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This simple asparagus and cream cheese puff pastry is the perfect appetizer for the holidays. Not only are these puff pastries easy to make, but they’re packed with flavor that will impress just about anyone.
Here are the Ingredients to make this Asparagus & Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Recipe:
- Puff Pastry Dough – Did you know that most puff pastry dough is accidentally vegan? We like to use either the Pillsbury puff pastry or the Favorite Day Target brand.
- Asparagus – For this recipe, we recommend using asparagus spears with a medium thickness. If they are too thin, the ends may burn, and they may not cook through if they’re too thick. Also, make sure to cut the rough ends off your asparagus before preparing them. We like to season ours with sea salt and black pepper.
- Olive Oil – This is used to coat the asparagus and will help the seasonings stick to the spears. We like to use olive oil because of the taste, but you can use any oil of your choice.
- Plant-Based Pepperoni – We recommend using the Sweet Earth Brand pepperoni for this recipe because it is a little bit larger in diameter than other brands like Yves. Instead of using pepperoni, you can also use other ham-style plant-based deli slices.
- Dairy-free Cheese – To top off the puffs, a sprinkle of mozzarella-style shreds adds the perfect pop of flavor. If you prefer, you can also use parmesan cheese-style shreds or cheese slices, but we recommend the Follow Your Heart mozzarella shreds.
- Dairy-free Cream Cheese – The base of this recipe is a cream cheese mixture mixed with fresh herbs and garlic. We like to use Kite Hill cream cheese, but the Tofutti cream cheese is excellent too.
- Chives – Fresh chives are the perfect addition to the cream cheese mixture. If you prefer other herbs, you can also use green onions, fresh basil, or parsley.
- Garlic – We like to use garlic powder to mix into our cream cheese because it’s easier, but if you prefer a strong garlic flavor, you can use diced fresh garlic.
- Almond Milk – The milk in this recipe serves two purposes. First, to help seal the puff pastry closed, and second to brush the top of them before baking. This will help the bagel seasoning stick and make it more golden brown when baking in the oven. If you don’t have almond milk, you can use any unsweetened plant milk of your choice.
- Everything Bagel Seasoning – Adding bagel seasoning to the top of our puff pastry adds flavor and makes them beautiful to the present. You can make your own bagel seasoning, or use store bought.
Additional Tools Needed:
- Baking sheet/sheet pan
- Sharp knife or pizza cutter
- Oven or air-fryer
- Large bowl
- Silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil
Bake or Air-Fry?
We have tested this recipe in both the oven and air-fryer, and both have pros and cons. Cooking times in the air-fryer are shorter, but air-fryers are typically smaller in size, so the total time may be longer if you have to cook them in multiple batches. If you are only making a few of these, the air fryer may be the best option. If you have an air fryer that you can load a tray into it, that will work well too. Otherwise, baking these in the oven is the most efficient.
Final Thoughts
These Asparagus & Cream Cheese Puff Pastries are perfect for the holidays, brunch, or just as a side dish. They’re simple to put together and will please even the pickiest of eaters. They’re also great to customize and mix and match with ingredients like tomatoes,
Looking for More Holiday Recipes?
- Quick & Easy Vegan Gravy
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Vegan Buttermilk Biscuit Stuffing
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegetable Wellington
- 50+ Thanksgiving Recipes
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
PrintAsparagus & Cream Cheese Puff Pastry
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 Servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This simple asparagus and cream cheese puff pastry is the perfect appetizer for the holidays. Not only are these puff pastries easy to make, but they’re packed with flavor that will impress just about anyone.
Ingredients
- 27 stalks thick asparagus, woody ends removed
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup plain vegan cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 9 large slices of vegan pepperoni
- Vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- Almond milk, for brushing
- Everything but the bagel seasoning
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Transfer the asparagus to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, and season with a big pinch of both salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the vegan cream cheese, chives, and garlic powder. Mix until uniform and set aside.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet until it is about doubled in size and cut it into 9 pieces.
- Disperse the cream cheese mixture evenly amongst the 9 pieces of puff pastry and spread it out in the center, leaving about ½” of room around the edges.
- To each piece of puff pastry, add in a slice of vegan pepperoni, 3 stalks of asparagus, and a sprinkle of vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Brush two opposite corners of the puff pastry with almond milk, and then seal, being sure to really work in the outer corner so that it does not pop open when baking.
- Brush the whole pastry with more almond milk and then sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning, as desired.
- Transfer them onto the lined baking sheets and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and cool before serving.
Notes
- We recommend using thick asparagus so that it does not overcook too much.
- We used large vegan pepperoni (cold cut sized) from Sweet Earth. If your pepperoni is small, you may need to use 2 slices.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
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The combination of flavors and textures in this recipe is unexpected and so delicious. I served these at a NYE gathering and my guests loved them! Definitely make sure that you brush the corners with almond milk like the instructions say. I forgot to do that and just brushed on top once I rolled them and some of them came undone. Totally my fault and they still tasted incredible. Would definitely make again.
5stars for your recipes. So yummy it came out!