Christmas Tree Cheese Ball is a creamy, tangy cheddar and cream cheese spread with green onion, dill and garlic, shaped into a tall tree and coated in fresh parsley. Little grape tomatoes and yellow pepper are the ornaments, a ribbon of pine nuts is the garland, and a yellow pepper topper sits on top. It is the appetizer that disappears first at a holiday party or a Christmas Eve open house.
How to make a Christmas tree cheese ball: Beat cream cheese with shredded white cheddar, green onions, dill and garlic powder, chill it for 1 hour, shape it into a cone about 10 inches tall, then decorate it and press on chopped parsley.
Why You’ll Love It
- No cooking: everything is mixed, chilled and shaped.
- Feeds a crowd: one tree makes 16 servings.
- A table centerpiece: it looks like a little decorated tree on the platter.
- Classic cheese ball flavor: sharp cheddar, cream cheese, green onion and dill on a buttery cracker.
Ingredient Notes
Cream cheese, softened. Let all three 8-ounce packages come to room temperature. Soft cream cheese beats smooth in a minute; cold blocks leave lumps that show through the parsley.
Sharp white cheddar. Sixteen ounces, shredded to about 4 cups. White cheddar keeps the inside pale and creamy-looking when you cut into the tree, and the sharp flavor stands up to all that cream cheese.
Green onions, tops only. The green tops add color and a mild onion bite without the harsh crunch of the white part.
Dill. Use 2 teaspoons dried or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh. It gives the spread its fresh, herby flavor.
Parsley, tomatoes and yellow pepper. Finely chopped parsley makes the green “needles”. Mini grape tomatoes or chopped red bell pepper and chopped yellow pepper are the ornaments, and you cut one tree topper from the yellow pepper.
Ingredients
- 24 ounces cream cheese (three 8-ounce packages), softened to room temperature
- 16 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups)
- 3/4 cup green onions, sliced, green tops only
- 2 teaspoons dried dill, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- 1 pretzel rod, optional, for support
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup mini grape tomatoes, or chopped red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper (1 topper cut out, 1/2 cup chopped)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- Savory crackers, for serving
How to Make a Christmas Tree Cheese Ball
1. Beat the cream cheese. Beat the cream cheese with the paddle of a stand mixer until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
2. Mix in the cheddar. Add the cheddar and green onions, sprinkle over the dill and garlic powder, season with the salt and pepper and mix until evenly combined.
3. Chill. Remove the paddle and spread the mixture in an even layer in the bowl and up the sides. Cover and chill 1 hour.
4. Shape the tree. With clean or gloved hands, shape the mixture into a tall cone about 10 inches high. If you are using a pretzel rod, shape the cheese around it so the pretzel sits in the center and does not show. Set the cone on a serving plate, press it down so it sticks and reshape as needed.
5. Add the ornaments. Press the grape tomatoes (halved if large) and the chopped yellow pepper randomly over the tree. Wrap a ribbon of pine nuts around it from the top down, pressing them in so they stay put.
6. Coat with parsley. Tilt the tree and press handfuls of parsley over it until it is coated. Put the yellow pepper topper on a toothpick and push it into the top.
7. Serve. Serve with crackers shortly after making it, or keep it chilled in an airtight container until the party.
How to Make the Cheese Stand Up Like a Tree
A soft cheese spread slumps if you try to stack it straight from the mixer. Chilling fixes that. Spreading the mixture thin in the bowl and up the sides lets it chill quickly and evenly, so after 1 hour the whole batch is firm enough to mold, not hard in the middle and soft at the edges.
Build the cone tall and narrow, about 10 inches high, with a wide base. A pretzel rod pushed through the middle works like a trunk and keeps a tall tree from leaning. Press the base firmly onto the platter so it stays put while you decorate.
Decorate in order. Ornaments and the pine nut garland go on first, while the surface is bare and the pieces can sink in. The parsley goes on last and fills every gap around them, so the tree looks full and green.
| Stage | Time or size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chill the mixture | 1 hour, spread thin | Firm enough to shape evenly |
| Shape | About 10 inches tall | A tall, narrow tree |
| Support | 1 pretzel rod | Keeps it from leaning |
Tips for Success
Why is my cheese mixture lumpy?
The cream cheese was still cold. Let it soften to room temperature and beat it smooth on its own before you add the cheddar.
Why won’t the ornaments stick?
If the parsley goes on first, the tomatoes and pine nuts have nothing to grip. Press the ornaments and garland directly into the cheese, then add the parsley around them.
Why is my tree sliding on the plate?
It was not pressed down. Set the cone on the platter and press the base down firmly so it sticks, then reshape the sides.
Variations
- Food processor version: pulse 8 ounces cream cheese and 8 ounces sharp cheddar with cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, scallions and lemon juice, wrap it and freeze 30 minutes, shape it with the plastic wrap, coat it in parsley and dill, and use pomegranate seeds as ornaments.
- Herbed tree: mix cream cheese with Havarti, Parmesan, basil, lemon zest and garlic, roll it into a cone in plastic wrap, coat it in basil and parsley and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Storage & Reheating
Keep the cheese tree in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you serve it. Cream cheese and cheddar are perishable, so USDA FSIS advises not leaving them out longer than 2 hours; refrigerate leftovers promptly and serve them as a regular cheese spread with crackers.
What to Serve With It
Build a holiday snack table around the tree: a sweet-savory cranberry pecan cheese ball, an old-fashioned creamed chipped beef cheese ball, warm Rotel cream cheese sausage balls and baked broccoli cheese balls, plus a tray of cheese puff squares. For a Christmas morning crowd, serve it before a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a cheese ball stand up like a tree?
Chill the mixture for 1 hour, shape it into a tall cone with a wide base, and use a pretzel rod in the center as a trunk. Press the base firmly onto the platter.
Can I make a Christmas tree cheese ball ahead?
Yes. Shape and decorate it, then keep it chilled in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you serve it.
What do you decorate a cheese ball tree with?
Mini grape tomatoes or chopped red pepper and chopped yellow pepper for ornaments, a ribbon of pine nuts for the garland, chopped parsley for the green, and a yellow pepper topper. Pomegranate seeds also make bright red ornaments.
Final Notes
Push the pretzel rod in before you shape the cone; it is much harder to add once the tree is built. Tell me in the comments how your tree looked on the table.
Christmas Tree Cheese Ball
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Ingredients
- 24 ounces cream cheese three 8-ounce packages, softened to room temperature
- 16 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese shredded (4 cups)
- 3/4 cup green onions sliced, green tops only
- 2 teaspoons dried dill or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 1 pretzel rod optional, for support
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 cup mini grape tomatoes or chopped red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper 1 topper cut out, 1/2 cup chopped
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- savory crackers for serving
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese with the paddle of a stand mixer until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the cheddar and green onions, sprinkle over the dill and garlic powder, season with the salt and pepper and mix until combined.
- Remove the paddle and spread the mixture in an even layer in the bowl and up the sides so it chills evenly. Cover and chill 1 hour.
- With clean or gloved hands, shape the mixture into a tall cone about 10 inches high. If using a pretzel rod, shape the cheese around it as a center support so it does not show. Set the cone on a serving plate, press it down so it sticks and reshape as needed.
- Press the grape tomatoes (halved if large) and the chopped yellow pepper randomly over the tree. Wrap a ribbon of pine nuts around it from the top down, pressing them in so they stick.
- Tilt the tree and press handfuls of parsley over it until it is coated. Put the yellow pepper topper on a toothpick and push it into the top.
- Serve with crackers shortly after making it, or keep it chilled in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
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