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    Home » Appetizers » Turkey Cheese Ball for Thanksgiving

    Turkey Cheese Ball for Thanksgiving

    Published: Nov 9, 2020 · Modified: Feb 26, 2023 by Sula · This post may contain affiliate links · 34 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    It’s time for a fun appetizer for Thanksgiving! And my most popular October post is the skull cheese ball, so I decided a turkey shaped cheese ball is exactly what I need!

    Ingredients needed

    If you have a favorite recipe for a cheeseball, of course you can use that one. I used my Halloween skull cheese ball as a starting point but made a few changes. One, I omitted the olives and pepperoni to simplify and keep it vegetarian. Two, I made it softer, by substituting whipped cream cheese for one of the blocks of cream cheese. I also reduced the shredded cheese to 2 cups. This resulted in a softer and more “spreadable” cheeseball. It also made it a little easier to decorate with the pretzel rods. 😀

    The final ingredient list for the cheese ball:

    • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
    • 8 oz whipped cream cheese – plain or with chives
    • 2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
    • 6 oz (one envelope) dry Italian dressing mix

    Decorating ingredients:

    • Pretzel rods, sticks, or both
    • Pecans, chopped (about ½ cup)
    • Candy eyes
    • Orange bell pepper
    turkey cheese ball surrounded by crackers

    How to make the cheese ball

    Start with the cream cheese. I like to leave the cream cheese out for an hour if possible, to allow it to get to room temperature. Even so, I typically end up giving it a quick zap in the microwave (less than 30 seconds on a low setting) to ensure it is soft enough. With an electric mixer, start to beat the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the whipped cream cheese and beat in. Add the dry Italian dressing packet and beat to thoroughly incorporate.

    Then use a spoon or spatula to add in the shredded cheese. Mix well. In the bowl, use the spatula to form a rough ball from the cheese mix. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. You need this chill time to let the cheese ball “firm up” enough to handle it for final shaping and decorating.

    How to decorate the cheese ball to make a turkey shape

    When the cream cheese mixer is firm, you are ready to decorate the cheeseball. Take a piece of plastic wrap, about 12 inches long, and lay it flat. Spread the chopped pecans evenly on the wrap. Then, carefully remove the cheeseball from the bowl. Gently shape the ball with your hands and then roll it in the pecans to coat. Typically, one edge is flat from sitting in the bowl. I usually do not coat this in pecans, instead using it as the base.

    When the ball is sufficiently coated in nuts, place on a serving plate or platter.

    For the tail: use pretzel rods or sticks (or both) to make a fan-shaped tail. I cut off about 2 inches from each pretzel rod to get the right length, so you might want to experiment with this a little to get the effect you want.

    • Cut the pretzel rods to the right length
      Cut pretzels rods as needed
    • insert in a fan shape to form a tail
      Start making the tail
    • tail can be straight up or angled
      Tail can be straight or angled

    For the neck: I used another pretzel rod for the neck. The face details are attached with a little dollop of cream cheese. A small cut of a mini orange bell pepper makes a very fine beak. And for the eyes, 2 candy googly eyes to give our turkey a sufficiently startled/worried expression, as all turkeys have when Thanksgiving draws near.

    • insert neck for turkey
      Insert one pretzel rod for a neck
    • attach beak
      Attach a piece of bell pepper for a beak
    • Turkey cheese ball
      Googly eyes complete the face

    Variations

    Of course, you may use your favorite cheese ball recipe if you have one. For the decorative elements there are several possibilities:

    • Use slices of bell peppers inserted in a fan shape to make the tail
    • Use a Slim Jim for the neck
    • Small round cheese cut-outs could possibly work for eyes
    • Use bacon bits to coat the ball in place of the chopped pecans
    • Use the round twist pretzels on the sides to resemble drumsticks
    pin for turkey cheese ball

    Whichever approach you use to make your turkey cheese ball, be sure to have fun with it!

    turkey shaped cheese ball surrounded by crackers
    5 from 85 votes
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    Turkey Shaped Cheese Ball

    Have a little fun with your Thanksgiving cheese ball!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cooling time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 20 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 20
    Calories: 153kcal
    Author: Sula

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz cream cheese softened
    • 8 oz whipped cream cheese – plain or with chives
    • 2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
    • 6 oz one envelope dry Italian dressing mix

    Decoration

    • ½ cup pecans, chopped
    • Pretzel rods or sticks as desired
    • Googly eyes
    • Mini bell pepper

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the whipped cream cheese and beat to incorporate.
    • Add the dry Italian dressing and mix well.
    • With a spatula or large spoon, mix in the shredded cheese.
    • Cover bowl and refrigerate for an hour or until firm.
    • When cheese ball is firm, remove from bowl and gently shape into a ball. Roll immediately in chopped nuts. Place on serving plate.
    • Decorate as desired with pretzel sticks/rods for the tail and one pretzel rod for a neck. With a small dab of cream cheese attach eyes and a small piece of bell pepper to form a beak.

