Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Tarts

These goat cheese & caramelized onion tarts are an incredibly easy appetizer with a golden puff pastry, sweet caramelized onions, creamy goat cheese, and balsamic glaze. Made with store-bought puff pastry for ease, these tarts come together quickly and is a showstopper of an app!

The golden & buttery puff pastry is baked with sweet caramelized onions and goat cheese, then finished off with a balsamic reduction drizzle. These goat cheese & caramelized onion tarts are easy to make, so yummy, and look delicious.

There is no reason to be intimidated if this is your first time caramelizing onions. We will start out with a lot of chopped onions that lowly and slowly cook down to a sweet and caramel-like onion.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient list.

• Puff pastry can be store-bought for ease! This recipe is very easy since the pastry is done for you.
• Onions are the star ingredient! I like to use vidalia onions. They cook down to a deep caramel color and taste so sweet!
• Reduce balsamic vinegar and brown sugar together over the stove until thickened into a sweet glaze. You could also sweeten with honey or maple syrup!
• Baked goat cheese gets toasty brown, soft in the oven, and super creamy. It pairs perfectly with the caramelized onions & balsamic reduction.

Step by step instructions

See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full recipe instructions.

STEP 1: Prepare & slice onions. Cut off the stem & root ends of the onions. Slice them in half lengthwise then peel off the skin. Slice the onion into thin, uniform pieces about 1/4 inch thick, ensuring you slice with the grain of the onion (from root to tip).

STEP 2: Warm up the onions. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over the stove on medium heat. Add the onions, drizzle with a little more oil, and stir occasionally while they heat up. Add salt to taste.

STEP 3: Cook the onions down. Once the onions are cooking and hot, reduce the temperature slightly. Keep cooking while stirring occasionally.

STEP 4: Continue cooking until caramelized. Cook down the onions until they are a deep, caramel color. With the amount of onions we are caramelizing, it should take around 35-40 minutes to get to this state. Once almost finished, reduce to low heat and continue cooking until all onions are golden & translucent.

STEP 5: Prepare puff pastry. Thaw two puff pasty sheets according to box instructions. Use a cookie cutter to cut as many circles out of the puff pastry as possible. Put the scrap dough in the fridge; you can re-roll this later & make more if you have remaining onions.

STEP 6: Score the puff pastry. Use a slightly smaller cookie cutter of the same shape and lightly press into the individual pastry pieces, but not fully separating them.

STEP 7: Add the filling & bake! Top the puff pastry with caramelized onions & crumbled goat cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 18-20 minutes. The pastry should be puffed & golden. Gently lift one up to check if the bottom is golden brown.

STEP 8: Make the balsamic reduction and serve. Combine balsamic vinegar & brown sugar over the stove on low-medium heat. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The mixture is done when it coats the back of a spoon & drips slowly. Drizzle on top of the baked pastry and enjoy!

Baking in grams

I rely on gram measurements when testing recipes because they offer the highest level of accuracy (and less cleanup!). Unlike volume measurements, which can vary, grams provide a reliable and consistent standard. I carefully test all of my recipes using this kitchen scale, therefore I cannot guarantee the outcome when using volume measurements. However, volume measurements are available in the recipe card.