Home » Appetizer Recipes » Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball

Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball

Quick and easy gluten free party appetizer. Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball made with white cheddar, cream cheese, dried cranberries, parsley, garlic, green onion, rosemary and toasted pecans. Plus you’ll learn a quick trick to soften butter or cream cheese.

Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball on a plate next to crackers with some spread on it

Sometimes you want a quick and easy party appetizer. This Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball takes about 10 minutes and will be the hit of any party.

I visited my parents for the holiday and made this as a starter. After making an extra trip to the store on Christmas day for an ingredient, plus photographing these on Christmas day, quick and easy prep was much appreciated.

Process shot of ingredients for making a White Cheddar Cheese Ball in a white bowl

How To Make a White Cheddar Cheese Ball

Be sure to start with softened, or room temperature, cream cheese (more details in the cooking tips below). Then mix in the remaining ingredients including craisins, sharp white cheddar, and herbs, and roll into a large cheese ball, which is coated with chopped toasted pecans.

This white cheddar cheese ball is so simple and flavorful! Your guests and family will be amazed you made it. A generous amount of fresh parsley and green onions, paired with fresh rosemary and minced garlic is the ideal match for creamy sharp white cheddar cheese.

A close up of Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball covered in pecans

How to quickly soften cream cheese, and what does softened mean?

  • If you’re in a hurry slice it into smaller pieces, about ¼-inch thick, and spread out onto a plate. This will create more surface area to warm up and soften.
  • An even quicker way is to place the plate of cream cheese or butter slices over a stovetop with oven on; be sure the stove isn’t on. This will create more heat, but shouldn’t melt.

Recipes often call for softened butter or cream cheese, including this one. Softened means the same thing as room temperature, and that’s the ideal way to soften it. Just let butter or cream cheese sit on counter 20-30 minutes.

I don’t recommend using a microwave to soften. It creates uneven spots of soft and firm, and can easily melt butter into a liquid if cooked too long.

Tips for making a cheddar cheese ball

  • If you’re having trouble shaping the ball you can place the mixture in the fridge for 5 minutes or wet your hands to stop the mixture sticking to you.
  • White cheddar makes this cheese ball look very festive and impressive but you can also use regular orange cheddar.
  • Sharp cheddar will give the best flavor but you could also try using smoked cheddar, I don’t recommend using a mild one.
  • If you don’t have pecans you could use other nuts such as walnuts, cashews or pistachios.
  • Use high quality or organic ingredients, especially for the cream cheese and cheddar. The taste will be much better.
  • Serve with crackers, breadsticks or freshly toasted bread.

An overhead shot of Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball on a plate with crackers and Craisins as garnish

Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball recipe at-a-glance:

Flavor profiles: Rich cheesy flavor from white cheddar and cream cheese, with sweet cranberry and slight spice from green onion, parsley and garlic
Texture: Dense and creamy with chewy bits throughout and crunch from pecans
Dietary Options/Substitutions: This recipe is gluten-free, omit nuts if allergic

More cheese ball recipes and cheesy appetizers:

Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.

 

Are you following me on Pinterest, InstagramFacebook, and Twitter? Also, sign up for our newsletter to get all our recipes and cooking tips.

Craisins Cheddar Cheese Ball with scoop taken out of it on a plate next to crackers
Print
4.75 from 4 votes

Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball

Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball made with white cheddar, cream cheese, dried cranberries, parsley, garlic, green onion, rosemary and toasted pecans.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese ball appetizer, easy cheese appetizer, white cheddar cheese ball
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Calories 2724kcal
Servings 1 cheese ball
Author: Matt Ivan
Did you know? Servings and ingredient amounts can be adjusted on all my recipes. Click the green number above to change.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 ½ cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • 2/3 cup Craisins, or dried cranberies
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, optional

Instructions

  • Prepare pecans ahead of time: cook in a pan over medium-high heat, stirring often until slightly browned and fragrant; about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a plate.
  • Place all remaining ingredients (except pecans) in a large bowl and stir well until completely mixed. You may need to mix by hand as it will be very thick.
  • Shape mixture into an even ball, about 4-inches in diameter. Roll ball in chopped pecans to evenly coat outside.
  • Serve immediately with crackers or bread. Or store covered in fridge 1-2 days until ready to serve.

Notes

  • To soften cream cheese, let sit at room temp about 30 minutes. It will soften quicker if you cut into separate slices to allow for more surface area.
  • If you're having trouble shaping the ball you can place the mixture in the fridge for 5 minutes or wet your hands to stop the mixture sticking to you.
  • White cheddar makes this cheese ball look very festive and impressive but you can also use yellow/orange cheddar
  • A sharp cheddar will give the best flavor but you could also try using a smoked cheddar, I don't recommend using a mild one.
  • If you don't have pecans you could use other nuts such as walnuts, cashews or pistachios
  • Try to use the highest quality ingredients possible especially for the cream cheese and cheddar. It will make a big difference to the end result especially if you're making this for a special occasion.
  • Serve with crackers or breadsticks.
Nutrition Facts
Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball
Amount Per Serving
Calories 2724 Calories from Fat 1926
% Daily Value*
Fat 214g329%
Saturated Fat 86g538%
Cholesterol 427mg142%
Sodium 1807mg79%
Potassium 1210mg35%
Carbohydrates 162g54%
Fiber 21g88%
Sugar 116g129%
Protein 67g134%
Vitamin A 6565IU131%
Vitamin C 30.5mg37%
Calcium 1606mg161%
Iron 7.5mg42%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Like this recipe?Visit @platingpixels on Pinterest to discover more. Pin it with button below to save recipe for later.
Don't forget to leave a comment below and rate this recipe if you like it →

Recipe adapted from Real Housemoms

Craisins White Cheddar Cheese Ball
Appetizer Recipes | Christmas Recipes | Fall Recipes and Comfort Food | Gluten-Free Recipes | Recipes | Vegetarian

Similar Posts

24 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My granddaughter found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for an appetizer. She isn’t good at measuring and put about 10-12 cloves of garlic! Which turned out awesome and everyone loved it.
    I’ve made it several times myself with lotsa garlic and skipped the nuts step. Perfect for snack with ritz crackers. Big hit with MORE garlic! I sometimes leave out the white cheese (if I don’t have it handy)

    1. Haha that is a lot of garlic but bet it’d be tasty! I always use plenty of garlic in my personal cooking. Glad you like it and thanks for the feedback Diane!

  2. 4 stars
    I just made this for a New Year’s Day party tomorrow. I think it’s a little too onion-y and a little too much rosemary tasting so I think I won’t use as much next time. Other than that, very tasty! I picked up sharp yellow cheddar instead of white cheddar so I’ll make sure to not make that mistake again.

  3. 5 stars
    I love this cheese ball recipe! It’s simple, elegant and delicious. You’ve inspired me to incorporate this as part of a New Year’s Eve spread. Thank you so much for sharing. And now I’m heading over to take a peek at your White Chocolate Cranberry Scones recipe…because it’s always good to have another recipe that can use one or more of the same ingredients.

  4. This looks great! The inside is so colorful. My parents always have Hallmark made for TV movies playing during Christmas time. This cheeseball would be perfect for those times. 🙂

    1. I’m sure you could easily replace the shredded white cheddar with vegan cheese. Cream cheese is a big part of the texture and flavor, not sure if there’s a vegan substitute for that? If you know of one I’d love to hear. Thanks Annie!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating