Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie
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Serve this Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie with lightly toasted pecans, honey, and fresh rosemary for the ultimate holiday appetizer. It’s pretty, festive, and delicious, yet incredibly easy to make.

An appetizer we come back to time and again.
This is one of those appetizers that has a beautiful presentation and looks and sounds very elegant, but is actually so easy to make. A gem, if you ask me! I truly believe you can throw it together without breaking a sweat.
I’ve been making versions of this around the holidays for years, since first being inspired by a lovely recipe published at Kitchen Confidante. With creamy brie, a tart cranberry topping, a shimmering drizzle of honey, and the light crunch of pecans and pomegranate, this beauty has stood the test of time in our home — I just served it again for guests last week — and I hope it will add to your life, as well. Serve with an assortment of crackers or thinly-sliced baguette for an easy starter that will encourage all the gathering you hope to see.
The other phenomenal thing about this appetizer is how low-maintenance it is. The only part that requires any attention whatsoever is preparing the sauce, and even that is basically just a matter of stirring ingredients together. Plus, the sauce can easily be made several days in advance, so all you would need to do before guests arrive is plop the brie on your baking dish, bake, spoon over some sauce, garnish, and dig in.
Related: Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredient & Substitution Notes

Here’s a quick overview. As always, find the full printable recipe with measurements below.
- Brie. This creamy, mild, soft cheese is a party favorite. Purchase a wedge for a smaller snack, or a full wheel for serving a crowd.
- Cranberries. Fresh or frozen, either way you can just toss them in a small saucepan to start the sauce.
- Pomegranate juice and pomegranate arils. The juice and seeds of this dark red fruit add a delicious tartness and crunch to the sauce, but admittedly can be pricey, so feel free to substitute pomegranate juice with a blend (cranberry-pomegranate, cranberry-apple, cranberry-blueberry are all widely available and swap in well) and know that a few arils go a long way.
- Granulated sugar and honey. A spoonful of sugar makes things delicious, after all.
- Pecans. Add a little crunch that nicely contrasts the creamy baked cheese. Substitute almonds, walnuts, or another nut if preferred.
- Fresh rosemary. Beautiful, fresh, and vibrant. Substitute fresh thyme if you like.
Craving more brie? These apricot brie bites or blackberry brie phyllo cups with fresh thyme make the most of it for bite-size, all-in-one starters.
How To Make Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce
Make the Sauce. Simmer cranberries together with the pomegranate juice and a bit of sugar until the cranberries burst and the mixture is thickened slightly. Stir in pomegranate arils and let cool completely. This can be done up to 4 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve with the brie.
Bake the Brie. Place brie in a cast-iron skillet and bake for 5-10 minutes to begin warming. You can also do this directly on an oven-safe serving plate, but I do like the simplicity and presentation of just serving the whole dish in a skillet.

Top and Toast. Generously spoon the cranberry-pomegranate sauce on top of the warmed brie and scatter pecans around. Return to the oven for just 2-3 minutes more to lightly toast the pecans. So good!
Finish and Serve. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with fresh rosemary, then serve immediately with sliced baguette or a selection of crackers. This tastes best when the cheese is fresh and melty from the oven, and when you get a little bit of everything together in one bite!

Brie Rind: To Keep or To Cut?
After spending far too much time reading about this on the Internet, I’ve come to the not-earth-shattering conclusion that it really doesn’t matter.
The thick, white rind of brie is completely edible, and, predictably, keeps the cheese tidy as it bakes, restricting all the melted goodness to the interior, at least until the moment you decide to cut it to serve. But, if working with a full wheel, it can be fun to cut a pattern out of the top of the cheese, which is best done when the brie is very cold, or just slice off the top so it is more like a bowl of baked, melty cheese.
If working with a wedge of brie, I recommend leaving the top and bottom rinds intact as it bakes. The brie will soften and begin to ooze out of the cut sides, anyway, so you want to have a little support on the top and bottom.
Make Ahead Tips
The cranberry-pomegranate sauce can be prepped up to 3-4 days in advance, then stored in the fridge. For best results, plan to bake the brie and finish with toppings immediately prior to serving.

