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Whipped Goat Cheese with Warm Candied Bacon and Dates, the no-fuss holiday appetizer that’s addictive, festive, and perfect for entertaining! It’s quick, easy, and everyone loves this creamy goat cheese dip with spicy-sweet candied bacon and dates. We’ve got bacon tossed with a little sugar and spice, then baked up with dates until it’s candied and completely delicious. There never seems to be enough of this easy dip…addictive, festive, and perfect for holiday entertaining!
It’s officially appetizer season! I’ve said this before, but my appetizer recipes are lacking compared to dinners and sweet treats. I have no idea why, but I just don’t share enough appetizers…except for when the holidays roll around. In which case I love a good appetizer recipe.
For the last few weeks I’ve been really scratching my brain thinking up holiday recipes. I want this year’s recipes to really be some of the best! So I looked back at some old favorites. The ones our moms and grandmas would make. I asked myself, how can I reinvent these a bit. Make them even more delicious? Possibly easier?
Some recipes were kind of a lost cause, but there were others that gave me so much inspiration.
Bacon wrapped dates are one of those vintage-style recipes that many people love to serve at holiday parties. It’s funny because in general, dates are not the most popular food, but when you wrap them up in bacon?
Everyone loves them.
I wanted to reinvent the classic appetizer and turn it into an easy-to-make dip. I had to rework this one a bit, but I’m so in love with the recipe. It’s delicious.
The bacon
Start with the bacon, I love a spicy-sweet candied bacon so I knew I needed to incorporate that here. The bacon gets tossed with fresh rosemary, a small amount of brown sugar, honey…and then a good pinch of cayenne. It’s spicy, sweet, and with hints of rosemary, so delicious.
Toss that all up on a baking sheet, add some plump torn dates, and bake everything together until the bacon caramelizes.
The goat cheese
While the bacon is cooking, mix up the goat cheese. Add the goat cheese to a food processor with cream cheese, olive oil, and salt. Then whip everything together until the cheese is light and creamy, it’s easy.
Then mix up some honey with rosemary and cayenne for serving.
Serve it up
Spoon the creamy goat cheese into a nice shallow bowl, then spoon the warm bacon and dates over the cheese. Drizzle with the sweet and spicy honey, then enjoy and serve to guests with toasted bread for dipping.
Honestly, it’s pretty close to being the perfect holiday appetizer. And the rosemary keeps them flavorful and festive too with that pop of green. It gets you right in the holiday mood.
Just as great for Thanksgiving as it will be for all upcoming holiday gatherings. I know I’ll be making this over and over throughout the holiday season. We already love whipped goat cheese…this is just BETTER!
Looking for other easy holiday appetizers?? Here are my favorites:
Sweet and Savory Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Puff Pastry Twists
Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates
Pull Apart Roasted Garlic Pizza Dip Sliders
Lastly, if you make this Whipped Goat Cheese with Warm Candied Bacon and Dates, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Whipped Goat Cheese with Warm Candied Bacon and Dates
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 240 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, using more or less to taste
- 12 plump Medjool dates, pitted and torn
- 1 log (10 ounce) creamy goat cheese, at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. On the baking sheet, toss together the bacon, 1 tablespoon rosemary, the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon honey, and the cayenne. Arrange in an even layer. Tear the dates and scatter them around the bacon. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the bacon is crisping.3. Meanwhile, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. The goat cheese mix can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, but bring to room temp before serving. 4. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup honey, 1 tablespoon rosemary, a pinch of cayenne – to taste, and a pinch of salt. 5. Spoon the goat cheese into a serving bowl and then top with the warm bacon and dates. Drizzle over a little the rosemary honey. Serve with bread or crackers.
Notes
To Make Ahead:Â the goat cheese can be made 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving. The bacon/dates can be assembled and refrigerated for up to a day before baking.Â
I read the comments about the bacon not crisping, so I was very careful to chop bacon into small bits and disburse it thinly in order to get more browning success. But it did not work. If I ever make this recipe again, I will pre-cook the bacon for 5-7 minutes, then toss in the other ingredients and continue baking.
