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33 Goat Cheese Recipes That Are Just Right for Fall (or Any Time, Really)

It’s tangy, salty, crumbly and pairs well with just about any salad on the planet. We’re talking about none other than goat cheese. While we love it atop a bed of arugula with dried cranberries and pecans, this dairy delight is *so* much more versatile than we give it credit for. Goat cheese also happens to be one of the healthiest cheeses you can buy and it tends to be easier to digest than cow’s milk cheeses, since they’re lower in lactose. Ready to dig in yet? Here, 33 goat cheese recipes that prove you should always have some in your fridge. (After all, you never know when a grilled cheese craving will strike.)

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stack of blackberry peach grilled cheese sandwiches on a plate
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

1. Blackberry-Peach Grilled Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian

Creamy, buttery, sweet-tart and satisfying—yup, this handheld hits all the right spots. The key is a decadent trio of cheeses: goat, fontina and Emmentaler.

bowls of spaghetti topped with green peas, chopped mint and goat cheese
Connie Miller/Milk Street: Fast and Slow

2. Instant Pot Spaghetti with Goat Cheese, Mint and Peas

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: Instant Pot recipe, <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser

You can cook so much more than meat in your pressure cooker, including pasta. The trick to getting the ideal al dente texture is dropping the noodles in dry with the aromatics for flavor, then quick-releasing the pressure the moment they’re cooked, so they don’t get mushy.

small puff pastry tarts filled with goat cheese and apples on a cutting board
Jacqui Melville/Apple

3. Goat Cheese, Apple and Honey Tarts

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly

Reason number 471 to always have a sheet of frozen puff pastry on hand. Your guests will be too busy oohing and ahhing to figure out your shortcut.

pull-apart bread with onion-goat cheese filling on a serving platter
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell

4. Pull-Apart Bread with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy

This appetizer has holiday cocktail hour written all over it. The dough is extra moist thanks to sour cream, while fresh herbs take the sweet onion filling over the top.

large bowl of guacamole topped with jack and goat cheeses and jalapeño slices
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

5. Two-Cheese Guacamole

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: no cook, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, one bowl, make ahead

Mix up your usual guac with the tangy, salty additions of goat and jack cheeses. It’ll pair just right with carne asada, carnitas or ground beef.

two puff pastry tarts filled with sliced peaches and goat cheese on a plate
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell

6. Mini Peach Tarts with Goat Cheese and Honey

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, vegetarian, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser

Need a fancy starter for your next dinner party? Look no further than this stone fruit stunner. Feel free to substitute plums, berries, pears or apples for peaches.

plate of elbow macaroni in three-cheese sauce
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

7. 3-Cheese Mac and Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Bring on the Brie, Camembert and goat cheese. Once it’s served, all you’ll need is a glass of Chardonnay and a piece of baguette for wiping your plate clean.

three cheeseballs on a serving platter, one covered in lemon zest and dill, one in pomegranate arils and one in everything bagel seasoning
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

8. The Classiest Cheese Balls in the Universe

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, no cook, special occasion-worthy

Cheese balls? Tacky? You’re mistaken, friend. This modern take on the party-ready fromage is as chic as it is tasty. Think everything bagel-goat, lemon dill-cheddar and pomegranate-blue.

bento-style lunchbox open, showing a halved goat cheese-peach panini, grapes, slaw and peach slices
Aviva Wittenberg/Lunchbox

9. Goat Cheese, Peach and Basil Panini

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, vegetarian

PB&J and deli turkey pale in comparison to this sweet-and-salty sammy. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have a panini maker; a grill pan will work just fine in a pinch.

three plates of goat cheese pasta with spinach and artichokes on wooden picnic table
Colin Price/Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook

10. Goat Cheese Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, one pot, beginner-friendly

If you’re a self-proclaimed goat cheese hater, this dish will change your mind. Combined with pasta water and lemon, it makes for a dreamy sauce that coats the orecchiette just right.

