Cheesy, gooey, slightly spicy and ready in less than 20 minutes – Learn all the tips and tricks to make the best baked camembert.
If you're looking for easy happy hour food for your next dinner party, look no further. Fancy but easy baked French cheese is the answer.
If you are not familiar with Camembert, it's a French round cheese that is very similar to Brie, but comes in a wood box.
Both these kinds of cheese come from a similar recipe using cow’s milk.
The main difference between these two kinds of cheese is that Brie has added cream in it, making it slightly creamier and higher in fat.
They have both an earthy flavour and aroma (slightly similar to mushrooms), but Brie has a more buttery and delicate flavour in my point of view.
Camembert, on the other hand, has a more intense and nutty flavour.
Camembert is also sold in a whole wheel, making it easier to bake. If you have the chance, look for the AOC Camembert de Normandie, which is made with unpasteurized milk, you'll get the best of the best.
But if you want to make baked Brie instead (which is usually sold in slices), you should be able to find baby Brie wheels nowadays.
Bake it At Home
Baked Camembert is quickly becoming a popular appetizer to share, whether you go to a fancy restaurant or to the local pub.
The good news is, you can totally make this delicacy at home, and it takes just 20 minutes.
I promise that with minimum efforts, you’ll get an amazing appetizer to feed a large crowd. Pair it with a French bottle of red wine or white wine, and you can't go wrong with it.
This is truly the best recipe out there, and you don't need fancy equipment or ingredients!
All you need is a small Camembert wheel, its wooden box, some favourite herbs and spices and honey or extra-virgin olive oil.
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Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F (oven fan 160°C). Arrange a baking tray onto the middle shelf.
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Remove the plastic packaging and arrange the Camembert back in its wooden box, or in a small baking pot.
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Score a deep cross or a crosshatch pattern on the top rind of the cheese. Drizzle with honey or extra-virgin olive oil, and insert the leaves of one sprig of rosemary into the gaps.
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Sprinkle with chili flakes, season with sea salt flakes and optional black pepper.
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Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
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Remove from the oven, and serve it straight away whilst it is still hot and creamy.
I've decided to go for a simple flavor combination, so I used rosemary and chili flakes.
Other herbs (such as thyme) will work just as great, and you can also add a sliced garlic clove if you like.
I also like to brush the cheese with a bit of honey, but a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil works super well too.
Baking tips
I've been making this recipe for years now, and not once it has failed me.
The recipe is totally fool-proof, but make sure to follow these easy tips for best results.
- Bake the cheese in the wooden box
Use the box it comes with, but obviously, remove the plastic wrapping. If it doesn’t come in a wooden box, you can use a small baking pot or a Camembert baker.
Do not put the cheese in the oven without one of the two, as it will spread around leaving you with a big, cheesy mess.
Additionally, to be extra safe, wrap the wooden box in foil, and arrange it on a baking sheet to avoid any cheese spillage (I never had this issue, but just in case).
- Check the oven temperature
Make sure the oven temperature sticks to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 (fan oven 160C), and not above than that.
- Score a deep cross or a crosshatch pattern
Using a sharp knife, score the top of the cheese, this will allow the air to escape while cooking.
Some people actually cut the top rind entirely, this is really up to your taste, I’m definitely a rind lover, so I keep it on mine.
- Season well the top of the rind
Sprinkle sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper or chilli flakes to give a little spiciness to the cheese.
Drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil or some honey which gives a nice sweetness to it.
- The most important step is the baking time
Bake the cheese for 12-15 minutes, not more than that.
Forget who tells you that, the more you bake it the softer and gooeyer it gets.
If you bake it more than you should, the cheese will harden back again and there’s no chance you can rescue it from there.
Serving tip: Serve your creamy baked cheese with crackers, toasted baguette slices or garlic bread. For the perfect aperitivo combo, pair it with an Italian charcuterie board.
