This baked camembert with honey and pesto is a fantastic appetizer for any cheese lover. Taking centre stage on any serving platter with simple snacks, this gooey cheese is sweet and savory, topped full of crunchy walnuts and fragrant herbs.
And it's ready in only 10-15 minutes!
Once you've dipped crackers or crusty bread into this melted cheese fondue, it's an experience you will never forget.
Whether you're hunkering down with a loved one, friend, or hosting a dinner and sharing it as a party starter, this easy baked camembert is a crowd pleaser, especially when adding some of your favourite flavours on top of the cheese for sweetness, crunch, and spice.
And I'll talk you through what you can dip into this delicacy. And I promise you, each dip is so exciting, alongside a good bottle of red or white wine, cider, or regional brandy, such as Calvados.
Jump to:
🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.
Camembert cheese round - any size will work for this elegant appetizer, but most supermarkets sell smaller wheels, approximately 250g/9oz.
If you have larger ones, simply double the toppings. As for other kinds of cheese, you could use instead are brie, goat cheese, reblochon, Brillat-Savarin, or Saint-André.
Runny honey - this adds a beautiful sweetness to the dish, but maple syrup is a great option too. Or, you could try a fruit jam such as cranberry sauce, fig jam, apricot, or marmalade.
Green pesto - I find this herby sauce perfect when I don't have any fresh herbs at hand.
However, if you have a herb garden, then adding simple ingredients such as a few leaves of fresh rosemary sprigs and thyme sprigs works beautifully too.
Chili Flakes - to add heat to your tasty spread, just a small pinch will do.
Walnuts - I used walnut pieces, which toast beautifully in the oven so they're nice and crunchy with each bite. Or use pecans, pinenuts, etc
Sea Salt & Black Pepper - a good pinch of salt is important so the dish isn't completely sweet, and some pepper for a touch of heat
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - a tablespoon stirred in after baking adds flavour, Omega 3 and loosens the texture, making it one of the best savory spreads! If you don't have it, a little olive oil will be fine too
📋 Instructions
Here's how to bake Camembert with Honey and Pesto. It will be one of the most memorable feasts on any cheese boards you ever make!
First preheat your oven to 200c, 180c fan, gas mark 6, 400F.
Then remove the plastic wrapping and discard.
Next, using a sharp knife, slice a criss-cross pattern on the top rind of the cheese.
Place it in your small baking dish lined with aluminium foil or baking paper.
OR line the wooden box it came in.
Drizzle honey on top, followed by the rest of your toppings (except the extra virgin olive oil).
Place in your preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
The skin of a baked camembert should be wobbly, which is ideal for dipping!
Tip: Avoid baking for longer as it can start to dry out!
👩🍳 Substitutions
Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can personalise some easy baked camembert recipes:
- Camembert - swap for brie for a similar dip
- Walnuts - if you have a nut allergy, swap entirely for caramelized onions for crunch
- Honey - use jam or dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, apricots for sweetness
- Pesto - use your favourite chopped fresh herbs
- Salt and pepper - salty crispy bacon bits like lardons
⚖️ Variations
Here are a few different ways you can make the best baked camembert for the whole family:
Spicy - instead of pesto, use siracha, hot sauce or sweet chilli chutney
Herby- place the camembert on puff pastry and slice fingers around it to create a sunshine shape. For pesto pastry camembert, brush the fingers with pesto and twist before baking and eat them as dippers
Deluxe - a great addition is to push a minced garlic clove into the camembert's crevices and truffle oil with a sprinkle of fresh chives
Kid-friendly - use brie for a milder taste or serve with chips or apple slices to dip
🔪 Equipment
Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links.
- Sharp knife to score the top of the camembert
- Measuring spoons
- Salt and pepper grinder
- Baking sheet
- Wooden box* that your wheel of camembert may come in OR:
- Parchment paper or tin foil (not the plastic-coated paper wrapping it comes in)
- *Not all camembert cheeses come in a wooden box. If not, you could use a Le Creuset camembert baker, but a miniature cake tin lined with aluminum foil or baking paper, oven-proof small bowl or lined baking tray will work perfectly, too.