stacked halves of a triple-decker grilled cheese sandwich on a plate, next to a glass bottle of sparkling water
Erin McDowell

11. Triple-Decker Grilled Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, one pan

Sharp cheddar + mild mozzarella + tangy goat cheese = the most well-balanced grilled cheese sandwich you’ll ever eat. Might we suggest serving it with tomato soup?

plate of goat cheese-filled dried apricots topped with prosciutto, with a box of Sunmaid dried apricots in the background
PureWow

12. Apricots with Whipped Goat Cheese and Crispy Prosciutto

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser

Bookmark this one under Easiest Party Appetizers of All Time. It’s practically no cook, since the prosciutto is crisped up in the microwave instead of on the stove.

greens, sliced radishes and onions on a plate, topped with a goat cheese fritter
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

13. Crispy Goat Cheese Salad

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, beginner-friendly

A salad is only as tasty as its toppings, which makes this one next-level delicious. The crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside fitters are rolled in breadcrumbs and chopped pistachios.

beet tart on a plate, topped with crumbled goat cheese
Erin McDowell

14. Beet and Goat Cheese Tart

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

It doesn’t get classier than this eight-ingredient tart, which is destined for Christmas dinner, if you ask us. Pro tip: Use a mandoline to ensure that the beets are sliced thinly and evenly.

serving tray with three tacos, filled with roasted poblano peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

15. Poblano and Mushroom Tacos with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 55 minutes
  • Why We Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly

Face it: You were tired of the usual beef filling about three Taco Tuesdays ago. This simple veggie filling is just as tasty but way more unexpected. Serve them with guacamole, refried beans, salsa and pickled onions.

bowl with cubed butternut squash, pecans, goat cheese crumbles and dried cranberries
Weeknight Society

16. Bulgur with Butternut Squash, Sage and Goat Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, vegetarian

For those of you who are over the whole mini marshmallow thing come Thanksgiving. Fresh sage, Honeycrisp apple, pecans and dried cranberries make this side dish decidedly autumnal.

four small puff pastry tarts topped with goat cheese and honey on a serving plate
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

17. Goat Cheese and Honey Bites

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser

We’ll bring the merlot, you bring these. You only need one log of goat cheese and two sheets of store-bought puff pastry to assemble the bites. Substitute hot honey for plain for a delightful kick.

casserole dish filled with leek, kale and goat cheese strata
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

18. Leek, Kale and Goat Cheese Strata

  • Time Commitment: 8 hours and 35 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, one pan, high protein

Don’t let the long prep time deter you: Most of that accounts for leaving the casserole in the fridge overnight, so the bread can soak up every drop of the eggy, mustardy custard.

baking dish filled with baked goat cheese and marinara sauce
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

19. Easy Baked Goat Cheese Marinara Dip

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, one pan, crowd-pleaser

This tomato-based dish will get your picky eater to branch out beyond mozzarella, promise. The dip is as simple as making your own sauce with canned crushed tomatoes, drizzling it over a layer of goat cheese and baking until bubbly.

stack of two grilled cheese sandwiches with multicolored sliced beets
Colin Price/Great Grilled Cheese

20. Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Balsamic Beets

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy

Say cheese: This vibrant handheld is ready for its closeup. Not only are there sliced Chioggia beets on the sandwich, but it’s also doused in balsamic beet purée, made from red and baby golden beets.

plate of orecchiette pasta salad with cubed butternut squash and goat cheese crumbles
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

21. Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly

Because summer does *not* have dibs on pasta salad. Ring in fall with tender butternut squash, a mustard-apple cider vinegar dressing, pine nuts, fresh thyme and a dusting of cinnamon.

aerial view of three vegetable-goat cheese tacos on a cutting board
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

22. Grilled Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tacos

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Portobello mushrooms, bell peppers and red onion are the standard, but you can easily swap in carrots, cauliflower, zucchini or corn if you’d prefer. Whatever you decide, pair the tacos with chilled rosé.

