Mini Holiday Cheeseballs

How perfect an idea, making Mini Holiday Cheeseballs for your next Christmas party or event! These individual-size portions of cheeseballs are beautiful, Christmas-themed, and delicious. And the best part is, this handy appetizer can be made ahead of time — before the holiday rush saps all your time and energy. Get a few bags of these in the freezer before November to have on hand for a quick and easy treat whenever you need them.

If you have enough freezer space, you can have a huge variety of appetizers on hand for the next “last-minute” office party or event. It’s an easy way to be prepared that will bless your family and help keep holiday stress low. Most of our appetizers, including this cheeseball recipe, can be kept in a deep freeze for up to six months. Make sure to join our Freezer Meal 101 Club for instant access to all of our favorite recipes!

Mini Holiday Cheeseballs Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp. dry onion flakes
• dash hot sauce
• pinch of pepper
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• parsley or dill, fresh, chopped
• dried cranberries, chopped
• 2 medium (quart) freezer bags

How to Make Mini Holiday Cheeseballs

Assembly Instructions

1. Chill for about an hour after mixing the ingredients, then shape into balls.
2. Roll in dill, parsley and/or dried cranberries.
3. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet.
4. Transfer to a freezer bag once frozen, remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Serving Instructions

1. Thaw slightly.
2. Serve with crackers.

Do I have to freeze the mini holiday cheeseballs?

If you want to make a batch of these right before your party – go for it! They’ll need to have at least an hour of chill time in the fridge to be ready for the big event. Refrigerating the cheese balls overnight will help the flavors meld more fully.

What type of serving utensils should I have out?

I think party picks or toothpicks are perfect for guests to scoop up appetizers like this one, but you could also offer a pair of tongs nearby. Guests can scoop up cheeseball onto a cracker, but may also enjoy having a plastic knife for spreading the love. A little pretzel stick stuck into each one works amazing. I’ve also seen mini cheeseballs served on lollipop sticks and it was adorable. You can find those in the candy making section at your local craft store.

What is a deep freeze?

There are two different types of freezers. A fridge freezer is one that is connected to your refrigerator. This type of freezer doesn’t get food quite as cold because it is next to and shares air circulation with a warmer half. On the other hand, a deep freeze is a stand-alone appliance that doesn’t share air space with a refrigerator and can keep foods frozen at or below 0ºF, or -18ºC at all times. While a fridge freezer will typically only keep foods for about three months, a deep freeze can keep foods safely frozen for 6-12 months. A deep freeze is ideal for freezer-meal cooking for several reasons including storage space and food safety.

Mini Holiday Cheeseballs Recipe Ideas

It’s so easy to change up the ingredients of a cheeseball and still have a delightful treat. Don’t add them all at once, but here are some ingredient options you might enjoy.

• slivered almonds
• toasted and crushed walnuts or pecans
• chipped beef
• diced pepperoni
• cooked and crumbled bacon
• green onion
• diced red peppers
• seeds – sesame, pumpkin, or poppy seeds
• different shredded cheeses – Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend.
• cooked and crumbled sausage
• ham deli meat, cut into pieces.
• cilantro
• chives
• different dried fruits — we chose cranberries for the Christmas color.

You can also experiment with different ways to get the red or green colors on the outside. For instance, instead of dried cranberries for the read, you could roll the cheeseballs in crushed red tortilla chips, crumbled bacon, or diced red peppers. Instead of parsley or dill for the green color, you could crushed green tortilla chips (X’otil brand usually has holiday colors), green pistachios, chopped cilantro or chives.

If you are counting on your stash of mini cheeseballs to be there when you need them, keep an eye on the bag or set clear boundaries! These goodies have a way of disappearing one at a time.

These easily portable bite-sized cheeseballs can be added to a charcuterie tray or individual charcuterie jars for a fun touch that fits right in.

How do I store Mini Holiday Cheeseballs

These handy individually-portioned cheeseballs are so easy because you can thaw exactly what you need. Thaw one per guest, and you’ll be golden. If you happen to have a couple extra, the leftovers can be refrigerated for up to a week and enjoyed for an afternoon snack or midnight refrigerator raid.

What to Serve with Mini Holiday Cheeseballs

Try to find crackers that are perfect for dipping into thick cheese. Crackers that crumble or break too easily won’t work. Besides crackers, you could also use pretzels, tortilla chips, Fritos, crusty bread, bagel pieces, pita, breadsticks, or veggies for dipping. Whether you want one appetizer or twenty, your mini cheeseballs will fit right in and can be customized for your holiday or color scheme of choice.

Print

Mini Holiday Cheesecake

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Servings: 12

Calories: 81 kcal

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 tbsp dry onion flakes
• dash hot sauce
• pinch pepper
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• parsley or dill fresh, chopped
• dried cranberries chopped

Instructions

Assembly Instructions

1. Chill after mixing then shape into balls.

2. Roll in dill, parsley and/or dried cranberries.

3. Freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

4. Transfer to a freezer bag once frozen, remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Serving Instructions

1. Thaw slightly.

2. Serve with crackers.