This festive Christmas Tree Cheese Ball is so easy to make and looks beautiful in any holiday appetizer spread! The cheese ball mixture is made with 4 kinds of cheese, lots of fresh herbs, dried cranberries and coated in more herbs, a pine nut garland and pomegranate ornaments. Serve it with our homemade Christmas Tree Crackers!
You can technically make this Christmas tree shaped cheese ball with your favorite cheese ball mixture, but this version is extra delicious! It's packed with flavor from lots of fresh parsley and dill, orange zest, garlic and onion powder, and dried cranberries for a bit of tangy sweetness.
This is always a hit at holiday gatherings and it's easy to make ahead of time. Serve it with any kind of cracker you would like. A few of our favorite options include our homemade Christmas Tree Crackers, our Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers, or our Gourmet Fruit & Nut Crackers!
This recipe is part of our 2025 Recipe Advent Calendar. If you missed the first few recipes, try our Sausage Roll Wreath or Slice & Bake Cheese Coins next!
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What You'll Need To Make This Recipe
- Cheeses: We use a combination of cream cheese, goat cheese, feta and cheddar. Make sure all of them are at room temperature so they're easy to mix together!
- Herbs: Fresh parsley and dill keep the flavor fresh and light. We use them both in the mixture and to coat the cheese ball.
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper
- Orange zest: If you don't like orange, leave it out, but it adds an extra punch of flavor!
- Dried cranberries: Chop them finely so you don't get any huge pieces.
- Pine nuts and pomegranate arils: We use the former for a garland and the latter for ornaments. So cute!
- Cheddar: For the star on top. You can use white or yellow for this.
How to Make This Recipe
Add softened cream cheese, goat cheese, and feta to a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy and well combined.
Add in the white cheddar, garlic powder, onion powder, orange zest, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper and mix to combine. Add the cranberries, mixing again to combine. Don’t over-mix once the cranberries are added, or they will break up too much.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes before shaping it.
Lay two long pieces of plastic wrap out on the counter in a cross shape. Scrape the cheese mixture out of the bowl and onto the center of the plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic up and over the cheese mixture and use your hands to form it into the shape of a Christmas tree.
In a small bowl, mix together the finely chopped parsley and dill. Remove the plastic wrap from the cheese ball. Use your hands to gently press the chopped herbs all around the tree until it is well covered.
Press the pine nuts into the tree to make a garland, then press the pomegranate seeds into the tree at random for ornaments.
Using a mini star-shaped cookie cutter (or a knife), cut a star shape out of a ¼-inch thick piece of cheddar. Insert a toothpick into the bottom, then insert the other end of the toothpick into the cheese ball. Serve it right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
To make this ahead of time, we suggest assembling the base of the cheese ball, wrapping it in plastic wrap and storing it plain (uncoated). You can make it up to a week ahead of time. Add the outer layer of herbs and the decorations just before serving!
Substitutions
- Goat cheese: If you don't love the flavor of goat cheese, you can swap it for more cream cheese or feta.
- Herbs: Feel free to add in chives or basil. We don't suggest adding in herbs like rosemary or thyme - they will taste too strong.
- Dried cranberries: You can also use dried cherries or golden raisins:
- Add in nuts: This would be delicious with the addition of ¼-1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts.
More Christmas Appetizer Recipes
📖 Recipe
Christmas Tree Cheese Ball
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This festive Christmas Tree Cheese Ball is so easy to make and looks beautiful in any holiday appetizer spread! The cheese ball mixture is made with 4 kinds of cheese, lots of fresh herbs, dried cranberries and coated in more herbs, a pine nut garland and pomegranate ornaments. Serve it with our homemade Christmas Tree Crackers!
Ingredients
For the cheese ball:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces goat cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 ounces feta cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup finely shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
For coating:
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- Pine nuts (optional)
- Pomegranate arils
- Small slice of cheddar cheese (white or yellow) for the star
Instructions
Mix the cheese ball:
- Add softened cream cheese, goat cheese, and feta to a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy and well combined.
- Add in the white cheddar, garlic powder, onion powder, orange zest, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper and mix to combine. Add the cranberries, mixing again to combine. Don’t over-mix once the cranberries are added, or they will break up too much.
- Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 30-60 minutes before shaping it.
Shape the cheese ball:
- Lay two long pieces of plastic wrap out on the counter in a cross shape.
- Scrape the cheese mixture out of the bowl and onto the center of the plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic up and over the cheese mixture and use your hands to form it into a cone/Christmas tree shape.
Coat the cheese ball:
- In a small bowl, mix together the finely chopped parsley and dill.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the cheese ball. Use your hands to gently press the chopped herbs all around the tree until it is well covered.
- Press the pine nuts into the tree to make a garland, then press the pomegranate seeds into the tree at random for ornaments.
- Using a mini star-shaped cookie cutter (or a knife), cut a star shape out of a ¼-inch thick piece of cheddar. Insert a toothpick into the bottom, then insert the other end of the toothpick into the cheese ball.
- Serve it right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
To make this ahead of time, we suggest assembling the base of the cheese ball, wrapping it in plastic wrap and storing it plain (uncoated). You can make it up to a week ahead of time. Add the outer layer of herbs and the decorations just before serving!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 360.2 mg
- Fat: 14.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 7 g
Jess says
This recipe was yummo! But my mixture was not firm enough to maintain the tree shape. Every time I tried to shape it, it would slowly collapse on it's self. This is with significant chilling time before trying to shape it, and putting it back in the fridge immediately afterward shaping.
I'm in Australia so perhaps our ingredients don't match like for like?
Abby says
This cheeseball received rave reviews from everyone who tried it! We had dried red currants in the freezer, so I used them instead of cranberries, but the flavor and texture are very similar. It was delicious and a very impressive centerpiece at our party!
Mar says
Hi, what can you swap with pine nuts? I'm allergic to tree nuts
Lexi says
Sliced almonds work well, or you can just use the pomegranate arils to make a garland!
Melissa Case says
Pine nuts are not nuts at all; they are seeds. My stepdaughter has a tree nut allergy and she eats pine nuts all the time.
Erin Shaw says
What is a good cheese option to switch out the feta cheese with another cheese?
Lexi says
More goat cheese or more cream cheese will work!