PUMPKIN CHEESEBALL

side view of pumpkin shaped cheese ball on a plate with crackers

Festive, fun to make and incredibly delicious, this Pumpkin Cheeseball is a must have as part of any Thanksgiving or Halloween party spread. It's made with few and simple ingredients and is sure to WOW all of your guests!

Prep Time 20

Refrigerate 4

Total Time 4 20

Servings Cheese Ball

Ingredients

2 8 oz. (227g) bars Cream Cheese softened
3 cups Cheddar Cheese finely grated
¼ cup Mayonnaise
3 Green Onions finely chopped
2 Dill Pickles finely chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Bell Pepper Stem*

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper until well combined.
Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chopped green onions, dill pickles, and half the cheddar cheese making sure they are evenly distributed and fully incorporated.
Spread out a large double layer of cling wrap on a flat surface. Sprinkle about a 1/4 cup of the remaining cheddar cheese on top.
Top it with the cheese ball mixture, doing your best to form it into a ball.
Take the rest of the cheddar cheese and use your hands to press it into the tops and sides of the cheese ball, covering the entire surface.
Wrap it up tightly with the cling wrap (use an elastic band to tie the top in place, if desired).
Cut 4 equal pieces of string and place them in a star shape underneath the cheese ball. Use your hands to pull the strings, one at a time, to create indents to form a pumpkin shape.
I like to leave the strings in place then pop the wrapped cheese ball in the fridge for at least 4 hours to harden.
Just before serving, remove the strings and take the cheese ball out of the plastic wrap. Make an indent in the top center for the bell pepper stem. Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, pretzels, bread, fruit or veggie sticks.

Notes

Since there's no bell pepper in the actual recipe (feel free to add it in, if you wish), you can use anything green or brown you have on hand if you don't have a bell pepper stem. A rosemary stem, a pretzel stick, a piece of celery, or something along those lines would be a great alternative.

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