❄️ Storage
Storing - we prefer eating baked camembert fresh, but it can be stored in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Reheating - we don't recommend reheating it as it will become dry when reheated and not have as much flavour.
💡Pro Tips
- Make sure you don't bake the camembert while it's still in the plastic packaging
- When cutting a deep cross on the top of the rind, try cutting about ⅓ of the way down. However, if you're worried about slicing too deep, you could place some chopsticks either side so while you're cutting, it prevents the knife from fully slicing all the way through.
- All you need is 12-15 minutes to bake on medium heat for a melty cheese. If the cheese bakes longer, you run the risk of it turning hard and drying out!
- While cutting a crosshatch pattern, one side of the camembert rind should already have lines one, which I use for reference, then angle it to slice a diamond shape, or you could create squares
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
What can I dip into my whole wheel of camembert?
Fresh fruits: such as slices of apple, grapes, orange segments, etc
Meat: Crispy bacon (or add in a French baguette with sweet caramelized onions) or deli meats like ham slices, pepperoni, salami, etc
Bread: dip crusty garlic bread, fresh bread, or crackers
Vegetables that can be eaten raw, such as carrots, celery sticks, or cucumber
❓ FAQ
Yes, it's perfectly fine, especially if it's still soft and prevents microorganisms from contaminating the centre. But if it is cracked or broken, it is a sign of being overripe.
Camembert is a rich and creamy cheese that comes from Normandy, in the North of France, and is believed to have been developed in 1791 by French farmer, Marie Harel, whose recipe was inspired by a priest who came from Brie.
This is no surprise, as its soft cheese texture is very similar to Brie, apart from its distinctive strong smell and bloomy rind.
Its popularity over the years, including a seal of royal approval, (being considered the best cheese according to Napoleon III), has meant this delicacy is now protected. This means that only specific regions and certain breeds of cow's milk can be used to produce it.
However, originally, it was developed with raw unpasteurized milk, which is now considered a health and safety risk due to possible bacteria contamination. So it's very likely that your local grocery store sells camembert made with pasteurized milk.
But in the UK at least, only farms that comply with strict regulations may sell raw unpasteurized Camembert cheese.
Although both of these soft-ripened cheeses are similar in texture and will melt at room temperature, the main difference in my opinion is the distinctive smell and stronger flavor of Camembert.
You can coat it in olive oil with lots of seasoning, then place it in a griddle frying pan, and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side over medium heat. However, it can prematurely break and ooze into the pan.
➕ More French Recipes
Here are a few recipes that have inspired our travels to France:
🍽️Pairing
Looking for a sweet sauce to add to this baked cheese? These go great with it!
📖 Recipe
Baked Camembert with Honey and Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 round Camembert cheese (9oz/250g)
- 2 tablespoon Runny honey
- 1 tablespoon Walnut pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon Chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon Green pesto
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200c, 180c Fan, Gas Mark 6, 400 F.
- Now unwrap and discard the plastic coated packaging from the camembert.
- If your camembert wheel came in a wooden box, line it with parchment paper or tin foil and set aside. If yours came in a cardboard box, you could line a baking tray with baking paper or a minature cake tin works perfect!
- Using a sharp knife, make deep cross diamond shape pattern to score in the top of the cheese - roughly ⅓ of th way down.
- Place the cheese into the lined tray or cake tin, the drizzle the honey on top, chilli flakes, seasoning, pesto and walnut pieces.
- Then bake it in the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes while you plate up your nibbles or serving platter.
- Once the top is wobbly, it's ready to eat straight away!
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you don't bake the camembert while it's still in the plastic packaging
- When cutting a deep cross on the top of the rind, try cutting about ⅓ of the way down. However, if you're worried about slicing too deep, you could place some chopsticks either side so while you're cutting, it prevents the knife from fully slicing all the way through.
- All you need is 12-15 minutes to bake on medium heat for a melty cheese. If the cheese bakes longer, you run the risk of it turning hard and drying out!
- While cutting a crosshatch pattern, one side of the camembert rind should already have lines one, which I use for reference, then angle it to slice a diamond shape, or you could create squares
Comments
No Comments