Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie

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.

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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5 from 14 votes

Cranberry Pomegranate Baked Brie

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Cranberry pomegranate baked brie with lightly toasted pecans and fresh rosemary is the ultimate festive, delicious, and easy holiday appetizer.

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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

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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

Calories: 173 kcal, Carbohydrates: 13 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 28 mg, Sodium: 179 mg, Potassium: 135 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 10 g, Vitamin A: 180 IU, Vitamin C: 3.9 mg, Calcium: 58 mg, Iron: 0.3 mg

Author: Monica

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry baked brie

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.