Easy Cranberry Brie Bites are a quick, easy, make-ahead Thanksgiving and Christmas appetizer with only three ingredients. And the best part, these luscious bites of heaven take less than 15 minutes to prepare. Serve them next to my Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board for a festive and fun holiday gathering.
Light crispy premade fillo (sometimes spelled phyllo) shells are filled with a cube of creamy brie cheese and topped with a dollop of tart festive cranberry sauce. These elegant and delicious cranberry brie appetizers will wow your family and friends, and they will never guess how easy they are to make.
My best advice, make twice as many of these cranberry brie tartlets as you think you will need because they will go fast.
Here’s what you will need:
- Cranberry sauce: a holiday staple, you can use either purchased or homemade.
- Brie cheese: melted, creamy brie cheese and cranberry topping are a match made in heaven.
- Premade frozen filo (or sometimes spelled phyllo) shells: light, flaky layers of dough are formed into mini pastry cups, then fully baked and frozen. These delectable tart shells are versatile and the perfect vessel to hold the brie and cranberry sauce.
How to make them:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the brie into one-half inch squares.
- Place a square of brie in each of the filo cups.
- Top the brie with one-half teaspoon of cranberry sauce.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for seven to eight minutes or until the brie is melted and bubbly, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Sharon’s Tips:
- To make Cranberry Brie Bites ahead, make them according to the directions, but do not bake. Place the filled filo shells back in the tray they came in and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the tray back in the box and freeze for up to three months. Allow the bites to thaw before baking and bake as directed.
- Pepper jelly, fig preserves, honey, or your favorite jam or preserves can be substituted for the cranberry sauce.
- You can make a delicious homemade cranberry sauce by combining one cup of water, one cup of sugar, and a 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes. Cool and store covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- You can substitute puff pastry or crescent roll dough for the mini filo shells. Simply cut the pastry into small squares, and place it into mini muffin cups. Then, follow the rest of the recipe. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- Brie rind is edible, and you can leave it on or remove it before cutting the brie into cubes.
- Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for two to three days. To reheat, place them in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes. Do not reheat them in the microwave.
Related recipes:
If you like holiday appetizers like this, you might also be interested in these recipes: Cranberry Pecan Mini Goat Cheese Balls, Bourbon Pecan Brie Bites, Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip, Caprese Skewers with Pesto Dressing, and Blue Cheese Spread. And if you are a fan of cranberries, I hope you will also try my Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad. Come to think about it, you could also fill the filo shells with the chicken salad too!
If you would like even more holiday-themed recipes, check out these roundups of quick and easy recipes from top bloggers around the country: 25 Best Christmas Breakfast/Brunch Recipes, 25 Best Christmas Dessert Recipes, and 31 Easy Homemade Edible Christmas Gifts.
★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Easy Cranberry Brie Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz Brie cheese ½ of an 8 oz wheel of brie
- ½ cup cranberry sauce purchased or homemade
- 1.9 oz pkg frozen mini filo shells 15 shells, sometimes spelled phyllo
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the brie into ½ inch squares. You can remove the rind first if you prefer, or leave it on.
- Place a square of brie in each of the filo shells.
- Top the brie with ½ teaspoon of the cranberry sauce.
- Place the filo shells on a small parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To make Cranberry Brie Bites ahead, make them according to the directions, but do not bake. Place the filled filo shells back in the tray they came in and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the tray back in the box and freeze for up to three months. Allow the bites to thaw before baking and bake as directed.
- Pepper jelly, fig preserves, honey, or your favorite jam or preserves can be substituted for the cranberry sauce.
- You can make a delicious homemade cranberry sauce by combining one cup of water, one cup of sugar, and a 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes. Cool and store covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- You can substitute puff pastry or crescent roll dough for the mini filo shells. Cut the pastry into small squares, and place it into mini muffin cups. Then, follow the rest of the recipe. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- Brie rind is edible, and you can leave it on or remove it before cutting the brie into cubes.
- Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for two to three days. To reheat, place them in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes. Do not reheat them in the microwave.
Nutrition
**This recipe was originally published on December 1, 2018. It was republished on November 20, 2020, with new photos, expanded directions, and tips.
