This baked Goat Cheese Appetizer is a simple and delicious recipe that your friends and family will love. With just 10 minutes of prep time and minimal ingredients that you already have on hand, this is the perfect easy appetizer to throw together last minute.
Appetizer recipes are a must have during the holiday season. With all the holiday get togethers, you will want a solid list of appetizers that your guests will love. And you definitely want some quick and easy recipes on that list.
It doesn’t get much easier than this goat cheese appetizer. It is about 10 minutes of hands on time and then you are left with this absolutely delicious spread. The flavors in this recipe combine perfectly and give you a warm cheesy recipe that your guests will fawn over.
I added this to an appetizer board with a variety of crackers for a recent dinner party and it went so fast I barely got any!
How to Make a Goat Cheese Appetizer
This is such a simple recipe that I found from America’s Test Kitchen and then just made a few simple tweaks to. This is a brief overview to show you how easy it is. Find the full recipe with all the measurements in the recipe card below.
- Cut the goat cheese. You want to cut the goat cheese log into 1/4 inch pieces. You can certainly use a knife, but I actually think that using dental floss that is placed below the log and then criss crossed above works best. You just pull the floss and it pulls through the cheese leaving you with beautiful slices.
- Whisk together the remaining ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, orange zest, thyme, rosemary, basil, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Drizzle the mixture over the cheese.
- Bake the mixture. Then serve it, scooping up more of the mixture with each bite.
Dry vs. Fresh Herbs
Some recipes call for making this with fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and fresh basil. I always recommend skipping fresh herbs when you are putting a recipe in the oven under high heat. The dry herbs hold up so much better, and they are much more economical.
Cutting Goat Cheese
Because a log of goat cheese is soft, it is not the easiest to slice. It sticks to the knife and the log can get squished as you cut through it. You can just go for it with a knife and not worry about how it will look, because it will still be delicious. Or, you can use dental floss that you wrap around the log, cross over the top and pull the ends of to make slices.
Zesting Oranges
This recipe calls for orange zest, though you could also use lemon zest. If you are new to zesting, it is basically the skin of the orange (or lemon, or lime) grated. The zesting creates really small pieces, so you get a great burst of the citrus flavor from the fruit without the weird texture of the peel.
When you are zesting, you want to use a quality zester. You can see my recommendation below. You also want to only zest the bright orange of the peel. Once you get into the white, stop and move on to a different part of the orange.
How to Serve
I love serving this recipe with some toasted baguette slices as you can see here. Slice a fresh baguette into 1/2 inch slices. Butter the bread slices lightly and put them in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on them so they do not burn.
Serve this like a goat cheese dip, with a small spreading knife in the casserole dish so guests can smear some of the goat cheese and a bit of the oil mixture onto the toasts.
Storing
Leftovers of this recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. When you are ready to eat it, you will want to pull out just the amount you want to eat. Place it in a covered container and bake for about 20 minutes.
More Great Appetizers
If you are throwing a holiday party and looking for other great appetizers and cocktails, here are some recipes that you will definitely want to try:
- Charcuterie Board: This cheese and meat board is simple to make, and I give you step by step instructions so that it looks absolutely beautiful.
- Pineapple Cheese ball: I love making this recipe around the holidays. It is such a winner.
- Bacon Wrapped Scallops: These are actually super simple to make and a sure fire hit at any party.
If you make this goat cheese appetizer or any of my other delicious holiday recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Goat Cheese Appetizer
Ingredients
- 10 ounces goat cheese in log form (283.5 grams)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (66.7 grams or 78.9 ml)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the goat cheese into 1/4 inch pieces. The easiest way to do this is to use dental floss, as it will keep the cheese from collapsing as you cut it. Lay the cut cheese in a small baking dish as pictured.10 ounces goat cheese
- In a small bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the top of the goat cheese.1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, pinch of red pepper flakes
- Bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices
Sandy says
Hi, Lisa! I should have written a comment a few years ago because that was the first of many times I have made this Goat Cheese Appetizer. I am thinking of making it again for a group next week but have a question. I have the three herbs growing on my patio and would love to use them. The usual ratio is 3 fresh to 1 dry. Have you ever used fresh herbs with this recipe and/or would you recommend doing so?
Hi Sandy! I’m so sorry I’m so late in replying to this. So, my general rule is to not bake with fresh herbs. They just don’t hold up to the heat. If you want to use fresh, you would want to add them at the very end. But then you aren’t going to get that flavor infusing into the oil during baking.
Cheri says
I added this to an appetizer board with a variety of crackers for a recent dinner party and it went so fast I barely got any!
I’m so glad it was a hit!