This Goat Cheese Dip with Balsamic Strawberries is creamy, sweet, salty, and so easy to make! You don't need a blender; you'll just spread the soft goat cheese on a plate and top it with delicious jammy strawberries with basil. The recipe takes 20 minutes, and it's one of the best appetizers!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Balsamic Strawberry Dip
The easiest appetizer - This dip is a strawberry version of my Fig Jam Goat Cheese Dip. You don't need a food processor, blender, or any special tools. The base is just goat cheese softened enough to be easily pressed into a thin layer. The creamy cheese is then topped with sauteed strawberries with balsamic vinegar, honey, and basil. It's simple, straightforward, and so good!
Amazing flavor combination - If you've never tried strawberries with basil or balsamic, you have to try this dip! It's such a good flavor combo, and it works so well with cheese. The creaminess mellows out the sharp flavor of vinegar and balances the flavor of the strawberries. You should also try my Strawberry Bruschetta or this Strawberry Basil Lemonade for a similar flavor combo!
Ingredients
- Goat cheese - You'll need creamy soft goat cheese. It usually comes in small logs, and it's sold in most grocery stores near cream cheese or other cheeses.
- Strawberries - I only recommend fresh strawberries for this recipe. Frozen ones are too mushy and release too much water.
- Balsamic vinegar - You will need a balsamic vinegar, NOT balsamic glaze. Cooking down the vinegar is what eventually gives you balsamic glaze, but this recipe won't simmer for nearly as long. You can also drizzle the strawberries with some balsamic glaze, but I don't find this necessary.
- Honey - A little bit of sweetener helps the strawberries caramelize, thickens the sauce, and adds sweetness and flavor. While I really like honey here, maple syrup works great too!
- Extra virgin olive oil - A little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving gives it a little extra flavor and ties everything together. You only need a little bit, so use your favorite drizzling olive oil.
- Fresh basil - I highly recommend using fresh herbs here. Fresh basil will give you so much more flavor than dried, but you can always use dried basil if really necessary.
- Sea salt - I always recommend either sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. Avoid table salt when you can.
Variations and Substitutions
- Cream cheese - If you don't like the flavor of goat cheese, use good, thick cream cheese instead.
- Maple syrup - If you prefer, you can sweeten the strawberries with maple syrup instead of honey. Brown sugar would also work, but I prefer a liquid sweetener here.
- Different herbs - While I highly recommend basil, you could also make this with fresh thyme or a mix of rosemary and thyme.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Take your goat cheese out of the fridge and transfer it to a serving plate or a low bowl so it can soften at room temperature while you cook the strawberries.
- Add the diced strawberries, water, balsamic vinegar, honey, sea salt, and black pepper to a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- Stir constantly just until the honey dissolves. When it starts to simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. The strawberries will release quite a lot of water as they cook.
- Stir in the thinly sliced basil.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
- Mix the tapioca starch with water to create a slurry and pour it into the pan while stirring quickly to make sure it mixes into the sauce without creating clumps.
- Gently simmer for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should continue to thicken as it cooks.
- Take the strawberries off the heat.
- Press the softened goat cheese into your plate or a bowl with the back of a spoon to create a flat, thin layer.
- Spoon the cooked strawberries over the goat cheese and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and more freshly ground black pepper if desired, garnish with more fresh basil, and serve with crackers. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Take the goat cheese out of the fridge ahead of time so it has time to soften. This makes it so much easier to press it into your serving plate and spread it into an even layer.
Serving Suggestions
- Toasted baguette or bread - Toast some sourdough bread or a baguette in a toaster or the oven. This is my favorite way to serve this dip and soak up all those jammy strawberries!
- Crackers - Any simple crackers you like will be great! I like any with lots of different seeds for flavor, or garlic or onion flavored ones.
- With drinks - Serve it along with this Strawberry Basil Mojito, or if you want a mocktail, I highly recommend this Strawberry Basil Lemonade!
Make-Ahead Options and Storing
The finished dip can be stored in the fridge, tightly covered, for 2-3 days. That being said, the strawberries look and taste their best right after you make them.
If you do want to make some of the dip in advance, you can press the goat cheese into your serving plate the night before and prechop the strawberries. The rest should be made when you're ready to serve.
More Goat Cheese Recipes
If you have more soft goat cheese to use up or just want to try some new recipes that use it, check out any of the five linked below! The strawberry salad is my favorite for the summer!
You can also check out all the latest appetizers for similar dip recipes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Have you tried this Balsamic Strawberry Goat Cheese Dip? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Hungry for more? Grab my free Top 10 Best Appetizers e-book, and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!
Print📖 Recipe
Goat Cheese Dip with Balsamic Strawberries
This Goat Cheese Dip with Balsamic Strawberries is creamy, sweet, salty, and so easy to make! You don't need a blender; you'll just spread the soft goat cheese on a plate and top it with delicious jammy strawberries with basil. The recipe takes 20 minutes, and it's one of the best appetizers!
- Total Time20 minutes
- Yield4-6 1x
- DietVegetarian
Ingredients
- 10 oz soft goat cheese
- 2 cups diced strawberries
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced into strips
- ½ tsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
- 1 tsp water
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Take your goat cheese out of the fridge and transfer it to a serving plate or a low bowl so it can soften at room temperature while you cook the strawberries.
- Add the diced strawberries, water, balsamic vinegar, honey, sea salt, and black pepper to a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Stir constantly just until the honey dissolves. When it starts to simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. The strawberries will release water as they cook.
- Stir in the thinly sliced basil.
- Mix the tapioca starch with water to create a slurry and pour it into the pan while stirring quickly to make sure it mixes into the sauce without creating clumps.
- Gently simmer for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should continue to thicken as it cooks.
- Take the strawberries off the heat.
- Press the softened goat cheese into your plate or a bowl with the back of a spoon to create a flat, thin layer.
- Spoon the cooked strawberries over the goat cheese and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and more freshly ground black pepper if desired, garnish with more fresh basil, and serve with crackers. Enjoy!
Notes
Starch: Tapioca starch is optional but highly recommended. The sauce does thicken slightly without it, but it will still be quite thin. You can use tapioca, arrowroot, or corn starch interchangeably. Always mix it with a little bit of water first.
Storing: Store any leftover dip in the fridge in an airtight container or just cover the bowl with foil for 2-3 days. Allow the goat cheese to soften at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving after storing it.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Leave a Reply