Ciara Coleman
So good and SO quick and easy to make! Totally saw the recipe in June and made them for a late night snack 🙂 We usually do a Brie bake with maple syrup and pecans, these would be delicious like that as well.
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Clara, I’m so happy you enjoyed these brie bites. I love this recipe and serve it often when we have company. It’s also a great use for leftover cranberry sauce around the holidays.
Sharon
Brianna
Hi Sharon! Can I use Phyllo dough and cut it? None of the grocery stores have them in stock!
Sharon Rigsby
Hey Brianna, yes, you can use puff pastry but the preparation is a little different. You will need to cut the pastry sheets into small squares. Then, place them in a mini-muffin pan and press down to fit them in. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of each one. Add the brie and cranberry sauce and bake for 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees F. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes and then enjoy!
I hope you enjoy them!
Sharon
Cathy
I’ve made these before with havarti and a 1/2 tsp of a mixture of seedless raspberry and jalapeño pepper jams….SO GOOD!
Sharon Rigsby
Wow! That does sound delicious!
Geri Colosey
These appetizers were so easy and tasty! I need to quadruple the recipe next time! NOTE: we added a sprikle of fresh rosemary and a pomegranate seed on top of each one that added a little additional savory and sweet.
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Geri, thanks so much for leaving such a nice comment and I love your idea of adding the rosemary and pomegranate seeds.Happy New Year!
Sharon
Sue
Do frozen shells need to be thawed before adding cheese & cranberry to bake?
Sharon Rigsby
No!
Sue
Thanks, these were a big hit with my Thanksgiving guests!
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Sue, I am so glad your guests enjoyed them! It’s impossible to eat just one!
All my best,
Sharon
Jessica
I couldn’t find filo cups anywhere near me so I’m using puff pastry. Would you suggest 1.5″ squares? Since I’m using the puff pastry, does that need to be cooked first? Thanks!
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Jessica, if you are using a mini muffin pan, I would experiment with a piece of paper cut in different sizes first to see what works best. Cut in a circle and you don’t want the dough to extend too far outside of the pan. Yes, I would definitely bake them first. Because it’s puff pastry, it will puff up more so you might have to mash it down to add the filling. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
PS: be sure to bake it again once you add the Brie and cranberry sauce.
Lindsay
Approximately how long does it take to thaw from frozen if you are making them ahead?
Sharon Rigsby
Not long, maybe 30-45 minutes. I hope you enjoy them!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Can you keep them warm in the oven while waiting or would be they go bad?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Vanessa, these bites are so small, they are almost impossible to keep hot. But they are still delicious at room temperature. I would just wait until the last minute to bake them and serve as soon as possible.
All my best,
Sharon
Louise
Hello! Thanks so much for this recipe I’m so excited to make them today for my family for thanksgiving. One question- can I prepare and assemble them like so ahead of time and travel like 30 minutes away with them before putting them in the oven? Like the cranberry won’t make the cheese and phyllo soggy during that travel time right? TIA❤️
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Louise, it depends on how runny your cranberry sauce is. Just in case, I would probably make them with just the brie, then when you get there, add the cranberry sauce and bake.
I hope you enjoy them and Happy Thanksgiving!
Sharon
Jennifer D
Can these be frozen and re warmed?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Jennifer, I’ve never frozen them baked so I don’t know if that would work or not. I usually make them, put them back in the box the frozen shells came in and then freeze them. Then I just bake them before I want to serve them. I hope this helps! Sharon
Kalen
Do you bake the shells before adding the Brie, and then bake again?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Kalen, no you do not need to bake the shells first. They will crisp up and get brown when you cook them with the brie.
I hope you enjoy the cranberry bites and Happy Thanksgiving.
Sharon
Cindy
Can this be done with cream cheese instead of Brie and for what amount of time??
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Cindy, I have never tried this with cream cheese, but I think it would probably be good. The taste and texture would be different too. Goat cheese might also be good as well! Again because I’ve never made them with cream cheese I’m not sure on the baking time, but I would suspect it would be the same as the brie. You just want the cheese to melt. If you decide to try cream cheese, be sure to let me know how they turn out.
All my best,
Sharon
Norma
Are the Cranberry Brie Bites served warm or do you let them cool befor serving?
Sharon Rigsby
You can serve them warm or at room temperature.
All my best!
Sharon