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Nothing says the holidays like cranberry and brie, and these Crispy Fried Brie Bites with Cranberry Chipotle Sauce are about to earn a permanent spot in your rotation. One bite into that crispy crust with warm melted brie hiding inside, topped with the sweet and smoky cranberry chipotle sauce, and that’s it…you’ll be in love, same as me.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Fried Brie Bites
Fool-proof Melty Cheese…Without Any Leaks: This recipe uses mini brie bites with the full rind, double coats to make sure there’s no holes, and has a quick 15 minute freeze to make sure you end up with a perfectly crispy bite with no gooey cheese melting out until you take a bite.
Make-Ahead: You can bread these bites up to 4 hours before frying. If you want the frying part out of the way, I tested them in the oven on low and they hold perfectly.
Crisp crust: This crust uses both breadcrumbs and panko. The fine breadcrumbs make sure the cheese is fully coated, and the panko gives you a light and airy crunch.
Cranberry Chipotle Sauce: This sauce is what inspired the entire recipe. It’s sweet, smoky, and just the right amount of heat, spooned right on top of each bite.
Tips for a Crispy, No-Leak Crust
There are a couple of steps that you need to make sure you don’t skip if you want a fool-proof no leak bite.
The Double Coat: You set up your stations seasoned flour, egg, and then breading. When you dip each bite, you do the flour once, then eggs, breading, eggs and breading again. Doing two coats makes sure that the coating is thick enough to hold the cheese when it melts.
Using Mini Brie: I know it might be tempting to cut a full brie wheel into smaller pieces but this won’t work. I use the brie bites because each one has a full rind all the way around. That rind really helps hold the melty cheese in and is a big part of why this works. I use Supreme Supremely Creamy Brie Bites. Sometimes you can’t find them at your regular grocery store, depending on where you live, but specialty stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes carries them.
The 15 Minute Freeze: Popping these in the freezer for a little bit after they’ve been dredged helps in a couple of ways. It helps the cheese get to the right temperature so that the outside has time to get golden before the inside gets too melted. It also helps the coating really stick so nothing flakes off and your crust stays all the way around.
Preheat the Oil: Add about 1 inch of oil to a heavy bottomed skillet, and let it preheat to somewhere between 325-350°F. If you want to be safe, use a thermometer. If you don’t have one, you can test the oil with the bottom of a wooden spoon or throw in a little bit of the breading. When you see the oil really sizzle around it, it’s ready.
The Cranberry Chipotle Sauce
This sauce is simply amazing. Shallot softened in butter, cranberries cooked until they burst, honey, oranges, chipotle in adobo, raspberry preserves. This goes perfectoly with these crispy fried brie bites, but honestly it’s a great recipe on its own. If you want to make a bigger batch, it’s great served on the side of a charcuterie board, and it’s the same sauce used in my Whipped Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip.
Make ahead: The cranberry chipotle sauce keeps in the fridge up to a week. Perfect for the holidays because you can make it days before the party.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can bread each bite up to 4 hours ahead and store covered in the fridge until right before frying. Make sure you still pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes so the cheese gets to the right temperature before adding it to the hot oil.
If you want the frying out of the way, you can fully make them up to two hours ahead and they hold great in the oven at 225°F. Wait to top them with the cranberry sauce till right before serving.
Reheat: Pop them into the oven at 350°F or an air fryer for about 5 minutes to re-crisp and warm through. Make sure to watch them carefully to make sure the cheese doesn’t start leaking out. Don’t microwave them because they won’t crisp back up.
Key Takeaways
- Tips for Crispy, No-Leak Crust:
- Use mini brie bites, the full rind is a big part of what keeps the melted cheese inside till you take a bite.
- Don’t skip the double coat. It ensures every part covered.
- A quick chill in the freezer gets the bites to the right temp before adding them to the oil.
- Preheat your oil to the right temperature.
- Make ahead: You can bread these and store covered in the fridge up to 4 hours ahead. Or fry them and leave them in the oven at 225°F for up to 2 hours.
