Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites

Name: Vegan Cranberry Cheese Bites
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 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 tbsp orange zest; 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)

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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 Thanksgiving or Christmas 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 any fall and winter gathering.

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, pepper poppers, and fiesta pinwheels.

★★★★★ "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." Gabriela

A plate arranged with vegan cranberry cheese bites.

Why you'll 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

Table of Contents

Why you'll love this recipe
How to prepare this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Baking Tips
Variations and add-ons
Serving Suggestions
FAQ's
Recipe
Food Safety
Comments

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, 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.

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), vegan brie or any soft non-dairy cheese - NOTE: I don't recommend coconut-based cheeses as they tend to liquify when baked.
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 cranberry sauce 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!

Instructions

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

A sheet of puff pastry on a cutting board.

A sheet of crescent roll dough on a cutting board.

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.

A cupcake pan lined with squares of puff pastry.

A cupcake pan lined with squares of puff pastry filled with vegan cream cheese.

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.

A cupcake pan lined with squares of puff pastry filled with vegan cream cheese and cranberry sauce.

A cupcake pan filled with baked vegan cranberry cheese bites.

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

A muffin pan filled with vegan cranberry cheese bites topped with fresh herbs.

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:

Vegan puff pastry - Light and airy and puffs up beautifully while baking.
Vegan crescent roll dough - Similar in flavor to puff pastry. Not as crispy.
Pie dough - Thinner and crisper than the first two. Holds a nice shape.
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

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:

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

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.