Goat Cheese Appetizer with Honey, Fig & Pistachios- This is my “go-to” easy appetizer! So many people have asked me for the recipe but here’s the beauty…you don’t even need one! It’s four simple ingredients and takes only 5 minutes to whip up.
It really doesn’t get any easier than this! Transform a simple log of Goat Cheese into an impressive appetizer in less than 5 minutes!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Goat Cheese Log
- Pistachios
- Honey
- Fig Jam
Where to find Fig Jam/ Fig Spread?
You can use either Fig Jam or Fig Spread for this recipe. They are very similar, however where you find them in your local grocery store may be different depending on if you are looking for Fig Jam or Fig Spread. Fig Jam is usually found where the other jam/jellies are located. Fig Spread is usually found in the specialty cheese section of the store.
Trader Joe’s sells their version called “Fig Butter” which works as well.
The sweet fig taste pairs well with tangy goat cheese but you’ll find lots of uses for the rest of the jar of fig jam/spread. Try slathering it on toast or English muffins, use it in a PBJ sandwich or on a toasted cheese or ham and cheese sandwiches. Stir it into yogurt or top ice cream. Pair it with cream cheese on a bagel and of course it goes great on your cheese boards as well (especially good with cheeses like brie, goat cheese, blue cheese and aged cheddars).
If you’d like to make your own Fig Jam here’s an easy recipe from Food & Wine
How to Make this Easy Goat Cheese Appetizer
1. Chop the pistachios and place them on plate.
2. Roll a goat cheese log in the pistachios to coat the top and sides of cheese log with nuts. Place on a serving tray.
3. Drizzle with honey.
4. Heat the fig spread in a microwave safe dish for 10-15 seconds and drizzle over goat cheese.
What to Serve with this Goat Cheese Appetizer
- Crackers- Any of your favorites. Rosemary crackers or Cranberry Nut crackers are especially tasty.
- Sliced Bread- sliced fresh bread or try toasting a sliced baguette to make crostini’s
- Apple Slices- the combo of goat cheese, honey and fig is great on apple slices
- Other Fruit- grapes, pears, fresh figs, and dried fruit (like apricots or cranberries)
- Garnishes- fresh rosemary
Give this Appetizer a Holiday Twist
Add a few dried cranberries to the chopped pistachios prior to rolling the goat cheese log to give this appetizer a holiday twist. Garnish the tray with fresh rosemary and fresh cranberries for a festive look.
You might also like this Cranberry Almond Goat Cheese Log. Both are perfect for your holiday parties or family get togethers, or any time you need a quick easy appetizer.
Goat Cheese Appetizer with Honey, Fig & Pistachios
Ingredients
- 1 medium fresh goat cheese log approx. 11 oz.
- ¼ cup roasted pistachios chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fig spread like Dalmatia brand
- crackers or bread for serving
Instructions
- On a small plate, spread out the chopped pistachios, Roll goat cheese on the pistachios to coat top and sides. Transfer to a serving tray.
- Drizzle honey over cheese log
- In a microwave safe dish, add the fig spread (or Fig Jam), heat in microwave for 10 seconds. Drizzle over cheese log. Serve with crackers or bread.
Rosemary flavored, or cranberry nut crackers are especially tasty with the fig, honey and pistachio goat cheese.
Nutrition
Made this tonight and it came out great! Very easy and everyone loved it!!
I am making this today and found chili roasted pistachios. Do you think these will be okay for this recipe. A little kick.?
I think chili roasted pistachios would be amazing! the little bit of heat with the sweet of the fig and the tangy goat cheese sounds great! Would love to hear how it turned out.
Is this okay to make ahead of time or is the heated fig jam have to be done right before serving?
Jodi, you can definitely make this ahead of time. If you do store it in the refrigerator I would recommend bringing it to room temperature before serving.
Loved this recipe! Only change I made was to coat the goat cheese with honey and then rolled it in cranberry and nuts- then drizzled with double the fig jam. Big hit!
This sounds wonderful…Any other cheese options? Not a fan of goat cheese…
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried this recipe with any other cheese besides goat cheese but I would think a creamy cheese like Brie or Fromager d’Affinois would pair really nicely with the fig, honey and pistachios. I tried and really like the fig jam with both the Brie and the d’Affinois a lot! Might just have to try with the honey and pistachios too!
I’ve made this twice — it is so easy and delicious. It was a big hit at a dinner party, so I made it again tonight for a dinner dance. I used fig preserves from my local grocery store. And thanks for the recommendation to serve it with rosemary crackers. Tastes great!
Jane..Yeah! So happy to hear! Thanks for taking the time to let me know…it means a lot!
Are you using salted or unsalted roasted pistachios?
Valerie- I’ve used both salted and unsalted pistachios before. I usually buy the “Wonderful” brand of roasted and salted no-shell pistachios. I prefer a little bit of saltiness and I usually serve the Goat Cheese log with Rosemary crackers which don’t have much salt. The only thing I might suggest is if you are going to serve the goat cheese log with a saltier cracker you may want to go with the unsalted pistachios.
WOW! This was great! Everyone loves it. It looks so elegant and tastes so good but is so easy! Win-Win 🙂
This was easy, impressive and so delicious! I followed the recipe with one small change, I added a generous amount of coarse black pepper on top.
Thanks Linda! I appreciate you taking the time to comment! I’m glad you liked it. I like the pepper idea! I’ve served it with cracked pepper water crackers before and that’s delish.
I made this last weekend for the first time and everyone loved it!! In my usual fashion I didn’t measure anything, which is not a problem with this recipe! It truly takes 5 minutes or less to assemble.
Thank you for the fig spread link. Amazon has great prices – 3 jars for $12.39. I just paid $8 for one jar at my local grocery chain!!!
This is definitely going to be a go to recipe for me. I’m making it for our Mother’s Day celebration this weekend. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks Mary! So glad you enjoyed it! and you are absolutely correct…no measuring needed!
I have never noticed Fig Jam at the store. Is it in with the jams and jellies?
Lori..I usually find the Fig spread in the Cheese dept. of my local grocery store ( with the nicer cheeses and artisan crackers). You can also find it at Whole Foods (in the cheese section) or on Amazon (link here)
Would this work if I did NOT roast the pistachios? How important is that roasting flavor to the overall appetizer?
Elizabeth- I haven’t tried this recipe without roasted pistachios ( I usually just buy them already roasted) I do like the roasted nutty flavor of the pistachios with the sweetness of the fig and the tangy goat cheese but that’s just a personal preference. If you prefer raw nuts I think it would work. ( raw almonds would also probably work) . Would love your feed back if you do try this without roasted pistachios.
Hi Susan ~ I have to say…the raw pistachios worked great if everyone’s reaction to the appetizer is any indication. It definitely was a hit and I cannot WAIT to make it again. I will try it with the roasted nuts to compare the results but thank you so much for posting the recipe.
oh yeah! so happy to hear the raw pistachios worked. Thanks for taking the time to let me know! much appreciated!
Made this for a short notice get together and it was a HUGE hit. It was both easy AND impressive. I suggest a quality raw honey and adding a wee bit more fig jam (I doubled the amount). Believe it or not, these are ingredients I always have on hand, so I was excited to stumble upon the recipe the day before the last minute invite. This will definitely be my go-to appetizer for future parties.
Thanks Maggie! I’m glad it was a hit! one of my personal favs for sure! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.