Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

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This Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball is the easiest crowd-pleasing appetizer to share with your family and friends this holiday season.

Cheese Balls are always the hit of the party! You will also love this Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball, Jalapeno Bacon Cheese Ball, or even this Pineapple Cheese Ball!

Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball with crackers rapped around it on a white serving dish. Hello again! Melanie here from Garnish & Glaze bringing you a super easy appetizer- Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball. If you are a fan of cream cheese appetizer dips like Jalapeno Popper Dip and Crab Rangoon Dip then you are going to love this cheese ball. Grab a box of crackers and five simple ingredients (cream cheese, white cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, green onions, and pecans) and you’re good to go!

Cranberry pecan cheese ball is centered in the middle of a white serving dish with crackers wrapped around the cheese ball.

Don’t be fooled. Just because this cheese ball is easy to throw together and requires only 5 ingredients, it is packed full of flavor. The sharp white cheddar cheese combined with the green onions gives it a strong flavor punch that is deliciously contrasted by the sweetness of the dried cranberries and finished off with the crunchy nuttiness of the pecans. After you take your first bite you won’t be able to stop going back in for more! I’m not gonna lie, I almost always eat 2 servings.

Cranberry pecan cheese ball being rolled and pecans.

How to make a Cheese Ball:

The first step is to start with some softened cream cheese and mix it with sharp white cheddar cheese. Mix in your finely chopped cranberries and green onions until evenly combined.

Next, you need to shape the cheese into a ball. The best way to do this is to place the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap it all up. Give it a few rolls on the counter, pressing and forming it into a ball and then let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour but up to 3 days. Honestly, I prefer making it at least a day ahead. This allows the flavors of the onion and cranberry to really merry with the cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about how yummy it is!

Cranberry pecan cheese bar place in the center of a white dish with crackers all around it.

You can roll the cheese ball in nuts well ahead of time but if you want them to remain firm and crunchy, I recommend waiting to roll the ball in the pecans. Just place the nuts in a bowl and press all sides (except the bottom) of the cheese ball in the nuts. Place the ball of cheese on a plate, gently pressing the ball down with a little twist so that it will stay on the plate and not slip away while people are digging away at it. Place a variety of crackers around the ball and serve.

Cranberry pecan cheeseball centered in the middle of a white serving dish with crackers all around it and one crackers deck into the cranberry pecan cheese ball.

Unless someone is allergic or lactose intolerant, they are not going to be able to pass up this yummy Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball. Enjoy!

 

Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

5 from 3 votes
This Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball is the easiest crowd-pleasing appetizer to share with your family and friends this holiday season.
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup green onions chopped
  • 1/2 cup pecans finely chopped
  • Crackers for serving

Instructions
 

  • Mix cream cheese and cheddar cheese together. Fold in the cranberries and green onions. Drop cheese mixture onto plastic wrap and fold up. Roll into a ball and place in fridge for at least an hour.
  • Just before serving, roll in the pecans. Serve with crackers.


Nutrition

Serves: 10

Calories79kcal (4%)Carbohydrates1gProtein1g (2%)Fat8g (12%)Saturated Fat4g (20%)Cholesterol25mg (8%)Sodium73mg (3%)Potassium40mg (1%)Fiber1g (4%)Sugar1g (1%)Vitamin A340IU (7%)Vitamin C0.7mg (1%)Calcium25mg (3%)Iron0.1mg (1%)

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.

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Melanie Dueck

Melanie is the cook and photographer behind the blog Garnish & Glaze. When she’s not playing princesses with her two little girls, she’s experimenting in the kitchen. She takes simple ingredients and creates everything from healthy dinners to indulgent desserts.

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  1. 5 stars
    I add about 2 Tbsp mayonaisse to the mixture, and like to roll mine in finely chopped smokehouse almonds. This gives it a really nice flavor and the nuts don’t go soggy. Since my husband doesn’t like green onions I substitute onion salt.

  2. 5 stars
    Yum! I loved how festive this looked with the green scallions and red dried cranberries. This was a lovely addition to our holiday appetizers and definitely a crowd-pleaser! Thank you for the tasty and easy idea! 5 stars for sure 🙂

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