Bagel Spread with Goat Cheese

Creamy and tangy with a hint of sweetness and heat, this Bagel Spread with Goat Cheese is a sophisticated bagel topping guaranteed to wake up your taste buds. 

This is a super sophisticated adult breakfast, especially for someone like me who is admittedly an eggs and bacon kind of girl. But every time I eat one of my favorite pizzas at Element Pizza in Minneapolis - the Fire Pizza (flavor profile: hot, sweet, and tangy; toppings: spicy sausage, roasted red peppers, goat cheese) - I am reminded how much I truly love goat cheese. So essentially, my love for a particular pizza inspired this recipe for Bagel Spread with Goat Cheese and Honey.

That's how my brain works folks, inspiration often strikes me in random fashion :). 

So, this bagel spread. It features tangy goat cheese and luxurious cream cheese - dosed with a healthy amount of paprika and red pepper flakes for subtle notes of sweetness and heat. Finished with a drizzle of honey and sprinkled with crushed pistachios, you wind up with one freakin' flavorful breakfast bagel. Super easy to prepare, looks fancy, and is guaranteed to light up those taste buds with complex, yet complementary flavors. 

How to Make Goat Cheese Bagel Spread

To make this Bagel Spread with Goat Cheese and Honey you will need the following ingredients.

Ingredients

• cream cheese, softened
• goat cheese
• heavy whipping cream
• paprika
• red pepper flakes
• honey (optional)
• chopped pistachios (optional)

See recipe card for ingredients amounts.

If you like this cream cheese spread, you might also like this Cranberry Cream Cheese version.

Instructions

Add softened cream cheese, goat cheese, heavy whipping cream, paprika, and red pepper flakes to a bowl.

Bust out your hand mixer and whip until all ingredients are combined. The resulting texture will be closer to that of goat cheese, light and slightly crumbly.

Smear desired amount onto a bagel (toasted or untoasted, your choice).

Drizzle the smeared bagel with a little bit of honey.

Sprinkle with chopped pistachios for crunch.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Substitutions & Variations for Goat Cheese Bagel Spread

• Cream cheese - you can use Neufchatel cheese instead, or opt for lower fat versions of cream cheese if you'd prefer.
• Goat cheese - I used plain goat cheese, but you could certainly choose one with a flavor that would be complementary here. I bet blueberry goat cheese would work here.
• Heavy whipping cream - you can get away with half and half here as well, or even milk in a pinch.
• Paprika - Did you know there are three different kinds of paprika? I used "regular" paprika, commonly known as sweet paprika (typically labeled "paprika" sans flavor descriptor). But you could also try using smoked paprika or hot paprika here to change up the flavor.
• Red pepper flakes - you can use cayenne pepper instead, or leave it out if you don't want the heat.

I recommend making this Bagel Spread with Goat Cheese the night before to let the flavors meld. Plus, then it'll be ready to go the next morning; just spread, drizzle, sprinkle, and eat. Which is convenient especially if you're in a hurry. Hey, we all hit the snooze button once in a while, right? 

More Breakfast Ideas to Love!

• Blueberry Banana Smoothie - and it's dairy-free!
• Ranchero Eggs - eggs get a quick, Tex-Mex preparation.
• Chorizo Shakshuka - chorizo brings flair and flavor to shakshuka.
• Salsa, Egg, and Ham Rollups - low carb and low effort.
• Chimichurri Scrambled Eggs - are the new pesto eggs, you heard it hear first!

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