By Becky Hardin
Published Dec 3, 2019
This Christmas Cheese Ball needs a place on your table this year! Made with orange and cranberry, it’s easy to make and full of festive flavors. It’s a great holiday centerpiece and perfect as an appetizer, as part of a cheeseboard or a casual finger food.
Is it really Christmas without an awesome cheese ball recipe ?! I’ve packed all of the festive flavors into a fun cheese appetizer that’s so easy to make! Wow your guests with this holiday cheese ball recipe!
How to Make Orange Cranberry Cheese Ball (Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe)
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and black pepper. Process 30 seconds or until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, chives, orange zest, orange marmalade and dried cranberries; process until smooth and ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Transfer the cheese to the center of a large piece of plastic wrap that has been placed on a work surface. Pick up the cheese from under the plastic wrap and shape the cheese into a ball. Twist the plastic wrap to enclose the cheese ball. Set the wrapped cheese ball in a bowl with the twisted part of the plastic wrap on top and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or until firm. You can make the cheese ball up to three days ahead of serving.
- Remove the cheese ball from the fridge 30 minutes prior to adding the topping mixture, After 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and roll the ball in the topping mixture, pressing as you work your way around the ball to ensure the topping adheres.
- At this point, the cheese ball is ready to serve, or it can be loosely covered and placed back in the fridge until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, allow it to soften on the counter 30 minutes prior to serving.
- Serve on a platter or cheese board along with fresh veggies, crackers, pretzels, and/or crostini.
- Enjoy!
FOR THE TOPPING ON THE CHRISTMAS CHEESE BALL:
- Mix the dried cranberries, pecans and orange zest together in a medium bowl.
The perfect make ahead party appetizer
At the time of year when you are entertaining more friends and family than usual, make ahead party food and appetizers are a must! You can prep this Christmas cheese ball a whopping three days ahead of time, so it’s perfect to keep in the fridge to serve at any point.
Can you freeze a cheeseball?
If you are really planning ahead, you can in fact, freeze the cheeseball before you add the toppings and it will be good for up to a month. Be sure to wrap it in securely in the plastic wrap and thaw it in the fridge.
How to serve
I like to keep it simple when serving cheeseballs and simply like to serve them up on a plate with a selection of savory crackers. You can however serve the cheese ball a part of a larger cheeseboard, and this works especially well if you have lots of guests. Serve with several cheeses, nuts, crudite and crostini.
Top Tips to Make This Orange Cranberry Cheese Ball (Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe)
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix the ingredients in a large bowl with a spoon. It will take longer but work the same!
- Be sure to cover the whole cheese ball in plastic wrap so that it’s secure.
- Let the cheese ball come to room temperature before adding the toppings.
Be sure to check out these other cheese ball appetizer recipes!
- Mini Cheese Ball Bites
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
- Smoky Port Wine Cheese Log
- Sweet Potato Chorizo Sausage Cheese Balls
- Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Recipe
- Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Cherries and Pecans
- Christmas Tree Cheese Ball by Slow The Cook Down
Ingredients1x2x3x
For the Cheese Ball:
- ▢ 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ▢ 8 ounces goat cheese room temperature
- ▢ 1½ tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ▢ 1½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ▢ 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ▢ 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ▢ 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sweet orange marmalade
- ▢ ¼ cup dried cranberries
For the Topping:
- ▢ 4 ounces dried cranberries
- ▢ 3.5 ounces Honey Roasted Pecans
- ▢ Zest of 1 large orange
Instructions
For the Cheese Ball:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and black pepper. Process 30 seconds or until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, chives, orange zest, orange marmalade and dried cranberries; process until smooth and ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Transfer the cheese to the center of a large piece of plastic wrap that has been placed on a work surface. Pick up the cheese from under the plastic wrap and shape the cheese into a ball. Twist the plastic wrap to enclose the cheese ball. Set the wrapped cheese ball in a bowl with the twisted part of the plastic wrap on top and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or until firm. You can make the cheese ball up to three days ahead of serving. Remove the cheese ball from the fridge 30 minutes prior to adding the topping mixture, After 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and roll the ball in the topping mixture, pressing as you work your way around the ball to ensure the topping adheres. At this point, the cheese
- ball is ready to serve, or it can be loosely covered and placed back in the fridge until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, allow it to soften on the counter 30 minutes prior to serving.
