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    Home » Appetizers

    Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites

    Published: October 28, 2021 | 7:48 pm, Modified: Feb 14, 2023 by Connie Edwards McGaughy This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites 🌱 Deliciously festive bite-size appetizers baked in puff pastry with vegan cream cheese topped with a homemade cranberry orange sauce, zest and fresh herbs.

    A muffin pan filled with vegan cranberry cheese bites sprinkled with fresh herbs and orange zest.

    Welcome your family and friends this holiday with these simply scrumptious cranberry and cheese filled pastries. The colorful combination of tart cranberries and rich creamy vegan cheese nestled in crisp buttery pastry pockets create an eye-catching and mouthwatering taste treat.They're the perfect vegan appetizer for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and any fall or winter event.

    I love serving starters that can be prepared in advance, allowing me to leave the kitchen and visit with guests when they arrive. This easy & delish recipe can be made ahead of time and then popped in the oven shortly before serving, just like our vegan meatless meatballs and fiesta pinwheels

    This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn from purchases at no additional cost to you.

    A plate arranged with vegan cranberry cheese bites.

    🥕Why we love this recipe

    • It's simple and easy to make
    • A perfect holiday or any day appetizer
    • Very versatile - easily add or substitute ingredients
    • Make ahead of time and bake when ready to serve
    • So festive and pretty!
    • Your guests will love them
    A white rectangular plate arranged with vegan cranberry cheese bites.
    Jump to:
    • 🥕Why we love this recipe
    • How to prepare this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • 🥕Baking Tips
    • 🥕Variations and add-ons
    • 🥕Serving Suggestions
    • 🥕FAQ's
    • Recipe
    • Food Safety

    How to prepare this recipe

    These vegan cranberry cheese bites are a lot of fun to put together. For this recipe post, I used store-bought puff pastry, Miyoko's vegan cream cheese and my homemade cranberry orange sauce.

    If you're short on time or just prefer not to DIY, you can opt for store bought cranberry sauce, puff pastry or crescent roll dough. Otherwise, you can also use pie dough or phyllo (see 🥕Baking Tips, below).

    Vegan cranberry cheese bites arranged on a cutting board.

    Ingredients

    • Pastry - vegan puff pastry, crescent roll dough, pie dough or phyllo dough
    • Vegan cheese - cream cheese (plain or herb), brie or any soft non-dairy cheese
    • Cranberry sauce - homemade or store-bought
    • Fresh herbs - parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme (yes, I did say that)
    • Orange zest

    Making this simple Cranberry Orange Sauce is so easy & delish and totally worth doing! All you need are a few basic ingredients and a few minutes to make the best cranberry sauce. Chances are, once you try it, you'll think twice about using store-bought again.

    Simple cranberry orange sauce in a bowl.

    🥕See the complete recipe with quantities and details here.

    Ingredients for vegan cranberry cheese bites, including fresh cranberries, orange, spices, maple syrup and water.
    • Thoroughly rinse cranberries.
    • Pour cranberries into a medium saucepan with maple syrup and water.
    • Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender.
    Adding fresh cranberries to pan with maple syrup.
    Fresh cranberries simmering in maple syrup
    • Remove from heat.
    • Stir in pumpkin pie spice, diced oranges and zest.
    • Store covered in refrigerator until ready to use. That's it! So simple!
    Cranberry sauce and oranges.
    cranberry orange sauce.

    Instructions

    See just how easy it is to create these yummy appetizers!

    Packaged puff pastry (image above left) and crescent roll dough (right).

    • Preheat oven to 350℉
    • Place puff pastry or crescent roll dough onto a clean cutting board or silicone pastry mat. If using crescent roll dough, pinch together diagonal seams.
    • Cut dough into 24 two-inch equal squares for a mini muffin pan or into 12 three-inch squares for a regular size muffin/cupcake pan.
    • Lightly coat muffin/cupcake pan with vegetable oil.
    • Press pastry squares into cups, folding corners over top of pan.
    • Poke a few holes in each with a fork.
    • Add a rounded teaspoon of cheese in the bottom of each pastry cup.
    • Top with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce.
    • Bake at 350℉ for approx. 10 minutes until golden brown.

    Allow to sit for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs and orange zest & serve!

