Holiday Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

No holiday party is complete without a cheese ball!  This Holiday Cranberry Pecan Cheeseball is filled with caramelized onions and topped with festive cranberries and rosemary!

A few days ago, I did an Instagram story poll asking whether my Instagram followers wanted to see a holiday cheese ball recipe on Friday or gingerbread muffins.  It was a super close call - 51% to 49%, but the Holiday Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball won!

While those muffins are super tasty and I'm excited to share them with you (next week!), I'm glad the cheese ball won! I bet some of you have holiday parties to go to this weekend, or are planning for the weekends ahead.  If you're looking for a fun and festive appetizer - look no further!

This isn't any ordinary cheese ball, though.  Oh no.  Since I've been on a caramelized onion kick ever since I made my Caramelized Onion Baked Brie, I decided to go ahead and put some in this cheese ball.

Ummm yeah.  A pretty splendid idea, indeed.

The cheese ball is a pretty simple combination of cream cheese, sour cream, white cheddar and those caramelized onions.  I used white cheddar so there wasn't any yellow/orange color to the cheese ball, but you can certainly use regular cheddar if you prefer.

To finish it off, you press some pecans, cranberries, and chopped up rosemary for a little crunch and festive colors.

I served this cheese ball with crackers and toasted baguette and I'd say the baguette was my favorite.  You could also slice up some apples or pears for a little savory/sweet combination.

Tell me - what's your favorite easy appetizer to bring to a holiday party?  I feel like this cheese ball might be high on your list!

Looking for other holiday appetizers?  Check these out!

Citrus Marinated Olives and Feta

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Stuffed Dates

Holiday Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

his Holiday Cranberry Pecan Cheeseball is filled with caramelized onions and topped with festive cranberries and rosemary!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Taylor Ellingson

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 yellow onion sliced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red wine
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup sour cream
• ▢ 6 ounces shredded white cheddar
• ▢ ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Instructions

• In a skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat.
• Add onion, brown sugar, salt, and red wine.
• Cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often, until onions are caramelized.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, and caramelized onions.
• Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Once ready to serve, place cheese ball on a serving plate.
• Press cranberries and pecans into the cheeseball and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Serve with crostini, bread, or crackers.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 302mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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