Celebrate the season with some vegan cranberry bars. This cranberry bar recipe is 'veganized' from my sister's kitchen. These bars melt in your mouth, full of fresh cranberries, and transformed into a plant-based dessert.
Every year, my sister makes cranberry bars at Christmas, which my daughter loves. Unfortunately, my sister's recipe isn't vegan, and my daughter is vegan. So, I set out to make a vegan version of my sister's cranberry bar recipe. Although these vegan cranberry bars are far from fat-free or sugar-free, they are delicious. So, sometimes, we all splurge a little during the holidays and indulge. This vegan cranberry bar recipe doesn't disappoint!
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I did, however, find ways to avoid extra sugar and calories. And when they finished baking, the taste testers approved my vegan cranberry bars.
Not only did the recipe taste fabulous, but the bars looked just like my sister's recipe. Another significant part of this recipe is the mixing all happens in one bowl.
Cranberry Bar Ingredients
To 'veganize' my sister's cranberry bar recipe, I first switched out the non-vegan ingredients with vegan ones.
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce: I buy organic, unsweetened applesauce in 3.9 oz cups, 6 counts, which is already measured out and easy to bake.
- Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar is a popular sweetener in many vegan diets, as it is plant-based and minimally processed
- Vegan Butter: I used Miyoko's Vegan Butter.
- Flour: Use any flour, including gluten-free flour.
- Almond Extract: Almond extract, used in baked goods and desserts, tastes nothing like almonds. That's because it is made with bitter almond oil and ethyl alcohol. Whole bitter almonds are technically inedible, but their oil has a strong, sweet flavor.
- Fresh Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are in season, so they are inexpensive and tasty this time of year.
Cranberry Bar Ingredient Substitutions
- Instead of applesauce, puree fresh apples. Or, substitute mashed bananas or pumpkin puree. However, using these substitutions, you will taste a slight banana or pumpkin flavor.
- Date sugar is a substitute for coconut sugar. Maple syrup does not work well. I tried and failed.
- Vegan yogurt often substitutes vegan butter in baking.
- Any flour works well for these vegan cranberry bars.
- Almond-flavored liqueur, cinnamon, or hazelnut extract replaces almond extract in recipes.
- Use frozen cranberries instead of fresh cranberries, but do not thaw them before adding them to the batter.
How to Make Vegan Cranberry Bars
- First, cream the apple sauce and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer. For this recipe, I chose coconut sugar.
- Although a sugar substitute, coconut sugar is similar to table sugar but not processed and contains some nutrients.
- Even though I attempted to replace the sugar with maple syrup, it was an epic fail.
- Once the apple sauce (used to replace the eggs in the original recipe) is creamed, add the melted vegan butter, flour, and almond extract.
- Then, following my sister's instructions, I stirred, not mixed, the ingredients.
- Next, I added the fresh cranberries and folded them into the batter.
Baking
Since I don't own any cooking spray, I opted for my 8 X 8 Silicone Baking Pan. I love silicone baking pans, but feel free to line a pan with parchment paper to avoid sticking as well.
The batter is thick and sticky, like a brownie batter, and must be spread in the pan.
As a result, the batter expands in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.
Another tip is to allow the bars to cool completely and then transfer the pan to the refrigerator for about an hour before cutting.
Because I chose the silicone baking pan, the entire 8 X 8 pan of vegan bars came out in one piece.
Serving and Storing
- Once cut, place the vegan cranberry bars in a sealed container in the refrigerator before serving.
My sister's recipe also called for icing made of a large amount of powdered sugar, but I skipped this step. The bars, once baked, were sweet enough and didn't need additional sugar.
My husband, who has a sweet tooth, snagged a couple of cranberry bars from the container on my way out the door. And, my daughter, who loves my sister's cranberry bars, was grateful to have a vegan version of her Aunt's recipe during the holidays.
Recipe FAQs
Many consider cranberries a superfood due to their high nutrient and antioxidant content. Research has linked the nutrients in cranberries to a lower risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), preventing certain types of cancer, improving immune function, and decreasing blood pressure.
Healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure directly affect kidney health, as the kidney acts as a filter for the blood passing through the body. The juice from cranberries is also shown to keep pathogenic bacteria from accumulating at the walls of the kidneys and can prevent infections or diseases from occurring.
Among the health benefits of cranberries: The vitamins and minerals they contain boost the body's digestive health and antioxidant system and promote good heart health, possibly improving blood pressure and cholesterol.
Tips
- Using a silicone pan prevents any sticking. Or line the pan with parchment paper, so the bars lift easily from the pan.
- When using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them first.
- Trying to substitute maple syrup or date syrup for the coconut sugar doesn't work! I tried. It doesn't work
- If you don't like cranberries, try this recipe with blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
- Store the bars in a container with a top in the refrigerator.
- Cooked cranberry bars may be frozen for up to 3 months.
If you're looking for a great vegan dessert for the holidays, try vegan cranberry bars!
Other Yummy Vegan Desserts
If you love this vegan cranberry bar recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups coconut sugar
- ⅔ cup apple sauce unsweetened or 2 flax eggs may be substituted
- 1 stick plant butter melted (I used Earth Balance sticks) (8 Tablespoons)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or flour of choice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Place coconut sugar and apple sauce in a large bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar and apple sauce.
- Now add the flour, melted butter, and almond extract.
- Using a spoon, stir the ingredients until combined.
- Add the cranberries and fold them into the batter.
- Use a silicone 8 X 8 Pan or line an 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spoon.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and all two cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator for an hour.
- Remove the cranberry bars by cutting them in the pan or by removing the contents of the pan and cutting them on a hard surface.
- Once cut, place cranberry bars in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Using a silicone pan prevents any sticking. Or line the pan with parchment paper, so the bars lift easily from the pan.
- When using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them first.
- Trying to substitute maple syrup or date syrup for the coconut sugar doesn't work! I tried. It doesn't work
- If you don't like cranberries, try this recipe with blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
- Store the bars in a container with a top in the refrigerator.
- Cooked cranberry bars may be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Ilene
These did not work for me. They tasted too much like coconut sugar and came out wet and sticky. I am an experienced baker and followed the recipe exactly.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi, Ilene. I'm sorry the recipe didn't work out for you. We make it every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas; I've never had a problem. Did you let the bars cool completely before cutting them?
Tara
My kids don’t usually like cranberry muffins or anything I bake with while cranberries but they loved these. I brought them to a party and the hosts raved about them for days. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Tara, I'm so glad your kids liked the vegan cranberry bars. They are my daughter's favorite. Thanks so much for the feedback.
Krista Rodriguez
I made these over the holidays using the GF flour option and they were great. I decided to change it up a little this time. I boiled a navel orange to soften the skin, then threw the whole orange (cut into pieces) in my food processor until it had a consistent texture. I used the processed orange in place of the applesauce and vanilla extract in place of the almond extract and once again used GF flour. They are so yummy! Thanks again for this fun recipe.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Krista, what a great idea. Thank you for sharing your modification. I can't wait to try it. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cranberry bars. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Grace
This was absolutely delicious and such a simple recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Grace, I'm so glad you liked the cranberry bars. They are my oldest daughter's favorite and are a must every Thanksgiving! Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to rate the recipe and comment.
diane donio
I made these today and they are fab. My husband could wait for them to be fully cooled (I had to join him) Tomorrow the plan is to make another batch and add some small dark chocolate bits and nuts. Thanks for the recipe.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diane, I'm so glad you liked them. Adding chocolate and nuts is a fabulous idea. Let me know how it goes. Thank you for the feedback.
Shirley
Do you think I could use dates or date paste instead of sugar?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shirley, I tried maple syrup and dates. Both didn't work. I did not try date syrup, but it has the consistency of maple syrup, so I would assume not. I don't want you to waste ingredients and money 🙁