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This baked goat cheese dip is an irresistibly tasty appetizer or side dish! Creamy chevre and garlicky tomato sauce make magic.
Here’s a recipe we promise you won’t be able to stop eating (promise). Try our fan favorite Baked Goat Cheese Dip! There’s something about the sweet, garlicky fire roasted tomato sauce and the creamy, tangy chevre that makes you park yourself right in front of the dish. Scoop it up with crusty bread slices and it tastes like a pie from your favorite pizzeria…only better. Every time we serve this, it gets rave reviews! It’s perfect for parties, but we even like it for dinner (then we don’t have to share).
How to make baked goat cheese dip: basic steps
This baked goat cheese dip was inspired by a similar dish from one of our favorite local restaurants, a pizzeria called Napolese. We adapted the concept of their recipe and it ended up becoming a family favorite. It’s perfect for entertaining, like the holidays or New Years, or just a dinner party with friends. Here’s the main concept:
- Cook up a quick fire roasted tomato sauce. This variety of canned tomato is key for the flavor (see more below).
- Add goat cheese and bake 15 minutes at 375F. Place goat cheese right into the sauce and bake it until it’s creamy and melty.
- If desired, broil the top for some char marks. If you’d like, you can broil the top of the baked goat cheese dip to get some golden char marks. Typically we just eat it right away and don’t worry about broiling! Another nice addition would be a sprinkle of chopped basil over the top.
Why use fire roasted tomatoes?
Fire roasted tomatoes are canned tomatoes that are roasted over an open flame to accentuate their sweet flavor. The reason we love them is that you can absolutely taste the difference.
- Fire roasted tomatoes taste sweet and juicy straight out of the can. Contrast this to standard tomatoes, which taste a little bitter and acidic.
- Since the flavor is already developed, you don’t need to cook them as long. Shorter cook times are always better, right?
- Many brands sell fire roasted tomatoes. Check next to the canned tomatoes. Our favorite brand is Muir Glen.
- You can use them in many more recipes. Our fan favorite Pizza Sauce uses fire roasted tomatoes, as do many of our recipes because they have the best flavor. Try them in Baked Ziti, Classic Bean Soup, Easy Kale Soup, Cheese Tortellini in Creamy Marinara, and more.
More for party appetizers
This baked goat cheese appetizer recipe is perfect as a game day recipe or an easy party appetizer! Though honestly, we’ve been known to eat it by ourselves for dinner for the two of us! Here are a few of our top party appetizers:
- Marinated Olives
- Easy Crostini
- Loaded Potato Skins
- Taco Dip or Ranch Dip
- Easy Pinwheels
- Easy Mango Salsa & Homemade Tortilla Chips
This baked goat cheese dip recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, dip with gluten-free bread or crackers.
Baked Goat Cheese Dip (Fan Favorite!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This baked goat cheese dip is an irresistibly tasty appetizer or side dish! Creamy chevre and garlicky tomato sauce make magic.
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 28-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 1 baguette
- For the garnish: chopped fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mince the garlic. In a medium skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, dried basil, dried oregano, and kosher salt. Over medium high heat, stir and sauté for around 45 seconds until the garlic sizzles but before it starts to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and heat at a gentle simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the tomato mixture into an oven-proof baking dish (or smaller individual dishes), then add goat cheese mounds on top. Bake for 15 minutes.
- If desired, broil on high for 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully, until the goat cheese is golden brown. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh basil. Serve with crusty bread or baguette slices (or to make crostini, toast baguette slices at 375°F for 15 minutes).
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
MAGNIFICO!
Thank you.
Bernie
Hi:
I just found your website today. Will be serving your Baked Goat Cheese recipe tonight to my daughter and her family, along with my wife and I. Linda and I have been married 53 years and live with our daughter and son-in-law.
Will be picking out some of your recipes and giving it a go. Will let you know how they turn out, plus a photo or two.
Any favorite Spotify playlists to cook with? I love music…it’s in my Italian blood.
Many thanks,
Bernardo (Bernie) Bramante
Thanks for the comment! I hope you enjoyed the recipes :)
Our favorite cooking playlist is anything based on Leon Bridges — the perfect mood for cooking.
We have made this more than a dozen times so I should probably leave a review and say how AMAZING it is! Seriously one of my favorite dishes ever. It is so so good!! Thank you!
Thank you! So glad to hear that.
This is a good recipe, but why not make it better? Don’t use canned tomatoes, roast your own fresh tomatoes. Easy, you can Google it, and they taste fantastic. Don’t use dry herbs, use fresh basil, tarragon and thyme (personally I don’t prefer oregano). Chop up a little spring onion or leek and throw it in with the garlic. Put three tablespoons of red wine in with the tomatoes as they cook down. And the next time I make it, I’m going to use a little better goat cheese than I used this time. Bon appetit!
I couldn’t find fire roasted tomatoes, so I substituted a can of peeled plum tomatoes from Tuttorosso and it turned out delicious. I also added some red onion and fresh cherry tomatoes. I cooked everything in an iron skillet.
So simple, but one of the best things I’ve ever had. Loved it!
What kind of goat cheese should be used?
This looks delish! I love goat cheese! Can’t wait to try :-)
This looks so rich and delicious! Would be so good on a cold night to have a hot rich dip with crusty bread… hmm sounds like I could maybe even eat that for dinner… all by myself :) yum!