- Serve on a platter or cheese board along with fresh veggies, crackers, pretzels, and/or crostini.
- Enjoy!
For the Topping:
- Mix the dried cranberries, pecans and orange zest together in a medium bowl.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Orange Cranberry Cheese Ball - Christmas Cheese Balls
Ingredients
For the Cheese Ball:
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 8 ounces goat cheese room temperature
- 1½ tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
- 1 tablespoon sweet orange marmalade
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
For the Topping:
- 4 ounces dried cranberries
- 3.5 ounces Honey Roasted Pecans
- Zest of 1 large orange
Instructions
For the Cheese Ball:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and black pepper. Process 30 seconds or until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, chives, orange zest, orange marmalade and dried cranberries; process until smooth and ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Transfer the cheese to the center of a large piece of plastic wrap that has been placed on a work surface. Pick up the cheese from under the plastic wrap and shape the cheese into a ball. Twist the plastic wrap to enclose the cheese ball. Set the wrapped cheese ball in a bowl with the twisted part of the plastic wrap on top and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or until firm. You can make the cheese ball up to three days ahead of serving. Remove the cheese ball from the fridge 30 minutes prior to adding the topping mixture, After 30 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and roll the ball in the topping mixture, pressing as you work your way around the ball to ensure the topping adheres. At this point, the cheese
- ball is ready to serve, or it can be loosely covered and placed back in the fridge until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, allow it to soften on the counter 30 minutes prior to serving.
- Serve on a platter or cheese board along with fresh veggies, crackers, pretzels, and/or crostini.
- Enjoy!
For the Topping:
- Mix the dried cranberries, pecans and orange zest together in a medium bowl.
Nutrition
By Becky Hardin
Published Jul 12, 2017
This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.
Essential Grocery List
It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!
It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.
However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.
In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.
I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.
When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.
So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Fresh Produce
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Lemons/Limes
- Onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
GRAINS
- Breadcrumbs
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sandwich Bread
- Tortillas
MEAT/PROTEIN
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground Beef
- Sliced Turkey
- Lunch Meat
DAIRY
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Greek Yogurt
BAKING GOODS
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
- Dry Yeast
- Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
FREEZER
- Fruit and Berries
- Frozen Veggies (Corn, Peas, Broccoli, etc)
- Juice Concentrate
- Pizza or Other Convenience Meals
- Pie Crust
- Cookie Dough
CANNED/DRIED GOODS
- Chicken stock/broth
- Salsa
- Diced Tomatoes
- Jam/Jelly
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta Sauce
- Beans (Black Beans, Chickpeas, Baked Beans, etc)
- Soups
- Tuna
- Green Chiles
- Canned Veggies
- Coffee or Tea
Get more details on the best non-perishable and pantry foods
CONDIMENTS/SPICES
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Salt (Course Sea Salt and Kosher Salt)
- Soy Sauce
- Steak Sauce
- Hot Sauce/ Buffalo Sauce
- Salad Dressings
OILS/VINEGARS
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Cooking Wine
- White Wine Vinegar
SNACKS
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Quick Oats
- Popcorn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cereal
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Click ☝🏻 for my FREE Grocery List Printable!
I hope this essential grocery list can help you buy what you need and make your home cooking so much easier!
Stock Your Kitchen
Find more ideas for your grocery list, stock up your kitchen, and print more cooking guides and charts to keep handy!
Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On
Frozen Vegetables to Stock Up On (and Recipes to Make)
Ultimate List of Cooking Herbs for Your Kitchen
Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Kitchen
Cooking Oil 101: Types of Cooking Oils to Use
26 Types of Pasta and When to Use Them
What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
Meat Temperature Chart (Free Printable)
How to Meal Prep (Guide for Beginners)
Basic Cooking Measurements & Kitchen Conversion Chart