    A muffin pan filled with vegan cranberry cheese bites.

    🥕Baking Tips

    This recipe makes 12 large or 24 mini vegan cranberry cheese bites, depending on the muffin pan you use. I prefer a mini pan.

    Here are my preferences for doughs to use in this recipe, starting with my first choice:

    1. Vegan puff pastry - Light and airy and puffs up beautifully while baking.
    2. Vegan crescent roll dough - Similar in flavor to puff pastry. Not as crispy.
    3. Pie dough - Thinner and crisper than the first two. Holds a nice shape.
    4. Phyllo dough - Very flaky. Less fat but also a lot drier and tends to fall apart.

    🥕Note: You may need to adjust your oven temperature and baking time depending on the type of dough you use. Follow the package directions.

    Vegan cranberry muffin bites in a mini muffin pan.

    🥕Variations and add-ons

    • Chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds or pistachios
    • Fresh herbs - rosemary, sage, chives, thyme, basil, parsley
    • Substitute cranberry sauce with apricot preserves, raspberries or apple pie filling.
    • Substitute orange zest with lemon or lime zest
    • Stir in fresh chives, herbs or lemon zest into the cheese
    A white plate arranged with vegan cranberry cheese bites.

    🥕Serving Suggestions

    Entertaining is fun when you can offer your guests an array of tempting and tasty vegan appetizers by providing a variety of savory and sweet, hot and cold small bites, dips and finger foods. Serve these vegan cranberry cheese bites with our:

    • Easy cheesy vegan pepper poppers
    • Heavenly homemade hummus
    • Meatless meatballs and homemade marinara
    • Mediterranean roasted veggies
    • Vegan spinach pesto with pistachios

    Be sure to include a dessert tray with treats like our:

    • Old-fashioned vegan fudge
    • Palmier heart pastries
    • Old-fashioned applesauce cake
    • Vegan chocolate chip cookies
    • Oatmeal cookies.
    A plate arranged with vegan cranberry cheese bites and a red and white striped towel.

    🥕FAQ's

    Is it ok to use canned or packaged cranberry sauce in this recipe?

    Yes, absolutely. If so, I would recommend using a whole-berry sauce, not jellied cranberry sauce. You can add extra color and flavor to canned sauce by adding orange zest and a pinch of pumpkin spice, if you like.

    Can these appetizers be prepared ahead of time?

    They sure can! Prepare the vegan cranberry cheese bites per the recipe instructions, but don't bake until you're ready to serve them. Refrigerate them up to 24 hours in the muffin pan, securely covered in food-safe plastic wrap or a large zip-lock plastic bag. When ready, bake at 350℉ for approximately 10 minutes until pastry is golden brown and cranberries are bubbling. Add garnish after baking.

    How to store leftover cranberry cheese bites?

    You can store freshly baked, extra bites refrigerated in an airtight container or securely wrapped, up to 24 hours. Do note that the pastry bottoms may become a bit soggy. For food safety reasons, as a rule of thumb, I would not suggest storing leftover party appetizers that have been unrefrigerated for more than an hour or exposed to multiple people.

    What is puff pastry? Is it the same as phyllo dough?

    Puff pastry is made with layers of butter and thinly rolled dough sandwiched together, creating a light and airy pastry that holds together and stays soft and moist. Phyllo is also made with very thin layers of dough with less fat (usually oil) resulting in a very flaky and drier pastry. This article from marthastewart.com explains the differences between the two in detail.

    Recipe

    Vegan cranberry cheese bites filled with plant-based cheese and homemade cranberry sauce inside a muffin tin.

    Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites

    by Connie🥕
    Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites 🌱 Deliciously festive bite-size appetizers baked in puff pastry with vegan cream cheese and topped with a homemade cranberry orange sauce and fresh herbs.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine Holiday, Thanksgiving, Vegan
    Servings 12
    Calories 317 kcal

    Equipment

    • 24 cup mini muffin pan or 12 cup regular cupcake/muffin pan
    • kitchen knife
    • Measuring spoons
    • Measuring cup
    • Medium saucepan
    • Cooling rack
    • Citrus zester

    Ingredients
      

    Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites

    • 17.3 oz puff pastry vegan - one package
    • 8 oz vegan cream cheese
    • 8 oz cranberry sauce homemade cranberry orange sauce or store bought of your choice
    • 3 tablespoon orange zest

    Cranberry Orange Sauce

    • 2 cups cranberries whole, fresh
    • ½ cup maple syrup
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 cup oranges segmented (pith removed) and cut into ½" pieces
    • 1 teaspoon orange zest
    • 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

    Instructions
     

    Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites

    • Preheat oven to 350℉
    • Place puff pastry, crescent roll dough or pie dough onto a clean cutting board or silicone pastry mat. If using crescent roll dough, pinch together diagonal seams.
    • Cut dough into 24 two-inch equal squares for a mini muffin pan or into 12 three-inch squares for a regular size muffin/cupcake pan.
    • Lightly coat mini muffin/cupcake pan with vegetable oil.
    • Press pastry squares into cups, folding corners over top of pan.
    • Poke a few holes in each with a fork.
    • Add a rounded teaspoon of cheese in the bottom of each pastry cup.
    • Top with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce.
    • Bake at 350℉ for approx. 10 minutes until golden brown.

    Cranberry Orange Sauce

    • Thoroughly rinse cranberries. Remove any stems.
    • Pour cranberries into a medium saucepan, add maple syrup and water.
    • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, lower heat and simmer until cranberries have popped and become very tender.
    • Remove from heat and stir in orange sections, zest and pumpkin pie spice.

    Notes

    🥕Baking Tips
    This recipe makes 12 large or 24 mini vegan cranberry cheese bites, depending on the muffin pan you use. I prefer a mini pan.
    Here are my preferences for doughs to use in this recipe, starting with my first choice:
    1. Vegan puff pastry – Light and airy and puffs up beautifully while baking.
    2. Vegan crescent roll dough – Similar in flavor to puff pastry. Not as crispy.
    3. Pie dough – Thinner and crisper than the first two. Holds a nice shape.
    4. Phyllo dough – Very flaky. Less fat but also a lot drier and tends to fall apart.
    You may need to adjust your oven temperature and baking time depending on the type of dough you use. Follow the package directions.
    🥕Variations and add-ons
    • Chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds or pistachios
    • Fresh herbs - rosemary, sage, chives, thyme, basil, parsley
    • Substitute cranberry sauce with apricot preserves, raspberries or apple pie filling.
    • Substitute orange zest with lemon or lime zest
    • Stir in fresh chives, herbs or lemon zest into the cheese
    🥕Storage: You can store freshly baked, extra bites refrigerated in an airtight container or securely wrapped, up to 24 hours. Do note that the pastry bottoms may become a bit soggy. For food safety reasons, as a rule of thumb, I would not suggest storing leftover party appetizers that have been unrefrigerated for more than an hour or exposed to multiple people.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2mini vegan cranberry cheese bitesCalories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 181mgPotassium: 61mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg

    These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Food Safety

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kayla DiMaggio

      October 30, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! I am loving these cranberry cheese bites! Such a perfect appetizer!

      Reply
    2. Andrea White

      October 30, 2021 at 7:15 pm

      5 stars
      So good! Love this one so much!

      Reply
    3. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady

      October 30, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      5 stars
      OMG I can not wait to make these for holiday parties this year! I bet Brie cheese would pair beautifully in these as well!

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        October 30, 2021 at 1:45 pm

        Cindy, you're absolutely right. I've made these with vegan brie and they're delish! Thanks a bunch!🥕

        Reply
    4. Gabriela Herrera

      October 30, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      OMG Connie these Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites are giving me life right now. Thank you so much for this festive recipe. These are the perfect appetizer.

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        October 30, 2021 at 1:43 pm

        Gabriela, you made my day! I'm so happy you like the recipe. They're as much fun to make as they are to eat! Thank you for your wonderful comment & rating! 💚🥕

        Reply
    5. Connie Edwards McGaughy

      October 28, 2021 at 7:53 pm

      5 stars
      Want to wow your guests at your next holiday get-together? Make a batch of these delish and colorful mini bites!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Connie! I created The Carrot Underground🥕 as your place to find easy & delicious recipes and inspiration for enjoying the goodness of vegan living.

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