These roasted cherry goat cheese crostini appetizers are the perfect combination of sweet and savoury, with juicy roasted cherries and tangy goat cheese on crispy slices of baguette. Cherry crostini make an easy summer appetizer!
Roasted Cherry Goat Cheese Crostini appetizers: sweet, yet savoury; crisp, yet creamy. You'll love this finger food at your next party!
Crostini appetizers are always popular when I serve them. You can pack a lot of interesting flavour combinations on top of one small slice of baguette!
If you love creating crostini as much as I do, check out this post on 5 Tips for Making Crostini which outlines common mistakes and how to prevent them.
If you've been a reader of mine for a while, you'll know that I am a big fan of cherries! For more delicious cherry recipes using fresh or frozen cherries, check 13 gluten-free recipes for fresh or frozen cherries.
❤️ Why you'll love this goat cheese crostini
- Flavourful finger food! These roasted cherry goat cheese crostini are sweet, and yet they're savoury. They're crispy, but creamy. Tiny toasts, smeared with salty goat cheese spread, topped with rosemary roasted cherries and drizzled with honey and balsamic glaze make a delicious appetizer. It's one you'll make on repeat!
- Fresh or frozen: Cherry season is such a short one, and fresh cherries are incredibly delicious. However, you can make this crostini appetizer with frozen cherries, as well. Luckily, there's no need to do without cherries in the middle of winter. Frozen organic cherries are readily available in supermarkets, and they are already pitted!
- Gluten-free: Gluten-free baguettes are usually readily available, often in the freezer section.
- Roasting stone fruit like cherries and grapes enhances their flavour even more. Cherry crostini are simple to make, but they make a spectacular appetizer.
These Roasted Cherry and Goat Cheese Crostini rate right up there with my other favourite crostini recipes, like this Blue Cheese Crostini with Crisp Honeyed Pear , Roasted Grape and Goat Cheese Crostini or Honey Roasted Fig and Burrata Crostini.
In peach season, you'll love these Lemon Ricotta Crostini with Honeyed Peaches.
🛒 Ingredients
- a baguette: any type, or gluten-free
- olive oil: extra virgin, for brushing on the baguette slices before toasting them.
- cherries: fresh or frozen
- rosemary: fresh sprigs. You can substitute fresh thyme if you prefer. Both herbs will complement roasted cherries beautifully!
- creamy goat cheese: A soft and creamy variety is best for spreading
- cream cheese: regular or low-fat. You'll combine this with the goat cheese to make a delicious spread.
- lemon juice and lemon zest: for a burst of bright flavour
- honey: to sweeten the cheese mixture and balance the flavours.
- balsamic glaze: homemade or store-bought, for drizzling on the finished cherry crostini
- flaky sea salt: a light sprinkle adds to the beautiful balance in this perfect summer appetizer!
🔪 Instructions
Here's a quick summary of what you'll do to make roasted cherry crostini. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card below.
- Toast the baguette slices on a sheet pan until golden brown.
- Use a mini food processor or an electric mixer to whip the goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and honey to make a spread.
- Spread the pitted cherries on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast them in the oven with rosemary sprigs.
- Assemble the crostini. Start with a layer of goat cheese mixture, top with roasted cherries, then drizzle with honey and balsamic glaze.
- Devour these little gems!
Guarantee success! Check out this post on 5 Tips for Making Crostini. It includes 10 more mouth-watering crostini recipes!
❓ Questions about roasted cherry crostini
You can make the component parts ahead of time and assemble them just before serving. (If you put them together too soon, they may become a little soggy.)
Toast the crostini, cool, then store them in an airtight container for a day or two.
Mix the goat cheese and cream cheese spread, then refrigerate it in a covered container. It will last for 5 to 7 days. The cheese mixture will be easier to spread at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you assemble these summer cherry appetizers.
Roast the cherries, then cool them and refrigerate.
Kept refrigerated, roasted cherries will last for about 3 days.
