If you’ve seen marinated goat cheese popping up online, you may have come across the popular version from Meredith Dairy. It’s easy to see why people love it: creamy goat cheese is packed into a jar with herbs, garlic, and plenty of flavorful oil. It’s as heavenly as it sounds. Unfortunately for my wallet, it runs about $15 a jar at my local grocery. I set out to make a copycat version at home and the results did not disappoint!

The process is really quite simple. The goat cheese is chilled and cut into small pieces before it goes into a jar. A simple marinade of olive oil, vegetable oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and bay leaf is gently warmed on the stove. The warm oil helps bring all those flavors together before it’s poured over the cheese. Some might be tempted to swap out the vegetable oil for all olive oil, but I have to advise against that! The olive oil will solidify in the fridge and that’s not a texture you want for your cheese.

The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to be ready. Once the cheese is covered with the marinade, it needs to chill for one to three days so the flavors have time to develop. The result is creamy, tangy goat cheese with plenty of savory, herby flavor in every bite.

Serve it with crusty bread, crackers, or fresh vegetables for an easy appetizer or snack. The marinated cheese also makes a great addition to a cheese board or a simple dinner spread. It’s a recipe worth keeping in the fridge when you want something special without much work!