A Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer doesn’t get more festive than this baked Brie with cranberry sauce. Plus, it’s super easy to make in under 10 minutes. Just add a spoonful of my homemade cranberry sauce on a block of brie, and then bake in the oven until it’s gooey and melty.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Brie
Cheers to an easy yet impressive party starter like this baked Brie recipe! It’s the kind of appetizer that invites everyone to dive right in with warm, melty cheese, a hint of sweet-tart cranberry sauce, fresh herbs, and crunchy pistachios. The textures are spot on, the colors are festing, and the whole things feels extra special for the holidays. If you’ve never made baked Brie before, here is a gentle nudge to try it. It’s simple, customizable, and always a crowd-pleaser. And I personally love how the sprigs of rosemary look like mini Christmas trees! Here are a few more reasons to love it:
- It’s incredibly easy: The prep takes just minutes. Yet it looks and tastes gourmet.
- It’s customizable: Feel free to swap in your favorite jams, nuts, or herbs.
- It looks great on a holiday table: And it pairs beautifully with other nibbles, like my stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail, Mediterranean baked feta, and my mom’s famous smoked salmon cheese ball.
Baked Brie Ingredients
- Brie Cheese: Grab your favorite wheel of Brie from the market! Just check to see if it’s around 8 ounces, as that’s the size I’m using in this recipe.
- Cranberry Sauce: Homemade cranberry sauce is super easy to make, and I’ve linked my recipe for it in the recipe card below.
- Pistachios: Any chopped nuts will work to add a crunchy texture. But today, I’m using pistachios for a touch of green to make it extra festive for Christmas.
- Fresh Herbs: A sprinkle of fresh herb sprigs is all you need. Choose from rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or any others that you love.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Baked Brie With Cranberry Sauce
- Prep the Brie. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the Brie on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a Brie baker. I personally love the Brie baker since it’s portable and ready to be served in that dish.
- Top and bake. Top the Brie with the cranberry sauce, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cheese should be soft and melty. During this time, prep what you’ll be serving with it. I’ve got ideas below!
- Serve. Sprinkle the pistachios on top, garnish with fresh herbs, and it’s ready to be served. Note: I would wait a few minutes before serving so it’s not extremely hot for your guests.
different Ways To Serve
- Simple and classic: For an appetizer that’s quick and easy, serve this baked brie with a separate bowl of your favorite crackers.
- Make a cheese board: If you have time to make a charcuterie board, this baked brie is a great addition. Serve with salami, crackers, and fresh fruit such as thinly sliced apples.
- Switch the toppings: If you’re not a fan of cranberries, you can top this with any fruity jam or sauce, nuts, or herbs that you love. Some delicious ideas are chia seed jam, fig jam or hot honey sauce!
Common Questions
Yes, you certainly can! It won’t be as soft and melty as the insides but still tastes like cheesy goodness.
You can take a peek at the 6-minute mark to see if the cheese is starting to ooze and the walls have softened. All ovens cook slightly differently, but for me, it’s best around that 8 to 10 minute mark.
Absolutely! If you’d like to make this recipe super easy to whip up on the day of your party or event, just make the cranberry sauce the day before, and store it in the fridge. Then, it’s as easy as topping on the brie and baking!
Storage Tips
- To store in the fridge: Any leftover Brie can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.
- For reheating Brie: Since there isn’t a rind to hold the cheese together, it’s best to reheat in a small bowl or dish so there is some space for the cheese to ooze. Warm this up in the microwave for a few seconds or in the oven for a few minutes until softened again.
More Holiday Appetizers
- French Onion Dip: Is it even a party without this classic dip?
- Green Goddess Hummus: The green color is perfectly festive for Christmas!
- Spinach Artichoke Dip: You can make this with or without dairy.
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms: Stuffed mushrooms get elevated with flaked crab meat.
- Or take a glance at my roundup of Thanksgiving appetizers, Christmas dinner ideas or Christmas appetizers for more ideas!
I hope everyone loves this baked Brie with cranberry sauce! If you make it, I’d love to know how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Description
Equipment
- Brie Baker The perfect dish to cook brie in and carry to holiday parties!
Ingredients
- 8 ounce round Brie cheese
- ½ cup cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios
- Optional garnish: fresh herb sprigs and orange zest
Instructions
- Prep the Brie. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the Brie on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a Brie baker.
- Top and bake. Top with the cranberry sauce, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is soft and melty.
- Serve. Sprinkle the pistachios on top and garnish with fresh herbs.
