This Cranberry Baked Brie cheese recipe is a crowd-pleasing festive appetizer for your holiday season.  This baked brie  appetizer is one of those easy recipes that you can pull together in about 20 minutes!!   

A brie round with cranberries and fresh thyme on top.

If you’re looking for a festive appetizer to serve for the holidays, this baked brie cheese appetizer is sure to be a hit! It’s pretty, it’s addictive and it’s quick and easy to make!

A cranberry and cheese appetizer with pieces of toast.

As far as easy appetizer recipes go, this Cranberry Baked Brie cheese appetizer is one of my favorite Christmas appetizers to make. It’s festive, delicious and everyone in my family loves it!!  And as a bonus, it’s super easy to make!  A little drizzle of pure maple syrup over the top of the brie cheese then it’s decorated with fresh cranberries, orange zest and thyme.  Doesn’t get much easier than that!  

Baked Brie Appetizer Recipe

This Cranberry Baked Brie is one of my favorite easy appetizer recipes to make!!  The sweetness from the maple syrup and hint of orange flavor pairs so well with the delicate flavor of brie cheese. This baked brie cranberry is my favorite way to serve brie, and I make it every year for Christmas so it has become tradition.  

  • Brie cheese round
  • Pure maple syrup
  • Fresh cranberries
  • Thyme leaves (I use fresh)
  • Orange zest

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

  • Toss in 1-2 tablespoons chopped pecans, walnuts or pistashios with the cranberries.
  • Use honey instead of pure maple syrup

How to Bake Brie

This baked brie cheese is simple and elegant and one of the easiest appetizers you’ll ever make.  It comes together in about 20 minutes start-to-finish.  

  1. Preheat oven.
  2. Place brie round on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Pour the maple syrup over the top of the cheese.
  4. Add cranberries and sprinkle with thyme and orange zest.
  5. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven.
  7. Serve immediately with crackers or pieces of baguette.

Tips for Making Best Baked Brie

  • Use a shallow oven proof dish that’s larger than the brie round giving the melted cheese room to roam.
  • You can bake the brie on a piece of parchment if you’re transferring it to a platter and if you want easy clean up.  Otherwise, bake the brie on an oven-proof shallow bowl that you can serve it in.

A Baked Brie Cheese Appetizer with cranberries on a white baking dish surrounded with pieces of toast.

How Do You Eat Brie Cheese?

Brie is a popular French cheese with a delicate flavor.  The rind has a more earthy flavor, and yes it can be eaten.  In fact, many people consider this the tastier part of the cheese. It’s best to cut the brie into slices like you would a cake, and transfer a slice (rind and all) to your own plate or napkin.  If you choose to discard the rind, you can do so on your own plate rather than leaving mangled pieces of rind behind on a beautifully arranged platter.

How Do You Serve Brie Cheese?

  • You can serve baked brie with torn pieces of crusty bread, slices of toasted baguette and crackers.  Place a spoon and a knife on the platter for spreading the cheese and scooping spoonfuls of cranberries to put on top.  
  • To assemble a pretty baked brie platter, arrange slices of apple and pear (you can also slather melted brie cheese on slices of apple), grapes and an assortment of nuts on the plate.

How Do You Store Brie Cheese?

If you have left-overs of this Cranberry Baked Brie (which I seriously doubt that will ever be the case), you’ll want to wrap the leftover brie in waxed paper or parchment and keep it refrigerated.  It’s best if the brie is eaten within a couple of days after cutting into it.

Melted Baked Brie Appetizer with cranberries on a white dish. Pieces of toast sit next to the dish.

Looking For More Easy Appetizer Recipes?

baked brie with cranberries
Yield: 6 servings

Cranberry Baked Brie

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Cranberry Baked Brie (also called baked brie cranberry)  is a crowd-pleasing festive appetizer for your holiday entertaining.  This baked brie cheese is made with just 5 ingredients and comes together in about 20 minutes!!   

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces brie cheese round
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup fresh cranberries, sliced in half
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Place brie round on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Pour the maple syrup over the top of the cheese.
  4. Arrange cranberries on top and sprinkle with thyme and orange zest.
  5. Place in oven, and bake 15-20 minutes, or until brie is soft and melted when cut.
  6. Remove from oven, and carefully transfer to a serving plate.
  7. Serve immediately with torn pieces of crusty bread, slices of toasted baguette and/or crackers.

Notes

Variations

  • Toss in 1-2 tablespoons chopped pecans, walnuts or pistashios with the cranberries.
  • Use honey instead of pure maple syrup

Tips For Making The Best Baked Brie

  • Use a shallow oven proof dish that's larger than the brie round giving the melted cheese room to roam.
  • You can bake the brie on a piece of parchment if you're transferring it to a platter and if you want easy clean up.  Otherwise, bake the brie on an oven-proof shallow bowl that you can serve it in.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 238mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.