Need an easy appetizer for New England parties and holiday get-togethers? I always whip up my Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball! It's a delicious and savory cheese spread, a crazy-good party snack.
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When it comes to easy party food, a cheese ball should be at the top of your list. It's an retro appetizer that's still a popular party snack, and so yummy to dig into with sturdy crackers!
Here's one to try: a Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball! Chopped red cranberries and green pistachios give it texture and flavor, and a festive look, too, with the red and green colors. The classic cheese ball takes just minutes to mix together and only 30 minutes to chill. Then it's ready to serve to your guests.
I make this Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball with soft, tangy goat cheese, or chèvre. It's so delicious with the dried fruit and chopped nuts.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A festive, retro-inspired appetizer that blends goat cheese with pistachios and cranberries. It's a New England holiday get-together favorite.
- You'll love this part: It's a speedy dish you make right before the party starts. It can also be a make-ahead appetizer!
- How it's made: Blend soft cheese with fruit and nuts, then chill in a lined bowl. Unmold, garnish, and serve.
Jump to:
What is a cheese ball?
A 1950s-style cheese ball is a favorite party appetizer, a retro entertaining classic just like pigs-in-a-blanket and Chex mix!
The cheese ball is made of soft cheese that's been mixed with flavorful ingredients, a mixture of things like herbs, aromatics, nuts, hot sauce, dried fruits, and bacon bits. The mixture is then molded into a large, rounded ball shape and chilled until firm.
Some recipes call for shaping the cheese mixture into bite-size balls that are skewered onto toothpicks. Other recipes are more whimsical, with the cheese spread shaped and decorated to look like animals or faces!
Once chilled, the cheese ball can be served as is, or coated with layer of chopped nuts or herbs. Set out on a plate with plenty of crackers and a small cheese knife, it sure is an tempting appetizer. It's delicious and savory, too!
In my easy, festive Cranberry and Pistachio Cheese Ball recipe, I use soft goat cheese, mixed with chopped green pistachios and chewy dried cranberries.
I’m a big fan of the goat cheese from Vermont Creamery, but if it's not available in your area use any good quality chèvre.
Curious about using another type of cheese?
See the FAQ section below for ideas!
Why you'll love this Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball recipe
One of the best things about this Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball is how easy it is to make. Make it right before your get-together; the party cheese ball is ready to serve just 30 minutes after shaping. Or, it can be a make-ahead appetizer. Prepare it hours in advance, then have it waiting in the fridge. So convenient!
You'll also love how the flavors in this great cheese ball recipe work together. The tangy flavor of soft goat cheese pairs perfectly with sweet-tart bits of dried cranberry and crunchy bits of pistachio. Some pepper jelly in the mixture brings just a bit of sweet-savory heat to the cheese blend, too.
Make a Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball for the holidays
Your friends and family know you throw the best holiday parties, and you're prepared with a well-tested collection of party recipes. And this cheese ball is definitely one to add to your recipe box!
A Pistachio Cranberry Cheese Ball is an easy snack to make for everyone coming to your house for the holidays, or to bring along to a Christmas party or New Year's Eve party. The red cranberries and green pistachios also give this old-fashioned cheese ball a wonderful, festive look that's perfect in November and December.
This is a simple recipe to make, whether you have an hour until everyone arrives or you want to make it ahead of time.
Scatter extra cranberries and nuts around the serving tray to make it even lovelier.
Now that your appetite and party planning instincts are whetted, let me show you how to make a cheese ball!
More party foods!
Appetizers To Ring In The New Year
Celebrate the evening with delicious bites like a classy cheese board, a retro cheese ball, or decadent truffles.
How do you form a cheese ball?
To make that cranberry, pistachio, and cheese mixture into an attractive, savory little sphere, simply press the mixture into a small round bowl lined with plastic wrap. Once it's chilled, pull it from the bowl and you'll have your cheese ball.
Some recipes call for hand-rolling the cheese spread into a big ball; that's an option, too, though a little messier.
Depending on the dishes you have at your disposal, you could pack the cheese spread into a differently shaped bowl to get something more unique—a cheese cube, cheese rectangle or even a cheese star!
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More holiday treats
White Chocolate Cranberry Bark
Make a batch of this simply fruit and nut candy for your holiday guests and family.
🔪 How To Make a Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
- Dried cranberries: Sweetened, dried cranberries (or craisins) have a chewy text and sweet-tart flavor. Look for bags of dried cranberries in the fruit or baking aisles of the store. Check the dates to make sure they're not expired; for open bags, make sure the dried cranberries are still soft and fresh.
- Pistachios: I just love the brilliant green of pistachios in this appetizer! You can buy pistachios still in their shells, or nuts that have already been shelled; the recipe card has quantities for both.
- Goat cheese: Look for a good quality, soft goat cheese. My favorite brand is Vermont Creamery Chèvre. The specialty cheese case at your store will have other brands, too.
- Hot pepper jelly: This jam or jelly is made with bell peppers, chile peppers, and sugar; it has a fantastic sweet-spicy flavor. Look for pepper jelly stocked with other jams and jellies; it's sometimes stocked specialty cheese or deli departments, too. Stonewall Kitchen is one brand you can look for.
