Baked Brie with Fig Jam (easy & elegant)

Name: Baked Brie with Fig Jam
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 wheel of Brie cheese with rind (the one pictured here was 16 ounces); 1/2 cup of fig jam; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary; crackers, fruits, and nuts for serving

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With just a few minutes of prep and a very short ingredient list, this Baked Brie with Fig Jam is one of the easiest yet most impressive appetizers. It is perfect for holiday entertaining as a stand alone appetizer or as part of a large appetizer buffet.

baked brie topped with fig jam in white fluted baking dish with grapes, fresh figs, crackers, and rosemary sprigs

Recipe Background and Details

Baked Brie with Fig Jam can be served for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's celebrations. Baked brie with jam is a holiday classic. Like I wrote above, this easily stands on its own as an impressive appetizer. But it could also be included as part of an abundant appetizer spread with Pull Apart Lobster Sliders, Brown Butter Rosemary Shrimp, or Pink Peppercorn Baked Chicken Wings.

cracker with melted brie, fig jam, and fresh fig slice

There is just something so special about figs. I love them so much that my husband and I planted two dwarf fig trees earlier this year. While we only got a total of maybe five ripe figs before the frost came, I am crossing my fingers for a much larger harvest next year (and more fig recipes!).

Fig jam and fresh figs pop up in my kitchen quite often like in my Fig and Prosciutto Pizza and Fig and Burrata Crostini recipes. Figs aren't just beautiful, but they pair really well with cheese and other salty, savory flavors. My dad and I used to love to eat the stinkiest blue cheese we could find with fig jam, crackers, and a couple glasses of cold, crisp white wine. Now, anytime I create a cheeseboard I always include fig jam, dried figs, and/or fresh figs if I can find them. This Baked Brie with Fig Jam fills me with nostalgia and I hope you love it as much as I do.

baked brie with fig jam topped with fresh fig halves and grapes

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Recipe Background and Details
Ingredients
Instructions
Make ahead, storage, and reheating
Baked brie with Jam FAQ's
Related
Pairing
Baked Brie with Fig Jam

Ingredients

With only 2 main ingredients, this really is a foolproof, secret weapon recipe to have in your back pocket during the season of entertaining. Serve it with your favorite crackers and fruits.

wheel of brie cheese: the size doesn't really matter here as long as you get a whole wheel that is completely encased in rind.
fig jam: I don't know why fig jam is so good with cheese, but it just is. I prefer Bonne Maman or Dalmatia brands. If you are totally opposed to fig jam or can't find it, I would suggest apricot jam as a replacement.
fresh rosemary: rosemary is my top choice, but thyme or sage would be very good. If you don't like the idea of an herb with the jam, simply leave it off.
various crackers: I love to serve a plain water cracker as well as a fun fruit and nut filled cracker like raincoast crisps.
various fresh and dried fruits: fresh or dried figs, sliced apples and pears, grapes, fresh or dried apricots, dates are all great choices. The sky's the limit though. If you make this in the spring and summer use berries and stone fruit.
nuts: not pictured here, but pecans, walnuts, pistachios, and/or hazelnuts are delicious served with this baked brie.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This is almost too easy to be called a recipe, but here are some photos of the process:

brie wheel that has been sliced in a criss cross pattern with small paring knife

Place brie in a baking dish large enough to hold the brie and any accompaniments you will add after baking. I like to place parchment underneath to make the cheese easy to remove if I want to place it on a cheeseboard or if there are any leftovers.

With a sharp paring knife, make a criss cross pattern in the top rind. Cover top of Brie with a generous layer of fig jam and top with rosemary. Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is very soft. You may see some oozing out - this is a sign that it is done!

Remove from oven and surround cheese with crackers, fruits, nuts, etc. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving so the cheese is not too liquid or too scorchingly hot.

Make ahead, storage, and reheating

This Baked Brie with Fig Jam can be prepped up to 3 days ahead and stashed in the fridge until you want to bake.

Any leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Crackers should be stored in airtight container separately from cheese - same for fruits, nuts, etc.

To reheat brie, simply place back in oven until warmed through.

close up of cracker topped with melted brie cheese and fresh fig slice

Baked brie with Jam FAQ's

Should you cut the rind off brie before baking?

No, you should not remove the rind before baking brie. The rind will help the cheese stay intact as it melts in the oven. If you remove the rind the cheese will just turn into a puddle in the baking dish.

What is the best jam for brie?

Fig jam is the best jam for brie in my opinion. Other great options include apricot, cranberry, or a savory jam such as onion and bacon jam.

What kind of brie to buy for baked brie?

I like a 12-16 ounce wheel of brie for this baked brie with fig jam recipe. Look for a younger brie, not one labeled triple creme as it will become too melty and liquified in the oven.

What crackers to eat with baked brie?

I like to serve two types of crackers with baked brie, one plain water cracker such as Carr's brand as well as something more flavorful like Raincoast Crisps. Baked brie with jam is also very good with baguette slices.

Looking for more appetizers? Try these:

See more appetizers →

Pairing

This baked brie with fig jam is perfect for the holidays alongside any of my other festive recipes:

See more Christmas →