A Pumpkin-Shaped Cheese Ball is The Cutest Fall Appetizer!
As a born and raised Wisconsinite, you can pretty much always find an epic cheese ball on my holiday snack table.
This year I’m taking our festive snacking to a whole new level with the cutest Pumpkin Cheese Ball. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving – or any fall celebration – and I’m totally obsessed!
This autumn-inspired cheese ball is a savory blend of cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese with just the right amount of natural sweetness and warmth from pumpkin and fall spices and is even shaped like a pumpkin.
As a bonus, it’s so easy to prep and make in advance – a holiday hosting necessity!
Your Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Halloween party guests will love how ADORABLE this cheese ball is. 🥰🎃
Shape it into a large pumpkin for a show-stopping centerpiece OR prep a few mini pumpkin cheese balls to create a little pumpkin patch for your holiday snack table. It tastes just as good as it looks and will absolutely steal the show!
Maximum Flavor, Minimal Effort
3 foolproof secrets to low-fuss, flavor-packed dinners, learned from years working in restaurants.
Shop This Post
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → 
How to Make A Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Making a pumpkin-shaped cheese ball is pretty simple. It happens in 3 easy steps: combining the cheese mixture, rolling it into a ball, and forming it into a pumpkin.
1. Combining the Cheese Mixture
Tip! ⇢ While you can certainly mix by hand, making use of a hand mixer or stand mixer makes this process much easier and ensures a silky-smooth result. For an even creamier cheese ball, use a food processor!
2. Forming the Cheese Ball
Make-ahead pumpkin cheese ball. ⇢ Cheese balls are a fantastic sharable to prep up to 3 days ahead of time because they hold really well in the fridge. Check the Recipe Notes, below, for more guidance!
3. How to Make a Cheese Ball Look Like a Pumpkin
At this point, the Thanksgiving cheese ball has a beautiful orange coating and a cheesy pumpkin taste, but 2 finishing touches give it an especially festive presentation: creating a gourd-like pumpkin shape and adding a stem.
Create a Pumpkin Cheese Ball Patch!
Why have one irresistible pumpkin cheese ball when you could have a whole patch?! 🥰 For a show-stopping Thanksgiving snack table, use the cheese ball mixture to make various-sized cheese balls, creating an edible pumpkin patch. Add pumpkin ribs and stems to each, keeping in mind you will need to use smaller pieces of twine for the ribs and smaller pecans for stems. The cutest whimsical and abundant look for a holiday snack table!
I can’t wait for you to try this Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe! It’s seriously so easy to make, and its festiveness will absolutely charm your holiday guests – adults and kids alike!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Savory Autumn Pumpkin Cheese Ball (Make-Ahead Friendly!)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Inactive Chilling: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: serves 10–12 1x
- Category: Appetizer Recipes, Snack Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A cheese ball is a holiday snack table staple at my house, and this festive Pumpkin Cheese Ball is perfect for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or any fall celebration!
The cheese ball mixture itself is completely savory thanks to cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese, but pumpkin and a few warm spices lend the kind of fall-inspired warmth that is downright crave-worthy this time of year!
To form it into a pumpkin shape, you’ll also need plastic wrap and kitchen twine to create indentations that resemble a pumpkin’s ribs (though ribbon, rope, or rubber bands work well, too!). So cute and so simple!
Feel free to prep one large pumpkin cheese ball for a show-stopping centerpiece, or use the cheese ball mixture to create a handful of pumpkin-shaped cheese balls in varying sizes – it’s like an edible pumpkin patch, and your guests will go crazy for it!
If prepping cheese balls is new-to-you, be sure to check out the blog post, above, for lots of tips and tricks from a born and raised Wisconsinite. ♡ Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Happy Farms Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup Baker’s Corner 100% Pure Pumpkin
- 3 cups Happy Farms Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese, divided
- ½ cup Southern Grove Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
- ½ teaspoon Stonemill Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Stonemill Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Stonemill Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Stonemill Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Stonemill Ground Nutmeg
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for assembly: plastic wrap, kitchen twine
- for serving, as desired: pretzels and crackers of choice, such as Savoritz Sea Salt Pita Crackers
Instructions
Mix the pumpkin cheese ball mixture: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and pumpkin. Use the paddle attachment to mix until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 3-4 minutes on medium speed. (Alternatively, you can use a mixing bowl and a hand mixer, or a heavy-duty spatula and some elbow grease.) Once combined, fold in 2 cups of the sharp cheddar, nuts, and all listed spices. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Mix to combine well. Transfer to the freezer to chill 25-30 minutes.
- Cheese ball assembly: Place the remaining 1 cup sharp cheddar on a large plate or in a shallow bowl and set aside. Prepare 2 large pieces of plastic wrap and 3-4 8-inch pieces of kitchen twine – set aside. Transfer the chilled cream cheese mixture one piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to help you form the mixture into a ball – this may be a little messy, just be patient and keep working until it comes together. Roll the ball in the reserved cheese, coating it well.
- Form the pumpkin cheese ball: Transfer the cheese-coated ball to the clean piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic around the entire surface of the cheese ball, covering it well, then place the cheese ball on your work surface, seam side facing down. Tie a piece of twine around the cheese ball, securing it as tightly as possible without popping the plastic wrap, to create indentations that resemble a pumpkin’s ribs. Repeat with the remaining twine, creating 6-8 indentations as desired. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill well before serving, 1-2 hours.
- Serve: Carefully snip the twine away from the cheese ball and unwrap the plastic. Transfer to a plate or serving platter. If desired, create a stem by inserting half of a pecan halve in the center of the pumpkin cheese ball. Serve alongside crackers or veggies of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Serving Suggestion: Create a pumpkin patch of pumpkin cheese balls! If you have a little extra time on your hands and want to create a whimsical and abundant look, use the pumpkin cheese ball mixture to form a few different pumpkin cheese balls, varying in size. Divide the cheese ball mixture from Step 1 into a few different portions, working each into a separate pumpkin cheese ball according to Steps 2-3 of Recipe Directions, above.
- Make-Ahead and Storage: Once assembled, this pumpkin cheese ball stores well, so it’s a really make ahead-friendly Thanksgiving snack or appetizer.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Prep and form the pumpkin cheese ball according to Steps 1-3 of Recipe Directions, above. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pull it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before you wish to serve, letting it soften and warm slightly.
- Storage Instructions: Store any pumpkin cheese ball leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Follow along with Plays Well With Butter on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest for more unfussy recipes that pack a big punch of flavor!