    Notes

    Nutrition estimates include nuts but no other decorative elements.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 985mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    More holiday recipe ideas

    • Turkey shaped cheese platter
    • Slow cooker acorn squash
    • Green onion cheese ball
    • Cranberry sauce from dried cranberries

    « Brussels Sprouts and Carrots
    Cranberry Sauce from Dried Cranberries »

    Filed Under: Appetizers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Addie

      November 03, 2021 at 9:46 pm

      5 stars
      Such a fun and festive appetizer! Yum!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 05, 2021 at 5:42 am

        Super fun, right? 🙂

        Reply
    2. Gabriela Herrera

      November 03, 2021 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      This turkey cheeseball is epic, it is so darn creative and I am sure it will be the center of attention.

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 05, 2021 at 5:42 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Dawn Conklin

      November 03, 2021 at 10:54 am

      5 stars
      This is such a cute idea! We tried it last night as we were working on our Thanksgiving menu for this year and this will definitely be made for an appetizer on Thanksgiving! It was delicious and easy to assemble.

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 05, 2021 at 5:43 am

        Fantastic! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!

        Reply
    4. Maria

      November 20, 2020 at 9:54 am

      5 stars
      Such a cutie and funny! LOL my kids will like this! Yummy!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 20, 2020 at 5:05 pm

        Yes it is super kid friendly!

        Reply
    5. Toni Dash

      November 19, 2020 at 9:24 am

      5 stars
      This is really amazing!! A sure hit for Thanksgiving!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 19, 2020 at 11:35 am

        It's guaranteed to bring smiles!

        Reply
    6. Krissy Allori

      November 19, 2020 at 9:18 am

      5 stars
      I showed your recipe to my kids and now they're begging me to make it for Thanksgiving!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 19, 2020 at 11:34 am

        LOL kids love it!

        Reply
    7. Heidy

      November 19, 2020 at 9:07 am

      5 stars
      This turkey cheeseball is super cute, and I am planning on making one for this Thanksgiving!!! Thanks for all the great instructions! Have a Happy Holiday!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 19, 2020 at 9:08 am

        I hope you have a lovely holiday!

        Reply
    8. Julia

      November 19, 2020 at 9:01 am

      Such a fun project to make with kids for Thanksgiving! Love it! 🙂

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 19, 2020 at 9:07 am

        Oh yes the kids will love this!

        Reply
    9. Gabriela Herrera

      November 18, 2020 at 8:30 pm

      5 stars
      This is absolutely beautiful and so creative definitely the center of attention this coming holiday.

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 19, 2020 at 8:54 am

        It makes a great addition to your Holiday table!

        Reply
    10. Mihaela|https://theworldisanoyster.com/

      November 18, 2020 at 12:31 pm

      5 stars
      Awww, they look so beautiful, I would feel sorry to eat them:)) SO creative!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 18, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        LOL thank you!

        Reply
    11. Gina Abernathy

      November 18, 2020 at 9:38 am

      Cheese balls are great to serve as an appetizer. I like the idea of dressing up your cheese ball as a turkey for Thanksgiving.

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 18, 2020 at 11:53 am

        yes it makes it so fun!

        Reply
    12. Alyssa Hixenbaugh

      November 18, 2020 at 8:34 am

      5 stars
      I love cheese all! It’s been a favorite holiday appetizer of mine forever! I love this idea!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 18, 2020 at 11:53 am

        I hope you try this cheeseball!

        Reply
    13. Kristen M Markel

      November 18, 2020 at 7:57 am

      5 stars
      So cute! My kids will love making this and it will be a great centerpiece on the table.

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 18, 2020 at 8:00 am

        Ah, a perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece!

        Reply
    14. Jessica Stroup

      November 18, 2020 at 7:40 am

      5 stars
      How cute is this! I plan to make this for the centerpiece for our kids Thanksgiving table! They are going to love it!!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 18, 2020 at 8:01 am

        It makes everyone smile!

        Reply
    15. Cindy Mom, the Lunch Lady

      November 18, 2020 at 7:28 am

      5 stars
      This is the cutest cheeseball ever! Such a good idea, and I'm sure a big conversation piece, haha. LOVE IT!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 18, 2020 at 7:32 am

        Thank you, I hope you try it for your Thanksgiving this year!

        Reply
    16. Audrey

      November 13, 2020 at 5:26 pm

      5 stars
      This is so cute and tasty too!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 14, 2020 at 6:20 am

        Thank you, it's fun to make and eat!

        Reply
    17. Vincit Omina

      November 09, 2020 at 10:36 am

      5 stars
      Fantastic! He looks so funny!

      Reply
      • Sula

        November 09, 2020 at 3:24 pm

        Think how worried he must be! LOL

        Reply

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