This simple cranberry pomegranate baked brie checks so many boxes: impressive, pretty, delicious, and easy to make for a crowd. So, without further ado, whip this up, grab a cracker, and dig in before all this good stuff disappears into someone else’s mouth! ♥
More Easy Appetizers
- Turkey Gouda Party Rolls with Honey Mustard Glaze
- Skinny Crockpot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- White Bean Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
- Roasted Garlic and Sage Pumpkin Hummus
If you try this Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.
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Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (about 1 and 1/2 cups) cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- 1 wheel or wedge of brie
- 1/3 cup pecans
- honey for drizzling
- fresh rosemary for garnish
- bread, crackers, etc. for serving
Instructions
- To make the sauce, combine cranberries, pomegranate juice, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until most of the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens slightly. Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
- Stir pomegranate arils into the sauce, then set it aside to cool. (This can be prepped up to 3-4 days in advance, then stored in the fridge if desired.)
- To assemble, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place brie in a cast-iron skillet or on an oven-proof serving dish. Bake for about 7 minutes, just until softened.
- Remove brie from the oven and top with generous spoonfuls of the cranberry pomegranate sauce. Sprinkle pecans on top of and around the cheese. Return everything to the oven for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove and garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary and a light drizzle of honey. Serve warm with bread and crackers for dipping!
Video
Notes
- Variations: Try making the sauce with cranberry, cran-apple, or another type of juice; blueberries or another berry instead of pomegranate arils; or topping the cheese with toasted almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or another nut for variety.
- Sauce: If you have more sauce than you care to initially put on the brie, it makes a lovely accompaniment to put on the side. It’s also a delicious cranberry sauce on its own–I’ve done this at Thanksgiving as a complement to my classic orange-infused cranberry sauce.
- Recipe: Lightly adapted from Kitchen Confidante.
Nutrition Estimate
This post was originally published on December 9, 2017. It has been updated with new photos, more relevant information on making it ahead and storing, and more variation ideas.
I made this for a party and ended up having to pop it back into the oven when I realized the cheese in the center wasn’t hot and gooey yet, so just be aware that might be worth checking when you pull out of the oven to serve. Very tasty combo!
*Especially* this riff on a classic cranberry sauce. This pom cranberry combo has replaced regular cranberry sauce for me. I’ve now made this for a traditional Christmas dinner, with weeknight turkey meatloaf, and even as a sweet side for a sausage breakfast casserole. It’s so easy to make, so tasty, and stores well!
Brie is one of my favorite cheeses ever. I would usually eat it in a sandwich and never actually had it baked and warm until recently. I am so hooked and now can’t get enough. I love how easy that sauce is and can’t wait to try this for dinner hehehe
Hi Amanda! We are in reverse – I’ve actually never tried brie in a sandwich! Great idea, though – I will have to try that ASAP. And I hope you enjoy this baked version as much as we did!
Baked brie has been on my list forEVER! I love the combination here, and your photos are stunning! Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much, Sara, I really appreciate that!
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to make baked brie, but never have. It’s so delicious and perfect for holiday parties right now! Definitely going to have to try this recipe 🙂
This recipe has all my favorite fall flavors packed in. I’ve been meaning to make a cranberry brie with toasted pecans but just haven’t had an occasion to serve it for. I think it will be a hit at this weekends holiday party!
Brie is one of those cheeses that I have struggled to love. Since I am African, I did not grow up eating stinky cheese, but I think I will give it a shot again with this recipe since I love cranberries so much. Thanks for sharing!
Ooh! What a lovely appetizer! I’m drooling! And that link on how to deseed pomegranates was priceless. Thank so much!
This looks perfectly entertaining and perfect for a party. Sounds yum!
Very Pretty! Perfect for the Holiday parties. It sounds delicious — I love cheese and especially brie. I can imagine warm and melting and scooping it onto a crostini. YUM!
I’ve done a very similar recipe recently and I loved it! Baked brie is so good with tart cranberry-based sauces and crunchy nuts! Yum!
I seriously need to try brie with cranberry. It’s something so unusual as we are used to just brie with bread and a glass of red wine. It does look exciting too!
I love the combination of cranberries and pomegranate. So vibrant and flavourful. Sweet an Tart. And just perfect with salty and melty brie. And the photos are beautiful!
This looks entirely too good! Perfect for a party!
I have never made baked brie before, but someone always makes it at our place for New Years Eve. This combo sounds so unique, I love it!
I love everything about this! I have bookmarked it for later so I can recreate this appetizer for a holiday gathering. Now I just need to find the perfect crackers to go with this gooey-delight.
Now see although I rationally know I should make this for friends I kinda want to eat it all by myself! Looks and sounds delicious!
What a delicious baked brie! This one would be perfect for the holiday because it looks so festive!
YUM! This perfect for entertaining!!
I’m all over this for the holidays! It’s the perfect appetizer.