Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

A combination of melty brie, buttery pastry, sweet honey, and toasted pecans makes this baked brie in puff pastry a delicious appetizer for any occasion.

If appetizers are your favorite thing about a party, you and I should probably be friends.

I could eat plates of small bites and dips for the rest of my life and be totally happy. Take me to a party and I’m going to find the marinated cheese, crab rangoon dip, and bacon-wrapped little smokies pretty much immediately.

The last few years, I’ve been really into combining melty brie with buttery pastry. It’s pretty much the perfect appetizer combination!

I’ve made apple butter brie bites and cranberry brie bites, and it was about time I made baked brie in puff pastry.

Hot and melty baked brie wrapped in puff pastry

There are about 100 different ways to make baked brie, and all of them are delicious. But for me, there’s something extra amazing about pairing hot, melty brie with buttery puff pastry.

For this recipe, I topped a wheel of brie with a combination of honey, fresh herbs, and toasted pecans and wrapped the whole thing in puff pastry dough.

A little sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds the perfect finish before baking, along with one last drizzle of honey before serving.

The brie is creamy and mild and makes the perfect match for the sweet honey and the toasted pecans. The herbs and sea salt keep the flavors balanced so it’s not too sweet or too savory – it’s the perfect combination of both.

Honestly, baked brie in puff pastry is an impressive-looking dish that makes a great centerpiece for your holiday appetizer table or at a fancy dinner party. But it’s easy enough to assemble that you’re gonna find yourself making it for everything from game-day parties to movie nights in with your best friends.

How to make baked brie in puff pastry

Before you assume that this baked brie is hard to make based on how pretty it looks, think again! This is an easy recipe that you can use to impress all your friends and family.

Ingredients you’ll need

To make my baked brie in puff pastry, you will need:

• 1 (8-ounce) wheel brie
• 1 sheet thawed puff pastry
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans
• Flaky sea salt
• 1 large egg

Since there aren’t a lot of ingredients in this recipe, I suggest spending a little extra for a nice brie and good honey if you’re able. 

Make sure the puff pastry is thawed before you start working with it. Check the package for suggested thawing methods, but my favorite is to let it sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Toasting the pecans before adding them to the baked brie really does make a difference. I have a post that walks you through different ways to toast nuts.

Good, flaky sea salt is more affordable than you’d think and is great to keep on hand. I use it in all kinds of recipes, from this baked brie to cowboy cookies to salted caramel brownies.

Making this baked brie

To start, use a sharp knife to cut the top rind off of the brie. You can leave the side and bottom rinds on. Set the cheese aside.

Unfold the thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the pastry out to a square about 10×10 inches.

Place the brie, rind-side down, in the center of the puff pastry. Add 2 tablespoons of the honey, the thyme, the pecans, and a sprinkle of the salt to the top of the cheese.

Make an egg wash by whisking the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Enclose the brie with the puff pastry by folding a corner over the brie. Brush the outside of the folded corner with the egg wash, then fold up another section of the pastry, adhering it with the egg wash. 

Continue this all the way around the cheese, folding the pastry and using the egg wash to stick it in place as you go. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect – the pastry will puff as it bakes and hide the imperfections.

Carefully transfer the wrapped brie to a lined baking sheet or a lightly greased pie plate. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with the egg wash.

Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes. You want the outside to be a deep golden brown and the underside of the pastry to be cooked through.

The next step is hard, but important: let the baked brie cool for 10-15 minutes. Otherwise, you’ll burn your mouth on molten-hot cheese!

Before serving, drizzle the top with the remaining tablespoon of honey. Garnish with additional toasted pecans and fresh thyme as desired.

Make-ahead tips

Feel free to assemble this baked brie ahead of time so you can simply pop it into the oven before your guests arrive.

Assemble the baked brie as written, but leave off the final egg wash on the top and sides. Pop it into the refrigerator for up to 8 hours, lightly covered with plastic wrap.

When you’re ready, brush the top and sides with egg wash and bake as directed.

Recipe variations

I am obsessed with this combination of the brie with honey, thyme, and pecans. But there are a ton of ways you can switch this recipe up based on your own favorite flavor combinations!

• Swap the honey for cranberry sauce, blackberry jam, or fig jam.
• Use fresh rosemary instead of fresh thyme.
• ​Try swapping the chopped pecans for chopped pistachios.
• You can even swap the puff pastry for crescent roll dough if that is more accessible for you!

You could make a different flavor of baked brie with puff pastry every time, making this the recipe that keeps on giving.