Dazzle your guests with this delicious Turkey Cheese Ball recipe! Fun to make and even more fun to eat, everyone will be ready to GOBBLE, GOBBLE up this tasty ranch flavored cream cheese ball in record time before the big Thanksgiving feast!
Every year, Thanksgiving somehow sneaks up on me. Thankfully, my son is such a fantastic helper in the kitchen. He really enjoyed helping me make this Turkey Cheese Ball recipe (a variation of my Zesty Ranch Cheese Ball). I was grateful because he was able to do all the decorating himself!
That freed me up in the kitchen to make some of my other favorite holiday dishes, like Pickled Red Beet Salad, Easy Cornbread, and Cheddar Parmesan Mac and Cheese for the main meal. And of course, Pumpkin Trifle and Caramel Apple Cheesecake for dessert.
And guess what?-- the turkey cheese ball was not only SUPER delicious, it had my son's own personal, creative touch. Needless to say, it made a beautiful (and much talked about) centerpiece for our Thanksgiving appetizer table!
Jump to:
- 😍Why You'll Love This Turkey Cheese Ball Recipe
- 🥘Just 4 Base Ingredients
- 🔪How To Make A Turkey Cheese Ball
- 🎥Cheese Ball Encasing video
- 🍽Equipment Needed
- Storing Your Thanksgiving Cheese Ball
- ✅Betty's Top Tip
- ❓FAQ
- 🦃More Thanksgiving Appetizers
- 🍴Favroite Thanksgiving Desserts
- 📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
- 💬 Comments
😍Why You'll Love This Turkey Cheese Ball Recipe
| Occupies the kids: If you have kids, then you understand that when there's time off from school, they need to keep busy. What better way to keep them occupied over the long weekend than by spending time together in the kitchen? Only 4 base ingredients: It's hard to believe that something so tasty can have just 4 ingredients at its core (plus decorative add-ons, which we'll cover below)! Kitchen creativity: Take our suggestions, or let your (and/or the kids') creativity shine by dressing up the cheese ball as you wish. You can't go wrong with a variety of pretzels, nuts, bacon, pepperoni, etc.! Much loved: Turkey Cheese Ball pairs so well with crackers and veggies and is always the star of the appetizer table. Everyone thinks the cheese ball is so adorable and it's always GOBBLED up quickly! |
🥘Just 4 Base Ingredients
- Cream cheese, softened: Philadelphia brand--I recommend full fat for easier shaping
- Sour cream: Daisy's or Breakstone's are creamy and have a nice tang--even when you use reduced fat
- Dry ranch seasoning mix: you may use one envelope/sleeve OR measure from a shaker tub to choose your zest level (I like Hidden Valley Ranch for both of these options)
- Shredded Colby Jack cheese: I typically use Kraft's 2%; Monterey Jack cheese is a good alternative
Decorative Add-ons (Listed below is what we use and what you see in the picture. Feel free to change it up!)
- pretzel sticks or thin pretzels: for the feathers
- Snyder's Pretzel rounds: decoration on the belly
- candy eyeballs: so your turkey can see!
- sliced pepperoni wedge: for the beak
Optional/additional extras to cover the Thanksgiving cheese ball could include: bacon bits, slivered almonds or crushed walnuts
🔪How To Make A Turkey Cheese Ball
- Step 1: Beat room temperature cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until fully blended. Add the ranch seasoning and blend on low until smooth.
- Step 2: Add the shredded cheese and blend.
- Step 3: Form a small cheese ball for the head and a large cheese ball for the body. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to set.
- Step 4: Just before serving, arrange on tray and decorate as desired.
Hint: Allow the cream cheese to soften on your counter for easier mixing, or soften in the microwave for 30 seconds.
🎥Cheese Ball Encasing video
🍽Equipment Needed
- plastic wrap
- hand mixer or food processor
- large mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Storing Your Thanksgiving Cheese Ball
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 3-5 days. (It's best to remove decorative items before storing because they will get soggy.)
For another fun treat to make with the kids, check out our super easy Bumps on a Log!
