Cranberry & Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Wreath Is the Easiest Christmas Appetizer

Whether you’re hosting a holiday meal or looking for the perfect potluck dish, our Cranberry & Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Wreath is sure to impress. Tart cranberries and tangy goat cheese are enveloped by buttery puff pastry and topped with heart-healthy pistachios for a festive appetizer you’ll want to make (and eat!) again and again. Keep reading for our expert tips, including smart substitutions to use in this recipe for an equally delicious result. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• If you’re preparing this recipe during the winter holidays, you should be able to find fresh cranberries. You can also use frozen cranberries or even opt for premade cranberry sauce to save time.
• If your puff pastry wreath is warm after shaping it, put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. It needs to be chilled to ensure it rises properly in the oven.
• If you don’t have 11-inch and 4-inch bowls to help you cut your pastry dough, feel free to use any size bowl and roll out the pastry dough less or more to accommodate.
• You can substitute thin slabs of Brie for the goat cheese and use walnuts or pecans instead of pistachios.

Nutrition Notes

• Cranberries are packed with heart-healthy antioxidants called anthocyanins. They also have proanthocyanidins, the compounds that keep bacteria from attaching to the bladder, which can help reduce the risk of urinary tract infections. Buy them fresh when you can, but you can get the same nutritional benefits all year round with frozen cranberries. 
• Tangy goat cheese gives this recipe its creaminess, and a serving of goat cheese has as much protein as a serving of nuts. Goat cheese also has calcium and phosphorus—making this a great choice to maintain healthy bones. 
• Pistachios, even as a garnish, offer extensive health benefits. As they’re a source of copper and selenium, adding pistachios to your diet can help reduce inflammation for conditions like osteoarthritis and exercise-induced inflammation. They also contain potassium and fiber, which are beneficial for heart health and digestion.