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!
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 reduce 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 reduct the heat to low. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring and mashing the tomatoes frequently. The sauce should be thick and reduced by about half.
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.
Dip each ball into the egg, then breadcrumbs. Repeat so the ball has breaded twice. Place breaded goat cheese on a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining cheese. Once they are all breaded, put them in the freezer on a sheet pan for 5-10 minutes while you heat your oil.
Add 1-2 inches of vegetable oil into a deep sided pan or pot and heat on the stovetop to approximately 350˚. Working in small batches, add goat cheese to the hot oil and fry for 30-60 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 room temperature with arrabiata dip.
⭐ Top tip
When frying the goat cheese, be careful not to overcrowd the pan. If there are too many 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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These perfectly fried goat cheese balls 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!
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 Ball
- 16 oz goat cheese log
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Arrabbiata 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 canned tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring and mashing the tomatoes occasionally, until the sauce is cooked down and reduced by half. Season with salt and allow to cool completely.
Fried Goat Cheese Fritters
- Take approximately 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese and roll it into a bite sized ball. Repeat with the remaining goat cheese until you have approximately 60 balls.
- In a small bowl or shallow dish, scramble together eggs and water. In another small bowl or shallow dish, add the italian breadcrumbs.
- Take one of the goat cheese balls and dip it into the egg mixture and then the bread crumb mixture, allowing the excess egg mixture to drip off before coating it in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process again so that the ball has been breaded twice. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- Place breaded goat cheese on a sheet pan and place the freezer for 5-10 minutes while you heat your oil.
- Add enough vegetable oil to a deep sided skillet or pot so there are approximately 1-2 inches of oil in it. Heat oil over medium high heat to 350°.
- Remove goat cheese balls from the freezer and working in batches, add goat cheese balls to the hot oil. Fry for approximately 30-60 seconds until just lightly browned and crispy. Use a spoon to move them around during this time to make sure they brown evenly.
- Remove the balls immediately from the oil and place them on paper towels to cool and drain. Repeat with the remaining balls. Serve at room temperature with arrabbiata dip.
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Method: Stove Top, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian, Spanish
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.
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