Fresh apricots, stuffed with goat cheese, topped with toasted walnuts and drizzled with lavender honey make delicious finger food summer appetizers. This fresh apricot appetizer combines sweet and savoury flavours to make a delicious summer snack!
These fresh apricot canapés with goat cheese and lavender honey are my latest favourite summertime appetizer!
I have favourite finger foods that I make regularly, like these Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Walnuts and Mint and Lemon Ricotta Crostini with Honeyed Peaches. But whenever I spot fresh apricots, I know right away what I want to make. Savoury appetizers made with honey and stone fruit never disappoint!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Something a little different! Apricots have a short season, so it's fun to use them while they're fresh.
- Easy to make! These little finger food apricot appetizers are quick to put together.
- They're naturally gluten-free and vegetarian.
- A perfect summer snack. Your friends will love them! They're an ideal appetizer to take to a cook-out or potluck.
- No oven needed.
- Make with or without lavender honey. Drizzling them with plain honey is delicious, too.
Ready to get started on these fresh apricot appetizers? Here's what you'll need.
🛒 Ingredients
apricots: Fresh, not dried. Look for fresh apricots with no blemishes. They'll be best in this recipe if they are perfectly ripe and naturally sweet. To tell if an apricot is ripe, look for those that have a deep orange-gold colour and avoid those that are pale orange or yellow. The best apricots will be plump and firm, but slightly soft. You don't need to peel apricots
goat cheese: Choose a mild creamy goat cheese or chevre.
lemon zest: adds another layer of fresh flavour to these stuffed apricots.
walnuts: Toasting brings out their flavour and it also improves their texture, so they'll stay crisp on top of the goat cheese. While I usually prefer to toast nuts in the oven, you need such a small amount for this recipe that I suggest toasting them in a skillet on the stovetop for a few minutes instead. Watch carefully as they may scorch. Use your nose to tell you when they're ready to be removed from the heat.
honey: see notes in the recipe card below about how to make infused lavender honey. It's easy! You don't have to use the honeycomb as pictured. Simply use liquid honey.
How to make lavender honey
While you can often buy lavender honey in speciality stores, it's not difficult to make your own. You can follow the traditional instructions for How to Make Herb-Infused Honey (which takes 5 days) OR you can do as I did and use a fast infusion using heat as described here.
It's so delicious! Lavender gives the honey delicate floral notes that pair perfectly with slightly tart apricots.
- Pour ½ cup honey into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds and bring to a boil. Let it boil gently for 4 - 5 minutes. Watch carefully as honey will scorch.
- Alternatively, you can combine the honey and dried culinary lavender in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds to infuse the honey with the lavender flavour.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a sterilized glass jar.
- Let it cool for an hour then add a lid to cover the jar.
How to make fresh apricots with goat cheese
- Cut the fresh apricots in half and remove the pits. You can gently twist the halves to separate them or use a small paring knife to make the cut.
- Fill the cavity with a small amount of creamy goat cheese. Just use a small spoon to add the goat cheese, no fancy piping is needed!
- Sprinkle a little lemon zest on top of each one, then gently press a few finely chopped toasted walnuts on top of the goat cheese. You'll be surprised at how much flavour a tiny bit of lemon zest can add!
- Arrange the stuffed apricots on a serving platter, making sure to leave some space between each piece. Finish by drizzling with a little lavender honey. You can use a spoon or a squeeze bottle for more control. Set out the extra lavender honey for guests to add more if they'd like.
- Optionally, garnish the platter with fresh lavender sprigs for an extra touch of contrasting colour!
🔁 Possible Substitutions
Change the nuts: I've made these appetizers with toasted pistachios, toasted almonds and toasted pecans.
Change the cheese: While I like the mild creamy flavour of goat cheese, you can easily substitute cream cheese, or a strongly flavoured cheese like blue cheese or Roquefort.
❓FAQ's
Look for ones with no blemishes. To tell if an apricot is ripe, look for those that have a deep orange-gold colour and avoid those that are pale orange or yellow. The best apricots will be plump and firm, but slightly soft. You don't need to peel apricots.
No! I've made these stuffed fresh apricots with plain liquid honey sometimes, too. They'll be delicious either way.
