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Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Spicy Sage Honey – soft, creamy, and tangy goat cheese, rolled in Sesame-Panko crumbs, and then fried until golden. Golden and crisp on the outside and extra soft and melty in the center. Drizzle each fried cheese ball with spicy sage honey for a delicious appetizer. Perfect for New Year’s Eve celebrations and January game nights. These cheese balls are addicting. I’d highly recommend doubling the recipe.

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

We’ve got one final appetizer to round out our 2023 holiday season. And it’s GOOD one. Fried goat cheese, dipped, dunked, and drizzled in a spicy sage honey. The fried goat cheese is, of course, delicious, but it’s the spicy sage honey that makes these little balls addicting.

I made these for my family over Christmas and they’ve been asking for them ever since.

They are so yummy!

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Here are the details

Step 1: the breading

You’ll need flour, an egg, Panko bread crumbs, and sesame seeds.

Add the flour to a bowl, the egg to another bowl, and then the Panko and sesame seeds to yet another bowl.

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 2: the goat cheese

Take your favorite log of creamy goat cheese and roll it into cute bite-size goat cheese balls.

Now, dip each ball through the flour. I think it’s easiest to coat each ball in flour before moving to the next step.

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 3: bread, then freeze

Once the goat cheese is coated in flour, dip each ball through the beaten egg and then through the Panko.

When all the balls are well coated, freeze them for 20 minutes, until super firm. If you want to make these ahead of time, you can freeze the balls overnight. Then, they’ll be ready for frying whenever you’re ready to serve!

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 4: the spicy sage honey

This is the secret to why these are so delicious.

Gently warm the honey in a small saucepan with garlic, hot sauce, and sage. Do not boil the honey, just a little simmer to infuse the honey with garlic and sage is all you need. No more than 5 minutes.

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 5: fry

I love to use avocado oil to fry. Heat a bit of oil in a skillet with sides. When the oil is hot, you can fry the goat cheese balls in 2-3 batches.

Don’t let the balls sit for more than 2-3 minutes, or the cheese is at risk of melting out.

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Step 6: serve!

Drizzle the warm fried goat cheese with honey, season with salt, then enjoy!

These are great at room temperature, but I highly recommend serving them warm, if possible.

These are so delicious when hot and melty with that spicy sweet honey. Serve these for New Year’s Eve, but make sure to keep them in mind for January game nights too. And, of course, these would be perfect for the Super Bowl! Trust me, you’ll be the most loved host or hostess among your friends and family.

Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for more recipes? Here are a few to try:

Baked Gruyère in Pastry with Rosemary and Garlic

Prosciutto Wrapped Baked Brie in Pastry

Cranberry Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Swirls

Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels

Fried Buffalo Goat Cheese Balls

Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Cilantro Lime Ranch

Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch

Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken

Lastly, if you make these Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Spicy Sage Honey

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 129 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Spicy Sage Honey

Instructions

  • 1. Add the flour and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Add the egg to a separate bowl. Mix the Panko and sesame seeds in a 3rd bowl.
    2. Line a plate with parchment paper.
    3. Roll the goat cheese into 20-24 balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Roll each ball in flour, tossing to coat. Dip through the egg, and then dredge through the Panko, tossing to coat. Place each ball on the prepared plate. Freeze for 20 minutes or overnight.
    4. Meanwhile, make the sage honey. Warm the honey, garlic, hot sauce, and sage in a sauce pot.
    5. Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the goat cheese balls in batches for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden and crisp on all sides. Remove and drain onto a paper towel lined plate.
    6. Arrange the balls on a serving plate and drizzle with sage honey. Sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy, enjoy!
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Fried Goat Cheese with Spicy Sage Honey | halfbakedharvest.com
5 from 9 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. I took them directly from the freezer to the air fryer and they turned out well.
      They were crispy on the outside and the cheese was melting on the inside.

      Deep fried stuff is always fantastic but I was happy with the result from the air fryer and did not have to deal with cleaning up oil.

  1. I am a long-time lover of your recipes, but rarely comment. These were phenomenal, I made a test batch tonight to see if I could execute them well enough to take to a work party next week. Total win! Made the recipe exactly as written. For my party I will add. A little bit more heat to the honey and a little bit of extra salt to the goat cheese, but that is a personal preference 🙂

    While I was focused on them, I did your crockpot coconut tikka masala for dinner for DH and myself. Thank you so much! Your work is loved in our household.

    1. Hi Kaitlyn! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! You’re the best! Have a great week 🙂 xT

  2. 5 stars
    These were delicious! I made them for a NYE party and they were a hit! I thinned out the dipping sauce by adding a little bit of hot water, but otherwise followed the recipe.

    1. Hey Katy! Thank you SO much! Always love to hear when a recipe is a success! Hope you have an amazing New Year! xT

  3. 5 stars
    I made these tonight for New Year’s Eve. Holy cow they are incredible. Our 15-year old said, “Of everything we had, the fried goat cheese was the best.” The sage honey made them spectacular. Well done.

    1. Oops! Apologies for asking the air fryer question before reading the comments already written. Cheers and Happy New Year!

      1. WOW, do none of you have anything better to do than harass a food blogger with the same repeated questions? This hate group is getting out of control. Tieghan, I make your recipes on repeat AS INTENDED and they never fail! Ignore the haters!

      1. Yawn. More people with no life setting themselves up to fail so they can give this recipe a bad review. Maybe make it the way Tieghan wrote it and graciously provided to us for free? Thank you Tieghan!!

        1. I love all of your recipes and I’m so grateful for you sharing them with us. Happy New Year, I can’t wait to make this one 😊

      1. 5 stars
        I cooked in an air fryer for 4 min at 400. For a batch of 5 or 6. It came out fine but I honestly think oil frying would be tastier. Loved this recipe and will make again! Thanks Tieghan!!