Our 25 Best Goat Cheese Recipes to Make Throughout the Year

Speedy Ratatouille with Goat Cheese
Photo: Johnny Valiant

Earthy, buttery goat cheese is incredibly versatile, lending its complex tang and creamy texture to dishes from breakfast to dessert. It's wonderful layered with herbs, as it is for Cauliflower Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese, breaded for a crisp exterior, like in Baked Goat Cheese Salad, or baked into cheesecake and paired with fresh berries. Explore some of the endless possibilities with our collection of amazing goat cheese recipes to make throughout the seasons.

01 of 25

Poached Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese Sauce

Poached Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese Sauce
© MICHAEL TUREK

Chef Daniel Patterson's unconventional boiling water method results in super-creamy, perfectly scrambled eggs. Topped with goat cheese sauce, a drizzle of olive oil, and fresh rosemary, this dish becomes a kind of reverse omelet.

02 of 25

Goat Cheese Puddings

Goat Cheese Puddings
© Stephanie Foley

To make this dessert, Chicago pastry chef Dana Cree starts off with the usual vanilla custard ingredients. The true magic happens after the custard is cooked: She blends it with an entire log of soft goat cheese and a touch of lemon juice for a uniquely tangy, impossibly creamy pudding.

03 of 25

Corn Husk–Grilled Goat Cheese with Corn Relish and Honey

Corn Husk-Grilled Goat Cheese with Corn Relish and Honey
Victor Protasio

For this delightful recipe, cookbook author Andrea Slonecker grills goat cheese-filled corn husks alongside ears of corn. She then makes a relish with the charred corn kernels, scallions, chile, lime juice, cilantro, and basil, which she serves atop the corn husk parcels with a drizzle of honey.

04 of 25

Dried Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Goat Cheese

Dried-Porcini-Mushroom Risotto with Goat Cheese
© Ashley Colbourne

Using the mushroom-soaking liquid to cook the rice gives this risotto intense flavor. There's just enough goat cheese to balance the earthiness of the porcini with a touch of tartness without overwhelming the dish.

05 of 25

Roasted Beets and Carrots with Goat Cheese Dressing

Roasted Beets and Carrots with Goat Cheese Dressing
© Quentin Bacon

This dish's simple, creamy dressing is made by whisking fresh goat cheese with vinegar and oil. It's tossed with a salad of warm roasted beets, carrots, and beet greens.

06 of 25

Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Rugelach

Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Rugelach
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Rugelach are crescent-shaped cookies typically layered with jam and chopped nuts and topped with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, but the dough makes a surprisingly compatible home for savory fillings. These are spread with a thick homemade onion jam flavored with balsamic vinegar, sumac, and coriander, then sprinkled with goat cheese.

07 of 25

Farmhand Salad with Goat Cheese

Farmhand Salad with Goat Cheese
© ANTONIS ACHILLEOS

Chef Brian Lewis' locally sourced salad is dressed with a simple balsamic vinaigrette, then topped with arguably the tastiest components: crumbled goat cheese, chopped marcona almonds, and thinly sliced dates.

08 of 25

Speedy Ratatouille with Goat Cheese

Speedy Ratatouille with Goat Cheese
Johnny Valiant

In traditional ratatouille, vegetables simmer together until they're falling-apart tender. Here, cookbook author Melissa Clark cooks them quickly in batches, so they retain their flavor and texture, then tops everything off with crumbled aged goat cheese.

09 of 25

Honeyed Goat Cheese Tart with Pistachio Crust

Honeyed Goat Cheese Tart with Pistachio Crust
© Quentin Bacon

Like sugar, honey caramelizes as it cooks. Here, warm honey is drizzled over a mixture of goat cheese and Greek yogurt, where it cools to a caramel-like consistency.

10 of 25

Asian Pear and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

Asian Pear and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
© Rinne Allen

This simple salad has a perfect mix of bitter (arugula), sweet (Asian pear), tangy (lemon dressing and goat cheese), and crunchy (pumpkin seeds). Try it with green apples or Bosc pears if Asian pears are hard to find.

11 of 25

Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Honey

Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Honey
© Tina Rupp

Club soda lightens the egg batter that coats the cheese, and a double-coating of panko crumbs amplifies the crunch. Serve these sweet-savory balls as either an appetizer or a dessert.

12 of 25

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Tarragon, and Goat Cheese Sauce

Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Tarragon, and Goat-Cheese Sauce
© FRANCES JANISCH

The delectably rich-tasting sauce that clings to each strand of fettuccine here requires no cooking. Just combine goat cheese, Parmesan, milk, and some of the still-hot pasta-cooking water, and it's done.

