• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Masala and Chai

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • How-to
  • About
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • How-to
    • About
    • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Masala & Chai » Recipes » All Recipes

    Published: Nov 12, 2022 by Shweta Garg · This post may contain affiliate links

    Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese Log

    79 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe

    Decorate a holiday-themed Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese Log for the festive season! With just 5 simple ingredients and 5 minutes of your time, this honeyed cheese log with orange zest is perfect for a charcuterie board or as a cheese appetizer for your dinner party.

    Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese log on a platter with crostinis and fresh cranberries.

    I absolutely love this recipe for entertaining. It's simple 5 ingredient recipe using festive holiday ingredients that works for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The chewy tart dried cranberries with the crunch nutty pistachios are livened up with a bit of fresh orange zest and sweet honey.

    It's just the perfect mixture to pair with tangy goat cheese!

    And there's no cooking involved! The prep and assembly for this appetizer is super easy and takes 5 minutes max. Talk about a high ROI!

    It can take center stage on a holiday-themed charcuterie board or it can be served on it's own as an appetizer at your dinner party with crostinis and crackers.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
    • How to Decorate a Goat Cheese Log
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Storage Instructions
    • More Holiday Recipes to try
    • Recipe

    Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions

    Ingredients for a cranberry pistachio goat cheese log with labels.
    • Goat Cheese Log - Depending on the amount of guests you're serving, you can use either a 4 or 8-ounce goat cheese log. If you're using a 4-ounce log, be sure to cut the recipe in half.
    • Pistachios - Use raw, unsalted chopped pistachio slivers for the bright green color.
    • Dried Cranberries - Don't use fresh cranberries! Substitute with other dried fruit, like cherries.
    • Orange Zest - A bit of orange zest adds a bit of tang and freshness to this cheese log.
    • Honey - A bit of honey sweetens up this otherwise tangy log and also helps stick the ingredients to the log. Substitute with maple syrup.

    If you'd like to add a bit of spices to this goat cheese log, then cinnamon or nutmeg would be great additions, too!

    How to Decorate a Goat Cheese Log

    This recipe is already super simple but there's a way to make this even easier: a food processor.

    Platter filled with chopped cranberries, pistachios, and orange zest.

    Yes, you can finely chop the pistachios and cranberries with a chef's knife. This is better if you prefer to keep the ingredients "chunky" to maintain the color for presentation.

    Or, you can toss the pistachios, dried cranberries, the zest from about half an orange, and honey into a food processor and run it until you get a coarse mixture that sticks together. The ingredients are better incorporated this way and makes it easier if you're working with whole pistachios.

    A goat cheese log half rolled in chopped cranberries and pistachios.

    Once you have the mixture ready, transfer it into a platter or bowl that'll fit the length of the goat cheese log. Place the log on top of the dried cranberry mixture. Begin rolling and pressing the mixture into the surface of the cheese.

    Be sure to press the mixture into the ends as well! Drizzle it with a bit of extra honey and it's ready to serve.

    Serving Suggestions

    Once you've rolled the goat cheese, place the log on a serving tray. Decorate it with crostinis, cheese knives, fresh herbs like rosemary, and fresh or sugared cranberries for guests to snack on.

    It would also look great on a holiday-themed charcuterie board with items like fanned apples and other snacks like popcorn or pretzels. The cranberries and pistachios make this cheese appetizer super festive and appropriate for a Thanksgiving and Christmas party.

    Serve the goat cheese at room temperature. This makes it easier to dig in to and spread on your favorite carbs like crackers or crostinis.

    A crostini with a schmear of cranberry pistachio goat cheese log.

    Storage Instructions

    Goat Cheese Logs are great make ahead party appetizers. You can assemble it up to a day beforehand and then store it in the refrigerator a day or two beforehand since the orange zest keeps it fresh.

    To store the goat cheese log, wrap it in several tight layers of cling wrap. Take it out of the refrigerator up to 15 minutes before you're ready to serve it so that it comes to room temperature.

    Drizzle it with an extra bit of honey to give it a refresh.

    Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese log on a platter with crostinis and fresh cranberries.

    More Holiday Recipes to try

    • A pumpkin pie milkshake with a slice of pie and a straw.
      Leftover Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
    • Platter with oven roasted carrots topped with cranberries and almonds with a serving spoon.
      Garam Masala Oven Roasted Carrots
    • A large bowl of mashed potatoes and serving spoon with a spicy garlic tadka.
      Tadka Mashed Potatoes
    • two irish coffee mugs with foamy chai tea lattes with whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.
      Chai Latte (Starbucks Dupe)

    I love seeing when you share my recipes! Tag me on Instagram @masalaandchai so I can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below!

    Recipe

    Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese log on a platter with crostinis and fresh cranberries.

    Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese Log

    Decorate a holiday-themed Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese Log for the festive season! With just 5 simple ingredients and 5 minutes of your time, this honeyed cheese log with orange zest is perfect for a charcuterie board or as a cheese appetizer for your dinner party.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 16 people
    Calories: 60kcal
    Author: Shweta Garg

    Equipment

    • Chef's Knife
    • Zester
    • Cheese Knives

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz goat cheese log
    • ¼ cup dried cranberries
    • 3 tablespoon pistachios, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 teaspoon orange zest
    • crostinis, for serving

    Instructions

    • Using a chef's knife, chop the dried cranberries and unsalted pistachio into smaller pieces. Zest about half a large orange.
    • In a large bowl, mix together the chopped pistachios, cranberries, orange zest, and honey until well combined.
    • With clean hands, press the cranberry pistachio mixture all around the goat cheese log to fully coat it.
    • Serve the goat cheese in a decorative platter with crostinis and cheese knives.

    Notes

    To store the goat cheese log, wrap it in several tight layers of cling wrap. Take it out of the refrigerator up to 15 minutes before you're ready to serve it so that it comes to room temperature.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5oz | Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 153IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.5mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @masalaandchai and #masalaandchai in your post and stories on Instagram!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    ABOUT SHWETA

    Shweta at the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland

    I’m Shweta, a self taught recipe developer and food photographer living in New York City. I’m a full time cloud consultant who also enjoys eating out at restaurants, discovering and supporting small business, and cozying up with a cup of chai.

    Popular Recipes

    • sweet cream cold foam cold brew in a glass on a plate
      Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
    • masala chai cups in a platter with sugar, parle g, and cardamom
      Masala Chai
    • chicken 65 in a skillet with appetizer picks and garnishes
      Chicken 65
    • bottle of chai concentrate with a wood lid on a brass platter
      Chai Concentrate

    FEATURED ON

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    cook with me on instagram

    Join our growing community of 10,000+ talented home cooks!

    @masalaandchai →
    NY Eater, Buzzfeed, Parade, AMNY, Food & Wine, Food Network, The Feed Feed, The Kitchn.

    CONNECT WITH ME

    • About
    • Contact
    • Links
    • Press

    INDIAN COOKING

    FREE EBOOK

    Subscribe to receive the latest recipes and a free guide to Indian cooking essentials!

    You’ve successfully signed up! Check your email for details.

    Copyright © 2023 Masala and Chai, LLC

    All recipes and photos on Masala and Chai are copyrighted and require permission before use. Contact Masala and Chai, LLC for permission.
    Review our Accessibility and Disclosure statements.

    79 shares
    • 60Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp
    • Yummly
    • Tumblr
    • Email