three turkey sliders in a row, topped with goat cheese, greens and red wine caramelized onions
Broma Bakery

23. Turkey Sliders with Red Wine Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy

Sure, turkey may be leaner than traditional beef, but these burgers are still piled high with jammy, wine-infused onions and crumbled goat cheese. Balance is everything, no? Make the onions up to four days ahead to save time before dinner.

slice of philly cheesesteak pizza topped with steak, peppers, mushrooms, onions and goat cheese on a plate
Damn Delicious

24. Philly Cheesesteak Pizza with Balsamic Fig Reduction

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein, kid-friendly

Peppers, onions, mushrooms, thin-sliced steak—the gang’s all here, except whiz has been replaced by goat cheese for a more elegant finish. (We don’t mind—it’s all about the balsamic glaze anyway.)

tart shell filled with multicolored rainbow cherry tomatoes on a plate
Spoon Fork Bacon

25. Heirloom Tomato Tart

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy

Think of this Insta-worthy masterpiece as bruschetta’s cool older cousin. Prepare the four-ingredient tart shell ahead of the meal, then fill it with the cheese and tomatoes before serving.

dates stuffed with goat cheese filling and prosciutto
A Cookie Named Desire

26. Prosciutto-Stuffed Figs

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, no cook, special occasion-worthy, make ahead

Tiny ruffles of tender, savory prosciutto can make basically any dish a million times tastier—and easier on the eyes. The three-ingredient goat cheese filling couldn’t be easier to prepare.

close-up of fried goat cheese patties on greens with brown dressing
Recipe Tin Eats

27. Salade de Chêvre Chaud

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, high protein

Aka warm French goat cheese salad. Don’t be fooled by its dainty appearance: Bacon, walnuts, pine nuts and goat cheese medallions make the salad more filling than you’d expect.

serving dish of fingerling potatoes with peas, goat cheese and garlic
Broma Bakery

28. Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Dill, Goat Cheese and Peas

  • Time Commitment: 50 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, make ahead

We’ll be toting this to every spring potluck we ever attend from here on out. Add a splash of vinegar, lemon juice or even hot sauce for a punch of welcome acidity.

plate with slice of toast, topped with goat cheese spread and balsamic tomatoes
I Am A Food Blog

29. Goat Cheese Toasts with Balsamic and Roasted Tomatoes

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

A recipe with no measurements is one after our own heart, because that implies that it’s easy enough to wing. Let your gut lead the way when adding the goat cheese, balsamic and basil.

sliced omelet filled with kale pesto and goat cheese, on a plate with tomatoes and breakfast potatoes
The Mom 100

30. Kale Pesto and Goat Cheese Omelet

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why We Love It: one pan, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes

Yup, we’d happily get out of bed for this in the morning. Save yourself even more time and effort by using your favorite jarred pesto in the omelet instead of making your own.

bowl of baked goat cheese dip topped with blistered tomatoes, served with crostini
Broma Bakery

31. Creamy Goat Cheese Dip

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients

Goat cheese, crème fraiche and Parmesan unite to create a lip-smackingly salty appetizer that will disappear in 30 seconds flat at your next shindig (even at the kids’ table).

three crostini on a serving board, topped with whipped goat cheese and fresh strawberries and blueberries
Damn Delicious

32. Berry Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

Designed to be devoured alfresco with a crisp glass of wine in hand. Confectioners’ sugar and vanilla round out the tang of the goat cheese, as lemon juice curbs the sweetness of the strawberries and blueberries.

whole goat cheese cheesecake on a blue plate, topped with honey
Spoon Fork Bacon

33. Goat Cheese and Yogurt Cheesecake

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes (plus chilling time)
  • Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly

And the crowd goes wild. This cheesecake is a refined, unexpected way to end any meal. Top the honey drizzle with macerated berries, candied oranges, torn mint leaves or lemon zest.

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For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.


taryn pire

Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...