Honey, Apricot, and Almond Goat Cheese Spread: This easy, cheesy appetizer will add a burst of color and a whole lot of deliciousness to your holiday table!
To me, appetizers are often more exciting than the main event. Entrees are great and dessert is just peachy, but to me the fun really lies in the pre-meal nosh.
At holiday gatherings, where everything from appetizers to desserts is in wondrous abundance, I’m often left with a choice to make. Do I fill up on appetizers? Beeline for the sweet stuff? Save room for roast turkey or ham?
Trick question!!! It’s all about the apps!
When I’m hosting a shindig, I always always always like to have some sort of cheese spread situation on hand. It feels far more civilized than noshing on a plate full of cubed cheese and is way less hazardous than a communal dip.
Double-dipping is not an option people. I repeat: not. an. option.
Honey, Apricot, and Almond Goat Cheese Spread
This super simple cheese spread fits the bill. It’s creamy, cheesy, sweet, and salty… perfecto!
I have a total weakness for pairing creamy goat cheese with sweet sticky preserves and toasty almonds, and it’s downright heavenly spread on crackers, bagel chips, fresh apple and pear slices, and flaky croissants.
As an added bonus, it only takes MINUTES to make! Let’s do this!
Honey, Apricot, and Almond Goat Cheese Spread
Ingredients
- 8 oz goat cheese or cream cheese
- 1/3 cup lightly salted almonds
- 4-5 dried apricots (chopped)
- 2-3 tsp fresh chopped parsley or basil
- 1/4-1/2 cup apricot preserves
- honey for drizzling
SERVE WITH:
- an assortment of crackers
- fresh sliced granny smith apple
Instructions
- Remove goat cheese from protective packaging and soften to room temperature.
- Spread fresh preserves on a cheese tray or serving platter.
- Place your almonds in a bag or between two sheets of paper towel and crush using a blunt object, like a glass olive oil bottle.
- Next chop your apricots and mix together with the almonds and parsley.
- Roll your goat cheese in the mixture, pressing gently to coat.
- Set the goat cheese log atop the preserves and surround with crackers and fresh fruit.
- Finish it off with a hearty drizzle of honey and you're good to go!
Notes
Nutrition
more craveable cheese topping combos:
- cranberry sauce (or jam!) + dried cranberries + lightly salted almonds
- fig preserves + golden raisins + honey roasted almonds
- lightly salted almonds + crispy bacon + chopped green onion
If by some miracle you have a little leftover, it tastes absolutely divine spread on a toasted bagel or flakey bakery croissant the next morning with extra honey. Delicious!
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds, my muse for all things nutty! Big thanks to Blue Diamond Almonds for their continued support of this tasty little food blog of mine and helping me create recipes I adore with a product that’s been a pantry staple of ours for ages! And also for making honey roasted almonds… holy cow those are delicious! Annnnnd thank YOU for stopping by to hang out with me, chatting it up on social media, and making my recipes. It always makes my day!
If you get a chance to try this Honey, Apricot, and Almond Goat Cheese Spread, let me know!
You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS #PEASANDCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations! I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
This is my favorite thing to make for any occasion! Super easy and goes fast when family is over!
So so happy to hear it, Lordes! Thank you!!
This looks delicious! Do you think I could sub green onions for the parsley? Thanks!
It’ll add a little something extra flavor wise (parsley is more neutral than scallions) but could be super tasty! Maybe do a test run on a little piece? Chives could be good too!
Took this to book club and the ladies loved it! They didn’t want to move on to dinner, they just wanted to eat this. Beautiful and delicicious.
This is THE BEST! I see basil and was so surprised what a difference it made. Made it for a party, and there was nothing left. Adding this to my favorite recipes.
I made this last Thanksgiving and it was a hit. Making it for New Year’s Eve tomorrow night. Thank you!
Yay!!!! Enjoy Becci – thank you!
I am planning on making this for Thanksgiving. Could you suggest anything to bring a little spice into the appetizer?