✅Betty's Top Tip
Allow the cheese balls to solidify overnight in the fridge for best results. When ready to serve, choose a serving tray with additional room so you can add crackers, other cheeses, pepperoni and veggies of varying colors. You can't go wrong with a variety of these options. Anything that goes well with ranch and cream cheese will go well with this tasty turkey cheese ball recipe.
This Turkey Cheese Ball recipe will be the talk of Thanksgiving. It's just that good! Are you ready to gobble him up?
❓FAQ
Yes! In fact, making your cheese ball a day or two in advance allows the ranch seasoning and cheeses to meld together perfectly. Just be sure to wait to stack them and add the pretzel "feathers," pepperoni beak, and candy eye decorations until right before serving. That way, everything stays fresh and crisp, and doesn't get soggy in the fridge.
It is not recommended to freeze this cheese ball. Freezing and thawing alters the texture of the cream cheese and sour cream, which can make your cheese ball crumbly, watery, and less creamy once defrosted.
If your cheese ball mixture feels too soft or sticky to initially mold, simply wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before trying to form the turkey's body and head. Using full fat block cream cheese (rather than tub/whipped cream cheese) and ensuring it isn't overly warm will also help it hold a firm shape.
This zesty ranch Thanksgiving cheese ball pairs wonderfully with a variety of dippers! Sturdy crackers, pretzel crisps, celery sticks, baby carrots, and sliced bell peppers are all fantastic options to surround your turkey centerpiece with.
🦃More Thanksgiving Appetizers
Looking for other Thanksgiving entertaining options to serve along with this fun turkey cheese ball recipe? Try these, or head over to our appetizers page:
🍴Favroite Thanksgiving Desserts
These are my favorite desserts to serve on Thanksgiving. Find more ideas on the from-scratch and easy desserts pages:
📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions
Turkey Cheese Ball Recipe For Thanksgiving
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Ingredients
Cheese Ball Base Ingredients:
- 12 oz reduced fat cream cheese 1 & ½ bricks, Philadelphia brand
- ½ cup reduced fat sour cream Daisy's or Breakstone's
- 2-3 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning mix choose your level of zestiness
- 1 & ½ cup reduced fat Colby Jack shredded cheese blend Kraft's 2% recommended
Decorative Add-ons: (This is what you see in the picture. Feel free to change it up!)
- pretzel sticks or pretzel thins feathers
- Snyder's Pretzel Rounds belly decor
- 2 candy eyes
- 1 slice pepperoni cut into wedge for the beak
Instructions
How to Make Zesty Turkey Cheese Ball:
- Allow cream cheese to soften on counter prior to starting for easier mixing (or microwave for 30 seconds in bowl).
- Place the softened cream cheese and sour cream in large mixing bowl. Set the hand mixer to medium speed and blend until contents are fully incorporated, usually 1-2 minutes.
- Add desired amount (2-3T.) of ranch mix to bowl and blend on low speed until smooth.
- Add the shredded cheese to the bowl. Mix on medium speed until well blended, usually 1-2 minutes.
Cheese Ball Encasing Instructions:
- Place two pieces of plastic wrap on your counter. Place a small portion of the mixture on one piece and the remaining mixture (should be much larger) on the other piece.
- Do steps 6-9 for BOTH cheese balls: Fold the plastic wrap in toward the center, with the goal of getting the corners to meet in the middle.
- Twist the plastic wrap so that the cheese ball is entriely encased in the center.
- Using your hands, form a ball out of the mixture. Continue to mold until you have a decent looking sphere.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, though 24 is recommended for optimal shaping.
Assembly:
- Unwrap the cheese balls: Place the larger one on a little plate first; then stack the smaller one on top. Feathers: Put several pretzel sticks or thin pretzels in the back of the large cheese ball. Point them upwards to resemble feathers. Belly: Gently push pretzel rounds around the entire belly. Face: Add the candy eyes and pepperoni wedge (beak) to the small cheese ball.
Leftovers?
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-5 days. Do not freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.
Linda R. says
What an adorable recipe! We couldn't find the pretzel rounds, so we used crushed walnuts instead.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Crushed walnuts are a fine substitution and pair well with the cheese ball!
Katie S. says
I added a red taco strip as a gobbler.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
I love that idea! Thanks for sharing!