Turkey Cheese Ball

Keep everyone happy while dinner cooks—set out a turkey cheese ball with extra crackers. Decorated to look like a tom turkey, this bird fits right in with the rest of your Thanksgiving appetizers and decor.

The cheese ball itself is made with cream cheese, cheddar and smoked turkey. Ingredients like crackers, cream cheese and nuts transform the ball into a colorful turkey, complete with large, edible tail feathers. This Thanksgiving cheese ball is an especially fun appetizer to make with kids, to bring them into the holiday kitchen.

Turkey Cheese Ball Ingredients

• Cream cheese: Use reduced-fat or regular cream cheese. Most goes into the cheese ball but some is used to “frost” the crackers to look like feathers.
• Smoked turkey: Finely chop smoked turkey, either homemade or purchased from the deli. Other deli turkey flavors like black pepper or maple are also delicious in this Thanksgiving cheese ball.
• Cheddar cheese: Shredded cheddar brings the cheese ball together. Pick up mild, sharp or extra sharp—whichever level of cheddar flavor you prefer.
• Onion: Just a tablespoon of diced onion gives the cheese ball a savory zing.
• Crackers: You’ll need party crackers to serve with the cheese ball and seven large, long crackers to decorate to look like feathers.
• Red pepper: Slice a wedge and a strip of red bell pepper to serve as the turkey’s head and waddle.
• Summer squash: To create the turkey’s beak, slice a tiny triangle from the squash. You could also use a yellow bell pepper or apple for this.
• Pecans: Pick up pecan halves and use them to create rows of short feathers over the body of the turkey cheese ball.
• Food coloring: You’ll need yellow, orange and brown food coloring gels or pastes. They’re blended into a little cream cheese and used to decorate the tail feathers.
• Milk: Use 2% or whatever’s already in the fridge. You only need two tablespoons to thin out the cream cheese icing.

Directions

Step 1: Form the cheese ball

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, finely chopped turkey, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Use a hand mixer to blend the ingredients together.

Lightly grease your hands, then shape the cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap the ball and refrigerate it for an hour or until it’s firm.

Editor’s Tip: Refrigerate the cheese ball overnight to help the savory flavors emerge.

Step 2: Make the cream cheese “icing”

Beat softened cream cheese with a splash of milk until smooth. Then, divide the mixture among four small bowls. Add food coloring to three of the bowls: one brown, one orange and one light orange (use yellow and orange food coloring together to create this color.) The fourth bowl should remain white.

Editor’s Tip: If the cream cheese isn’t softened enough, it can become lumpy when blended. Here’s how to soften cream cheese.

Step 3: Transfer to piping bags

Transfer each of the four cream cheese colors into a separate pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. If you don’t have a pastry bag and tips, spoon each cream cheese mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Snip a tiny bit off one corner on each bag to create a small opening.

Step 4: Decorate the crackers

Use the cream cheese piping bags to decorate large crackers to look like tail feathers. Pipe a vertical line of brown down the top half of the cracker, then pipe alternating sets of orange and light orange lines on either side of the center line. Finish the top of each feather with a row of short white lines. Leave the bottom half of the crackers undecorated—this end will go into the cheese ball.

Editor’s Tip: Look for large, long crackers to create the turkey tail feathers, such as sourdough flatbread crackers or Wasa Thins.

Step 5: Assemble the turkey cheese ball

Right before serving, move the chilled cheese ball to a platter and decorate:

• Take a red bell pepper and slice two pieces: a thick wedge with a curved end and a thin strip.
• Insert the thick wedge of bell pepper, with the curved end at the top, into the front of the cheese ball—this is the turkey head.
• Tuck the thin strip of bell pepper next to the head to create the waddle.
• Cut a triangle from a yellow summer squash for the beak. Attach it to the turkey head with a dab of cream cheese.
• Use dots of brown and white cream cheese icing to make eyes.
• Insert the pecan halves into the cheese ball behind the turkey head in arcs, like rows of feathers.
• Insert the decorated crackers into the back of the cheese ball, fanned out to look like turkey tail feathers. Be careful when inserting them so they don’t break.

Step 6: Serve

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Serve the turkey cheese ball with small crackers scattered around the base, or arrange the crackers on a separate serving plate.

Recipe Variations

• Use another type of cheese: In place of cheddar, other shredded cheeses to use are pepper jack, Colby, Swiss and Gouda.
• Season more heavily: When mixing the cheese ball ingredients, add extra seasoning: black pepper, ranch dressing mix, red pepper flakes, Italian spices or a dab of horseradish. (The Worcestershire sauce should be omitted if it doesn’t pair well with the added seasoning.)
• Give the turkey googly eyes: This is especially fun when making a turkey cheese ball with kids! Pick up candy eyes and attach them with a dab of cream cheese icing.
• Make a plain cheese ball: If you want to make this cheese ball at other times of the year, omit the turkey decor. Serve the ball as is or rolled in chopped pecans.

How to Store a Turkey Cheese Ball

Store cheese ball leftovers on the platter loosely covered in plastic wrap, or transfer it to an airtight food storage container. Store in the fridge for three to four days. Note that the crackers will become mushy if stored with the cheese.

Can you make a turkey cheese ball ahead of time?

It’s best to wait to assemble the cheese ball the day you plan to serve it, but you can prep some of the components ahead of time. Shape and chill the cheese ball, then keep it covered in the fridge for up to two days. You can also slice the bell pepper and squash shapes and keep them in a covered dish in the fridge. Just wait until the day you want to serve the cheese ball to make the softened cream cheese icing and decorate the crackers.

Turkey Cheese Ball Tips

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What’s a good cracker for a cheese ball?

Sturdy crackers are a must for your turkey cheese ball. They need to be strong enough to use as a scoop or to hold up when spread with the cheese mixture. Try hearty crackers like Triscuits, Ritz crackers or Wasa Crispbreads.

What else can you serve with a turkey cheese ball?

This Thanksgiving cheese ball is delicious served with pita chips or slices of a mini baguette or mini French bread. You can also check the bread aisle for cocktail breads, which are small, square loaves of crustless bread. Other foods to serve with the cheese ball include raw veggies and wedges of fresh apples.