This Christmas Cheese Ball recipe is so fun and festive and also, a great holiday appetizer! This delicious Christmas appetizer is a savory cheeseball with cheese and herbs decorated to look like a Santa Hat, then served up with your favorite crackers. It's the perfect appetizer for a Christmas party and the most wonderful time of the year.
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Santa Hat Christmas Cheese Ball
Can you call your Christmas celebration a real holiday party if it doesn't include a cheese ball? Most savory cheese ball recipes I see at parties involve dried beef, green onions, chopped pecans or walnuts, and always lots of cream cheese. I can't say that I've ever had one I didn't like.
For me, there is no "best cheese ball recipe;" they're all good—all the time!
But for this Christmas Cheese Ball, I wanted it to be as festive on the outside as the flavor on the inside. And what says "Christmas" more than a Santa Hat? You could even use your favorite classic cheese ball recipe to make this easy appetizer by simply changing up the way you "decorate" it on the outside.
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Holiday Cheese Ball
To make this delicious appetizer a truly festive and cute centerpiece, I decided to shape it like a Santa Hat and add the bright Christmas colors using dried cranberries.
It was easy to shape and I ended up really loving this cheese ball and it's perfect for the holiday season.
Cranberry Cheese Ball
The best thing about this cheese ball recipe for Christmas is that it uses cranberries. The sweet and tart flavors of the cranberries are a wonderful contrast to the mild, creamy cheese flavor on the inside.
And the cranberries are perfect for the holiday season - with flavor and the beautiful red (Christmas-y) color!
Ingredients
Every ingredient in this recipe is common and can be found at your local grocery store.
- Cream Cheese, at room temperature. For the best flavor and texture, use regular cream cheese (not low-fat).
- Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- Dill Weed
- Chives
- Onion Powder
- Dried Parsley
- Dried Cranberries
- Extra finely shredded white cheese (parmesan, more mozzarella, white cheddar - it's up to you!). This is to decorate the outside of the pompom on top and the border on the bottom of the Santa hat.
- Crackers or Fresh Veggies (for dipping)
Find the full recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions
Dried Cranberries - If you don't like dried cranberries, you could use other red foods to make the Santa hat red, such as chopped red bell peppers, pomegranate seeds, or chopped sundried tomatoes.
Mozzarella Cheese - Mozzarella cheese is a pretty mild-flavored cheese. If you want more punch in the flavors of the cheeseball, you could use a stronger cheese, such as sharp cheddar cheese.
Herbs and Seasonings - The best part of a homemade cheese ball is its versatility. Don't like dill? Skip it or add another herb, such as rosemary. Like garlic more than onion? Use garlic powder instead of onion powder. It's really easy to change up the savory flavors by just changing out the simple ingredients that really give them flavor.
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How to Make a Santa Hat Christmas Cheese Ball Appetizer
- Start by placing the softened cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, dill weed, chives, onion powder and dried parsley in a large bowl.
- Knead the flavorful mixture of cream cheese until well combined.
- Take a small portion (approximately 2 tablespoons) and roll into a ball for the top of the Santa hat.
- Take the rest and make a cone shape (or Christmas tree shape) for the bottom of your Santa hat and place on a serving plate.
- Roll your small ball in the finely shredded white cheese.
- Cover your entire Santa hat (except about one inch on the bottom) in dried cranberries.
- Cover the portion that is left in finely shredded cheese.
- Stick a toothpick in your small ball and place on the top.
- *Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Surround with crackers, serve and enjoy!
Variation: Christmas Tree Cheese Ball
You could easily turn this Santa Hat Cheese Ball into a Christmas Tree Cheese Ball with two small changes.
First, when you make the cone for the Santa hat, you already have a Christmas tree-shaped cheese ball. So, use something green on the outside, such as chives or fresh chopped parsley, to make it a tree instead of a hat.
The second change would be to skip the ball on top and instead add a star. That can easily be done by using a small star cookie cutter to cut a star out of a slice of white cheese. Easy-peasy and you have a Christmas Tree Cheeseball!
Party guests will love your cheeseball whether it's a Santa Hat or a Christmas Tree. It's the best holiday cheeseball recipe for a fun, Christmas-themed party!
Pro Tips
Room Temperature. For best results, the cream cheese must be at room temperature so that it can be easily mixed with the other ingredients.
*Make-Ahead. This is a great recipe to make ahead. You can either refrigerate the cream cheese mixture after you've kneaded in all the other ingredients, leave it in the bowl, and wait to shape it until just before serving OR you can go ahead and shape it, cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate the finished cheeseball until just before time to serve. Either way, you'll need to let it come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving time so it's easily spreadable.
Use Fresh! Use fresh grated cheese for better flavor and so that it is more spreadable. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in corn starch to keep it from sticking in a big blob in the bag, but that also makes it harder and less spreadable.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with crackers or fresh vegetables. Here are some suggestions:
- Ritz Crackers
- Wheat Thins
- Triscuits
- Pita Chips
- Any other party crackers
Serve with fresh veggies for a gluten-free and Keto-friendly appetizer.
- Green Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Celery
This is a great appetizer for any holiday party: an office party, Christmas Eve get-together, finger foods potluck, or any other Christmas celebration.
Storage Directions
Store any leftover cheese ball in an airtight container or wrap them tightly with a large piece of plastic wrap.
More Festive Christmas Appetizers:
Recipe
Easy Santa Hat Christmas Cheese Ball
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
Description
This Christmas Cheese Ball recipe is so fun and festive and also, a great holiday appetizer! This delicious Christmas appetizer is a savory cheeseball with cheese and herbs decorated to look like a Santa Hat, then served up with your favorite crackers. It's the perfect appetizer for a Christmas party and the most wonderful time of the year.
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz.) packages of Cream Cheese
- 1 cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 tablespoon of Dill Weed
- 2 tablespoons of Chives
- 1 tablespoon of Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
- ½ a cup of Dried Cranberries
- Additional Dried Cranberries
- Finely Shredded White Cheese of Your Choice
- Crackers (for dipping)
Instructions
- Start by placing everything but your last (3) ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
- Knead until well combined.
- Take a small portion off and roll into a ball.
- Take the rest and shape into the bottom of your Santa hat and place on a plate.
- Roll your small ball in the finely shredded cheese.
- Cover your entire Santa hat (except about one inch on the bottom) in dried cranberries.
- Cover the portion that is left in finely shredded cheese.
- Stick a toothpick in your small ball and place on the top.
- Surround with crackers.
- Prep Time: 20
- Chill Time: 30
- Category: Appetizer
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