Get ready to wow your guests with deliciously melty cheese accented with garlic, fresh thyme, and hot honey. Best of all, Baked Camembert takes just 5 minutes to prep!
If you’re planning a holiday spread with this recipe, you might want to serve it with some other holiday appetizer favorites, like Crab Stuffed Shrimp, Truffle Deviled Eggs, or Cranberry Brie Bites.
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Why Make This Recipe
If you want to impress your guests with a gorgeous appetizer that is actually incredibly easy to make, this is your recipe. You can serve it with crostini, with apple slices, with figs, with dried fruits and nuts—raid your pantry, and I’m sure you will find something made more delicious by melted Camembert. Once you have this technique down, you can add different flavors as well—see below for ideas.
🥗 Ingredients
- Camembert: You want an 8-ounce round in a wooden box for this recipe. Ideally a wooden box that is stapled shut instead of glued shut, as it has a better ability to stay together when baked. Choose a fairly ripe round for maximum melt.
- Garlic: If you don’t love the fairly sharp taste of lightly cooked garlic, leave this out. Or, add a little garlic powder to the olive oil you add on top of the cheese.
- Thyme: Fresh thyme sprigs are such a good pairing with mild camembert. Fresh rosemary would be another good choice.
- Hot Honey: I’m partial to Mike’s Hot Honey, but any brand will do. Or, use plain honey or maple syrup instead—you could also add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper or chili flakes for spice if you like.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
Take an 8-ounce round of Camembert cheese out of its box and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, cut across the top of the Camembert in 4 lines diagonally in two directions to make a kind of grid. Don’t cut all the way through the cheese.
Thinly slice one garlic clove. Break a large sprig of fresh thyme into individual pieces. Tuck garlic slices and thyme pieces into the openings made in the grid. Use a knife to push the garlic slices down if you can’t manage it with your fingers.
Put the cheese back in its box, then put the box in an 8x8 baking dish or rimmed baking tray. Drizzle the top of the cheese with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Put dish into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and use a flat spatula to transfer cheese box onto a serving platter.
Let cool for a few minutes, as cheese can be molten hot when it comes out of the oven. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of hot honey to serve.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Baked Camembert
Wrap the camembert box tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or put it in an airtight container. Then store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven on a baking dish or baking sheet. You can also reheat more quickly using an air fryer.
No, Camembert has an edible rind, so you don’t need to remove it. And, it helps keep the cheese in place rather than oozing everywhere.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Make sure your garlic slices are very thin, unless you are a big raw garlic fan. It will cook a little bit in the oven, but 15 minutes isn’t long enough to roast the garlic. The light punch of garlic with the thin fresh slices though is such a lovely pairing with the cheese.
As mentioned above, try to find a camembert packaged in a wooden box that is stapled. Those boxes will hold together better in the oven, though even the stapled ones may come apart a little. You definitely want to put the cheese in a baking dish, just in case the box opens and the cheese spreads as it melts. Making sure not to cut entirely through the cheese will also help it keep its shape.
Note that some cheeses melt better than others. Look for a Camembert closer to its sell by date since Camembert cheese gets softer and runnier as it ages.
Once you’ve got your baked camembert with honey, what to serve with it? Baked crostini to spread the melted cheese on are fantastic. You can also use sliced baguette, pita chips, crackers, or really any kind of crusty bread—garlic bread included!
Adding fresh fruit like figs or apple slices to the platter is also lovely—or try dried fruit like dates or apricots. I usually like to add a pile of olives or nuts as well. Baked camembert can definitely be the star of a charcuterie board!
Want to get really Christmas-y with this dish? Try adding a dollop of cranberry sauce to the top of the Camembert before baking. Then add a Cranberry Mimosa.
Now that you’re hooked on melty, creamy cheese (could this be a religion?), you might want to try this Baked Brie next—smothered in fig jam and wrapped in crispy puff pastry.
Other Delicious Holiday Appetizers
Want more ideas to fill out your holiday appetizer spread? Try one of these favorites:
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
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📖 Recipe
Baked Camembert
Baked Camembert takes just 5 minutes to prep, but will be the star of your appetizer spread.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces camembert round, in wooden box
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 large sprig fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon hot honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Take cheese round out of its box and unwrap it.
- Cut across the top of the cheese in 4 lines diagonally in two directions, to make a kind of grid. Don’t cut all the way through the cheese.
- Thinly slice garlic clove.
- Break fresh thyme into individual pieces.
- Tuck garlic slices and thyme pieces into the openings made in the grid. Use a knife to push the garlic slices down if you can’t manage it with your fingers.
- Put the cheese back in its box, then put the box in an 8x8 baking dish.
- Drizzle the top of the cheese with olive oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and use a flat spatula to transfer cheese box onto a serving platter.
- Drizzle with hot honey to serve.
Notes
Storage Tips
Wrap the camembert box tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or put it in an airtight container. Then store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven on a baking dish or baking sheet. You can also reheat more quickly using an air fryer.
Expert Tips
Make sure your garlic slices are very thin, unless you are a big raw garlic fan. It will cook a little bit in the oven, but 15 minutes isn’t long enough to roast the garlic. The light punch of garlic with the thin fresh slices though is such a lovely pairing with the cheese.
Look for camembert packaged in a wooden box that is stapled. Those boxes will hold together better in the oven, though even the stapled ones may still come apart a little. You definitely want to put the cheese in a baking dish, just in case the box opens and the cheese spreads as it melts. Making sure not to cut entirely through the cheese will also help it keep its shape.
Note that some cheeses are meltier than others. Look for a cheese that is closer to its sell by date, as Camembert cheeses get softer as they age.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 478mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
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