Mini Cranberry Pecan Cheese Balls
Mini Cranberry Pecan Cheese Balls are festive, bite-sized appetizers made with cream cheese, cheddar, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans—perfect for holiday gatherings.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (including chill time)
- Yield: 16 mini cheese balls 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 blocks (16 oz) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar or crumbled blue cheese
- 2 cups dried cranberries, chopped (divided)
- 2 cups pecans, chopped (divided)
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped chives (or flat-leaf parsley)
- Optional: mini pretzel sticks for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with cheddar or blue cheese, half the cranberries, half the pecans, green onions, salt, garlic powder, and pepper until smooth.
- Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture and roll into a ball. Repeat until all mixture is used.
- Place the balls on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
- In a separate bowl, mix the remaining cranberries, pecans, and chopped chives.
- Roll each chilled cheese ball in the coating mixture until fully covered.
- Place on a serving platter. Insert a mini pretzel stick into each ball if desired. Serve with crackers, veggies, or fruit slices.
Notes
- Use softened cream cheese for easier mixing.
- Toasting the pecans enhances their flavor.
- Prepare ahead and coat just before serving for best texture.
- Store uncoated balls in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Make a single large cheese ball by combining the whole mixture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini cheese ball
- Calories: 234
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 278mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 20mg