- The cranberry chipotle sauce keeps up to a week, so feel free to make it early. But wait to top the fried brie bites till right before serving.
Similar Recipes
Strawberry Brie Bites: Same fried mini brie, but with a strawberry sauce. Make them when strawberries are in season and cranberries are hard to find.
Crispy Fried Brie with Truffle Mushrooms: This one is a whole brie wheel, not bites. You cut open the top and scoop out all the melted cheese, then eat the crust at the end. The topping is roasted truffle mushrooms and honey.
Crispy Phyllo Brie Bites: Mini brie again, but it is wrapped in shredded phyllo and baked. No oil, no dredging.
Brie Upside Down Bites: Mini brie baked inside puff pastry with honey, baked in the oven. These are flaky with a little crunch.
Appetizers
Strawberry Brie Bites
Appetizers
Crispy Fried Brie with Truffle Mushrooms
Appetizers
Crispy Phyllo Brie Bites
Appetizers
Brie Upside Down Bites
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, for these fried bites, it’s important that the brie has the rind all the way around. This makes all the difference when you add it to the hot oil to make sure the cheese doesn’t melt all over.
You can. Check out my Make-Ahead Section for all the details.
I use Supreme Supremely Creamy Brie Bites. Sometimes you can’t find them at your regular grocery store, depending on where you live, but specialty stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes carries them.
That swap won’t be the same. I recommend checking the international aisle to make sure you’re not just missing it. It’s usually canned near the Mexican ingredients, not with the spices. If your store really doesn’t carry it, it’s easy to order chipotles in adobo on Amazon. In a pinch, you can use a couple teaspoons of smoked paprika and crushed dried chile. It’s not exactly the same, but it keeps the sauce smoky and warm.
Equipment
- saucepan
- Heavy bottomed skillet
- 3 shallow dishes, or rimmed plates
- thermometer
- spider strainer, or slotted spoon
Ingredients
Cranberry Chipotle Sauce:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 12 oz cranberries, 1 bag
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup raspberry preserves
- 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo, the sauce, start out with 1 tbsp then adjust for taste
- 1 cup honey, plus 1/4 cup + more if you want it sweeter
Brie Bites:
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 extra-large egg, or 2 medium eggs
- 1 splash of milk
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup panko
- 10 mini brie bites
- olive oil, for frying
- 10 sage leaves
- flaky salt
- crushed pistachios, to taste
Instructions
- Make the Cranberry Chipotle Sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the shallot and cook 4 to 5 minutes until translucent. Add the cranberries, orange zest, and orange juice. Cook until the cranberries begin to burst, then you can help them along by smashing them with the back of a spoon. Stir in salt and raspberry preserves. Lastly add in the chipotle in adobo and honey. starting out with less for both and adjusting for taste. Cook 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low. Cool completely.1 tbsp butter, 1 shallot, 12 oz cranberries, 1 orange, 1 pinch salt, 1/4 cup raspberry preserves, 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo, 1 cup honey
- Dredge Stations: Set out 3 rimmed plates or small baking sheets. Station 1: Mix together the flour with garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper. Station 2: Beat your eggs strain. Mix in a splash of milk. Station 3: Combine the breadcrumbs and panko.2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1 extra-large egg, 1 splash of milk, 2/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup panko
- Dredge the Brie Bites: Coat each brie bite well, making sure to get the sides, in the seasoned flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb coats. Chill uncovered in the freezer for 15 minutes.10 mini brie bites
- Fry: Add about 1 inch of olive oil to a skillet and heat to 325 to 350°F (160 to 175°C). Fry the sage leaves until crisp, then remove. Carefully add the brie bites to the oil, spooning the hot oil on top, until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Set your fried brie bites on a wire rack and season with flaky salt straight out of the oil.olive oil, 10 sage leaves, flaky salt
- Assemble: Top each brie bite with a dollop of cranberry chipotle sauce, a fried sage leaf, and crushed pistachios.crushed pistachios
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