Lisa’s Tips
- If you’re gluten-free (like me!) or have gluten-free guests, these are the crackers I love to serve with the baked brie. They’ve got a delicious garlic rosemary flavor that pairs beautifully!Â
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published December 2023, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
I can eat cranberry sauce straight from the can and always looking for recipes that include cranberry sauce, not just during the Holidays. This Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce is so simple, yet looks like it took a lot since it’s so elegant. I hate cooking, so this was right up my alley and it was absolutely delicious.
Glad you’re loving this baked brie recipe, Karen!
This Holiday Brie is perfect! I just made 3 of them for a party and they all got gobbled up, with people requesting the recipe for the cranberry topping. This is our new favourite way of serving holiday Brie! Thanks Lisa!
Thrilled you loved this baked brie recipe, Trina!
This is so delicious! I made it for Thanksgiving and everyone raved about it. Needless to say there were no leftovers.
Glad this was a hit for Thanksgiving, Cindy!
Made for the holidays! It was a simple easy and delicious recipe. Everyone loves it
Wonderful! I’m happy to hear it was a winning holiday appetizer. Enjoy!
I made your Baked Brie with Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving for an appetizer. It was delicious. I used pecans instead of pistachios. I will definitely make this again.
Wonderful! Glad the pecans worked out on this recipe, Lynda.
It was so easy to put together, and everyone could not believe I made it.
It really is an easy yet impressive holiday appetizer. So happy you loved it, Shirley!
Love this recipe! I made it for the first time for Thanksgiving and it was gobbled up! It did take longer for the cheese to melt inside but I did have a few things in my oven at the time.
So happy you loved this baked brie, Josephine! And yes, if you have multiple items in the oven at once, you usually need to add 20% more cook time. But glad you got it all melty and oozy in the end!
I made this for Thanksgiving today and I was a hit!! I’ve been wanting to try it for the past couple of years and I finally went for it! It was just so yummy and well balanced. The sour sweet cranberry sauce with the ooey-gooey melt-in-your-mouth Brie cheese plus the crunchiness of the pistachios and the aromatics from the rosemary made this appetizer next level and I think I’ll be making it for many years to come! I got Brie from Costco so it was a bit bigger but thankfully I was able to just triple the amount. One of the best parts was that super easy to make. I made the cranberry sauce following your recipe the day before so all I had to do was pop it in the oven and garnish. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Amazing! Glad everyone enjoyed this baked brie for an appetizer, Casey.
So easy to put together this fancy looking holiday appetizer!
Yes, this really is an easy appetizer. It looks like it takes much more work than it does. :) Enjoy!
I made baked brie for New Year’s Eve. It was delicious… The sauce was made with red fruits, in Portugal it is difficult to find fresh or frozen cranberries. It was delicious, everyone loved it. I will definitely make it again.
Hi Sara – I’m happy you enjoyed this baked brie in Portugal! Wishing you all the best for the new year!
Can I bake the brie in a 8-1/2″ white quiche baking dish instead of a brie baker or metal baking pan? Then serve it in the same dish if so, no need for parchment paper? Hope to hear before the party I’m going to on December 7!
Hi Carol – yes, that works as well. Hope you enjoy it!
Lovely recipe.
You might want to edit a couple of typos:
Photos of ingredients have rosemary twigs labelled as thyme
In the reheat instructions, ” whole” should be ” hold”
Hi Mary – Thanks for catching those mistakes, we just updated the post!
Fabulous recipe – gobbled up in no time !!!!
Hi Gillian – Glad this baked brie was a hit!
Christmas isn’t Christmas without Downshiftology! So beautiful and absolutely delicious! And, super simple to put together, too. I made the cranberry sauce the day before (I used the leftovers to top our yogurt for breakfast). Last night we enjoyed the Pomegranate Guacamole with dinner and topped the night’s meal off with homemade eggnog. It is sooooo much better than store bought! Thanks, Lisa for such DELICIOUS recipes!!!
Aw, thanks so much, Becky! I’m thrilled you’re enjoying all of my recipes, and thank you for including them on your holiday table. It sounds like you had a delicious roundup!
Amazing recipes I have collected over time. So easy to follow and great variety
Thanks Kath! Glad you love Downshiftology recipes.
Please make recipe printable???
Hi Jean – you can click the “print” button on the recipe card above. Enjoy the recipe!
Where is the recipe for the cranberry sauce?
Hi Sheri – it’s linked in the recipe card above.