The Best Jams and Spreads To Pair with Goats Cheese
Goats cheese or "chevre" is a soft creamy fresh cheese made from goats milk and usually comes in a log form. It's flavor is mild yet tangy and slightly earthy. There are quite a few varieties of goats cheese made, some are aged and covered in a rind or ash and some are combined with different cheeses such as "goat brie" or "goat gouda". These aged varieties will typically have a more creamy crumbly and richer texture.
The most well known and accessible form of goats cheese is the fresh chevre that you frequently see in the cheese section of most grocery stores. It's quite versatile and easily adapted to any cheese board or charcuterie plate. It can be paired with a variety of jams, jellies, spreads and chutneys in both sweet savory and savory pairings and lends itself to a variety of recipes from appetizers and dips to pasta and salads.
Below are our recommendations for the best jams, jellies, spreads and condiments to pair with goats cheese in a variety of ways from sandwiches to appetizer dips, cheese plates and more.
1. Fig Spread, Fig Jam or Fig Mostarda
Fig spread or fig jam is a classic accompaniment to a cheese plate and pairs particularly well with goats cheese. We often serve our Balsamic Fig Mostarda over goats cheese with a drizzle of honey, on toasted crostini with goats cheese and prosciutto or spooned over a whipped goats cheese dip. For a tasty sandwich spread balsamic fig jam on a goats cheese grilled cheese with arugula, tomato and ham.
2. Onion Jam
Our Triple Ale Onion Jam Spread is made with sweet caramelized onions, brown sugar, roasted garlic and a trio of ales. It's fantastic as a quick appetizer spread - spooned into mini pastry tart shells with goats cheese and a sprinkle of thyme and baked. It also can be used as an alternative "onion spread" pizza base for a butternut squash, sage, bacon and goats cheese pizza. Add it to a cheese plate with aged goats cheese and cured sausage, to a grilled goats cheese and bacon panini or add to a quiche.
Pictured Below: Mini Pastry Tarts with Wozz! Onion Jam and Goats Cheese
3. Hot Pepper Jelly
A hot pepper jelly adds a sweet savory and spicy bite to goats cheese on crackers, on a toasted bagel or spread on a grilled sandwich. We enjoy our Thai Hot Pepper Jelly on a goats cheese panini with spinach and bacon and spooned over a warm baked goats cheese dip.
4. Bruschetta Caponata Relish
Bruschetta Caponata is an Italian savory eggplant and red pepper relish with tomato, Sicilian green olives and capers that is an incredibly delicious savory pairing for goats cheese. Spoon our bruschetta caponata relish over softened goats cheese with a drizzle of olive oil, Italian herbs and chopped salami and serve with crackers. Add goats cheese, a bruschetta relish and spinach to your next omelet or pasta dish.
Pictured Below: Warm Baked Goats Cheese Dip with Wozz! Bruschetta Caponata Relish
5. Pickled Beets or Beet Relish
Pickled beets and goats cheese is a match made in heaven and is a well favored pairing in salads such as in a beet, orange and goats cheese salad or a panzanella beet salad. Crostini with goats cheese, beet relish and a sprinkle of greens makes a wonderful summer appetizer and a pickled beet relish spread onto toasted sourdough with goats cheese makes a delectable sandwich.
Pictured Below: Pickled Beet Pizza with Goats Cheese, Burrata, Arugula and Walnuts
6. Wild Blueberry Jam or Blueberry Compote
Our Wild Blueberry Compote is a favorite of ours to pair with an ash ripened or aged goats cheese. This blueberry maple compote with toasted walnuts, balsamic and rosemary has a rich sweet and tangy flavor profile making it a wonderful accompaniment to goats cheese on a cheese plate with charcuterie or paté. Serve a blueberry compote or blueberry jam pan sauce over roasted duck or pork tenderloin with a sprinkle of goats cheese and fresh herbs for an easy yet classy dinner.
Pictured Below: Wild Blueberry Maple Walnut Compote with Aged Goats Cheese {Vermont Creamery's Coupole}
7. Sour Cherry Spread, Cherry Jam or Compote
Our Sour Cherry Spiced Wine Fruit Compote is a perfect pick for the holidays. Gorgeous glistening sour cherries are poached in red wine compote sauce with aromatic spices. Drizzle our sour cherry compote over mini pastry tarts with goats cheese and a sprinkle of rosemary or spread over goats cheese crostini for a quick and easy appetizer. A sour cherry compote or jam is also fantastic when used as a pan sauce with a little butter and poured over pork chops or pork tenderloin with a sprinkle of goats cheese and fresh herbs.
Pictured Below: Crostini with Goats Cheese and Sour Cherry Fruit Compote
8. Dried Fruit Chutney
A dried fruit chutney is a wonderful pairing for goats cheese during the fall and winter months and is especially fitting for the holiday season. Our Winter Spiced Fruits and Honey Confit is a dried fruit chutney with fresh orange, rosemary and honey and it is sweet, tangy, aromatic and just spectacular! It's fabulous spooned over a goats cheese log with fruit and nut crackers and makes a lovely addition to a duck crostini with goats cheese and arugula.
Pictured Below: Goats Cheese with Wozz! Winter Spiced Fruits and Honey Confit
9. Tomato Relish
A tomato relish is a wonderful savory pairing for goats cheese. It can be added to a bruschetta style crostini with crumbled goats cheese sprinkled over top or mixed into a grain salad with goats cheese and fresh greens and a splash of vinegar. We pair our savory, spiced and rich Moroccan Tomato Onion Relish with goats cheese is a number of recipes including Moroccan tomato meatballs, Moroccan tomato grilled chicken and over flatbreads or pizza with crumbled goats cheese, chorizo and arugula.
Pictured Below: Grilled Chicken with Moroccan Tomato Relish and Goats Cheese
10. Cranberry Chutney
A cranberry chutney with candied oranges, apples, raisins and spices makes a wonderful pairing for goats cheese appetizers especially during the holiday season. For easy entertaining, you can add our cranberry chutney to goats cheese in a number of puff pastry appetizers with toasted nuts and fresh herbs or combine goats cheese with cream cheese and stir in cranberry chutney for a quick and easy holiday dip.
11. Honey
Honey is a classic accompaniment to goats cheese. It adds just a bit of sweetness to the tangy goats cheese and can be combined with fig jam and toasted pistachios or pecans to serve with goats cheese. Honey can be drizzled over chevre stuffed dates with walnuts, mixed into a whipped goats cheese dip or simply served alongside a cheese plate.
Pictured Below: Crostini with Goats Cheese, Sliced Peaches, Crumbled Bacon and a Drizzle of Honey
There you have it, our favorite spreads, condiments and jams for goats cheese used in a variety of recipes.
Wozz! Spreads and Jams For Cheese Pairing Set
