Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath
Delicious little cheese balls rolled in a variety of tasty toppings like chopped nuts and cranberries and arranged in a festive wreath shape for an easy Christmas appetizer! Read on for the recipe and lots of tips for making a Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath!
Looking for a show-stopping Christmas appetizer for holiday parties and festive gatherings? Well, trust me with this easy appetizer. First of all, who doesn’t love cheese? And second? These bite sized cheese balls are absolutely divine! Cheese lovers, rejoice!
Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath
>> Want another Christmas cheese appetizer? Try my Christmas Cheese Trees too!
Christmas Cheese Ball Wreath (Ingredient Tips)
Another great thing about making this cheese wreath is that all of the ingredients are super easy to find. No hunting for unusual ingredients during the already busy Christmas season. Plus, I have some substitutions below so you can tailor the recipe to your favorite flavors.
Cheese Ball Mixture
The base cheese ball mixture is the same for all the mini cheese balls. This keeps the recipe super simple and quick to make.
- Cream Cheese
- Butter: Use salted butter. Can swap out for 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
- Shredded Cheese: You have lots of options here. Just use 1 1/2 cups of a high quality shredded cheese. I suggest shredding your own. I suggest using a white cheese like sharp white cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or parmesan cheese so it doesn’t change the color of my cheese balls.
- Worcestershire Sauce: You can leave out, but I love the flavor it adds!
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Black Pepper
Cheese Ball Toppings
Now for the FUN part! Roll your mini cheese balls into a delicious trio of toppings.
- Chopped Dried Cranberries
- Chopped Nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios, etc)
- Diced Herbs (I used chives and parsley)
- Diced Green Onions
- Smoked Paprika
- Diced Pimentos
- Diced Red Bell Pepper
- Toasted Breadcrumbs
- Sesame Seeds
Get creative! Roll these mini cheese balls in your favorite, tasty toppings. For a Christmas look, I love the cranberries and fresh herbs because the red and green really pop!
Serving Your Holiday Cheese Ball Wreath
On a large, round platter, arrange your mini cheese balls in a round shape, stacking some as you go around, leaving the area in the middle of the serving platter open.
Tuck in fresh herbs and greenery like fresh rosemary sprigs, basil leaves and bay leaves around the cheese balls to form a wreath shape.
Serve up your Christmas cheese ball wreath with toothpicks and an assortment of crackers. I find that this holiday appetizer is a great alternative to a charcuterie board, veggie tray or cheese platter. This edible wreath has all the festive flavors of a cheese board but in the perfect Christmas wreath shape!
Making in Advance
This cheese ball wreath is such an easy appetizer to make ahead of time for upcoming holiday parties.
I know Christmas is such a busy time of year, so make your life easier with this appetizer. Roll the miniature balls up to 3 days in advance and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
TIP: I do suggest waiting to roll them in the toppings until ready to serve (specifically the nuts so they don’t lose their crunch).
This festive appetizer will add the perfect holiday touch to your Christmas party! Check out more delicious cheese appetizers below… and don’t miss my Christmas Deviled Eggs for another holiday fave!
Cheese Ball Wreath
Ingredients
Mini Cheese Balls
- 2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp salted butter (softened )
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (white cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc. )
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 pinch black pepper
Cheese Ball Toppings
- 1 cup dried cranberries (finely chopped)
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 1/3 cup fresh herbs (diced)
Instructions
- Using a food processor or electric mixer, combine softened (room temperature) cream cheese (this is key, it makes it easy to mix together) along with softened butter, shredded cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.
- Spritz clean hands with a quick spray of nonstick cooking spray to help shape the mixture into miniature balls. You can use a small cookie scoop to help make them the same size. Just scoop the cheese mixture and roll into mini balls.
- If the mixture becomes too soft, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm it up.
- In shallow plates, spread out toppings for rolling your mini cheese balls. TIP: Use a food processor to finely chop the cranberries, nuts and herbs. Roll cheese balls in a variety of toppings like dried cranberries, chopped nuts and fresh herbs.
- Display the mini cheese balls around a round platter in a Christmas wreath shape. Tuck in fresh herbs like sage leaves, rosemary, bay leaves and basil leaves to create a wreath design.
- Serve with toothpicks, crackers, and pretzels.
This dish is full of flavor and taste, it took me very little time to make, my son loved it, thanks for the recipe!