These perfectly fried goat cheese balls are the best shareable appetizer. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, this tasty goat cheese appetizer is served with an arrabiata sauce for dipping! For a quick overview of this recipe, check out my web story for fried goat cheese!
When I used to live in the Chicago area, there was this little tapas restaurant that my husband and I used to frequent. They served fried goat cheese fritters that were bite sized and drizzled with honey. Once I had these tasty morsels, I knew I had to try and make them at home. I have been making fried goat cheese for years, but have now come up with the perfect sauce to go along with it!
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🧀 Ingredient notes
- Goat cheese - Use plain soft goat cheese that comes in a log, not the crumbles.
- Arrabiata dip - Arrabiata in Italian means "angry". It's a spicy take on traditional marinara sauce using crushed chili or red pepper flakes. This sauce is reduced down to a thicker consistency and goes perfectly on top of the crispy and creamy goat cheese balls.
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in oil for a few minutes until the garlic just starts to turn brown.
Stir in the tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Allow the mixture to simmer for 15-30 minutes, stirring and mashing the tomatoes occasionally. The sauce should be thick and reduced by about half.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare the goat cheese balls. Scramble eggs with water in one dish and then add the breadcrumbs to another. Take about 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese and roll it into small bite sized balls. Repeat with the remaining goat cheese. Working in small batches, roll the balls into the egg, then breadcrumbs, and then repeat so the balls have all been breaded twice.
Once they are all breaded, put them in the freezer on a sheet pan for 5-10 minutes while you heat your oil.
While goat cheese balls are in the freezer, add vegetable oil into a deep-sided pan or pot so it is about 1-2 inches deep. Heat oil on the stovetop to approximately 325˚ - 350˚. Working in small batches, add goat cheese to the hot oil and fry for 15-20 seconds until they are crispy and lightly browned. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining goat cheese balls.
Serve fried goat cheese balls at room temperature with arrabiata dip.
⭐ Top tip
When frying the goat cheese, be careful not to overcrowd the pan. If there are too many balls in the pan, it will bring down the temperature of the oil and they won't fry as quickly. This will cause them to get soggy and crack open.
Print📖 Recipe
Fried Goat Cheese Balls
These perfectly fried goat cheese bites are the best shareable appetizer. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside this goat cheese appetizer is served with an arrabiata sauce for dipping!
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Method: Stove Top, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian, Spanish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Arrabbiata Dip
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
- pinch kosher salt
Fried Goat Cheese
- 16 oz goat cheese log
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 ½ cups italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Arrabiatta Dip
- Combine olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a pan and heat over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook while stirring frequently for 2 minutes, or until the garlic just starts to brown.
- Add in tomatoes and salt and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring and mashing the tomatoes occasionally, until the sauce is cooked down and reduced by half. While sauce is simmering, prep goat cheese balls
Fried Goat Cheese
- Take approximately 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese and roll it into a bite-sized ball. Repeat with the remaining goat cheese until there are approximately 60-80 balls.
- In a small bowl or shallow dish, scramble together eggs and water. In another small bowl or shallow dish, add the italian breadcrumbs.
- Working with 3-4 balls at a time, coat goat cheese in the egg mixture and then the bread crumb mixture. Allow the excess egg mixture to drip off before coating it in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process again so that the balls have been breaded twice. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- Place breaded goat cheese on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and prep the oil for frying.
- While goat cheese is in the freezer, add 1-2 inches of vegetable oil to a deep sided skillet or pot. Heat over medium high heat to 325˚ - 350° and line a sheet pan or platter with paper towels.
- When oil is heated, remove goat cheese balls from the freezer. Working in batches of 6-8 balls at a time, use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the goat cheese into the hot oil. Fry for approximately 15-20 seconds, while moving the balls around with the spoon, until balls are browned on all sides. Use the slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and place them on the paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- Serve fried goat cheese balls at room temperature with arrabbiata dip.
Keywords: goat cheese, appetizers, tapas, vegetarian, arrabiata
📋 Variations
- Honey - Use regular breadcrumbs instead of seasoned ones and then drizzle them in honey for a sweeter version of this dish
- Balsamic - Drizzle the goat cheese with balsamic vinegar instead of serving them with the arrabiata dip
🫒 More appetizer recipes
If you loved this recipe for fried goat cheese, check out these other recipes that I know you will love too!
Don't forget! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Tag me on Facebook and Instagram as well! It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.
Sabrina says
These are great! Easy and so tasty!
Nora says
With these little delicacies, you simply can never stop! They are treacherous! Have never made them with goat cheese, but I will definitely try!
Amanda says
Haha, they are very addictive!
Jeri says
These fried goat cheese balls were delicious, they are the perfect appetizer, and we loved the dipping sauce too!
Kayla DiMaggio says
These fried goat cheese balls were so delicious! They are the perfect party appetizer!
Sue says
Oh yum, this is perfect for a cheeseaholic like me!
Kay says
I love goats cheese and this is a great recipe using it! Perfect start to a meal, I will make the sauce next time too!
Amy says
Delicious! They were the perfect appetiser!
Jeannie says
I love arrabiata dips even if it makes me cry lol, Trying this one for my next snack 🙂
Freya says
These were absolutely delicious!