Deep Fried Brie! Because sometimes you need to wine-batter and deep fry fancy cheese. Make it Gluten Free, or with wheat flour... and serve it up with apricot preserves!
Note: This recipe was first posted on my original blog, Celebration Generation, on Apr 20, 2017. It was transferred over to this blog - existing comments and all - on 9/20/2021. Most recently updated on 1/26/2023.
My husband and I used to play Ingress.
One night, we were hanging out in one of the Ingress chat rooms, and the subject of poutine randomly came up.
I - and one other player - were adamant about the fact that you *cannot* get legit poutine anywhere in Minneapolis, while some other players asked for details about what poutine even IS.
One guy asked if it used cheddar curds, or if it was something else.
My husband was feeling troll-y, so he replied "Brie curds", knowing full well that such a thing could never even exist, technically.
Well, one thing led to another, and we decided to engage in some sacrilege - battering and deep-frying brie.
Oh, these were *fantastic*.
So much so, that they ended up in my cookbook, Beyond Flour 2: A Fresh Approach to Gluten-Free Cooking & Baking
Anyway, this time of year, I’m thinking of both Valentine’s Day AND Superbowl recipes ... and this one kind of straddles the line between the two.
If you’re bougie, fried brie bites is the perfect appetizer for a fancier game day party.
On the other hand, deep-fried brie ALSO makes a great starter for a romantic dinner for two.
The flavour, texture... and the ridiculousness of the origin story all contribute to this being one of my favourite recipes!
Anyway, let’s get to it!
Ingredients
This recipe uses really basic ingredients that you should be able to find at any grocery store - you probably have most of them on hand!
A few notes for you:
Brie
The first time we made this, we had a 1 lb wheel of brie cheese - we used the cheapest brie we could find - we were feeling a bit guilty about what we were about to do to it!
It turned out so well, we tried it again with a name brand, mid-grade brie.
We definitely recommend going with a nicer brie, rather than the cheapest you can find.
It really did make a difference, and the finished product is SO good, I don't think it ended up counting as sacrilege.
Try to use a pretty fresh brie - you want it relatively firm. Once the center starts liquifying, it would be very difficult to work with.
Flours
Unlike many of my gluten free baking recipe, this one uses only two types of gluten free flour, and NO xanthan gum.
The flours - Chickpea Flour / Garbanzo Bean Flour, and White Rice Flour - were chosen for taste, texture, and performance.
These two flours make a great base for any batter to be used for deep frying. When combined with the other ingredients here, they make for an incredibly flavourful batter.
To be perfectly honest, I prefer it over a wheat flour version.
That said, if you don’t need it to be gluten free *and* don’t happen to have those flours on hand, you can use all purpose flour instead.
Just use 1 cup of all purpose flour in place of both of the gluten free flours. Also, you’ll only need to let it sit for 5 minutes, as you don’t really need to *soften* wheat flour, in the way bean and rice flours require.
Frying Oil
Because these brie bites are being deep fried, you want an oil with a fairly neutral flavour and a high smoke point.
Generally speaking, I recommend either vegetable oil or canola oil for use in this recipe.
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
Dry white wine
Corn starch
Large eggs
Baking powder
Garlic Powder
Ground Black Pepper
Salt
... I just don’t have anything to add there, those ones are pretty straightforward!
When it comes to serving these deep fried brie bites, I like to use apricot preserves as a dip.
The sweet fruitiness of the perserves is a great foil for the richness of the wine batter and the cheese itself. Just heat it up a bit to make it dip-able!
Cranberry sauce, raspberry sauce, or heated blueberry jam are also good options for dip.
How to Make Deep Fried Brie
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:
Start heating your oil to 350F – you’ll want at least 2-3″ of oil in your pot or deep fryer.
Since giving up my actual deep fryer, I tend to use a large pan over medium heat for deep frying, along with a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl - a shallow bowl if you have one - place the corn starch.
Add beaten egg and wine to the seasoned flour mixture, stir well to form a thick batter.
Allow batter to sit for 15 minutes or so, to soften the flours.
Carefully cut the rind off the brie – freezing it for a few minutes can make this easier.
Slice into small wedges, place on a parchment paper lined plate, small baking sheet, or work surface.
Arrange your work surface so it’ll be easy for you to dip the slices and fry them - this is what I do:
One piece at a time, dip into batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into bowl for a few seconds.
I like to use 2 fondue forks - one for the dredging and battering, and a second to help get the cheese off the first fondue fork - try not to scrape off much of the batter, though!
Fry in the hot oil for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through.
Use a slotted metal spoon to transfer fried cheese to paper towels, to blot the excess grease.
Serve hot, with apricot preserves.
Leftover Deep Fried Brie
Leftovers can be cooled to room temperature, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.
While these are best served fresh, reheating them in the airfryer brings them up to being almost as good as fresh!
More Gluten-Free Snacks and Appetizer Recipes!
Looking for even more fantastic gluten-free munchies that *everyone* will love? Look no further!
Ahi Tuna Nachos
Gluten Free Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
Gluten-Free Beaver Tail Recipe
Gluten Free Cheez-Its
Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets
Gluten Free Chicken Pakora
Gluten-Free Chicken Satay
Gluten Free Corn Dogs
Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes Recipe
Gluten Free Gougeres
Gluten-Free Mixed Vegetable Pakora
Gluten Free Paneer Pakora
Gluten-Free Pizza Bites
Gluten Free Samosa Recipe
Gluten-Free Soft Pretzels
Gluten Free Sauerkraut Buns [Piroshki]
Gluten Free Tempura
Jalapeno Popper Dip
Loaded Mini Baked Potatoes
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @BeyondFlourBlog - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
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Deep Fried Brie
Equipment
- Deep Fryer or heavy bottomed pot
Ingredients
- Frying oil
- ½ cup Garbanzo / Chickpea Flour
- ½ cup White rice flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- pinch Ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 Large egg beaten
- ¾ cup Dry white wine
- 1 lb Brie
- ½ cup Corn starch for dredging
- Apricot preserves for serving
Instructions
- Start heating your oil to 350F – you’ll want at least 2-3″ of oil in your pot or deep fryer.
- In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add egg and wine, stir well to form a thick batter. Allow batter to sit for 15 minutes or so, to soften the flours.
- Carefully cut the rind off the brie – freezing it for a few minutes can make this easier. Slice into small wedges.
- Gently dredge cheese wedges in corn starch, shaking excess flour back into the bowl. One piece at a time, dip into batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into bowl for a few seconds, before carefully transferring to heated oil.
- Fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Use a slotted metal spoon to transfer fried cheese to paper towels. Allow oil to come back up to temperature between batches.
- Serve hot, with apricot preserves.
Nutrition
Old Photos
We recently re-shot this recipe (after almost a decade!), so here are the old photos for posterity... and to avoid breaking any old links 🙂
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