Turkey Cheese Ball
Looking for a crowd-pleasing, festive appetizer for your Thanksgiving table? This adorable Turkey Cheese Ball is not only fun to make but also incredibly delicious!
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This Turkey Cheese Ball boasts creamy, tangy layers of cream cheese and white cheddar cheese mixed with savory herbs, a hint of sweet craisins, all rolled in toasted walnuts.
It’s packed with flavor in every bite! Your guests will love this sweet and savory dip.
Shaped like a turkey and decorated with a pretzel rod “neck” and candy eyes, this appetizer is sure to be the star of your spread. Pair with crackers, it’s the perfect appetizer to kick off your Thanksgiving feast!
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What you’ll need
You can find the full, printable recipe with exact measurements at the bottom of this post. Read on for more details and tips!
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- Cream cheese-cream cheese is the perfect base for dips because it’s mild and creamy.
- Sharp white cheddar cheese– This recipe calls for sharp white cheddar. I like the sharp taste against the milder cream cheese and tart craisins, but feel free to get creative with your favorite cheeses.
- Be sure to shred the cheese yourself for the best tasting results— If you have a KitchenAid mixer, this shredding attachment makes this task a breeze, transforming blocks of cheese into a fluffy pile in seconds!
- Walnuts– for the outside coating on the cheese ball. This could also be pecans or crushed pretzels for a nut-free option.
- Craisins– festive, tart, tangy and sweet
- Seasonings– ground mustard, garlic powder, dill, parsley
- Pretzel rod, with candy eyes, and either a piece of candy corn or yellow and red felt or paper
- Short pretzel sticks for the tail feathers
- Crackers for serving
How to make it
Begin by toasting the walnuts in a pan over medium heat for 2-5 minutes, tossing ever so often. When the nuts are fragrant remove from the heat, careful not to burn them.
Let cool and chop the walnuts, or use a food processor to chop to a medium size- not too large and not ground finely.
Place the chopped walnuts on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
In a separate bowl combine the cream cheese and seasonings. Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and seasonings until smooth.
Fold in the shredded white cheddar cheese and the craisins.
Roll the cream cheese mixture into a ball. Place into the walnuts and carefully cover on all sides.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
Tip! I like to keep the ball on the plate with the nuts while refrigerating, making it easier to stick more walnuts on the cheese ball as needed after it firms up a bit.
Once refrigerated, reform the ball, as needed, and cover with more walnuts, as needed.
Make the turkey neck: Cut out the felt into a yellow beak and red gobbler. I hot glued the candy eyes, beak and gobbler onto the pretzel rod for decoration- just don’t plan to eat it.
For an edible option use icing or melted chocolate to stick on the candy eyes and use a piece of candy corn for the beak.
Break a small piece off of the bottom of the pretzel rod. Stick the pretzel into the front of the cheese ball.
Place the small pretzel sticks on the back of the ball in a line for the tail feathers.
Serve room temperature with crackers. Refrigerate leftovers.
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More appetizers
- Boat Dip
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- The Best Party Dip
- Loaded Chip Dip
- Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- S’mores Dip
- Caramel Apple Dip
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Turkey Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 2-8 ounce blocks cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1/2 cup craisins roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried dill or 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill
- 1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 pretzel rod with candy eyes, and either a piece of candy corn or yellow and red felt or paper
- Short pretzel sticks
- Crackers for serving
Instructions
- Begin by toasting the walnuts in a pan over medium heat for 2-5 minutes, tossing ever so often. When the nuts are fragrant remove from the heat, careful not to burn them.
- Let cool and chop the walnuts, or use a food processor to chop to a medium size- not too large and not ground finely.
- Place the chopped walnuts on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine the cream cheese and seasonings. Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and seasonings until smooth.
- Fold in the shredded white cheddar cheese and the craisins.
- Roll the cream cheese mixture into a ball. Place into the walnuts and carefully cover on all sides.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours. I like to keep the ball on the plate with the nuts while refrigerating, making it easier to stick more walnuts on the cheese ball as needed after it firms up a bit.
- Once refrigerated, reform the ball, as needed, and cover with more walnuts, as needed.
- Make the turkey neck: Cut out the felt into a yellow beak and red gobbler. I hot glued the candy eyes, beak and gobbler onto the pretzel rod for decoration- just don’t plan to eat it.
- For an edible option use icing or melted chocolate to stick on the candy eyes and use a piece of candy corn for the beak.
- Break a small piece off of the bottom of the pretzel rod. Stick the pretzel into the front of the cheese ball.
- Place the small pretzel sticks on the back of the ball in a line for the tail feathers.
- Serve room temperature with crackers. Refrigerate leftovers.
