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These pumpkin shaped Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls are the best finger food appetizer for gatherings and holiday meals. A creamy & savory cheeseball rolled in crushed cheese crackers and shaped like a pumpkin!
For more amazing cheese ball recipes be sure and check out this Dried Beef Cheese Ball, this turkey decorated Turkey Cheeseball, or this festive Christmas Cheeseball.
Mini Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball Recipe
If you’re looking for pumpkin shaped or themed appetizer recipes then you’ve found it! These mini pumpkin cheese balls are a deliciously savory cheese ball coated in crushed cheese crackers, and then made to look like a mini pumpkin with a toothpick indent and a pretzel stick for the stalk.
Serve them as is or place a mini pumpkin cheese ball onto a round ritz cracker. Either way they’re bound to disappear in a hurry!
Ingredients Needed
- Cream Cheese : Make sure it’s softened to room temperature so it mixes in smoothly with out any lumps. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for no longer than 2 hours. It really only needs about 30 minutes at room temperature to get softened enough.
- Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese : Use a block of cheese and shred it yourself, on the fine side of a box cheese grater, for the best taste and results. You can also use medium or mild cheddar cheese if you prefer.
- Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder : Dried seasonings to flavor the cheese ball.
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Crushed Cheese Crackers : Use a mini food chopper or food processor to finely ground up some cheese crackers. Great options are cheez-it crackers or goldfish crackers. Stick with a ‘cheese’ cracker as that is what will give you that classic orange pumpkin color on the outside of the mini cheese balls.
- Pretzel Sticks : Break each on in half and use one half to create the pumpkin stalk.
- Small Leaves of Flat-Leaf Parsley : I only added this for the pictures but I normally don’t use the leaves when making it for guests. It looks really cute but most kids won’t eat the cheese ball if there is a green leaf there. But that extra herby boost of flavor is yummy, so use it if you want to.
How To Make Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls (Thanksgiving Day Appetizer Recipe)
In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use an electric hand mixer to beat until combined and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Roll the cheese ball mixture into small 1-inch balls and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Working one cheeseball at a time, roll it in the crushed cheese crackers until it’s well coated. Use the side of a toothpick to make 3-4 indents around the cheese ball. Put the cheese ball back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and gently press the top down. As you do this, the indents will become more noticeable and it will make the mini cheese ball look more like a pumpkin shape. Repeat with the remaining cheese balls.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheese balls until ready to serve. When ready to serve, gently push a pretzel stick into the top of each pumpkin cheese ball. Place a parsley leaf (if using) to the side of the pretzel stick.
These are best served chilled from the fridge. I like to serve them after they have chilled for about 1 hour. Do not add the pretzel stick until right before serving to prevent them from getting soggy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the pumpkin cheese balls as is or lay out round ritz crackers onto a serving tray and then place a mini pumpkin on top of each cracker. I always serve these on top of ritz crackers. But they’re also really yummy eaten as is with no cracker underneath it.
Recipe Tips
- Room Temperature Cream Cheese : Allow the cream cheese to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, no longer than 2 hours, so it’s closer to room temperature before mixing it in. This will help prevent any lumps from forming while mixing the cream cheese with the other ingredients. If you’re using an electric hand mixer, it probably won’t be a problem as that is easier to get the lumps beaten out.
- Cheese Crackers : Cheez-it crackers or original goldfish crackers are both great choices. Better Cheddars are another option. Whatever you use, make sure it’s a ‘cheese’ cracker so you get that orange pumpkin color on the outside of the cheese balls. Finely crush into really fine crumbs so it’s easier to coat the cheese balls with them. I use a food processor to get the crackers finely ground, but you can also use a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin (or meat pounder), or even a mini food chopper.
- Fridge Time/Serve Chilled : As with all cheese balls, I highly recommend refrigerating them before serving. A chilled cheese ball is always better than room temperature. Do not add the pretzel sticks before the fridge time – they will get very soft and not a good texture. Stick the pretzels sticks into the pumpkin cheeseballs right before serving.
Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese room temperature
- 1½ cups finely shredded cheddar cheese (medium or sharp cheddar)
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup finely crushed cheese crackers (cheez-it or goldfish crackers)
- 12 pretzel sticks (broken in half)
- small leaves of flat-leaf parsley (optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Use an electric hand mixer to beat until combined and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for 15 minutes.1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, 1½ cups finely shredded cheddar cheese, ¾ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Roll the cheese ball mixture into small 1-inch balls and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Working one cheeseball at a time, roll it in the crushed cheese crackers until it's well coated.Use the side of a toothpick to make 3-4 indents around the cheese ball. Put the cheese ball back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and gently press the top down. As you do this, the indents will become more noticeable and it will make the mini cheese ball look more like a pumpkin shape. Repeat with the remaining cheese balls.1 cup finely crushed cheese crackers
- Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheese balls until ready to serve. When ready to serve, gently push a pretzel stick into the top of each pumpkin cheese ball. Place a parsley leaf (if using) to the side of the pretzel stick.12 pretzel sticks, small leaves of flat-leaf parsley
- These are best served chilled from the fridge. I like to serve them after they have chilled for about 1 hour. Do not add the pretzel stick until right before serving to prevent them from getting soggy.
Nutrition
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