This pumpkin cheese ball is perfect for your fall festivities! It is essentially made with a seasoned cream cheese ball, formed into a pumpkin shape, coated with crushed doritos and topped with a bell pepper stem to make it look like a perfect little pumpkin. This recipe is perfect for your thanksgiving appetizers or your next halloween party.
Place the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until soft. Add in the shredded cheese and briefly mix to combine.
Next, add the seasoning to the bowl: parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
Whip all ingredients in the bowl until soft and well combined.
Line a small bowl with plastic wrap (cling film) and transfer the cheese mix into the bowl. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and shape into a firm ball with your hands.
Use 3 rubber bands and secure them around the cheese ball to create the pumpkin shape.
Place the pumpkin ball back into the bowl and place it into the fridge for at least 2 hours or longer to firm up. Once firm, carefully remove the cheese ball from the plastic wrap and place it onto a serving dish.
Add the doritos (tortilla chips) into a freezer bag and crumble them with a rolling pin to crush them into small pieces and dust. Use your hands to carefully press the dorito crumbles onto the pumpkin cheese ball until completely coated.
To take the pumpkin look to the next level, press a bell pepper stem into the top of the pumpkin shape and serve your cheese ball alongside crackers, crisps and Co for dipping into the cheese.
Notes
Coating - experiment with the pumpkin ball coating! Instead of the crushed Doritos I used, try bagel seasoning, fresh herbs, black sesame seeds or even shredded cheese.
Storage - the pumpkin cheese ball is best enjoyed right away, but you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days before removing it from the cling film and coating it in spicy dorito crumbs.
Serving - serve the pumpkin cheese ball on a large serving platter and surround it with your favorite crackers and sliced veggies to dip into the cheese. Crunchy pretzel bites, ritz crackers, nacho chips, crisps (chips) and breadsticks are also a fun option!
shredded cheese - you can leave the shredded cheese out, but I find it adds texture and great flavor to the cheese ball, so I wouldn't skip it.
bell pepper stem - as pumpkin stem or try a small broccoli stalk. In addition, you could use 1-2 sage leaves and place them next to the stem to make it look like pumpkin leaves.