This Easy Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball is the perfect appetizer to bring to a Fall party. It's cheesy, delicious, and made with simple ingredients. This festive pumpkin cheese ball deserves to be the star of the show at every gathering this time of year.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword easy cheese ball, fall cheese ball, pumpkin cheese ball
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Chilling Time 2 hourshours
Total Time 2 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Servings 12
Author Jeannie Z
Equipment
blender or food processor
plastic wrap
mixing bowls
Ingredients
1cupcheese crackersfinely crushed
8ouncepackage of shredded cheddar cheese
8ouncepackage of shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese
8ouncepackage of cream cheesesoftened
1packet of powdered cheese from your favorite macaroni and cheese box
1stem of a bell pepper
tortilla chips or crackers for serving
Instructions
Finely crush the cracker crumbs in a blender, then place them into a medium-sized bowl. Set the bowl aside.
1 cup cheese crackers
Combine the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese in another medium-sized bowl.
8 ounce package of shredded cheddar cheese, 8 ounce package of shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese, 8 ounce package of cream cheese
Mix the powdered cheese into the cream cheese mixture.
1 packet of powdered cheese from your favorite macaroni and cheese box
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and sprinkle it with a few crushed cracker crumbs. Place the cheese mixture onto the plastic wrap, then sprinkle some more cracker crumbs around the sides. Wrap the plastic wrap up tightly around the cheese mixture and form the wrapped cheese ball into a pumpkin shape - basically a short, plump ball.
Once the cheese ball is shaped, take the cheese ball out of the plastic wrap and roll the ball into the bowl of crushed crackers. Roll it around until it is fully covered with the cracker crumbs. It's okay if it isn't perfectly shaped like a pumpkin.
1 cup cheese crackers
After it is covered in crackers, wrap it tightly in another large piece of saran wrap. (If your first piece of plastic stayed clean, you can use that one, but you will likely need a clean piece - you don't want any cream cheese showing on the outside of the pumpkin.) Chill the cheese ball for at least two hours or overnight.
While the cheese ball is still wrapped in plastic wrap, use the end of a wooden spoon or the tip of a butter knife to make vertical grooves on the cheese ball to look like a pumpkin. The cheese must be cold for it to hold its shape.
Place the stem of a bell pepper on top of the cheese ball or use a pretzel stick to make a pumpkin stem.