13 of 25

Green Bean Casserole with Goat Cheese, Almonds, and Smoked Paprika

Green Bean Casserole with Goat Cheese, Almonds and Smoked Paprika
© ALEXANDRA ROWLEY

Inspired by classic green bean casseroles from his childhood, Food & Wine Culinary Director at Large Justin Chapple puts a Spanish spin on this timeless favorite by topping the creamy beans with smoky pimentón de la Vera and toasted almonds.

14 of 25

Eggplant, Pesto, and Goat Cheese Pizza

Eggplant, Pesto, and Goat-Cheese Pizza

Tangy goat cheese, sharp Parmesan, tender sautéed eggplant, and bold pesto cover a mouth-watering pizza. This recipe makes a hearty 14-inch pizza; you be the judge whether it serves two or four.

15 of 25

Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese

Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Goat Cheese
© HANNAH QUEEN

Meaty mushrooms are enhanced by sweet caramelized onions and just enough tangy melted goat cheese in this delicious year-round pasta.

16 of 25

Goat Cheese Soufflé

ludo-lefebvre-cheese-souffle-ft-recipe0919.jpg
Chloe Crespi

A classic French cheese soufflé is made of a simple béchamel gently folded into airy whipped egg whites. Chef Ludo Lefebvre's version adds layers of flavor with tangy goat cheese, a touch of spicy cayenne, and warm earthiness from thyme and nutmeg.

17 of 25

Corn and Goat Cheese Grits

Corn and Goat Cheese Grits
© Ngoc Minh Ngo

"I decided to citify low-country cuisine by adding lots of chopped garlic and fresh goat cheese," says chef Bobby Flay of these hearty yet elegant grits. The end result is a tangy, creamy, corn-flecked side dish.

18 of 25

Baked Goat Cheese Salad

Baked Goat Cheese Salad
Greg DuPree

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best. Alice Waters' iconic salad is a harmonious blend of lettuces combined with softly baked thyme-and-breadcrumb-coated goat cheese, served alongside crunchy garlic croutons.

19 of 25

Chhundo and Goat Cheese Crostini

Chhundo and Goat Cheese Crostini
Andria Lo

Chhundo, a pickled marmalade-like condiment that's tangy and sticky-sweet, with light heat and fragrance from Kashmiri chile powder, tops these goat cheese crostini from blogger and cookbook author Hetal Vasavada. Green mangoes are essential for this recipe — seek out large mangoes with light green skin and crisp white flesh.

20 of 25

Cauliflower Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese

Cauliflower Soup with Herbed Goat Cheese
© Nicole Franzen

This luscious, creamy cauliflower soup from star chef Anne Burrell gets a delicious topping of crispy roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts, then a sprinkle of herbed goat cheese.

21 of 25

Goat Cheese Cake with Mixed Berries

Goat Cheese Cake with Mixed Berries
© Andre Baranowski

Goat cheese gives a twist to traditional cheesecake, adding a savory element to this not-too-sweet dessert from renowned pastry chef Emily Luchetti. Be sure to serve it with berry sauce and lots of additional fresh whole berries.

22 of 25

Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche

Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche
© James Merrell

Creamy goat cheese is the star of this brunch classic. For a more rustic look, crumble the goat cheese and scatter it over the filling instead of arranging the slices in the tart shell.

23 of 25

Pasta with Shiitake, Peas, and Goat Cheese

Pasta with Shiitake, Peas & Goat Cheese
© Christina Holmes

This pasta is a lighter take on lasagna. Instead of layering the ingredients and baking in the oven, chef Justin Smillie tosses them in a goat cheese sauce, sprinkles Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and crisps the dish briefly under the broiler.

24 of 25

Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Olive Quick Bread

Goat Cheese, Bacon and Olive Quick Bread
© Chris Court

Quick breads like this one by star blogger David Lebovitz are very popular in France, where they're known as savory cakes. This loaf is packed with olives, cheese, and bacon, and infused with cayenne.

25 of 25

Shaved Broccoli and Fennel Salad with Goat Cheese

Shaved Broccoli and Fennel Salad with Goat Cheese
© Sarah Bolla

The combination of creamy goat cheese, fresh herbs, thin and crunchy vegetables with rich olive oil, lemon, and a little salt is irresistible. If you have a mandoline, put it to use here.

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