Appetizers - Hors d'oeuvres - Starters - Amuse Bouche
Cheese Appetizer Recipes - Cheese Platters

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Cheese Appetizer Recipes - By Type of Cheese Used

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 categories by type of appetizers.

This page includes my wonderful appetizer recipes using different types of 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! 

Back to the main Appetizer Recipe Index
 




Blue Cheese - Gorgonzola Cheese

Blue Cheese & Hazelnut Shortbread
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 & Spiced Walnut Terrine
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
Blue Cheese Gougères

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


 

Blue Cheese Mushrooms
Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

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


 

 

Crostinie with Mushrooms

 

Crostini with Mushrooms, Prosciutto, and Blue Cheese
Recipe has been slightly adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, December 2002 and the Epicurious.com website. Recipe originally by Bonnie Wilkens Metully of Cincinnati, OH.
 

 


Domain Chandon Cheese Spread

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

 


Gorgonzola and Honey Toast

Another very simple and spectacular Italian appetizer!
 

Gorgonzola Cheesecake
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!  Great for a wine tasting.
 

 


Gorgonzola Stuffed Dates

These dates are great as a finger-food appetizer, part of a cheese course, or just anytime to eat. They are so easy to make and so delicious!
 

 

Pistachio Champagne Delight
Pistachio Champagne Delight

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

 

 

Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce with Fresh Ginger & Tamari
Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce with Fresh Ginger & Tamari

Enjoy it as a dipping sauce for seafood, pork, or chicken, or use it as a base for a glazing poultry, fish, or pork.
 


 

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

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


 

Walnut, Arugula and Gorgonzola Crostini  

 



Brie Cheese - Camembert Cheese

Baked Truffled Brie en Croute
Baked Truffled Brie en Croute

This makes a beautiful and delicious appetizer. Truffle lovers will especially enjoy this appetizer!
 


 

Brie Quesadillas
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.



 

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.

 


Herbed Phyllo Purses with Brie Cheese and Salmon Lox

A very delicious and beautiful appetizer that will "wow" your guests.

 

 

 



Cheddar Cheese

Olive Cheese Ball Appetizers
Baked Cheese Olives

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

 


 

California White Cheddar with Apples
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. 
 


 

Deep-Fried Cheese CurdsCheese 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.


 

Marinated Cheese Appetizer
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
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.

 


Pimento Cheese Spread or Topping
Southerners are passionate about their Pimento Cheese Spread. It has also been called the Pate of the South, PC, Atlanta Pate, Carolina Caviar, and Menta Cheese. There are as many different recipes for this spread as their are cooks in the southern states. This is a variation on the very popular Southern Pimento Cheese Spread.

 

Southern Pimento Cheese Spread
Southern Pimento Cheese Spread
This Pimento Cheese Spread recipe is generously shared by Kings Courtyard Inn, a beautifully restored bed and breakfast that is located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. The Inn serves this delicious pimento spread at their afternoon wine and cheese reception in their courtyard.I slightly adapted this recipe for easier preparation.
 

 


Savory Cheddar Cheese Thumprints
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.
 

 

spinach cheese squares
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.

 

 

 




Cheese Boards - Cheese Platters - Mixed Cheeses

Cheese Boards
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!
 

 

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).
 

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
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!


 



Cream Cheese - Mascarpone Cheese

Apricots with Mascarpone and Pistachios
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.



 

 

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.
 

Cranberry Salsa with Cream Cheese
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.
 

 

 

Fruity Nachos
Fruity Nachos

Want a departure from the everyday? These unusual nachos are a refreshing break from the traditional hearty flavors of beans, cheese, and jalapeno. You can use almost any firm fruit, alone or in combination.


 

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
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!



 

Hot Garlic-Parmesan Souffle
Hot Garlic-Parmesan Souffle

This hot appetizer is not really a soufflé, but a delectable and delicate dip for bread.



 

Pistachio Champagne Delight
Pistachio Champagne Delight

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


 

 

Marinated Cheese Appetizer
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.

 

 

Nine-Layer Mediterranean Spread
Each scoop on your pita chips comes up with a combination that was a bit different than the previous scoop.

 

Shrimp Cheese Spead
Shrimp Cheese Ball 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.
 

 

 

Shrimp Cream Cheese Spread
Shrimp Cream Cheese

This appetizer has got to be the easiest ever to make. No cooking, no mixing, no cutting up - just assemble the ingredients and serve. What could be easier?


 



Goat Cheese - Feta Cheese

Artichoke Goat Cheese Bruschettas
Artichoke and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Recipe and photo by Betty Rosbottom, author of Big Book of Backyard Cooking. Betty says, "The prep work took less than 20 minutes. An hour before the party, I mounded the artichoke purée onto toasted baguette slices and added a sprinkle of crumbled goat cheese."
 