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear you had issues with the bacon. Let me know if you make again! xT
I made this for a friend’s holiday party and it was a hit. I didn’t have Medjool dates, but used regular dates from Costco and they worked just fine. I plan to make this my go-to app to bring to parties in 2025. Making it tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Deb,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great rest of the week:) Xxx
This has been my go to recipe for the last 3 years and it’s always a huge hit! It’s super easy to prepare but always impresses and now I get requests for it so I imagine I’ll still be making this for years to come!
Hi Raquel,
Amazing! Thank you for making this recipe so often and your comment, so glad it is always enjoyed! xxT
Are you kidding me with this? Just like all of your other recipes, this one is AMAZING! The flavors are incredible, and I could have eaten this as my whole meal!
I cooked the bacon on a rack in my air fryer for about 5 minutes to get it started cooking and to drain a lot of the grease. Then I mixed it with the other ingredients on a sheet pan and roasted for another few minutes. It was perfection. Thank you for another winner!
Lol thanks so much, Allison:) I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe and appreciate you making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! Happy New Year!🥳🥂 xx
made this recipe plenty of times for different hosting events and it’s a fan favorite in our household. Holds up well and can be made ahead of time.
Hi Mira,
Happy New Year!!🎆 Love to hear this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks for making it so often! XxT
Super disappointed. The bacon and date topping wasn’t ready by the 10 minute mark at all but if you leave it longer, all it does is burn. It did not taste very good and when I brought it to a Christmas party, everyone tried it and said “that’s interesting…†and didn’t touch it again. Can’t say I blame them, I didn’t like it. It also looked very unappetizing.
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Hi what’s an alternative way to do this if I don’t have a food processor? Thanks!
Hi Camille,
You could use a blender, that should work for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Someone brought this to a Xmas party and it was so good that I went looking for this recipe. I can’t think of a better combination of ingredients. Sweet, salty, savory with a little spice. Perfection!
Thank you so much Heidi! 🙂 xT
I noticed the reviews about the bacon not cooking so I precooked it in a frypan. Used streaky bacon and chopped into small squares. Drained it on paper towel before mixing with the rosemary, brown sugar and honey. Turned out beautiful. Served with Turkish bread and all went. Everyone was raving over it. Thank you ðŸ‘ðŸ½
Hi Grace,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! Happy New Year!!🎆 xxT
This recipe was a disaster for me. The bacon absolutely would not get crispy. I baked it for three times as long as the recipe called for and it never got even close to crispy, meanwhile the dates burned.
Hi Holly,
So sorry, to hear this, I have never had anyone share this feedback before. What kind of bacon did you use? What temp was your oven at? Let me know how I can help! xx
Do you think this could be made with feta instead of goat cheese? I have some feta to use up right now.
Hey Jess,
Totally, feta would be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I prepared this a day in advance and then assembled the day of my gathering. Per the other reviews, the bacon is not done cooking after just 10 minutes. I cut it up in small pieces but it still took over 15 minutes. I also did not add the cut up dates until the bacon was almost done. The next day, I heated the bacon and date mixture on the stove in a small cast iron skillet prior to adding it to the cheese. You have to heat it on low as it will burn very easily! My husband doesn’t like Rosemary so I opted to just sprinkle a little bit of dried rosemary on part of the cheese. I served it with crostini. This recipe was a big hit. I will definitely make it again. I even enjoyed some this morning for breakfast:)
Hey Jan,
Happy Holidays! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. Have the best day:) xx
Any suggestions for bacon substitute for non-pork/meat eaters? Would love to make this!
Hi Susan,
Sure, I would just skip the bacon, no big deal:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays! xT
Made this twice. Once for a dinner party where I was in charge of an appetizer and then again for Thanksgiving. Both times it was a huge hit! My friends and Thanksgiving guests couldn’t get enough of it! I made it all a day ahead and just warmed up the bacon topping before serving. Make it, you won’t be sorry!
Thanks so much, Julie:) I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe and appreciate you sharing it with others! Have a great evening! xx
Hi
I had the same issue with bacon not cooking and had to leave bacon in longer which made the dates burn and get hard.
Would this be good without the bacon? I’m a vegetarian and this sounds delicious
Hey Kim,
Totally, that would be just fine for you to do. Sun-dried tomatoes would be a great addition:) I hope you love this recipe! xx