These vegan cranberry bites are fabulous for holiday entertaining! Layer vegan cream cheese, cranberry sauce, hazelnuts and rosemary in puff pastry for irresistible bites that nobody can resist.
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Why you need to try these Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
These simple, easy to make, and elegant bites are the perfect appetizer or snack for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, or any time during the festive holiday season and beyond!
These are just the thing to make when you have leftover homemade cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. If you don't have any leftover sauce, I recommend making my homemade cranberry sauce; it comes together in 20 minutes. You can make this cranberry sauce the day before or the week before you make these bites.
As long as you have the puff pastry thawed, you can have these appetizers ready to be devoured in 30 minutes. I love pairing these bites with a sparkling cocktail with bubbles.
🥘 Ingredients
You only need five ingredients to make these vegan cranberry cream cheese bites!
- Vegan puff pastry, many brands are accidentally vegan; for this recipe I used Aussie Bakery's puff pastry which is found in the freezer section of the grocery store.
- Vegan cream cheese, I like Kite Hill's plain cream cheese alternative which is tangy and works well in this recipe
- Cranberry sauce, preferably homemade (not the jellied storebought kind)
- Chopped hazelnuts
- Chopped rosemary for garnish
🍽 Equipment
What you need to make these cranberry bites:
- two 12 well mini muffins pans, or a 24 well mini muffin pan
- rolling pin
- pastry and pasta cutter wheel (nice to have, not essential)
- chef's knife
- two spoons
🔪 Instructions
Oil the mini muffin tins lightly with avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
Roll out the puff pastry on parchment paper and cut the puff pastry into 16 squares. This is easiest with a pizza and pastry cutter. 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.
Separate and place the squares in the mini muffin tins.
Fill the squares with vegan cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and chopped nuts.
Bake until golden brown, and top with chopped rosemary. To keep the vibrant green color of the rosemary, I garnish after the bites come of the oven. Let the bites cool for a few minutes before serving.
These bites will still taste great if you place the rosemary on top before you start baking, however the rosemary will be a dull shade of green.
💭 Top tips to make Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
Place the frozen puff pastry in the fridge the night before you plan to use 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.
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 x9-inch or 10-inch x10-inch square anyways. It works!
If you wish to balance the sweetness of the cranberry sauce, add a little salt and pepper. Since I don't find my homemade cranberry sauce to be too sweet, I skip this step. Season to your taste.
Can you make these ahead of time?
Yes, you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Assemble the bites, do not bake them, and cover them in plastic wrap or place them in a ziplock bag. Store them in the refrigerator.
Before you plan on serving them, bake according to the recipe directions, and serve them right out of the oven (let cool for a few minutes first) or let them cool to room temperature.
Can these be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze them, if there are any leftover! Thaw them overnight in the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature on the counter before serving them.
Can these be reheated?
If you wish to enjoy them heated, place them in a preheated oven at 350F 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.
♻️ Variations
Get creative and try other nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or pecan.
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, or jalapeño pepper jelly.
Garnish with 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 then mixing with chopped vegan cheese.
More holiday recipes
Vegan Polenta with Roasted Oyster Mushrooms
If you make these Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
Equipment
- pastry and pasta cutter wheel (optional but nice to have)
- Spoons
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 cranberry sauce preferably homemade
- 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 375F.
- 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.
- 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!
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.
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