Cranberry Cream Cheese Crostini – Appetizer

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

This Cranberry Crostini Recipe is a must for the Holidays. Toasted crostini slices topped with cream cheese and classic cranberry sauce. Beautifully pulled together and delicious to eat. An easy appetizer with crowd pleasing reviews.

Cranberry Crostini Recipe

Crostini are pretty much my favorite appetizer. They are quick and easy to make and really come together as a showpiece to hors d’oeuvre.

These are actually another fun way to use up leftovers (wink wink) from Thanksgiving. Typically, we end up with a lot of extra cranberry sauce.

And if you are a big fan of cranberry sauce you may also want to try making Cranberry Turkey Flatbread.

This sweet and savory crostini recipe is probably the most hassle-free holiday food you’ll ever make. Raise your hand if you’re a fan of easy and delicious party appetizers! (raising and waving a hand in the air).

But wait… You may be wondering…

But isn’t this bruschetta?

And to argue it wouldn’t be worth it. There are some small differences. Some would say; “potato” vs “po-tato“. Either way, you say it or slice it, little cranberry cream cheese bites are delicious. And each tastes delightful. Yet, both require the same main ingredient – a baguette of bread.

So to this, I say make a platter of these for your holiday get-together. I promise you these will not disappoint. They are absolutely hip and fun.

Plus (wink wink) this is a great recipe to use up Thanksgiving leftovers and also a good excuse to make a double batch of cranberry sauce. 

Difference Between Bruschetta and Crostini

Both Bruschetta and Crostini are pieces of toast with toppings. The details of the differences are very subtle.

Crostini: Means “little toasts” in Italian. They are small, thin slices of toasted bread, which are usually brushed with olive oil.

Bruschetta: Means “to roast over coals,” in Italian. This traditional garlic bread is made by rubbing thicker slices of toasted bread with garlic cloves, then drizzling the bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Served warm.

Do I need to use stale bread?

Stale bread is a nice way to use up stale bread, but it’s not required to make crostini. I would leave the stale bread to make homemade croutons or homemade bread crumbs instead. In fact, the fresher the bread, the crispier the crostini. Bread that’s too stale can make crostini bread less delicate and rather crunchy.

What is the best bread-to-use for crostini appetizers?

The most important choice is purchasing or making a baguette-style bread.

Italian and French work well. I prefer using a French-style baguette as the sliced bread cut is perfect for bites.

I would keep far far away from any frozen-style crostini bread appetizers. It is more costly and making it homemade will just taste better and fresher.

Let’s face it, Homemade food costs less than the convenience of store-purchased frozen food.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Crostini Ingredients

• 1 Baguette, sliced 2 inches in thickness
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, softened
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Cranberry Sauce or Cranberry Relish
• Lime Zest, optional

Recommended Cooking Tools

• bread knife 
• cutting board
• Silicone pastry brush
• baking sheet

How to Make Your Cream Cheese – Cranberry Crostini

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place the baguette slices on a lined or greased baking sheet and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the butter and honey until smooth and well-combined.

Spread the honey butter on the baguette slices, then place in the oven and toast until the tops are lightly golden brown. Roughly 8 to 10 minutes.

Spread the softened cream cheese on the baguette slices and top with a teaspoon or so of cranberry sauce.

Zest of lime over the crostini to give a hint of green and a hint of zesty flavor.

Serve immediately.

Please note if you are making your own cranberry sauce or cranberry relish, I would suggest making it ahead of time. I enjoy eating it a few days after. The taste is more pronounced and flavorful the longer you let it sit and rest. I would not wait any longer than two days before using it.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Crostini Recipe

These crispy bread slices with cheese and cranberries are a wonderful combination of flavors, especially during Thanksgiving and Christmas when cranberries are in season. The flavors are a little sweet and a little savory.

If you made this appetizer recipe, we would love to hear all about it. We get so excited when we learn that you have chosen to make one of our recipes featured on Inspiring Savings. Please leave us a comment below.

Other Great Appetizer Recipes

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Dip – Easy No Bake

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Simple Garlic Knots! – Quick and Easy

Eating out is easy, and it usually tastes delicious, but it’s expensive. Making this meal at home will save you money. Add this recipe to your weekly meal plan.