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!
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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
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.
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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.
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.
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
Whichever approach you use to make your turkey cheese ball, be sure to have fun with it!
More Holiday Recipe Ideas
All the traditional holiday foods can be made in creative ways. Another appetizer idea is a turkey shaped charcuterie board to set the tone for the meal.
While you're making acorn squash in the slow cooker, get the smoker going outside to make some delicious and crispy smoked spatchcock turkey.
You can make some cranberry sauce from dried cranberries the day before to make your Thanksgiving day a little less busy!
📖 Recipe
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Turkey Shaped Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz whipped cream cheese – plain or with chives
- 2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
- 0.6 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Katie McKee
This was so easy to make and everyone got a laugh out of it!
Sula
Wonderful!
Amy Johnson
What a cute idea! I'm making this when our grandkids are here. They will love it.
Sula
Awesome! Enjoy!
Addie
Such a fun and festive appetizer! Yum!
Sula
Super fun, right? 🙂
Debbie
What else could you roll the cheese ball in except pecans?
Sula
Chopped walnuts would work, or if you're trying to avoid nuts you could try bacon bits or crushed pretzels.
Gabriela Herrera
This turkey cheeseball is epic, it is so darn creative and I am sure it will be the center of attention.
Sula
Thank you!
Dawn Conklin
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.
Sula
Fantastic! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!
Maria
Such a cutie and funny! LOL my kids will like this! Yummy!
Sula
Yes it is super kid friendly!
Toni Dash
This is really amazing!! A sure hit for Thanksgiving!
Sula
It's guaranteed to bring smiles!
Krissy Allori
I showed your recipe to my kids and now they're begging me to make it for Thanksgiving!
Sula
LOL kids love it!
Heidy
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!
Sula
I hope you have a lovely holiday!
Julia
Such a fun project to make with kids for Thanksgiving! Love it! 🙂
Sula
Oh yes the kids will love this!
Gabriela Herrera
This is absolutely beautiful and so creative definitely the center of attention this coming holiday.
Sula
It makes a great addition to your Holiday table!
Mihaela|https://theworldisanoyster.com/
Awww, they look so beautiful, I would feel sorry to eat them:)) SO creative!
Sula
LOL thank you!
Gina Abernathy
Cheese balls are great to serve as an appetizer. I like the idea of dressing up your cheese ball as a turkey for Thanksgiving.
Sula
yes it makes it so fun!
Alyssa Hixenbaugh
I love cheese all! It’s been a favorite holiday appetizer of mine forever! I love this idea!
Sula
I hope you try this cheeseball!
Kristen M Markel
So cute! My kids will love making this and it will be a great centerpiece on the table.
Sula
Ah, a perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece!
Jessica Stroup
How cute is this! I plan to make this for the centerpiece for our kids Thanksgiving table! They are going to love it!!
Sula
It makes everyone smile!
Cindy Mom, the Lunch Lady
This is the cutest cheeseball ever! Such a good idea, and I'm sure a big conversation piece, haha. LOVE IT!
Sula
Thank you, I hope you try it for your Thanksgiving this year!
Audrey
This is so cute and tasty too!
Sula
Thank you, it's fun to make and eat!
Vincit Omina
Fantastic! He looks so funny!
Sula
Think how worried he must be! LOL