This cranberry pecan cream cheese appetizer ball is an irresistible crowd-pleaser for any gathering. Coated in dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and fresh herbs, it’s a creamy, festive treat that's as beautiful as it is delicious. And the best news? It pairs perfectly with all your sourdough creations!

A cranberry pecan cream cheese ball appetiser served with sourdough crostini. There is a crostini being dipped into the top of the cream cheese appetizer.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Showcase Your Sourdough Crackers - this delicious appetizer is the perfect accompaniment to your sourdough crackers or sourdough crostini!

Make Ahead - make this cranberry pecan cream cheese ball in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer for fuss free entertaining.

Festive Flair - while you can serve this cream cheese appetizer at any time, its gorgeous colors make it work particularly well for festive occasions.

Ingredients

Cream Cheese - You'll need to use full fat cream cheese bricks, not tubs of cream cheese. This is really important because if you use the wrong one, your ball won't hold together.
Cheddar Cheese - Grab a block of sharp, white cheddar cheese and shred it yourself using a box grater. If you use pre shredded cheddar cheese, it won't integrate into the cream cheese as easily.
Fresh Herbs - I've used fresh chives and fresh parsley here. These herbs work best with the other ingredients and their vibrant green color add to the festive appeal.
Spices - You'll need to add garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. I've also added a little brown sugar, but you can leave this out if you prefer.
Dried Cranberries - dried cranberries work best for this recipe. Don't use frozen or fresh as they will bleed and make the cream cheese too runny.
Pecans - Pecans are best, but walnuts and almonds can be used if you prefer.

How To Make Cranberry Pecan Cream Cheese Ball

You're going to love making this cranberry pecan cream cheese ball! It's really easy and you can make it ahead of time to ensure you're free to enjoy the party! Just make sure you've got lots of extra crackers or sourdough bread on hand, as I guarantee they'll disappear and your guests will be waiting for more.

If you haven't already, let your cream cheese sit out for a bit to soften. While this is softening prepare the following:

Finely chop your cranberries and divide into two portions.
Roughly chop your pecans and divide into two portions.
Chop your herbs and divide into two portions.

Recipe Tip

You can use a bowl and spatula to make this recipe, or you can use a stand mixer or food processor.
If you have a food processor, you don't even need to chop the cranberries, pecans or herbs. The food processor will do this for you while it whips the cream cheese. Cool, right?

Combine all of the cream cheese, sharp white cheddar cheese, brown sugar, garlic and onion powder, black pepper and salt into a bowl (or stand mixer bowl). Add one portion of pecans, cranberries and herbs (leave the other portions for the topping of the ball).

Mix the cream cheese and other ingredients together until well combined.

If using your stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese together with the flavor additions on speed 6 for around 2 minutes. The cream cheese mixture should be light and fluffy.

Now, take the mixture out of the bowl and drop it onto a sheet of press and seal or cling wrap and form it into a ball.

Place the ball into the fridge for around 10 minutes, just to firm up a little).

When you're ready to serve the ball, mix together the remaining cranberries, pecans and chopped herbs. Place the mixture onto a piece of cling film or press and seal.

Remove the cream cheese ball from the fridge and unwrap it. Roll it into the cranberry and pecan mixture until the ball if fully coated.

You can either place the cream cheese ball on a plate ready to serve, or wrap it up and place it in the fridge to serve later. I like to wrap it up and use the plastic wrap to push all the coating on and then place in the fridge to ensure it all sticks properly.

When serving, it's best to let the ball sit out at room temperature for a little bit before you need it so that it's soft enough to dig into with a cracker. Alternatively, you can serve with a palette or cheese knife to make it easier for your guests.

A cranberry pecan cream cheese ball served with sourdough crostini. The front of the ball has been dug into so you can see the delicious flavored cream cheese inside.

What To Serve With This Cheese Ball?

I love that you can serve this cranberry pecan cream cheese ball in so many different ways! In fact, it's something that I make often, mainly because I can change up the accompaniments every time I serve it, ensuring no one gets bored. It's fantastic for Thanksgiving, Christmas ... or even your New Year's Eve gatherings.

Here are a few of the ways I love to serve this at parties (or play dates lol):

Alongside a stack of sourdough crostini (this is what you can see in the photos on this post).
Sometimes it's nice to serve this with a small palette knife and a loaf of simple sourdough bread baked that day. Keep it simple! Or this sourdough French bread makes a lovely accompaniment too!
These seeded sourdough crackers always get compliments and add a touch of class.
Sourdough grissini make a fun way to serve this recipe. My kids especially love to dip their bread sticks into the ball.

How To Store + Freeze

This cranberry pecan cream cheese ball appetizer can be made in advance and stored until you need it. Here's a guide to how long you can store this for:

In the fridge - The cream cheese ball can be stored uncoated for up to 4 days in the fridge. Once it's been coated, I recommend using within 24 hours because otherwise the nuts can go soft.

In the freezer - I recommend storing the cream cheese ball uncoated if you want to freeze. The cream cheese ball can be stored for up to 2 months, wrapped tightly in cling film or press and seal. When you want to serve, thaw the ball at room temperature before rolling in the cranberry pecan mixture right before serving.