaiah says
Oh yum! These little bites are going to be perfect to serve at my party. They look so beautiful and are such a great appetizer idea. And using puff pastry just makes everything so much easier!
Emily says
Hi Anaiah, thank you for your review! Puff pastry is a great way to make appetizers because it's easy and quick, but also very versatile. I hope you enjoy them!
Aleisha says
Incredible! Nothing like the combo of cream (vegan) cream cheese and cranberry!
Emily says
Thank you so much for your comment, Aleisha! They're so good together!
Andrea says
What a tasty dessert! I used to love cream cheese so I'm excited to try this vegan version out!
Emily says
Thank you for your comment, Andrea! I hope you enjoy these!
Kayla says
I love this so much! This is the perfect appetizer! I can't wait to share these, they might not make it to the event though, lol!
Emily says
Thank you so much for your review, Kayla! I'm so glad to hear that these are the perfect appetizer. I hope you enjoy these, you might have to make extra, lol!