If you’ve never melted a whole wheel of brie over live fire, you’re missing one of the easiest, most impressive things you can cook outdoors.
This campfire brie dip comes together in under 20 minutes in a cast iron skillet. The gooey cheese, sizzling fruit, a drizzle of hot honey and grilled bread for dipping is like heaven in a pan.
It’s the kind of appetizer that makes people think you worked a lot harder than you did.
I made a few mistakes the first time. Then I figured out exactly what not to do. Now it’s one of my go-to recipes whenever I have a fire going and need something that’ll stop the conversation.
At a Glance
Everything you need to know before you fire up the grill.
- Place a scored block of brie in a cast iron skillet
- Add fresh fruit, hot honey, a savory rub, herbs and walnuts
- Grill baguette slices alongside for dipping
- Grill in under 20 minutes
- Best eaten immediately straight from the skillet
Table of Contents
What Is Campfire Brie Dip?
Campfire brie dip is a whole block of brie cheese (with the rind and all) melted in a cast iron skillet over an open fire or charcoal grill. The rind acts as a natural vessel, holding the cheese together while the inside turns warm and oozy.
Fruit, honey, fresh herbs and nuts go in around the cheese, picking up heat and caramelizing slightly as everything cooks together.
It’s not a fondue. It’s not a baked brie in pastry. It’s simpler than both. It’s rustic, fire-kissed and built for sharing straight from the skillet.
The concept is rooted in live fire cooking, where cast iron and minimal prep do most of the work. You don’t need a campfire specifically. A charcoal grill works perfectly fine, but there’s something about cooking this outdoors that makes it taste even better.
Campfire Brie Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tsp oil, olive, avocado or canola
- 8 oz block of brie, rind on
- 1 cup fresh fruit, berries, grapes, peaches
- 2 tbsp hot honey, or regular honey
- 1 tsp Girls Can Grill Chicken Rub, or salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs, thyme or rosemary stripped from stems
- 1/3 cup nuts, chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 baguette
- olive oil
- coarse salt
Instructions
- Heat Grill: Light your coals in a charcoal chimney or gill and heat your grill to medium heat.
- Score: Drizzle oil in a cast iron skillet. Place the block of brie in the skillet. Use a knife to score deep diamonds through the rind.
- Surround: Add fresh fruit into the skillet around the cheese removing any vines or stems.
- Season: Drizzle with honey or hot honey and sprinkle with seasoning. Top with chopped nuts.
- Cook: Place the skillet on the prepared grill and cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and the fruit sizzles.
- Grill Bread: While the skillet is cooking, slice the baguette, brush both sides with oil. Grill for 30-60 seconds per side, until golden. Season with salt.
- Serve: Remove from the grill and enjoy right away.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What you’ll need
- Brie Cheese: Describe
- Oil: Any kind is fine. I usually use canola oil, olive oil or avocado oil.
- Fresh Fruit: Grapes, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and sliced peaches are my faves.
- Honey: You can use regular honey or homemade hot honey.
- Seasoning: My Girls Can Grill Chicken Rub is a perfect choice, but salt and pepper works fine too.
- Fresh Herbs: Thyme and rosemary stripped from the stems are great.
- Nuts: I like chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Baguette: Grab one from the bakery section of the grocery store
Substitutions: This dip is super versatile. Mix and match your favorite fruits, herbs and nuts.
See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to cook campfire brie dip
Light your charcoal in a charcoal chimney or in your grill, and let it come to medium heat. You want steady, even heat, not raging hot coals.
PRO TIP: A fire that's too hot will scorch the bottom of the skillet before the cheese has a chance to melt through.
Step 1: Score the brie
Drizzle olive oil in your cast iron skillet. Set the brie in the center. Using a sharp knife, score the top of the rind in a diamond pattern. The key is cutting deep enough to actually break through the rind, not just scratch the surface.
This is where I went wrong the first time. If your scores are too shallow, the cheese won’t open up and ooze the way it should. You want those diamonds to separate as it heats.
Step 2: Build the skillet
Arrange your fruit around the brie. If you’re using grapes, pull every single one off the vine first. (Not like I did in the below picture). Grapes look beautiful on the vine, but you’ll be fighting them every time someone tries to dip.
Drizzle hot honey over the cheese and fruit. Sprinkle the rub generously over the top. Brie is mild, and it needs that savory layer. Scatter your herb leaves (off the stems; woody stems will get in every dip) and walnuts over everything.
Step 3: Grill it
Place the skillet on the grill grate. No need to cover. Let the heat do its work. Watch for the rind to start cracking along your score lines.
Once the diamonds begin to pull apart, the cheese turns glossy and melty, and the fruit starts sizzling around the edges, it’s ready. This usually takes 12-15 minutes depending on your heat level.
Step 4: Grill the bread
While the brie is melting, brush both sides of your baguette slices with olive oil. Lay them directly on the grill grate and cook 30-60 seconds per side until golden. Pull them off and hit them with a pinch of flaky salt.
How to serve campfire brie dip
Bring the skillet straight to the table. Spoon cheese and fruit onto bread slices, or dip directly in. Don’t let it sit. The cheese firms back up as it cools and it’s never quite as good reheated as it is straight from the fire.
Mistakes I Made the First Time
I left the grapes on the vine. They look so pretty arranged in a cluster. And then every guest spent 30 seconds wrestling grapes off a stem before they could get a single dip in. Pull them off before they go in the skillet.
I didn’t score deep enough. I was holding my knife with one hand and my camera with another, so I didn’t cut far enough into the cheese. The result was a rind that barely cracked and cheese that didn’t fully melt through. Score with confidence. You need to break through the rind, not just mark it. If you don’t see it separating while it’s cooking, just go back in with your knife.
I left the herb stems in. Fresh thyme on the vine looks gorgeous. It’s also a nightmare to eat around when you’re trying to scoop melted brie onto bread. Strip the leaves.
Storage
Honestly? This dip is best eaten the moment it comes off the grill. The cheese firms up as it cools and loses that silky, oozy quality that makes it so good.
That said, if you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days. To reheat, just pop it in the microwave until the cheese melts. I
t won’t be quite the same as fresh, but it’s still delicious spread on toast or tucked into a breakfast sandwich the next morning.
GCG Pro Pitmaster Tips
- Score the brie deep enough to break through the rind, not just mark it
- Pull grapes off the vine and herb leaves off the stems before they go in the skillet
- Brie is mild, so don’t skip the rub, it needs that savory contrast
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. If you don’t have a grill going, the oven works well. Preheat to 375F, build your skillet the same way and bake for 15-18 minutes until the rind cracks and the cheese is visibly melted. For the bread, broil your oiled baguette slices for 1-2 minutes per side instead of grilling them.
Almost any fresh fruit that can handle a little heat works here. Berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries are my first choice because they soften quickly and their juices mix into the melted cheese beautifully.
Sliced peaches are incredible in summer. Grapes work well too, just make sure they’re pulled off the vine first. I’d steer clear of citrus or anything too watery, which can make the skillet soupy instead of saucy.
I don’t usually eat it, but you can. Once the cheese is fully melted and you’re dipping bread in, the rind softens enough that most people eat right through it without thinking twice.
If you’re not a fan of the texture, you can push it aside as you scoop, but don’t remove it before cooking or the whole thing falls apart on the grill.
