Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls are perfect to serve at your Halloween party or with Thanksgiving dinner. The cheesy bite-size appetizers are rolled in crushed tortilla chips and are quick and easy to make.
Making these Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls has me ready for Fall. Currently, it is anything but Fall here. Still very hot and humid but in my mind the season is changing. This cheesy appetizer will be perfect to serve at any of your Fall gatherings along with these cute pumpkin strawberries. Both are delicious and cute!
The best part of these mini pumpkin cheese balls is that they are so easy to make and everyone will love them.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls
- Make Ahead Mini Cheese Balls
- Equipment
- Ingredients
- How to Make Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls
- Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
- Check out more appetizers
- Printable Mini Pumpkin Cheese Ball Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The mini cheese balls are festive and fun.
- Everyone loves bite-size appetizers.
- Easy to make.
- Can be made a day ahead of time.
Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls
It’s no secret that pumpkin rules the Fall holidays, whether it’s in a cute craft form or in a pumpkin dessert. So it seemed perfect to make an appetizer in the shape of a pumpkin and what better way than to make it out of cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon!
Every Halloween party or Fall festivity needs appetizer recipes that are simple and who doesn’t love cheese and crackers?! This girl sure does and even more when it’s an easy recipe to make and the presentation is super cute. They would look great on a Halloween Charcuterie Board, too.
Creating a fall-themed pumpkin cheese ball in mini forms makes it a great kid and adult snack. Kids will love the shape and the size. Adults will love that they can enjoy a tasty cheesy treat and the mini form, too. It will be hard to resist a mini festive pumpkin cheese ball as cute as these are.
Of course, you can create one large pumpkin cheese ball using this recipe, especially if you’re feeding a large crowd and time is of the essence. But, mini pumpkin cheese balls are cuter, I think. The full recipe will make 14 mini cheese balls.
Make Ahead Mini Cheese Balls
This make-ahead pumpkin cheese ball recipe is perfect to make the day before and stored in the refrigerator.
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Cookie scoop (this one is my favorite)
- Serving tray
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons bacon pieces
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- ½ cup Doritos, crushed
- Pretzel sticks (7 pretzels broken in half, if making the same size cheese balls)
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls
Step 1
To make the cream cheese mixture: Combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, and garlic in a medium bowl, and stir well.
Step 2
Use a cookie scoop to gather rounded spoonfuls of cheese ball mixture, and drop them onto a plate or platter. Once all of the scoops are formed, roll them into balls.
Step 3
Crush the Doritos finely, and place them in a small shallow bowl. Roll cheese balls into the crushed Doritos until it’s fully covered. Place each ball on a wax paper lined tray or plate.
Step 4
Break the pretzel sticks in half, and insert pretzels into the center of each coated ball.
Step 5
Refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve the little cheese pumpkins with your favorite crackers.
Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it will be easier to work with.
- Substitute the cheddar cheese for your favorite cheese. Pepper Jack is delicious in this recipe as is Swiss, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and white cheddar.
- Add a little red pepper flakes if you want a bit of heat or spice.
- In place of the crushed nacho cheese Doritios, finely crushed Cheez-It crackers, crushed cheese puffs, more shredded cheese, or toasted pecans.
- Use a food processor to crush the coating of your choice.
- Don’t have pretzel sticks? Try using a small celery stick, a green bell pepper stem, or a jalapeno pepper stem.
Check out more appetizers
- Air Fryer Sausage Balls
- Rosemary Roasted Potato Peelings
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
- Everything Bagel Mini Pigs in a Blanket
Printable Mini Pumpkin Cheese Ball Recipe
Mini Pumpkin Cheese Balls Recipe
Equipment
- medium bowl
- wooden spoon
- Cookie Scoop
- Serving tray
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons bacon pieces
- ½ cup crushed nacho cheese Doritos
- 7 pretzel sticks, broke in half
Instructions
- To make the cream cheese mixture: Combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, and garlic in a medium bowl, and stir well.
- Use a cookie scoop to gather rounded spoonfuls of cheese ball mixture, and drop them onto a plate or platter. Once all of the scoops are formed, roll them into balls.
- Crush the Doritos finely, and place them in a small shallow bowl. Roll cheese balls into the crushed Doritos until it’s fully covered. Place each ball on a wax paper lined tray or plate.
- Break the pretzel sticks in half, and insert pretzels into the center of each coated ball.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour, then serve the little cheese pumpkins with your favorite crackers.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it will be easier to work with.
- Substitute the cheddar cheese for your favorite cheese. Pepper Jack is delicious in this recipe as is Swiss, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and white cheddar.
- Add a little red pepper flakes if you want a bit of heat or spice.
- In place of the crushed nacho cheese Doritios, finely crushed Cheez-It crackers, crushed cheese puffs, more shredded cheese, or toasted pecans.
- Use a food processor to crush the coating of your choice.
- Don’t have pretzel sticks? Try using a small celery stick, a green bell pepper stem, or a jalapeno pepper stem.
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