Goat cheese can bring everything from bright tang and fresh acidity to creamy richness, and earthy notes. The key is to build around that range, adding contrasting textures and flavors that make every bite a little more interesting.
Start With Variety
Three or five cheeses is a classic starting point for a cheese board. With a goat cheese-focused board, create variety through texture, age, style and flavor. Mix fresh and aged cheeses, soft-ripened styles, cheeses with herbs or other additions, and even a sweetened goat cheese.
For a great place to start, Cypress Grove and Vermont Creamery have impressive goat cheese lineups worth exploring.
A few cheeses to consider:
- Cypress Grove Buche de Cypress: Creamy and tangy with earthy notes, a bloomy rind and a savory depth that develops as it matures.
- Cypress Grove Midnight Moon: Aged goat cheese with nutty, brown-butter flavors, a caramel finish and a slight crunch from protein crystals. It’s also a great gateway cheese for anyone who thinks they don’t like goat cheese.
- Meredith Dairy Marinated Sheep & Goat: Soft and spreadable, with Australian extra virgin olive oil, garlic and herbs for plenty of savory flavor.
- Jacquin Valençay Ash: A classic Loire Valley goat cheese with a distinctive truncated pyramid shape and vegetable ash rind. Young Valençay is bright and tangy, while aging brings richer, earthier notes.
- Cheeseland Honey Bee Goat®: Goat cheese made with honey for a gently sweet, nutty flavor that works especially well with fruit.
For something unexpected, add Queso de Valdeón, a Spanish blue made from a blend of cow, sheep and goat’s milk. Its rich, layered flavor makes it an interesting contrast to the brighter, tangier goat cheeses on the board.
Now, Build Your Pairings
Once you’ve chosen the cheese, it’s time for the fun part. A good board should offer a mix of sweet, savory, crunchy and briny elements. You don’t need a huge assortment—one or two options in each category can go a long way.
Something Sweet
Honey is always a great idea with goat cheese, particularly alongside tangier styles.
- Figs, grapes and apples
- Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
- Pears and peaches
- Dried apricots, cherries and dates
- Honey and fruit preserves
Something Savory
Savory additions provide a salty counterpoint to goat cheese and help balance sweeter cheeses.
- Prosciutto — delicate sweetness and saltiness
- Salami — especially varieties with peppercorns or spices
- Chorizo — smoky and paprika-forward
- Mild ham — fatty and savory
Something Briny
Briny and pickled additions bring acidity, salt and a little punch to richer cheeses.
- Kalamata olives
- Green olives
- Pickled beets
- Pickled radishes
Something Crunchy
Most cheeses bring plenty of creaminess to the party, so something crunchy gives the board some literal bite.
- Toasted almonds
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Pecans
- Hazelnuts
- Sunflower seeds
- Caramelized or sugared nuts for a sweet-and-crunchy option
Bread & Crackers
Don’t forget something to actually put the cheese on. Keep a few plain options on the board so the cheese and pairings can shine, then add flavored crackers or breads for more variety.
- Baguette slices
- Sourdough
- Rustic crackers
- Mini toasts
- Flatbreads
- Breadsticks
La Gruta del Sol is a great source for board-worthy accompaniments, including Marcona almonds, caramelized pecans, sunflower seeds, mini toasts, crackers, flatbreads and breadsticks.
Make It Look as Good as It Tastes
Cheeseboards are as much about presentation as they are about flavor. Spread the cheeses and accompaniments around a platter rather than keeping everything grouped together. This creates visual interest and makes it easy for guests to mix and match.
Finish with a few simple garnishes such as fresh herbs, cranberries or edible flowers.
The formula is simple: choose a few different goat cheeses, add something sweet, savory, briny and crunchy, then give everyone plenty of options for pairing. The best part is seeing which combinations disappear first.