Recipes Holidays and Events Recipes Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Appetizers Pumpkin Cheese Ball 5.0 (1) 1 Review 2 Photos This pumpkin cheese ball is a fun make-ahead appetizer for Thanksgiving or Halloween. You can use your favorite cheese, e.g. smoked or flavored cheese and cream cheese are good options. By Kathryn Hendrix, RDN, LD Kathryn Hendrix, RDN, LD Kathryn Hendrix is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary School Graduate. She specializes in Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, Gluten Free, and Nutrition. She has over 10 years culinary experience and has been cooking vegan her whole life. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on October 13, 2024 Save Rate Print Share Close Add Photo 2 Prep Time: 20 mins Chill Time: 3 hrs Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Servings: 24 Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 24 servings 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 tablespoon bottled hot pepper sauce 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 2 cups finely shredded yellow Cheddar cheese 1 stem from a bell pepper crackers for serving Directions Gather all ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Combine cream cheese, hot pepper sauce, paprika, and garlic in a food processor. Process until well combined. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Add 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and process until cheese is finely chopped but still very visible. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the remaining shredded cheese into a 4-inch pile on a large piece of plastic wrap, and top with a rounded scoop of the cheese ball mixture. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Sprinkle the cheese ball mound with the remaining shredded cheese. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Pull sides of plastic wrap up and over the cheese ball mixture to wrap tightly and shape into a ball. (If needed, wrap with an additional piece of plastic wrap to ensure the mixture is very tightly wrapped.) Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Wrap 4 wide rubber bands around the cheese ball, evenly spacing them to create the indentations that are found on a pumpkin. (Depending on the size of the rubber bands, you may need to double wrap each one to create indentations that are deep enough.) Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Chill cheese ball in the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld and the cream cheese to become firm. Before serving, remove rubber bands and unwrap cheese ball. Place a bell pepper stem on top of the pumpkin and gently press to adhere. Serve with crackers. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 111 Calories 10g Fat 2g Carbs 4g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 24 Calories 111 % Daily Value * Total Fat 10g 13% Saturated Fat 6g 29% Cholesterol 29mg 10% Sodium 144mg 6% Total Carbohydrate 2g 1% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Total Sugars 1g Protein 4g 7% Vitamin C 7mg 8% Calcium 92mg 7% Iron 0mg 1% Potassium 45mg 1% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.