Hi Amanda! You’d want to test it out first but some fresh diced jalapeños or a little spicy jalapeño jelly could be fun to experiment with here!
This is delicious! I was making a snack just for me, so didn’t go to all the layout (which is so pretty, by the way), so just mixed everything up in a bowl and spread it on crackers. Fabulous with a glass of wine! Thanks for the recipe!
we tried this recipe to use for a Florida Gator tailgate. Very easy and delicious! We might substitute orange marmalade and dried oranges to go along with “Florida” oranges. Will post for the
Florida/Georgia game
I used this recipe with a few changes. I used coconut cashews and pistachios instead of almonds…the rest was the same. It was so delicious!!!
Loooooove cashews and pistachios! So tasty!
This is an amazing spread! I too warmed the preserves and goat cheese. I personally think there is nothing better than warm goat cheese! Make this for your next party, you won’t regret it!
Thank you Marci! Love that you served it warmed!
Loved this! It was so easy too. I forgot the honey but it was still good. Definitely liked it better with the crackers than the apple but maybe with the honey the apple would have been a good balance. I used spreadable fruit because I couldn’t find preserves and used crushed sliced almonds. All worked wonderfully. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Made this for a last minute NYE party appetizer and it not only looked amazing but tasted awesome. It was one of the first appetizers to go – people inhaled it. I served it with a variety of crackers. The only minor change I made was I toasted my choooed/crushed almonds in a pan before putting on the goat cheese. Thanks for making me a star with this one. Will be my go to appetizer. Travels easily too.
Can you tell me what type or brand of goat cheese you use for this recipe?
I can NOT wait to make this.
I just snag my grocery store’s store brand (Publix for us) to save a little money! So stoked for you to try it!
What about if I mix with becon also , could work ??
Totally works! It’s a delicious addition!
would this work well with raspberry preserves too?
Yesssss! Absolutely!
I just made this for work and made extra for my husband and I to taste. Very delicious! I put some cream sherry in with the apricot preserves and slightly warmed it in the microwave. It really tasted good!!
OMG Terri warming it is brilliant – I’ve got to try this now! So glad y’all enjoyed the recipe!
Should curly or flat leaf parsley be used?
Hey Alicia! Both are wonderful! I always grow curly in my garden so I typically use that in recipes, though flat leaf parsley works great too!
The chopped almonds should also be mixed in during step 4, right?
Hey Karen! Yes you’re correct! For some reason I wasn’t super clear in that step so I’m updating it right now, thanks! xoxo
This i a huge hit at my house, delicious!
I made this last weekend for a ladies meeting. It was a HUGE hit. I didn’t use the honey and can’t imagine it any better than it was. I’ll be making it again this weekend for a social gathering.
So super happy to hear it, thank you! 🙂
I made this for a New Year’s Eve party last night and it was really well-received. I forgot the honey on top and it was plenty sweet enough for us. I also used Smucker’s Simply Fruit Apricot spread which has less sugar than regular apricot preserves. Thanks!
Hi, I am excited to try this appetizer! Can you tell me where i can buy the serving dish shown in your recipe? thanks so much!
So excited for you to try it Lisa! The dish is hilariously a spoon rest repurposed into an appetizer plate 😉 It’s from 10 Strawberry Street and I found it at TJ Maxx!
I made this yesterday and took to a gathering at a friend’s home. Huge hit! So easy to put together but looks so elegant. The combination of flavors is wonderful. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
I’m so glad it was a hit Jakalyn, thank you! 🙂
This is totally the bomb! Did this for Christmas Eve – everyone loved it.
Woot woot! Thanks Liz! 🙂
Hi, have you found that the almonds aren’t as crunchy the next day? Thinking about making this a day in advance so I have one less thing to prepare. I don’t want the almonds to get soggy though. TIA
Totally not crunchy the next day. Then end up getting pretty soft/buttery which is by no means bad but it’s not as fun as that tasty crunch when freshly rolled in almonds!
