Appetizers/Hors d'oeuvres/Starters/Amuse Bouche Recipes
Cheese Appetizer Recipes

Cheese Appetizer Recipes:

One of the largest collections of trusted party and holiday appetizer recipes on the internet. Because my collection of appetizers is so large, I have placed them into the categories listed below. This page includes my wonderful recipes using cheese. The recipes are very easy to follow and will give you delicious results. Check the recipes out, prepare them for your family and friends, and ENJOY the compliments you will receive! 

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Apricots with Mascarpone and Pistachios
This wonderful easy-to-make and delicious appetizer is from the cookbook Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce. This appetizer recipe is a definite "keeper."
 

Baked Cheese Olives
Biting into the small cheese biscuits and finding a little olive treasure tucked inside is so much fun!

Baked Radicchio & Herbed Goat Cheese
Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, May 1990. Serve this very unusual and delicious appetizer with crusty bread and enjoy.
 

Baked Truffled Brie en Croute
This makes a beautiful and delicious appetizer. Truffle lovers will especially enjoy this appetizer!

Black & Green Tapenade with Goat Cheese Crostini
This recipe and photo are courtesy of Chef Wolfgang Puck, owner of the Beverly Hills restaurant called Spago, one of America’s most high profile celebrity’ chefs.

Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Shortbread
I served this wonderful Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts Shortbread with my Truffle Custard at a wine tasting. I also added a dab of fig preserves on top of the cream cheese. So wonderful with red wines.

Blue Cheese and Spiced Walnut Terrine
A wonderful blue cheese terrine. Because of it's richness, I don't recommend serving at as a dinner course, but as an appetizer paired with some Zinfandel wine.

 

Blue Cheese Gougères
These moist cheese puffs are the traditional harvest snack for the grape growers and winemakers of Burgundy. This recipe from the Pinot Noir Cookbook by Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of King Estate Winery in Eugene, Oregon.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Yummy! These are so good. Excellent served with as an appetizer and also especially good served with your favorite steak.

Brie Quesadillas
One of my family’s favorite snack foods is traditional quesadillas, or toasted tortillas with melted cheese. Here, I’ve prepared them with a slightly French twist, using a savory Brie. Quesadillas are perfect finger food for a large party.




 

California White Cheddar with Apples
This makes a great starter dish. This course features a lush combination of white cheddar cheese, sweet-tart apples, and spicy walnut conserve. 

Cheese Boards, Cheese Plates, Cheese Platters
Entertaining frequently includes some kind of cheese tray, often with fruit or vegetables or meat or a combination of these foods. If you are short on time you can, of course, buy a fruit and cheese tray at most good quality grocery stores or online. But if you have the time this is an opportunity to be creative and introduce your guests to some new cheeses. It's great fun!

Cheese Curds (Deep Fried)
Cheese curds, a uniquely Wisconsin delicacy, are formed as a by-product of the cheese-making process. Most cheese curd (at least the ones made in Wisconsin) are a cheddar cheese product. Some can be made from mozzarella, Colby, or Monterey jack cheeses.

 

Cheese-Filled Zucchini Appetizer
When zucchini are very small, a mere 3 to 4 inches and barely thicker through than your thumb, there is no finer treat to be found in the vegetable world. these young squash gracefully transform a variety of dishes to which their older, and larger, relatives dare not aspire.
 

Cheese Fondue
Fondue, an ancient Swiss dish, is very easy to prepare, fun to serve, and enjoyable to eat. It's the perfect meal to gather your friends and family to create a sense of intimacy that is informal and memorable.
 

Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese
This fantastic recipe was shared with me by Carol Reich of Hillsboro, Oregon. Carol won a Dip Contest on the Satellite Sisters Radio Show with this outstanding and also beautiful-to-look-at recipe.

Domain Chandon Cheese Spread
This recipe originally came from the Domain Chandon Winery in Napa Valley.
 

Feta Cheese with Pepper Honey
A very simple and utterly spectacular appetizer. Your guests will be impressed!


 

Fried Brie with Nut Crust
I adapted this delightful recipes from the November 1999 Bon Appetit magazine. Recipe originally from the Kemo Sabe Restaurant in San Diego, California.
 

Fried Mozzarella with Anchovy Sauce
I slightly adapted this appetizer recipe from the Genoa restaurant in Portland, OR. It would make a great starter course for your dinner party, or place the fried mozzarella cheese and anchovy sauce on top of some salad greens. Be creative with this recipes.|


 

Fromage Fort - Strong Cheese (French cheese spread)
Confused as to what to do with all those little leftover pieces of cheese? An easy solution is to blend them all together to make a unique cheese spread. You can clean out the cheese compartment of your refrigerator, and at the same time create something wonderful to eat. The little end pieces of Brie, Cheddar, farmer cheese, chevre, Roquefort, Mozzarella, and scores of other cheeses can be quickly transformed into a tasty mixture which the French call fromage fort (strong cheese).
 

Goat Cheese & Balsamic-Honey Crostini
I adapted this great appetizer recipe from the cookbook The Wine Sense Diet.
 

Goat Cheese and Truffle Oil Crostini
Women especially love these wonderful crostini with truffle oil.
 

Goat Cheese, Grape and Pistachio Truffles
Instead of chocolate, the truffles are formed with goat cheese. So delicious!
 

