This Turkey Cheese Ball is the perfect appetizer to serve up on Thanksgiving. It is easy to make and so tasty, that everyone will gobble it up!
When it comes to Turkey Day, you can never have enough snacks especially when you’re waiting for the Thanksgiving feast to finish cooking.
This easy turkey cheese ball can be made ahead of time, thrown onto a serving plate and devoured prior to Thanksgiving dinner.
Serve it up alongside some chips, baby carrots, crackers, pretzels or any other dipable foods you’d like!
And if you happen to be looking for another adorable Thanksgiving appetizer, check out our Turkey Treat Bags. If you’re looking for more cheese ball recipes, check out this Jack Skellington Cheese Ball and Grinch Cheese Ball.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Make with simple ingredients – While it may seem complicated, this homemade cheese ball is made with simple ingredients.
- It is cute – Aside from being tasty, this Thanksgiving turkey cheese ball recipe makes a cute turkey shaped food that will have everyone saying “gobble gobble”.
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers of this festive turkey cheese ball appetizer in an airtight container (or tightly covered in plastic wrap) in the fridge. Consume within 2-3 days for best taste.
Things to Note:
- If you or someone you know has a nut allergy, you can skip the pecans and just use the pretzels.
- For the nose, you could use a piece of candy corn instead.
- Instead of cream cheese, you can use goat cheese or brie cheese.
- If you want to add turkey feet, you can make these out of cut pieces of bell pepper too.
What You Will Need to Make A Turkey Cheese Ball:
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Packet of ranch seasoning
- Chives (green onions work too)
- Bacon, cooked, divided (we used premade bacon pieces)
- Pecans, finely chopped
- Jalapeno, finely diced
- Worcestershire sauce
- Red bell pepper
- Yellow bell pepper
- Candy eyes
- Small Pretzel twists
Equipment Needed:
- 1 large wooden skewer
- Toothpicks
How to Make A Turkey Cheese Ball:
Reserve just a bit of cream cheese- 1 tbsp or so for the turkey head, if you don’t have more on hand. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it back into the refrigerator until you are ready to build the turkey.
In a large bowl, fold together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch seasoning, chives, ½ cup of chopped bacon, diced jalapeno, and Worcestershire sauce. Use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients until everything is well combined.
With clean hands, roll the cheese mixture into a large ball and set it back into the bowl to create a flat surface for the cheeseball to rest on.
Cover the cheese ball with a large piece of plastic wrap, and chill for 6 hours, or overnight.
To serve, combine the remaining bacon pieces and chopped pecans on a plate.
Roll the cheese ball in the mixture, and pat the bacon and pecans into the sides and top.
To create the turkey, cut the sides off of your red pepper, and cut one large slice for the turkey’s head. Slice the remaining bell pepper into strips.
Slice the yellow bell pepper into strips as well.
Take the large wooden skewer, and stick it through the bottom of the large red bell pepper piece, and into the cheeseball.
Take a slice of yellow bell pepper and cut a triangle from the piece for the turkey’s beak.
Take a small amount of cream cheese and smear some on the back of the yellow triangle to attach it to your turkey’s head, and repeat for the candy eyes, as well.
For the turkey tail feathers, use toothpicks to stick the bell pepper slices into the cheeseball, alternating colors.
For a little extra decoration, press a few pretzel twists into the cheeseball in front of the pepper slices.
Serve immediately & enjoy!
Turkey Cheese Ball
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1 oz. packet of ranch seasoning
- 2 tbsp. Chives
- 1 cup bacon cooked, divided (we used premade bacon pieces)
- ½ cup pecans finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno finely diced
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 2 candy eyes
- ¼ cup pretzel twists
Instructions
- Reserve just a bit of cream cheese- 1 tbsp or so for the turkey head, if you don’t have more on hand. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it back into the refrigerator until you are ready to build the turkey.
- In a large mixing bowl, fold together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch seasoning, chives, ½ cup of chopped bacon, diced jalapeno, and Worcestershire sauce. Use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients until everything is well combined.
- With clean hands, roll the cheese mixture into a ball and set it back into the bowl to create a flat surface for the cheeseball to rest on.
- Cover the cheese ball with plastic wrap, and chill for 6 hours, or overnight.
- To serve, combine the remaining bacon pieces and chopped pecans on a plate.
- Roll the cheese ball in the mixture, and pat the bacon and pecans into the sides and top.
- To create the turkey, cut the sides off of your red bell pepper, and cut one large slice for the turkey’s head. Slice the remaining bell pepper into strips.
- Slice the yellow bell pepper into strips as well.
- Take the large wooden skewer, and stick it through the bottom of the large red bell pepper piece, and into the cheeseball.
- Take a slice of yellow bell pepper and cut a triangle from the piece for the turkey’s beak.
- Take a small amount of cream cheese and smear some on the back of the yellow triangle to attach it to your turkey’s head, and repeat for the candy eyes, as well.
- For the turkey tail feathers, use toothpicks to stick the bell pepper slices into the cheeseball, alternating colors.
- For a little extra decoration, press a few pretzel twists into the cheeseball in front of the pepper slices.
- Serve immediately & enjoy!
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.