Whipped Goat Cheese

My whipped goat cheese is a unique and delicious addition to your cheese board, or a light, flavorful appetizer to pass around with crackers. Prepared with rich, creamy and mildly tangy goat cheese, a touch of whipped cream cheese, plus flavorful fines herbes such as chives, tarragon, parsley and thyme, this whipped goat cheese recipe adds some festive flair to any occasion!

Goat Cheese Whipped Into A Creamy, Flavorful Dip

A major part of the fun of this time of year, when we all begin gathering for the holidays, is all the festive, mouthwatering goodies we get to prepare and enjoy.

Appetizers are often a favorite part of get-togethers for many of us, as these tasty morsels offer up lots of flavor in one or two bites.

So naturally, we get to sort of “graze” at the appetizer table sampling a bit of this and a bit of that, each bite a little surprise!

I've always seemed to gravitate towards the cheese section of any appetizer spread, enjoying nibbles from little squares of savory, pungent cheese, or small dollops of a thick and creamy cheese spread to dip yummy little crackers into.

Loving a good cheese appetizer as I do, I wanted to create a fresh, new cheese-centric appetizer to share during this festive time of year, one that's incredibly simple to prepare yet filled with a rich, creamy texture, as well as tangy, herby and earthy notes.

My whipped goat cheese is an appetizer meant to entice all cheese lovers, or any of us who just love to enjoy loads of flavor packed into little nibbles or bite-size portions.

Perfect to pass around with your favorite hearty crackers, this whipped goat cheese recipe is sure to very quickly disappear!

My Whipped Goat Cheese with Fines Herbes

Since goat cheese is incredibly mild in flavor, I wanted to incorporate some herby notes to this whipped goat cheese by way of a combination of mild herbs known in French cooking as “fines herbes”.

Fines herbes are traditionally a combination of equal parts chopped parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil, but may include herbs such as thyme, marjoram or watercress as well.

Since finding fresh chervil in our markets here is a bit of a challenge, I've gone ahead and used a combination of parsley, chives, tarragon and a hint of thyme here for the mildly herby addition to my whipped goat cheese, and my is it delicious!

To keep the texture of this spread/dip light and fluffy, I combine the softened goat cheese with a hint of light and airy whipped cream cheese, and process these together in my food processor until creamy and light.

Here's a sneak peek at my whipped goat cheese recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I add my room temp goat cheese and whipped cream cheese to the bowl of my food processor, and process just until well combined, and light and fluffy.
2. I scrape the cheeses into a clean bowl, then fold in my finely minced fines herbes, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, until blended.
3. I serve immediately, or cover the bowl and chill the whipped goat cheese in the fridge until ready to serve.
4. Then, about 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving (depending on how cool the kitchen is), I take the cheese out of the fridge and allow it come to room temp. Using a spoon, I gently stir/re-whip it until light and fluffy once again, and spoon onto a serving platter or into a small bowl, and surround with crackers or veggies.

Recipe

Whipped Goat Cheese

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This whipped goat cheese has a rich and creamy texture, and is flavored with fines herbes such as chives, parsley, tarragon and thyme!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 11

Nutrition Info: 147 calories per 2 ounce serving

Prep Time: 10 minutes (does not include chill time)
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces goat cheese (plain), softened to room temperature
• ¾ cup whipped cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely minced chives, plus extra for garnish
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely minced tarragon, plus extra for garnish
• 1 ½ teaspoons finely minced parsley, plus extra for garnish
• ¾ teaspoon thyme leaves, plus extra for garnish
• Salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Crackers and/or veggies, to accompany

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Add the room temp goat cheese and whipped cream cheese to the bowl of a food processor, and process for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until light, fluffy, and well-blended.
3. Using a small rubber spatula, spoon the cheese mixture into a large bowl, and sprinkle in the 1 ½ teaspoons each of minced chives, tarragon and parsley, plus the thyme leaves, and fold together to thoroughly combine. Add a couple of good pinches of salt and cracked black pepper, to taste.
4. Serve immediately, or if making ahead, cover the whipped goat cheese with plastic wrap, and chill.
5. Remove the whipped goat cheese from the fridge about 30 minutes to 1 hour before you're ready to serve it (longer if your kitchen is cold), to allow for it to come to room temp. Then, using a spoon, gently stir and re-whip it to soften it up a bit, and spoon it onto a platter or into a serving bowl.
6. Top with a bit of extra chives, thyme, tarragon, and/or parsley, and serve with crackers and/or veggies.

Tips & Tidbits for my Whipped Goat Cheese recipe:

• Soft, crumbly goat cheese for creamy texture: The type of goat cheese that I like to purchase for this whipped goat cheese recipe is the kind that comes in “log” form, vacuum-packed in plastic. It tends to be nice and creamy and easily whipped once softened at room temp. Be sure to opt for one that has no other flavors added into it, so they don't compete with the flavors in the recipe.
• Whipped cream cheese, for fluffiness and easy blending: While you could use traditional cream cheese that's been softened at room temp, it's best to use whipped cream cheese for this particular recipe since it is lighter and fluffier, offering a creamier texture once processed with the goat cheese.
• A combo of herbs to create fines herbes: For that delicate, balanced, herby flavor, use a combination of equal amounts of parsley, chives, tarragon, and a small pinch of thyme. If you cannot find one of these herbs, you can choose just one or two, and use those, if you prefer.
• How to store whipped goat cheese: Once prepared, you can serve your whipped goat cheese immediately. Or, if preparing ahead, cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve, then bring to room temp before serving. Any unused portions can be kept in the fridge in a covered container for about a week.

Craving more delectable dip appetizers? Check out this Cheese Ball recipe, this Labneh, this Sour Cream and Onion Dip, this Hummus, this Warm Eggplant Dip with Spiced Yogurt, or this Artichoke Dip!