Create a restaurant experience at home with this easy Goat Cheese Pizza recipe! Every bite is packed with sweet and savory flavors from creamy goat cheese, rich caramelized onions, fragrant basil and a hint of fig jam. Prep the onions ahead of time, grab your favorite flatbread from the store, and you can pull this piping hot pizza from the oven in less than 20 minutes.
Take Friday pizza night to a whole new level with this flavorful Goat Cheese Pizza recipe. This 'za, made with premium & easy-to-find ingredients, is on par with anything you can buy in a restaurant for way less. Plus you can enjoy it at home in your sweats.
Sounds like a perfect Friday night to me.
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Why you'll love this recipe
➤Savor restaurant quality pizza at home for less! The flavor combination of creamy goat cheese, silky caramelized onions, subtly sweet fig jam and fragrant fresh basil screams gourmet but is quick and easy to make in your own kitchen.
➤Make it in minutes! Caramelize the onions in advance, use a store bought flatbread as the pizza base, and you'll have this recipe is on the table in less than 20 minutes.
➤Serve as an appetizer or main course. Hosting a party? Cut a few flatbreads into small pieces for everyone to enjoy. Want an easy but gourmet tasting dinner? Serve with a simple arugula salad and some easy cheesecake stuffed strawberries for dessert.
Ingredients
You can get everything you need for this pizza in one trip to the grocery store.
A few ingredient notes:
- Fig preserves: There are several brands of fig jam or fig preserves available at the grocery store. I'm a fan of Bonne Maman. If you can't find it with the other jams and jellies, check by the artisan cheeses as they sometimes put the display there.
- Basil: Fresh is a must. Dried will not give you the same flavor in this recipe.
- Onions: Any type of white, yellow or sweet onion will work. You can also use red onions, but the color will be different after caramelizing.
- Flatbread or crust: I love using the Stonefire flatbreads for this recipe. They come in a two-pack so great for larger groups. Make sure whatever you buy is already baked. If you use a raw dough, you will need to pre-bake it before making the recipe as written.
Instructions
The most time consuming part of making this goat cheese pizza is caramelizing the onions. But the beauty of this recipe is you can make the onions a few days ahead of time so the pizza comes together in just minutes.
Caramelize onions: Start by thinly slicing your peeled onions. Melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Start by thinly slicing your peeled onions. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in salt and sugar and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for another 45-60 minutes stirring infrequently until onions are a deep golden color.
Note: The range of time mostly depends on the size of the onions and the size of your pan. If your pan is super crowded, the onions may take longer to caramelize so use the largest skillet you have. The most important thing to remember when caramelizing onions is do not stir them very often. When you let the onions cook undisturbed, the natural sugars in the onions caramelize over the low heat and they become silky smooth with a gorgeous deep caramel color.
Tip for cutting onions: I like to cut off the stem and then cut the onions in half through the root end. Then I make lengthwise cuts from stem to root all the way through the onion half. I cut the root off once I'm done making cuts and the onion pieces are the perfect size for caramelizing.
Spread jam evenly over flatbread. Layer goat cheese and onions on flatbread. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are crispy. Top with chopped fresh basil and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
FAQs
It's a tangy cheese made from goat's milk. It is also referred to by its French name, chèvre. It comes in many sizes and shapes, some aged with rinds and some without. The most common type is fresh goat cheese found in a log shape, which is what I used for this recipe.
Goat cheese gets warm and soft when it's cooked but it doesn't melt and stretch smoothly like mozzarella or Monterey Jack. It mostly retains its form in little clumps. Note: Goat cheese is heat sensitive and will become grainy and separate if overheated.
Yes! That's how I prefer to make this recipe so I can just throw the pizza together quickly when needed. Once the onions are cooked and caramelized, they will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Leftover onions also freeze well and can be thrown into everything from soups and to sandwiches and burgers.
Expert tips for making goat cheese pizza
✔︎ Chilled goat cheese (in a log) crumbles more easily than room temperature goat cheese.
✔︎ The onions tend to clump together once refrigerated. I gently rewarm them in the microwave so they separate more easily and can be spread out on the flatbread more easily.
✔︎ I prefer to layer half of the onions, half of the cheese and repeat with remaining onions and cheese so the toppings are evenly distributed in every bit of pizza.
✔︎ Bake directly on the oven racks for the crispiest crust. If you prefer a softer crust, use a sheet pan instead.
✔︎ A pizza cutter or very sharp knife makes the cleanest cuts. This pizza cutter is our favorite.
✔︎ Any leftover goat cheese can be used in an easy spinach salad, stuffed inside some grilled mini peppers or as a topping for your weekend omelet.
More tasty appetizer recipes
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Recipe
Goat Cheese Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Fig Jam & Basil
Ingredients
Onions:
- 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Flatbread:
- 1 flatbread
- 6 tablespoons fig preserves
- 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
To make the caramelized onions:
- Melt olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and sugar and reduce heat to medium low. Continue to cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are a deep golden color.2 large onions,, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
To make the flatbread:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spread jam evenly onto flatbread. Layer half of onions onto flatbread. Crumble half of goat cheese over onions. Repeat with remaining onions and goat cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are crispy. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Cut into slices. Sprinkle basil on top of flatbread and add a generous pinch or two of flaky sea salt before serving.1 flatbread, 6 tablespoons fig preserves, 6 ounces goat cheese,, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, Flaky sea salt
Notes
- Low and slow heat is the best way to make truly caramelized (and not sautéed) onions. Be sure not to stir them too frequently or you disrupt the caramelization of the natural sugars in the onions. This may take anywhere from 45-65 minutes depending on the size of your onion slices, the size of your pan, and the heat on the stove
- You can make the caramelized onions up to 5 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. They tend to clump together when chilled so gently reheat the onions in the microwave to more easily layer them on the flatbread.
- Chilled goat cheese crumbles more easily (and less messily) than room temperature goat cheese.
- Bake the flatbread directly on the oven rack for the crispiest crust.
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
II love this recipe and add roasted garlic. If available I also add a few Sun dried tomatoes. Not too many as I don't want to lose the sweet flavors from the onion and gar lic. Heading out to my herb garden to pick basil right now!
What a great quick and easy recipe! I love the ingredients you used (goat cheese is the best!) and how well they go together. I had never considered caramelizing my onion in advance - great idea!
love these flavors, and agree, a great dish for appetizers, can even serve it in small squares I'm guessing, thank you for this, and also for the make ahead suggestion for the carmelized onion, great idea, nothing wrong with freezing fresh vegetables!