 

Baked Radicchio and Herb Goat Cheese
Baked Radicchio & Herbed Goat Cheese

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, May 1990. Serve this very unusual and delicious appetizer with crusty bread and enjoy.


 

Black and Green Tapenade with Goat Cheese Crostini
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.
 

 


Chevre Smoked Salmon Bruschetta
Chèvre Cheese and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta
This is a delightful appetizer. Fast, easy and so pretty on a plate. Look for quality smoked salmon or trout, and a good Chèvre (goat cheese).
 

 

 

Chevre WrapChevre Wrap
This recipe is courtesy of Jane Butel. Janes says, "I created this dish for a light luncheon, while consulting for Conrad’s restaurant, named for Conrad Hilton, the former owner of the historic landmark hotel where our cooking school was located. To display them attractively, I make every other cut on an angle and then arrange the longer angular side of each cut toward the outside and arrange them in fours, making them look like flowers, especially when centering each “flower” with a piece of tomato."

 


Deviled Eggs with Goat Cheese, Scallions and Dill
Deviled Eggs with Goat Cheese, Scallions and Dill

The goat cheese gives the eggs an unexpectedly delicious, tangy flavor and the dill and scallion lend a bright freshness - providing this classic hors d'oeuvre with a whole new culinary twist.


 

Feta Cheese with Pepper Honey
Feta Cheese with Pepper Honey

A very simple and utterly spectacular appetizer. Your guests will be impressed!
 

 

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

Goat Cheese and Fig Cucumber Cups - Gluten Free Recipe
These dainty peeled cucumber cups look wonderful, plus they are very-easy-make. The cucumber rounds provide the perfect base for all manner of tasty fillings to serve your guests as either an appetizer or for an afternoon tea party.
 

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


Goat Cheese, Grape and Pistachio Truffles
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
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
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.
 

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

Honey Walnut Spread
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.
 

 

Individual Goat Cheese Cheesecakes
Small individual goat cheese cheesecakes to serve as an appetizer for first course for your dinner party.
 

Mediterranean Layer Dip
Mediterranean Layer Dip with Crispy Tortilla Bread

This delightful and versatile dip is a joy to serve! It has fresh colors, interesting flavor combinations, and can be used in many different ways.

 


 

Nine-Layer Mediterranean Spread
Each scoop on your pita chips comes up with a combination that was a bit different than the previous scoop.
 

Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Tomato Tart
Because the crust is made with purchased puff pastry dough, it's extremely easy to make.
 

Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese Crostini
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Crostini

So easy to make and so good!
 


 

Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese Strata
My family and guests loved this recipe. I made it for Christmas brunch this year. This is a new twist on strata, a layered dish that has been around for a long time. Baked in a springform pan, this version is served in wedges, which are perfect for a brunch.
 

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
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 Sweet Piquanté Peppers
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 and Avocado-Goat Cheese Crostini
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.
 

 

 



Gruyere Cheese - Fontina Cheese - Swiss Cheese


Baked Fontina Cheese Fondue
This wonderful fondue is so easy-to-make and a stunningly simple and gorgeously delicious dish. It is a simplified version of fondue without the fondue pot. I am huge fan of this appetizer and will definitely be making it many times over. I suggest you give it a try!

 

Cheese Fondue
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.

 

 

French Onion Fondue
French Onion Fondue
If you love French Onion Soup, you will definitely love this fondue - think Onion Soup, without the soup!
 



 

Gruyère Cheese Gougères
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.
 

 

Prosciutto Pinewheels
Prosciutto & Gruyere Pastry Pinwheels
The perfect appetizer to serve with Champagne.


 



Mozzarella Cheese (fresh)


Crostini with Burrata Cheese, Pink Pepper, and Arugula

This crostini recipe and dinner menu were generously shared with my by Linda Sandberg of Newberg, OR. Linda belongs to a Gourmet Dinner Group that delights in making wonderful foods that they share together.


 

Fried Mozzarella with Anchovy Sauce
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.


 

 

Mozzarella Martini
Mozzarella Martini with Fresh Tomato Consomme

These Fresh Tomato Consommé Martinis are absolutely beautiful, as well as refreshing!
 




 

Insalata Caprese Salad Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Plate

Insalata Caprese Salad (Tomato and Mozzarella Salad)

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

 

 


Spicy Marinated Mozzarella with Oregano and Capers
A very easy, delicious, and interesting way to enjoy fresh mozzarella cheese. Great appetizer for your dinner party.
 

 

 

 

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

 




Parmesan Cheese - Asiago Cheese

Grilled Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Sandwich
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.


 

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

Nine-Layer Mediterranean Spread
Each scoop on your pita chips comes up with a combination that was a bit different than the previous scoop.
 

Parmesan-Asiago Toppping
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)
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.
 

 


Prosciutto and Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
You can put together all of the ingredients and refrigerate them until you need to put them in the oven just before your event. This way they come out hot and mouth-watering just in time for your guests.


 

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.