Cranberry and Whipped Ricotta Crostini
This cranberry and whipped ricotta crostini is a festive, plant-based appetizer featuring crispy baguette slices topped with creamy cashew ricotta and tangy homemade cranberry sauce. Perfect for holidays or feeding crowds, it offers a beautiful balance of sweet, tart, and savoury flavours in every bite. Best of all, it comes together in under 30 minutes, and you can even prepare cranberry sauce and cashew ricotta a day ahead.
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Why You’ll Love This Whipped Ricotta Crostini Recipe
Nutritious, Wholesome Appetizer – This holiday crostini is packed with plant-based protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants from cranberries and cashews. Aside from their nutritional value, cashews provide a creamy base, while cranberries add a tangy brightness and vibrant colour, making these crostinis as beautiful as they are nourishing and wholesome.
Healthy, High-Protein Cashew Ricotta – Forget about store-bought ricotta that’s often loaded with stabilizers and fillers. This homemade cashew ricotta is entirely vegan, wholesome, and rich in plant-based protein. Made with cashews, soy milk, lemon, and nutritional yeast (aka nooch), it’s smooth, nutty, and full of flavour. You’ll love how it spreads luxuriously across toasted baguette slices, offering a naturally creamy texture with no dairy.
Kid-Friendly – Thanks to their bite-sized serving, even little ones will love these ricotta crostinis! The bright cranberry topping and creamy ricotta make for a fun, tasty snack that’s easy to hold and enjoy.
Perfect for Feeding a Crowd – These bite-sized beauties are made for entertaining holiday gatherings. They look elegant, taste incredible, and disappear fast—ideal for festive dinners, holiday parties, brunches, or family gatherings.
Make-Ahead Friendly – You can prep the cashew ricotta and cranberry sauce a day or two in advance, saving time on your big day. Just toast the baguette and assemble right before serving to keep the crostinis perfectly crisp.
Customizable – Get creative! Top them with fresh basil, add a kick with your favourite seasonings, or drizzle balsamic glaze for your own unique twist.
How to Make Cranberry and Whipped Ricotta Crostini
- Prepare the Crostini Base
Start by preheating your oven to broil. Slice your French baguette diagonally into ½-inch slices—this gives you more surface area for the toppings. Arrange the slices on a parchment-lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Keep a close eye—crostinis can go from perfectly toasted to burnt in seconds! Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Make the Cranberry Sauce
In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, maple syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to pop and the sauce thickens.
Once the cranberries have burst, stir in the zest, orange juice, and cinnamon. Mix well and let the sauce cool to room temperature. It will continue to thicken as it cools, creating a perfectly glossy topping.
- Make the Whipped Cashew Ricotta
In a blender or food processor, combine the cashews, soy milk, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, nooch, oregano, and salt. Blend until smooth, light, and creamy. If the mixture feels too thick, add a splash of plant milk to loosen it up. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add more lemon juice for brightness or a touch more salt for balance.
- Assemble the Crostini and Serve
Transfer the whipped cashew ricotta into a zip-lock bag or a piping bag, and snip off a small corner. Pipe the ricotta in a zig-zag or swirl pattern over each toasted baguette slice.
Top each one with about one teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Finish with a small sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme for an aromatic touch. Arrange your crostinis on a platter and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips for Whipped Ricotta Crostini
Make It Nut-Free: To make nut-free crostini, swap cashew ricotta for silken tofu blended with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice for a creamy, protein-packed alternative. Or swap cashews for sunflower seeds.
Make It Soy-Free: Use oat, almond, or coconut milk instead of soy milk in the ricotta for a soy-free version that’s equally rich and smooth.
Soak Your Cashews: If you don’t have a high speed blender such as a Vitamix you will need to soak your cashews to get a smooth and creamy consistency. Soak in boiling water for 15 minutes or room temp water for at least 2 hours. Just ensure to use less plant milk to account for the extra liquid.
Prepare Ahead of Time: You can make both the cranberry sauce and ricotta a day or two ahead and store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Assemble just before serving to keep the crostini crisp and fresh.
Add Creative Toppings: Personalize your crostinis with fresh herbs, or even a drizzle of balsamic glaze. A sprinkle of crushed pistachios or orange zest adds a festive finishing touch.
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Cranberry and Whipped Ricotta Crostini
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette
Cashew Ricotta
- 1.5 cups of cashews
- ¾ cup plant soy milk
- Juice of ½ a Lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Nooch
- ¼ tsp oregano
- Pinch of salt
Cranberry Sauce
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- Zest & juice of 1 orange
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Fresh rosemary or thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Set your oven to broil.
- Slice your baguette diagonally, lay the slices on a lined baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil.
- Broil for 3-4 minutes, until golden, watching closely as they can burn very quickly.
- Start on your cranberry sauce. Add your cranberries, maple syrup, and water to a small pot and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the cranberries begin to pop. Then add orange juice, zest, and cinnamon and mix to combine.
- Make your cashew ricotta by blending all of the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Add more lemon juice to taste, or plant milk to thin it out.
- If you do not have a high speed blender it would be best to soak your cashews to get a creamy result. Soak in boiling water for 15 minutes or room temp water for at least 2 hours. Just ensure to use less plant milk to account for the extra liquid.
- Transfer your ricotta to a small plastic zip-lock bag and cut a tiny section off the tip of the bag.
- Assemble your crostinis, using the plastic bag to make a zig-zag pattern of ricotta over each crostini slice.
- Add 1 tsp of cranberry sauce on top and garnish with some fresh rosemary or other fresh herbs.