Oh the holidays are here and it’s time to make festive foods. Our holiday pinecone cheese ball recipe is the perfect appetizer recipe to line up on your feasting table. Everyone loves a great cheese ball recipe.

Pinecone Cheese Ball on plate

Holiday Pine Cone Cheese Ball Recipe

Looking for a festive way to serve an appetizer? Make our holiday pine cone cheese ball recipe. It’s a holly jolly fun way to serve a cheese ball that is decorative and delicious. It’s sure to be a conversation starter because it’s not something you can buy in the store. This cheese ball is hand shaped into a pine cone shape and studded with slivered almonds or whole almonds. The rosemary sprig finishes the cheese ball beautifully.

What cheese ball recipe to use for the pine cone cheese ball?

We have so many great recipes for cheese balls, you should check them out here –> Our dip and amazing cheese ball recipes. You can choose your favorite flavor and then shape them into a cute pinecone to make it the perfect festive and holiday-themed appetizer. Slivered almonds coating the whole cheese ball gives a super cute pinecone look! You can also use whole almonds if you like or your favorite nut.

Slivered almonds vs whole almonds for the pine cone cheese ball?

There’s different versions you can do but we prefer using slivered almonds because they’re thin, tender and easy to bite into. The whole almonds get a little hard to bite into especially if you’ve scooped several onto a cracker. It’s not a pleasant eating experience to be biting into several whole almonds. But it’s a personal preference. So choose your favorite way of eating the almond wrapped cheese ball. Also, slivered almonds are more budget friendly than whole almonds.

Video of our Holiday Pinecone Cheese Ball:

Make Ahead Holiday Cheese Ball

The best part about this recipe is that you can totally make this ahead of time. You can make it about 3 days before you’re ready to serve it. Just make sure to make it on the dish or platter that you plan on serving it on. That way all you need is to pull the dish out before serving and add crackers. Done! Taking it out to room temp at least 2 hours before serving is ideal so that the cream cheese is soft and spreadable.

Pinecone Cheese Ball for an easy Holiday Cheese Ball Recipe on plate

Add Herbs and other Spices for More Flavor!

The rosemary stems give a fabulous festive finished look and everyone really enjoyed the whole presentation. But you can always add some sprigs of sage, oregano, thyme or marjoram for another decorative option. If you love spicy dips, add some drizzles of hot sauce into your cheese ball mix. Amp up the flavor as much as you want!

Pinecone Cheese Ball for an easy Holiday Cheese Ball Recipe | @bestrecipebox

Holiday Pinecone Cheese Balls

Yield: 10 people
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
We have so many awesome cheese ball recipes. We love this one using our blue cheese ball base recipe, but make your favorite cheese ball recipe into a festive appetizer to look like a pinecone!
5 from 7 votes

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Ingredients

Blue Cheese Ball Base , or use your Favorite Cheese Ball Recipe

  • 8 ounces (227 g) Cream Cheese , softened (1 package)
  • 4 ounces (113 g) Blue Cheese , softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) finely minced fresh Rosemary , optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) Onion Powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon (0.6 ml) Paprika
  • fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) dried Cranberries , chopped

Pinecone Decorative Coating

  • 1/2 cup (50 g) sliced almonds (approximately)
  • Rosemary Sprigs (for garnish) makes it festive

Instructions 

  • In bowl, combine cream cheese and blue cheese until well combined.
    Mixing cream cheese and blue cheese in a bowl
  • Mix in the optional chopped rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and chopped cranberries. Stir the mixture until everything is combined. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings.
    Cheese ball ingredients mixed in a bowl
  • Lay plastic wrap on surface and transfer cheese mixture on top. Wrap the plastic wrap around cheese mixture and shape the mixture into an oval shape (like a pinecone laying on its side – kind of looks like an elongated egg). Chill until the cheese ball is firm.
    Cheese ball formed into a pinecone shape
  • Decorated the chilled ball with the slivered almonds layered to resemble a pinecone. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
    Placing almonds on cheese ball
  • Garnish with rosemary when ready to serve. The cheese ball tastes better the next day after all the flavors are combined. Can be served slightly chilled or at room temperature (we like the texture & flavor best at room temperature).
    Finished pinecone cheese ball on a plate

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 142kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 240mg, Potassium: 146mg, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 444IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Appetizer, Dips, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 142
Author: Diane

What to serve with cheese balls?

Serve the pinecone cheese ball with your favorite crackers, crudite or bread. It’s a fantastic way to take a simple cheese ball and elevate it to a fun holiday spirit! If you like potato chips, make sure to find one that’s firm enough to scoop into the cheese ball. You can also add some charcuterie or salami slices around the ball. If you love olives and other pickles, these are great accompaniments too.

More Easy Cheese Ball Recipes