Baked Brie with Garlic & Thyme is a quick and easy appetizer. It’s indulgent enough to be comforting, but still elegant enough to be the star of the cheeseboard at your next dinner party.
This simple baked brie with garlic is one of my favorite cheesy appetizers to prepare whenever people are visiting. It’s quick, easy to make, and one of those dishes where you can’t just stop at one bite!
And what’s more? It comes together with very few ingredients, and can be customized in a lot of different ways to suit you and your guests.
Jump to:
What is baked brie
Baked brie is a simple and delicious appetizer made by literally baking a wheel of brie until the cheese becomes gooey and melty. It can be used as a dip, or a soft spread. Some baked brie recipes call for wrapping the brie in puff pastry, but in the interest of simplicity (and keeping the brie as a great dipping option!), this recipe does not use any puff pastry.
Baked brie recipes can lean towards sweet (such as, baked brie with honey & pistachios recipe) or savory flavors.
Baked brie with garlic and thyme
This wheel of brie is scored and loaded with garlic, and topped with a thyme-infused drizzle prior to be baked resulting is a comforting and slightly earthy dip.
Ingredients
- Wheel of brie
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh thyme (just the leaves, no stem!)
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Honey
How to make baked brie with garlic & thyme
Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the wheel of brie in a small, ovenproof baking dish that’s just slightly bigger than the brie itself. Cut the garlic cloves into slivers. Next, score the brie or cut small slits (the size of the garlic slivers) into the brie wheel. Add the garlic slivers to the brie…be generous! (The correct amount of garlic in any recipe is measured only by the heart.)
In a separate small bowl, mix the thymes leaves, olive oil, butter, and honey together. Pour your honey-thyme mixture over the garlic brie.
Cover the garlic brie with foil, and bake until the brie begins to melt, about 15-20 minutes for an 8-ounce wheel (about 20-25 minutes for a 16-ounce wheel).
Remove from the oven, and serve immediately with crackers. Enjoy!
Tips
This recipe is a simple one so there’s not a lot to be concerned about. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make the perfect garlicky baked brie cheese.
- Don’t cut too deep into the brie wheel. Scoring the brie too deeply will result in it falling apart, which just makes it more difficult to serve and somewhat messier looking. Also, you’ll want to make these incisions with a sharp knife, not a cheese knife (you can use that for serving with)!
- Don’t go crazy with the thyme-infused drizzle. You only need a little bit to add plenty of flavor!
- The brie can be prepared one day in advance; this allows the cheese to absorb the garlicky flavor longer.
- You don’t necessarily have to place the brie into its own baking dish. You can prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the brie wheel there to bake (it’ll just be touch more difficult to move without the parchment paper going with it!). ย
- When removing the brie from the oven, check to see if it’s melted. If it hasn’t melted, pop it back into the oven for another two minutes.
- If you’re worried about biting into a chunk of garlic (or simply don’t enjoying cutting garlic), you can also use minced garlic. You’ll just need to spoon it into the brie.
What kind of brie to use
Generally speaking, most bries will work fine for this recipe. I personally enjoy using double cream brie. I don’t bother with any fancy brie brands as we’re adding our own flavor to the cheese.
Do you take the rind off the brie before baking
There’s no need to cut the rind off the brie before baking it. However, if you want to do something a little different, you can cut the rind on the top of the brie like a flap so that it’s easier to dip crackers into the melty brie.
Serving suggestions
This baked brie with garlic and thyme is perfect when dipped into with crackers or crostini. Baguette slices work as well. This recipe will work well as part of a larger cheeseboard, or as a cheesy appetizer by itself. We often serve it alongside other hard cheeses, crackers, and some fruits.
Substitutions
If you’re unable to find brie, camembert cheese makes for an excellent substitution. Both are soft and creamy cheeses, though Camembert tends to have a stronger, earthier flavor when compared to brie. As Camembert is typically aged for a shorter period, it tends to have a firmer texture than brie does.
Variations
Given how simple this brie recipe is, there are a lot of easy variations that can be made. Here are a few suggestions:
Double down on garlic. Mix a tablespoon of minced garlic with the melted butter to create a garlic butter. Warning: you will not be able to kiss any nearby vampires.
Herbs & spices. Add a hit of stronger flavors to the mix by adding a teaspoon of fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of black pepper to the thyme mixture.
Go nuts. Add some crushed walnuts for a bit more texture!
More appetizers suggestions
Helpful tools
The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.
There aren’t any special tools required here, but in case you need one, here’s a an example of a baking dish to use to hold your brie wheel, depending on its size!
And that’s it. That’s everything you need to know to make this easy baked brie with garlic and thyme recipe. Tried it? Let me know in the comments below!
๐ Recipe
Baked Brie with Garlic & Thyme
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 baked brie wheel 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Learn how to make this recipe for baked brie with garlic and thyme. It’s a great addition to any party.
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) wheel of brie
- 2-3 fresh cloves garlic
- ยฝ teaspoon of fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the wheel of brie in a small, ovenproof baking dish.
- Cut the garlic cloves into slivers, and score the brie or cut small slits (the size of the garlic slivers) into the brie wheel.
- Add the garlic slivers to the brie.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the thyme, olive oil, butter, and honey together. Pour the mixture over the brie with garlic.
- Cover the garlic and thyme brie with foil, bake until the brie begins to melt, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
If you’re using a 16-ounce wheel of brie, bake for about 20-25 minutes.
When removing the baked brie from the oven, make sure to check that it's melted. If it hasn't melted, pop it back into the oven for 2 minutes at a time until it is.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Comments
No Comments