This Herbed Goat Cheese is coated in fresh herbs, lemon zest, and toasted pistachios. So vibrant and deliciously spreadable!
Aș a personal chef, I was always looking for easy appetizers that caused guests to stop in their tracks to ask, “what is this?”. This is one of those recipes. It has disappeared in minutes every time I have served it, and had guests asking for the recipe. Best of all, this is a low-effort recipe with a couple of chef tips that take this from a basic herbed goat cheese to a showstopper.
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Why You’ll Love This Herbed Goat Cheese Spread
- So much flavor, minimal prep.
- Fresh herbs and lemon zest make this lively and bright.
- Toasted pistachios add texture and flavor.
- Great option for a vegetarian appetizer, and also gluten-free (great with rice crackers, which are usually gluten-free!).
🥗 Ingredients
- Goat Cheese: Choose a softer goat cheese log so it is easy to spread. Some goat cheese logs are a little chalky, which makes it difficult to roll in the herbs and then to spread onto crackers.
- Pistachios: Shell them in advance, and pick out the papery skin as much as possible. The skin turns dusty when chopped.
- Herbs: A combination of fresh herbs makes the best coating for the cheese. I like dill, parsley, and chives, but feel free to play around with other herbs. Fresh thyme and fresh basil would also be delicious.
- Lemon Zest: Just a touch of zest really brings out the brightness of the goat cheese!
🥣 How to Make Herbed Goat Cheese
Let a 4-ounce log of goat cheese come to room temperature.
Heat oven to 375° F. Spread 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios on a small baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just toasted. Let cool.
Chop pistachios. Chop 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, 1 tablespoon of fresh chives, and 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley.
Zest a lemon until you have 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
Combine chopped herbs, lemon zest, and chopped pistachios and spread onto a plate or cutting board.
Roll goat cheese in mixture, pressing into the sides and ends until well covered.
Place herbed goat cheese on a serving plate or cheese platter, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Serve with crackers or crostini.
Storage Tips
Wrap goat cheese tightly in plastic wrap to store. Herbed goat cheese will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. However, the pistachios will soften a bit and lose some of their crunch after refrigeration. Let soften at room temperature before serving, so it is easy to spread.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Herbed Goat Cheese
Yes! Toasted pecans are my favorite substitution, but toasted walnuts or almonds also work well.
You can if you’d like, but I think the presentation of the goat cheese is better with rolling the log. You get great visual and texture contrast between the white cheese and the vibrant herbs. If you do want to mix in the herbs, you can use a food processor to chop the herbs finely, then add in the goat cheese.
Absolutely. You can either use a larger goat cheese log or roll two of them. The coating in this recipe is more than enough for 1 log, so if you want to double the amount of goat cheese, try increasing the herb coating ingredients by 1.5 rather than 2.
You can, but feta is a lot more crumbly and doesn’t roll well. I would take a blog of feta and press the herb coating into the top and sides rather than trying to roll it.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Don’t skip toasting the pistachios. The toasting makes a huge difference in flavor! Make sure they fully cool before chopping and mixing with the herbs. They will be crunchier and won’t cause the herbs to wilt.
Finely chopping the herbs will give you the best coverage on the cheese.
Be delicate with the herb-coating process. Gently press the herb/nut mixture onto the goat cheese without squeezing. If the goat cheese has softened so much that it doesn’t retain its shape, put it back in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.
You can also try this technique with cream cheese. Cut a block in half, and press the herb/nut mixture gently into each side of the cheese.
Got extra goat cheese? Put the leftovers into this Spinach Beet Salad, or add into this Whipped Ricotta Dip.
What to Serve with Herbed Goat Cheese
Serve your goat cheese with crostini, a sliced baguette, or crackers. It pairs beautifully with Marinated Olives and grapes. You can also try it with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted cherry tomatoes, or roasted red peppers.To make a full appetizer spread, try pairing this with Smoked Salmon Canapes, these Puff Pastry Cheese Straws, or Puff Pastry Pinwheels. In the summer, it is lovely next to a Tomato Tart!
Other Deliciously Cheesy Appetizer Recipes
Love cheese as much as I do? You might want to check out more of my favorite cheese recipes:
If you try this herbed goat cheese recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Herbed Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Let goat cheese come to room temperature.
- Heat oven to 375° F.
- Spread pistachios on a small baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just toasted. Let cool.
- Chop pistachios.
- Combine chopped herbs, lemon zest, and chopped pistachios and spread onto a plate.
- Roll goat cheese in mixture, pressing into the sides and ends until well covered.
- Place on a serving plate, then drizzle with olive oil.
- Serve with crackers or crostini.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Herbed Goat Cheese Spread, 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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