More happy hour recipes to try:
Bruschetta with Caramelised Pears & Grana Padano Riserva
Italian Fried Mozzarella Sandwich
The Best Baked Camembert
Ingredients
- 1 Camembert cheese in wooden box about 350 gr
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 pinch of chili flakes
- 1 tbsp honey to drizzle
- sea salt flakes and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F (oven fan 160°C). Arrange a baking tray onto the middle shelf.
- Remove the plastic packaging and arrange the Camembert back in its wooden box, or in a small baking pot.
- Score a deep cross or a crosshatch pattern on the top rind of the cheese. Drizzle with honey or extra-virgin olive oil, and insert the leaves of one sprig of rosemary into the gaps.
- Sprinkle with chili flakes, season with sea salt flakes and optional black pepper.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and serve with cheese crackers or toasted bread slices.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
**This recipe was originally posted in January 2015 and updated with new images and more info.**
Made this a few times studded with garlic but followed your cooking times. This is the best tip I ever got for Camembert baking. It really makes a difference to cook it at that bit lower temp and for a shorter time. Keeps it runny well beyond cooling. Thank you
Hi Andrea, Do you bake the Camembert uncovered or do you cover it with the wooden lid?
Hey Sabine, I bake it uncovered!
Hi, I'm a newcomer to camembert. I'm trying this with my family this Christmas Eve. I noticed that the printable recipe has a different oven temp (360) than your descriptive text (350), and you seem emphatic about sticking to the 350. Was the 360 a typo? Looking forward to the camembert. PKO
Thank you for spotting this! Yes, it's a typo, I've just corrected it 🙂 Hope you like this amazing baked camembert! Merry Christmas x
I made two, one with olive oil, and the second with honey. Much preferred the one with honey, gave it more flavour. I have had this in a restaurant as a main meal. Very filling. Enjoyed it, made a change from the usual meat and two veg!!
Loved it! Made it as one of the appetizers for my husbands birthday, I added a little extra. I did honey, garlic olive oil, and some white truffle oil with the salt, pepper, rosemary, and chili flakes. Wonderful recipe, thank you!
RAS
Can I heat the camembert in quarters in little ramekins
Anita
Hi Anita! I've never done it before, so I can't give any advice, sorry! If you do give it a try, let me know how it goes, I might give it a try myself too!
I bake my Camembert or Brie the same way, but my favorite topping is thinly sliced almonds with apricot preserves...and instead of olive oil I use a little bit of butter...
Hi I know this is an old post, but which Camembert do I use pasteurised or unpasteurised
Hi Samantha! That's quite an interesting question! I use camembert from a brand I love. It's quite a big brand so I'm pretty confident it's pasteurised camembert. I never tried unpasteurised camembert, but I would say, it should work the same way.
Made it this evening, following your recipe, was brilliant! Thank you:)
Hi Louise, so glad the recipe turned out great! I hope you have an amazing 2018, and I surely hope you get to try more of my recipes :)))
Hi, I know this thread has been up a while but was hoping you might be able to say whether the cheese should be at room temperature prior to cooking? Or is it best cooked straight out the fridge? Cheers!
Hi Louise, that's a great question. I usually use the cheese straight out of the fridge, so I would suggest to stick to refrigerated camembert 🙂
Andrea, thanks so much for the quick reply, I'll cook it straight from the fridge as suggested! Many thanks:)
I have been brought to this page as I have just baked this cheese and it's gone a bit rubbery. I have obviously baked it for too long. I shall follow the tips here and hopefully have better luck! Thanks x
So sorry to hear that Ruth! Perfect timing and temperature is the key, it can be tricky sometimes as different ovens work different ways, so don't give up and give it another try, I'm sure you'll end up with great results!
For me, nothing is more indulgent than a good cheese, crackers and wine! So I must make this delicious baked camembert. Thanks for the easy recipe!
I couldn't agree more with you Thalia! Give me baked Camembert a bottle of red wine ( Chianti or Bordeaux if possible) and I can conquer the world! Let me know when you try the recipe!