You can make these fresh apricot appetizers a few hours ahead of time. Follow steps 1 and 2 above, cover and refrigerate, then add the honey just before serving.
These fresh apricot appetizers with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, and lavender-infused honey make a delightful combination of flavours and textures. They are and easy appetizer, perfect for summer gatherings, dinner parties, or even as a light snack. Enjoy at your next party!
🗒More finger food appetizer recipes
- Mini Gluten-Free Broccoli Cheese Muffins
- Puff Pastry Pizza Tarts with Tomato and Cheddar
- Grilled Spot Prawn and Watermelon Kabobs
- Peach Crostini with Lemon Ricotta Cheese & Honey
🌟 Did you make this recipe?
When you make this fresh apricot appetizer, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! I love hearing when you've made one of my reicpes. Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Fresh Apricots with Goat Cheese and Lavender Honey
Ingredients
- 6 medium fresh apricots, halved, stone and stem removed
- 4 oz (110 gm) chevre or soft goat cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons walnuts, finely chopped, toasted
- 2 tablespoons lavender-infused honey
Lavender-infused honey
- 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
Lavender-Infused Honey
- Pour ½ cup honey into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds and bring to a boil. Let it boil gently for 4 - 5 minutes. Watch carefully as honey will scorch.
- Remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a sterilized glass jar.
- Let cool for an hour then cover.
Fresh Apricot Appetizer
- Finely chop walnuts, toast by heating over medium-low heat in a small skillet.
- Slice fresh apricots in half and remove pit and stem.
- Fill cavity with 2 teaspoons soft chevre or goat cheese.
- Sprinkle each apricot with a pinch of lemon zest.
- Press ½ teaspoon toasted chopped walnuts into the cheese.
- Drizzle with ½ teaspoon lavender honey and serve.
Sharon
Beautiful as always Elaine! This is a stunner of dish. And thanks for the links on homemade lavender honey. That could very well happen here soon.
Yvonne Langen
I love so many things about this recipe. 1) it's healthier than most dessert options, 2) it comes together effortlessly, 3) it has a tremendous complexity of flavour and texture, in spite of how easy it is to execute.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Yvonne! That's my kind of recipe, too. Health, quick, full of flavour!
Melanie @ Bon Appét'Eat
Your pictures are so so lovely! You totally got me interested in that flavour combo! I always eat my apricot alone BUT I'm from Provence and I'll try anything lavender!
Pinning for later 🙂
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Melanie. We had a wonderful week exploring Provence. This was our second trip there, but I'd love to return! The lavender fields were in full bloom and absolutely stunning! Thanks for pinning my recipe!
Kristen
Elaine this recipe is stunning. I love the simple ingredients and beautiful flavours. This is definitely coming out this weekend.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Kristen. I'm sure you'll love it!
Leanne @ Crumb Top Baking
I just published a post where I talked about the delicious combo of goat cheese, fruit and honey, so I'm all over this one Elaine! And fresh apricots are so good right now. I need to pick up some more and give this appetizer a try! And love that it was inspired by your travels. I followed on IG, and it looked lovely!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Leanne, I was inspired by the French chevre which is oh-so-delicious! This was a fun appetizer to create and it's incredibly quick and easy! Thanks for commenting.
Joss
I am loving the lavender honey drizzled over the goat cheese in these apricots, so fresh and summery! This appetizer has a great combination of textures and flavors.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Joss. Agreed, this one is perfect for summer!
Bernice Hill
Such a great way to savour seasonal apricots! This would be a great snack or even a dish I would love to serve for brunch.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Bernice!
Sabrina
Simple and delicious, the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, grounded with the nuts. I really love the flavour of these and bonus-they’re healthy too! Thanks 🙂
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Sabrina! Fruit, nuts and cheese: we can't go wrong with that!
Julia
What a beautiful and fresh looking dish for summer! I have never ever cooked with lavender but I imagine it has such a wonderful flavour.. And with the goat's cheese and honey, just delicious!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Julia! Lavender seems like an odd flavour to add to a dish, but it's very delicate. Hope you can try it soon!
Colleen
What a delightful appetizer! I have a garden full of lavendar, and the apricots are very close to ripening here, so I cannot wait to make this!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Colleen! You will love it! I've made it for three get-togethers and it's received rave reviews!