Cranberry Pecan Mini Cheese Balls
These cranberry pecan mini cheese balls are a festive, bite-sized appetizer that’s perfect for holiday parties. Each one is creamy, tangy, and coated in a colorful mix of cranberries, pecans, and parsley. They’re easy to prep ahead, look beautiful on a holiday platter, and taste even better than they look. Serve them with crackers, pretzels, or fresh veggies for a simple but crowd-pleasing appetizer that always disappears first.
Servings: 14
Ingredients
- 2 (16 oz) blocks cream cheese (softened to room temp)
- 2 cups pecans chopped and divided
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup green onions chopped
- 2 cups dried cranberries chopped and divided
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Line a large tray with parchment paper and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1 cup of chopped pecans, the shredded white cheddar, green onions, 1 cup of dried cranberries, garlic salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Use a hand mixer on low speed to blend everything together until smooth and evenly mixed.
- Scoop about 2–3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture and roll it into a ball. Set it on the prepared tray. You can make them bite-sized or a little larger — whatever fits your crowd.
- Once all the cheese balls are rolled, cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour so they can firm up.
- On a large plate, mix together the remaining chopped pecans, cranberries, and parsley. Roll each chilled cheese ball in the mixture until fully coated, gently pressing so everything sticks.
- Serve with crackers, pretzels, or veggie sticks. For easy, mess-free snacking, stick a pretzel stick into the top of each one — they double as both garnish and handle.