You can buy a cherry pitter, but if you don't have one, making your own from an old fork works well! It should be of poor quality, so it bends easily.
Using pliers, bend the out two tines forward, folding them so they lie flat against the base of the fork. Next, slightly bend the tips of the center two tines so they are bent at a 90° angle. To use, plunge the bent tips through the stem end of the cherry and pop out the pit! Easy-peasy.
🍽 What to serve with cherry crostini
While you can serve these on their own as a single appetizer before a summer meal, I like to make a few different appetizers for a get-together with family or friends. Try any of the other crostini recipes here on Flavour and Savour, or see my Appetizers category for more ideas.
🗒 More crostini recipes to try
- Peach Crostini with Lemon Ricotta Cheese & Honey
- Smoked Salmon Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese
- Cranberry Whipped Ricotta Crostini
- 5 Tips for Making Crostini - Ultimate Guide
🌟Did you make this roasted cherry goat cheese crostini recipe?
When you make these cherry crostini with goat cheese, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Cherry Goat Cheese Crostini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 slices baguette ½ inch thick
- 2 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- 24 fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and halved
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup soft goat cheese
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze home made or store-bought, for drizzling
Instructions
- Slice the baguette into ½ inch slices.
- Brush lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Bake at 375°F for 7 – 8 minutes, turning over halfway through until golden brown. The crostini should be slightly crispy on top but the inside should be tender.
- Spread cherries on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary. Roast in the oven for 5 - 7 minutes while you're toasting the baguette. They should take about the same amount of time. Remove them from the oven and discard the rosemary sprigs.
- In a mini food processor (or blender or with an electric mixer) make the whipped goat cheese spread. Combine goat cheese, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ teaspoon lemon juice and ½ teaspoon lemon zest. Process until blended.
- Spread each baguette slice with whipped goat cheese, top with two or three roasted cherry halves, drizzle with remaining honey and balsamic glaze and sprinkle with coarse sea salt and fresh rosemary. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2016. It has stood the test of time! I have updated it with new information and photos.
Diana
I'd like to lick my screen! So---I made these last weekend for a potluck appy party. They were snapped up! Thanks for the tip about frozen cherries. They're so good and they come already pitted! Worked perfectly in this recipe.
Chocoviv
This looks delicious!!
Flavour & Savour
Thank you! We love these little bites!
Melissa
These look so yummy!!! Can't wait to make them next time we are hosting my in-laws (bonus points for sure!)
Flavour & Savour
Score all the points you can! 🙂 Hope you get a chance to make these.
Isabelle @ Crumb
Love this combo of sweet and savoury. I literally cannot get enough of the fresh cherries right now... so any excuse to eat more of them is fine by me! 🙂 (Though those roasted fig and burrata crostini are looking pretty darn tasty, too. Saving those for when fig season rolls around.)
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Isabelle! My fig tree is loaded this year, but they're not quite ripe yet. Can't wait! There's nothing quite like a juicy fig right off the tree, except, of course, freshly picked cherries . . . Thanks for stopping by!
Shauna
This looks absolutely stunning. We were in BC last week and the cherries were delish. Can't wait to do something with them now that we're home!
Flavour & Savour
Hi Shauna, Cherry season is such a short one! Hope you get a chance to use them--they're just SO good!
Meaghan
Mouth watering! Thinking a few of these crostini and a glass of Pinot Noir would make for a perfect Friday night!
Flavour & Savour
You've got that right. And that's exactly what we did--(actually while binging on Netflix):) Thanks, Meaghan!
Barbara golightly
Sounds delicious
Flavour & Savour
Thanks! Can't get enough of these little bites!
Gail Young
I'm not a fan of goat cheese. What can I use as a substitute?
Elaine
Hi Gail, You can substitute cream cheese, or you might like whipped feta cheese, as in this recipe for Strawberry Whipped Feta Crostini. https://www.flavourandsavour.com/strawberry-whipped-feta-crostini/