If you want a cheese that outright melts, then goat cheese may not be your best choice.
It is fundamentally very different from cow cheese, and its properties are often the reason it is considered more of artisanal cheese.
Let’s look further into this.
Is goat’s cheese hard to melt?
Yes, is the short answer.
As I’ve said, many goat’s cheeses simply will not melt at all.
They will soften and become a bit more pliable at best, but they will not melt.
This is because goat’s cheeses tend to be firmer, as they are usually aged for longer.
You can achieve an effect like melting in many cases, though.
Heating goat cheese will cause it to soften and become almost spreadable, like melted cheese.
However, it still will not be outright melted.
Indeed, firmer goat cheeses, particularly those with rinds, are often softened in the oven to create a more viscous consistency—something akin to camembert.
Achieving the right balance of heat is also much more difficult with goat cheese, so, yes, they are hard to melt.
They will not always become brown and crisp the way most melted cow’s cheeses will, so it can be more difficult to know when it is ready.
How best to melt it, then?
Will goat’s cheese melt in the oven?
Again, not outright.
It will not melt in the same way cow’s cheeses like mozzarella will.
It will soften and become more viscous over time, but it will most likely not outright melt.
Depending on how picky you are, you may not really notice or care about the difference.
That said, the oven is certainly the best place to “melt” goat cheese.
You want to apply a gentle heat at a constant, but slow, rate.
The oven is the best option for doing this, and it will achieve the most melted-like state for your goat cheese.
Again, though, you won’t get a gooey, stringy melted cheese like you would out of melted cheddar or something similar.
Cooking with goat’s cheese is a bit different, but still great!
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Will goat’s cheese melt in the microwave?
Again, no, not really.
The microwave is more likely to make it become mushy and lumpy, rather than melted.
This is because microwaves tend to blast anything they’re cooking with the same amount of heat, and this isn’t really ideal for goat’s cheese.
In a pinch, it will do just fine at creating a softer and more malleable cheese.
But it will not melt it like an oven has a better chance of doing.
Just to reiterate, as well, that it will depend on what kind of goat cheese you have.
Some are meltier than others.
How long does goat’s cheese take to melt?
In the oven, depending on the kind of goat’s cheese, it won’t take too long to melt—usually only around 5-7 minutes in the oven.
As I said, the oven is the best place to melt it, as you can apply slower heat over a longer period. 5-7 minutes in the microwave would likely ruin the cheese.
You want the cheese to begin looking brown on top, and to be softening up.
It will achieve, really, more of a toasted effect.
As I said, though, this browning doesn’t always happen, so be sure to keep an eye on the consistency of the cheese.
No longer than 7 minutes, though, and for smaller amounts of goat cheese, you may only need 3-4 minutes.
What does melted goat’s cheese taste like?
Compared with cow’s milk, goat cheese tends to be tangier, with an earthy, grassy flavor.
It tastes more flavorful, generally speaking.
This is much the same as how it tastes when melted.
Goat’s cheese is often used in cooking, and so the melted flavor of goat’s cheese is sought after.
If you like the taste of ordinary goat’s cheese, then you will definitely love it after it’s been softened up in the oven.
You may even find that you prefer the way it softens as opposed to melting.
Many prefer the texture to cheese that has been, effectively, turned into a very viscous liquid.
In the end, then, goat’s cheese does something like melting.
In many cases, you often won’t necessarily be able to notice a difference between the softening that goat cheese does and actual melted cheese.
That said, if you are looking for a really gooey, melty cheese, than goat’s cheese perhaps is not your best bet.
It has very different properties to more common cheeses, and so you may be disappointed with the results.