- Butter: A little butter in the cheese mixture helps it hold together when shaped into a ball, and creates a smooth texture, too.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt helps make the whole cheese mixture more flavorful.
Chop the cranberries and pistachios
Use a sharp knife to cut the dried cranberries and pistachios into small pieces.
Blend the ingredients
Mix together the cranberries, nuts, goat cheese, and pepper jelly in a mixer.
Make the cheese ball
Press the cheese into a small, lined bowl and chill it.
Unmold and serve
Invert the cheese ball onto a serving plate and cover with chopped pistachios and pepper jelly. Garnish the cranberry cheese ball with cranberries and serve it with crackers.
I ♥ cheese!
Cheese Spread with Bacon and Pesto
Serve this flavorful bacon and basil cheese spread with crisp, buttery crackers!
Cheese Ball FAQs
Yes, you can use another kind of soft, spreadable cheese instead of goat cheese in this recipe. One suggestion is to use cream cheese instead. It has a milder flavor than goat cheese and will be just as delicious with the pistachios and cranberries. Another option is to look for soft, spreadable cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese; it'll be stocked in the regular dairy case or with specialty cheeses.
Set the cheese ball out with a variety of crackers; choose sturdy crackers that can hold up when spread with cheese. Pita chips, slices of mini baguette, and veggies like carrot sticks and celery sticks are also good choices to serve with the cheese spread. Don't forget to put on some party music!
Yes! Although the cheeseball can be ready in less than an hour, you can also prepare it in advance to have it ready for your party. Unmold the cheese ball onto a serving plate, then cover it with food wrap. Hold it in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to three days. Before serving, add crushed pistachios and pepper jelly to the outside of cheese ball.
Tip:
- You can make this Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball up to 3 days in advance. Keep it covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until you're ready to serve it.
- Another serving idea is to shape the mixture into a log, a cranberry pistachio cheese log. After shaping, chill it, then garnish it as above with a coating of chopped pistachios and a little pepper jelly.
A Pistachio and Cranberry Cheese Ball checks all the entertaining boxes: easy to make, quite tasty with crackers, and a popular snack everyone will dig into. And it's only six ingredients!
Alrighty, let's make a cheese ball! The recipe for a Goat Cheese Ball With Pistachios and Cranberries is below. Here are more appetizer ideas, too:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball
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Ingredients
For the cheese ball:
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pistachios in their shells (or ¼ cup shelled pistachios)
- 8 ounces soft chèvre goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 3 tablespoons hot pepper jelly (Plus a little extra pepper jelly to spoon over the top)
- 1 pinch salt
To garnish the cheese ball:
- ½ cup pistachios in their shells (or ¼ cup shelled pistachios)
- 2 tablespoons hot pepper jelly
- extra dried cranberries
To serve:
- a variety of sturdy crackers
Instructions
Chop ingredients:
- Use a sharp knife and cutting board to chop up the ½ cup dried cranberries. You don't have to worry too much about uniformity of the pieces, just chop them into smaller pieces.
- For the ½ cup pistachios in their shells: remove the nuts from their shells. Use a sharp knife to chop the pistachios into small pieces.
Blend the ingredients:
- Place the chopped cranberries, chopped pistachios, 8 ounces soft chèvre goat cheese, 2 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons hot pepper jelly , and 1 pinch salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix the ingredients together on medium speed until the ingredients are evenly blended.
- (You can also use a large bowl and hand mixer to do this step.)
Make the cheese ball:
- Line a small, round bowl with plastic wrap. Press the goat cheese spread firmly into the bowl. Cover the top with plastic wrap pressed to the surface.
- Refrigerate the cheese mixture for 30 minutes.
Unmold and garnish:
- Have a serving plate ready; there should be enough room on the plate for crackers to go next to the cheese ball or around it.
- Uncover the bowl. Use the edges of the plastic lining the bowl to help wiggle the cheese ball loose. Invert it onto the serving plate, then remove the bowl and the plastic wrap from the cheese.
- For the ½ cup pistachios in their shells: remove the shells and finely chop the pistachios.
- Press the chopped pistachios over the surface of the cheese ball.
- Warm 2 tablespoons hot pepper jelly in a heat-proof dish for a few seconds in the microwave. Spoon the warmed jelly over the top of the cheese ball. Sprinkle a few extra dried cranberries over the ball and on the plate.
To serve:
- Add a variety of sturdy crackers next to or around the cheese ball. Serve it immediately, along with a cheese knife to spread.
More serving options:
- Instead of shaping the cheese mixture into a ball, you can instead spoon it into a small serving dish and set it out with crackers.
- Another serving idea is to shape the mixture into a cranberry pistachio cheese log. After shaping, chill it, then garnish it as above with a coating of chopped pistachios and a little pepper jelly.
Notes
- You can make this Goat Cheese Ball up to 3 days in advance. Keep it covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until you're ready to serve it. Wait to coat the surface with chopped pistachios until just before serving.
Nutrition
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