Cranberry Goat Cheese Log

This easy homemade cranberry cinnamon goat cheese log is the ultimate addition to your fall or winter cheese board. It features a cinnamon and orange infused cranberry sauce coating, and is perfect for holiday entertaining whether its Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve or any day in between!

(This recipe was originally published in December 2010, but was updated with new photos and content in 2020).

Cranberry goat cheese logs are common in many grocery stores, but usually they're simply rolled in chopped dried cranberries. This version is coated in thick, cinnamon-infused cranberry sauce, a major upgrade from the store-bought options.

Best of all, it's extremely easy to make and a huge crowd-pleaser. I have made it repeatedly over the years to great acclaim from friends and family. It's ideal as an appetizer on its own or as a cheese board component throughout the fall and winter months!

This recipe was originally published using a 10-to-11-ounce log of goat cheese (with a yield of 8 servings). However, as of 2023 I have found that most goat cheese brands in the US have reduced the size of their goat cheese logs to 8-to-8 ½-ounces. I have updated the recipe based on that size goat cheese log. If you're able to find a larger log (10-to-11-ounces), update the yield in the recipe card to 8 servings and the rest of the ingredient amounts will adjust for that size goat cheese log.

Ingredient notes

• Goat Cheese: You'll need a large log of soft goat cheese (chèvre). See the note above regarding the change in the size of goat cheese logs. Previously this recipe used a 10-to-11-ounce log of goat cheese, but now uses an 8-to-8 ½-ounce log. I often get mine at Trader Joe's where it's typically cheaper than at most supermarkets.
• Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are typically available in the weeks leading up to and through Thanksgiving and Christmas, but some stores stock frozen cranberries through the winter. Both work in this recipe.
• Orange Zest: Use a fine rasp grater like a Microplane to remove only the orange part of the zest, and not the bitter white pith beneath it.
• Ground Cinnamon: You can use store-bought ground cinnamon or grind your own cinnamon in a spice grinder if you prefer.

How to make it

This recipe begins similar to any recipe for cranberry sauce. Combine cranberries, sugar, water, orange zest, and ground cinnamon in a saucepan.

Cook until the cranberries burst, and the sauce thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes for fresh cranberries or possibly up to 15 minutes (give or take) for frozen cranberries. Cool completely before assembling.

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface, and spoon about 6 tablespoons of the cranberry sauce into a rectangle the length of the goat cheese (PHOTO 1). Then place the unwrapped log of goat cheese on top (PHOTO 2).

Top with the remaining cranberry sauce and smooth over the entire surface (top and sides) as if you are frosting a cake (PHOTO 3). Finally, wrap the plastic wrap around the goat cheese to seal everything in (PHOTO 4).

Refrigerate until about 30 minutes before ready to serve, then let the cranberry goat cheese log sit out to slightly soften before serving. This will make it easier to spread this creamy cranberry goat cheese onto your crackers!

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips and FAQs

It can be a little messy to unwrap and serve. Here are a couple suggestions on how to do this with minimal mess:

• Lift it from the plastic wrap with 2 spatulas (one on either end of the cranberry goat cheese log) and transfer onto a serving plate. You can always smooth the cranberry coating back into place.
• Unwrap most of the log leaving the plastic wrap covering the top. Scrunch up the plastic wrap you've peeled away (so remnants of cranberry sauce don't rub off on your serving dish) holding the log upside down so the bottom is unpeeled and facing up and your hand is holding the "top" of the log which is still covered in plastic. Invert your plate or serving dish and carefully place it over the cranberry goat cheese log. Hold them together and invert the entire thing so the log is now on the serving dish and carefully peel away the remaining plastic wrap. Use a spatula to smooth out the cranberry coating where it might have gotten dented by your hand.

Other recipes you may like

• Cranberry Sage Pie
• Cranberry Curd Tart
• Cranberry Apple Scones with Cinnamon Glaze
• Cranberry Daiquiri
• Devils on Horseback (Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese)
• Goat Cheese-Stuffed Piquillo Pepper Bruschetta
• Liptauer (Austrian/Slovakian Cheese Spread)

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!