Jalapeño Goat Cheese is a super simple but unusual cheese spread and an easy appetizer that will have you coming back for more…and more!
We discovered jalapeño goat cheese at our favorite Middle Eastern stand at the farmers market.
The guy sells a dizzying array of yogurts, dips, salads and spreads. It’s like a colorful mosaic of little plastic tubs set in a long bed of ice, with piles of fluffy pita bread on either side. We’ve been going there for the makings of easy summer dinners forever. He’s a pretty good salesman, too, because before we can say anything he’s pushing tiny little tasting spoons toward us at lightning speed, offering up tastes of everything he’s got. He sells it all 3 for $10, so we’re always trying new things.
what’s in it?
One taste of this and I was hooked. I kept the plastic lid after we polished off our first tub because it had the ingredients listed on it…
- goat cheese
- jalapeno
- and olive oil
That’s it! You’ll have to trust me on this one…it’s incredible.
this 3-ingredient wonders packs a big punch.
I can pretty much guarantee that family and friends haven’t had this before, and they’ll love it. Serve it with crackers or pita chips as an appetizer, but we also use it as part of a cheese-plate-y type dinner, it pairs really well with hummus, tabbouleh, almonds, olives, etc. It takes 2 seconds to make, and really jazzes things up.
try out different cheeses in this recipe
I found farmer’s goat cheese at a grocery store that specializes in International foods. Farmer’s cheese is firm, dry, and crumbly. It’s like the Mexican queso blanco or a fresh feta. You can definitely experiment with different types of cheese for this spread. If you use a creamier goat cheese, you will end up with more of a spread than a dip. While I didn’t try that, I know it would be good. The queso blanco or fresh feta would be good substitutes, too.
more easy cheesy appetizers
- Homemade Boursin Cheese Recipe
- Baked Feta Cheese with Olives and Lemon
- Cheesy Baked Mushroom Dip
- Baked Feta Bruschetta
- Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Baked Brie
Jalapeno Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 ounces farmer’s goat cheese
- 1 jalapeno
- extra virgin olive oil, I used O Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
optional
Instructions
- Cut the stem off the pepper and slice in big chunks. Put them in the bowl of a small capacity food processor and process until finely minced.
- Add the cheese and pulse several more times until the cheese is broken up into a fine crumble and everything is well combined.
- Pulse in enough olive oil to loosen the mixture and give it a spreadable consistency, I started with 2 tablespoons.
- Taste and add a little salt or lemon juice if desired.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to eat, and serve with crackers or pita chips.
I’m growing some salsa peppers this summer and this would be a delicious way to use them, Sue! So bright and delicious! Love the heat too 🙂
It would be fun to experiment with different peppers, how about habanero 😉
We often have dip nights with an array of chopped veggies, dips crackers and cheese. I’ve not tried anything that sounds as good as this though. I think this will be on our next grazing meal.
Grazing meal, that’s the perfect way to describe it – we love to eat that way!
Do you leave the seeds in the jalapeno? This looks like a wonderful recipe!
I do leave them in, Amy. You can scrape them out if you like things less spicy. But I have to say I’m finding that jalapenos are not as hot as they used to be, I have no idea why. And peppers can vary in heat, from one to the next. But definitely take the seeds and veins out if you don’t love things hot.
I do love things hot but I am always a little afraid I will ruin a recipe with “too much” hot.
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. I have tried several of them with great success.
🙂