I do have a hack for making it super fast with some advance prep! I chop my ingredients and portion out in containers, leaving the chopped dried apricot and chopped almonds out on the counter in their own baggies. I also chop the fresh parsley and keep it in a little container in the fridge. Then I roll it all together when plating it for the party and it takes literally no time at all! Hope this helps Sara 🙂
have you tried this with peach-mango salsa? yum!?
That combo sounds heavenly!!!! I totally want to try it now! 🙂
Hi looks amazing. Do you think I can make this app the night before? Would I just keep it in the fridge is so? Thanks 🙂
Hey Kelli, thanks! It can be (as I always save some leftovers for the next day!) but it’s really best prepared fresh. My biggest prep-ahead tip to avoid soggy almonds would be to chop your almonds and apricots and keep them in a container/baggie on the counter the night before. Chop the fresh parsley too and keep that in a baggie in the fridge. This way all you’ll have to do the following day is roll the goat cheese in the ingredients you already prepped, and then plop on the apricot preserves on your serving platter. It’ll take seconds to do and is worth it to have those amazingly crunchy almonds on there for texture!
As we speak I’m legit doing the same thing for my stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving 😉 Advance prep FTW!
Thank you so much! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! Your recipe looks great and I just happen to have goat cheese and apricots on hand! Unfortunately I have a nut allergy. Any suggestions on a potential substitute for the almonds?
Hey Katie! Try it with roasted lightly salted sunflower seeds, I love using those as a crunchy coating! Crumbled cracker crumbs (like Ritz) also work great!
Great idea!! Thank you!!!
Just stumbled this because it looks absolutely amazing! I am definitely making this!
Hi-I thankfully found your website by accident! I made this goat cheese appetizer for a ladies luncheon. The colors, flavors and textures are just incredible! The flavor of the basil put it over the top. Everyone wanted the recipe and I directed them to your site. Thank you so much! I wasn’t waiting for a holiday to make this….
I’m so thrilled that it was such a hit; you’ve absolutely made my day! I probably shouldn’t market it as just a holiday dish, eh? The ingredients are great year-round! <3
You got me drooling right now. Looks so over-the-top good. I would have to make more than one, one for me and one for everyone else.
This looks beautiful! I used to hate goat cheese but I eventually learned I need to eat it with other things to mellow down the tangy flavor. The almonds and apricot preserves sounds like it would taste so great with goat cheese. 🙂
Thanks! I used to feel the same way! These past few years I’ve given it another chance and fell in love! The honey-apricot-almond combo really compliments the flavor; love it so! <3
I’m literally drooling over this right now. What a freakin’ GORGEOUS cheese spread. Also adore dried apricots lately so this couldn’t be more perfect if it tried 😉
This looks awesome! I have such a goat cheese weakness. (and love your nails!)
How perfect for a holiday party! I love this!
Savory, sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, aromatic…this appetizer has it all. I just love everything about this! Pin!
Now this is my kind of cheese spread! I just love the sweet & salty combo. 🙂 And the crunch of those almonds? Yum!
You had me at goat cheese then you topped with apricots and those almonds! Totally need this over the holidays!
All these flavors sound so good together, such a great idea for an app (also love the idea of spreading it on a bagel the next morning)! YUM.
All these flavors sound so good together, such a great idea for an app (also love the idea of spreading it on a bagel the next morning)! YUM.
Mmmmm Love all the flavors and textures here. The perfect appetizer!
Awesome cheese spread and awesome glittery nails!!
it’s definitely all about the apps! in fact, this is how we do christmas eve. everyone brings their favorite, and we mix and mingle without all the fuss of a meal. thanks for this recipe!
Looks divine darling, though the apricot preserves are missing from the recipe. 😉 (I blame the cheese coma)
Ohmygosh! Thank you! I don’t know how I mentioned it 1000x but missed the list – danke dollface!