These vegan Cranberry Cheese Strings are the perfect party snack! With flaky puff pastry and filled with a sweet-savoury combination of homemade cranberry sauce, vegan cheese, and nutty hazelnuts.

For this recipe, we're creating the cranberry filling from scratch and you can use both fresh or frozen cranberries - whatever you have on hand! It's also great using leftover cranberry sauce from Christmas dinner - or other festivities. If you're using pre-made cranberry sauce and it's simply missing 'that special something', then stir in some cinnamon and balsamic glaze and you're ready to make your own cranberry cheese strings.

The vegan cheese I've used for these cheese strings is the Epic Mature from Violife. I find it works just perfectly for this type of recipe - as it melts in the oven but it is not too melty to make the cheese strings soggy (that often happens when using vegan Greek-style cheese, so I wouldn't recommend that!). You're welcome to swap it out for your favourite vegan cheese! For best results use a hard block cheese that you can grate and that melts in the oven.

This recipe is:

100% vegan
egg-free and dairy-free
super cheesy
the perfect mix of sweet and savoury
delicious
a tasty party snack
a brilliant use of leftover cranberry sauce!

Cranberry Cheese Strings

These vegan Cranberry Cheese Strings are the perfect party snack! With flaky puff pastry and filled with a sweet-savoury combination of homemade cranberry sauce, vegan cheese and nutty hazelnuts.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American, British

Servings 14 servings

Equipment

1 lined oven tray
1 saucepan

Ingredients

1 sheet vegan-friendly puff pastry

For the cranberry sauce:

250 g cranberries
100-150 ml water
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp balsamic glaze

For the filling:

1 block vegan cheese (200 g) shredded
50 g hazelnuts crushed
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp browned butter

For the 'egg' wash:

2 tsbp maple syrup
2 tbsp tamari soya sauce

Instructions

Carefully unroll your puff pastry sheet and place the unrolled sheet into the fridge.
To prepare the cranberry filling, place your cranberries into a saucepan and pour in the water. Stir regularly over medium heat until the cranberries begin to break down. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until all the cranberries have broken down and the mix turned into a cranberry sauce.
Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, black pepper, and balsamic glaze, then remove from the heat.
In a small bowl, stir together the crushed hazelnuts, nutritional yeast, and salt. Brown the butter in a small saucepan on the stove and mix it into the nut mix.
Roughly grate the cheese into a bowl and preheat your oven to 190C (375F).
Spread the cranberry sauce across the entire puff pastry sheet, then cut the sheet in half. Top one half with about 3/4 of the nut mix and most of the cheese, then fold the other half of the cranberry puff pastry sheet on top. Gently press it down, then cut the sheet into 14 equal, lengthy pieces. Take each piece and twist it 3-4 times, then place it onto a lined baking tray.
Mix the maple syrup and tamari, then brush it onto the twists. Sprinkle the remaining nut mix and cheese on top and transfer to the oven.
Mix the maple syrup and tamari, then brush it onto the twists. Sprinkle the remaining nut mix and cheese on top and transfer to the oven.