Goat Cheese Medallions
A great appetizer! Serve these hot cheese rounds as a first course, with a salad, or cut or make them in smaller sizes and serve them as an appetizer.
 

Goat Cheese Medallions with Mango-Pepper Salsa
I created this recipe for a gourmet dinner group that I belong to. The combination of the hot goat cheese and the cold salsa makes a delightful dish to tease the palates and start the meal off.
 

Goat Cheese Spread with Herbs and Olive Oil
Recipe and photo from Fine Cooking Magazine by Martha Holmberg, No. 78, May 2006.

Goat Cheese Torta
When this delicious Goat Cheese Torta is sliced, it reveals beautiful colorful distinct layers.

Goat Cheese with Bell Pepper Dressing
This appetizer has wonderful flavor and great presentation. Everyone raves about this appetizer.
 

Gorgonzola and Honey Toast
Another very simple and spectacular Italian appetizer!
 

Gorgonzola Cheesecake
A delicious savory cheesecake that makes an excellent appetizer for a wine tasting party.
 

Gorgonzola Cheese with Honey
A very simple and utterly spectacular appetizer!  Serve with a port wine or any dessert wine.
 

Grilled Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey
If you love figs, goat cheese and honey, then you'll pop these onto your grill immediately.
 

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
If you are out grilling, and it just doesn’t seem hot enough for you next to that fire, here is a quick little appetizer that will help raise the heat over the top!

Grilled Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Sandwich
A very unusual and tasty cheese sandwich. So simple and so good! The pepper makes a wonderful tasting statement along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. These go great to serve at your wine tastings.

Gruyère Cheese Gougères
Gougères, (Goo-ZHAIR) are a classical preparation often served at wine tastings in France with their Burgundy wines. These are great with any wine or champagne.

Herbed Phyllo Purses with Brie Cheese and Salmon Lox
A very delicious and beautiful appetizer that will "wow" your guests.
 

Honey Walnut Spread
I adapted this great appetizer recipe, originally by Chef Roxanne O'Brien of the Walnut Marketing Board, to share the wonderful flavors of honey and goat cheese.

Hot Garlic-Parmesan Souffle
This hot appetizer is not really a soufflé, but a delectable and delicate dip for bread.
 

Marinated Cheese Appetizer
This is a very colorful and tasty appetizer with a great presentation. Because of its beautiful presentation, it makes a great holiday appetizer. All your friends will beg for this recipe.

Miniature Artichoke Tarts
This is a great make-ahead appetizer, especially when making large amounts of appetizers for a large party. These tarts also make a great breakfast entree. For a breakfast entree, I would re-warm them in the microwave.

Mozzarella Martini with Fresh Tomato Consomme
These Fresh Tomato Consommé Martinis are absolutely beautiful, as well as refreshing!

Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Plate
This is served in your better Italian restaurants. It is so simple and so delicious!

 

Parmesan-Asiago Topping
This is very addicting! Serve it as a topping for bread (crostini), tossed with pasta, on a baked potato, spooned over fresh sliced tomatoes, topping for a pizza, or as an appetizer spread - the possibilities are endless.

Parmesan Crisps (Frico)
Called "Frico" from the Friuli region of Italy, these delicious wafers are spoonfuls of grated cheese that are baked and cooled. Great served with cocktails or wine, filled with your favorite filling for appetizers, or as a garnish with main courses or salads.

Pistachio Champagne Delight
This excellent dip recipe was shared with me by Mary Kay DeFalco.

Prosciutto & Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels
The recipe is from the April 2003 Bon Appetit Magazine. The perfect appetizer with Champagne.
 

Savory Cheddar Cheese Thumbprint Cookies
Imagine - a cookie that is an appetizer! You and your guests will love these cheddar cheese cookie appetizers that are studded with nuts and crowned with pepper jelly.

 

Savory Herbed Cheesecake
The parmesan and rosemary crust of this elegant cheesecake is crisp and flavorful. The cheesecake is lovely served whole for a cocktail buffet party, but it can also be cut into wedges and served on individual plates as a starter.
 

Shrimp Cheeseball or Spread
This is my mother's favorite recipe to bring to our Christmas Eve celebration every year. It is easy to make and a favorite of our family.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Crostini
So easy to make and so good!
 

Spinach Cheese Squares
This is a very easy-to-make appetizer. I first tasted these at a wine tasting. This would also make a good brunch dish.



 

Stilton Blue Cheese Relish
This can be served as an appetizer or even a salad.

Stuffed Caprise Tomatoes
This is the most wonderful appetizer during fresh tomato season. This appetizer is so easy to make and so good!
 

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
For a refreshing summertime appetizer, fill bite-size cherry tomatoes, round or pear shaped, with a mixture of savory fillings.  Let your imagination be your guide in stuffing tomatoes. I've listed my favorite fillings below.

Stuffed Grape Leaves with Gorgonzola & Olives
These wonderful appetizers are great to serve with wine and cheese! 

Stuffed Sweet Piquanté Peppers
Pepperadews have a unique, delicious taste – a mixture of peppery and sweet, but with a distinctive flavor. Try them - you'll like them! I always buy all I can find in my grocery store just to keep them handy for when I want to use them in my cooking.

Tomato Avocado-Goat Cheese Crostini
These appetizers can be made anytime of the year, but be sure and make this recipe when fresh vine-ripened tomatoes are in season.

Walnut, Arugula and Gorgonzola Crostini