Easy Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe as a Make-Ahead Antipasto delicious Appetizer for your Festive Table. Our Holiday Cheese Ball Appetizer, shaped into a Cheese Tree and colored with Olives, is a way to serve your Deliciousness.
Our great recipe can be served together with raw seed crackers, sesame crackers, chaffle chips, or nachos, all part of our lifestyle.
Holiday Appetizers
As the holiday season is approaching, I am always looking for ideas that look great and can decorate my table. To wow the guests who who will rave about it, and especially stay within the lifestyle while spending time with my family.
For precisely this, I have prepared for you over 60 various keto appetizer recipes from around the world you can have a look at.
I must mention a few of them as they are always a hit with our guests.
Our spinach salmon roulade is a recipe I always get asked for. Most beautiful are my decorated chaffle sandwiches with various ideas.
The most colorful are taco cups, and the first ones to always go with our cheese puffs or fried cheese balls.
Pickles and pickled daikon are taken as a side at all times, and on the sweet side, smores are the best.
Those are just a few mentioned, but be sure to visit and check all of them.
Christmas antipasto cheese tree ball
Who does not love antipasto?
It is best to serve various bite-size portions on a platter for everyone to help themselves. Our Christmas tree is something very similar, just in a different shape.
It is not a charcuterie board but a board or a platter, which looks like a Christmas tree centrepiece decoration. All the combined colors make you want to take a whole platter just for you.
And if you spread our various crackers around, there is no doubt this appetizer will be talked about for years to come.
Holiday cheese ball festive recipe
Do you want to have this year the best, or better than last year, regarding the healthiness, looks, taste, and varieties?
If your answer is yes, you are in the right place. With our exceptionally gorgeous masterpiece, which is super simple to make, you will be the winner.
Winner of all, the winner from all the previous years.
Why will you love cheese balls?
- They are super easy to assemble.
- Healthy and delicious spread
- Looks fantastic
- Alternate the designs
- A perfect centerpiece on your holiday table or family gathering
- Rosemary smell will only enhance the holiday season in your home
- Decorating can bring your family together
Easy Christmas cheese ball
With our extra easy spread mixture and assembling, your holiday table will always be the most beautiful.
What cheese is best for cheese balls?
Depending on your taste and preferences, you can pick any of the hard cheeses. Make sure you grate the cheese yourself, as store-bought pre-shredded cheeses usually contain additional starches to keep the shreds separate.
Whether you pick low fat or full fat cheese, again, depends on your preferences.
Can you use cream cheese or cheddar cheese?
Instead of sour cream, you can use cream cheese if you prefer. Cheddar cheese can be added together with other hard cheese varieties for that extra sharp taste and color.
Different varieties of this fancy Christmas cheese ball recipe
Once you have the cheese mixture prepared, you can choose from various designs for your centerpiece, trying new shapes every time. Have every holiday a different shape with the best spread ever.
Pick from making one of the designs:
- Pine cone cheese ball
- Turkey-shaped cheese ball
- Easter eggs cheese balls
- Hedgehog cheese ball
- Valentine’s heart cheese ball
- Christmas balls made out of cheese spread
- Cheese logs covered with varieties of colorful herbs
- Pumpkin design cheese ball
- Mini bites balls, where you roll the cheese ball in different spices
- White Snowman cheese balls
- Halloween skull cheese ball
- Igloo Spread
- Christmas wreath shape cheese ball
- Star shape cheese ball
How to make a cheese ball
Using simple ingredients and following my steps to make this magnificent Christmas tree cheese ball is super easy.
For the cheese spread, I have used our famous cheese dip recipe with less sour cream for the tree to become more stable.
As you see in the images, as a base, I have added prosciutto, slices of radish, and curly salad leaves to elevate the design slightly.
Kitchen gadgets needed:
- Mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Icing bag
- Big serving platter
Ingredients needed:
- Freshly grated cheese
- Garlic
- Sour Cream
- Salt and pepper
- Colorful olives
- Fresh rosemary
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THIS CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CHEESE BALL RECIPE
First step: Prepare ingredients
Prepare all of the ingredients.
With regards to cheese, any hard cheese shredded at home will work. It all depends on your preference and taste.
Sour cream can be swapped with cream cheese if you wish.
You can add red whole pepper corns, dried cranberries, or dill weed for extra decoration.
Second step: Prepare cheese spread
Place shredded cheese, crushed garlic, sour cream, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl.
You can place the cream cheese instead of sour cream into the mixture or add half the amount to combine both.
Mix the whole spread until all is combined.
Place the cheese ball onto the large piece of plastic wrap placed on a work surface and refrigerate for two to three hours for the mixture to harden and is firm enough to shape.
Third step: Shape a tree
Prepare a big serving plate or cutting board, which you will use as a centerpiece. As you see in some on my images, I have layered the base of the plate with prosciutto, slices of radish, and curly salad leaves.
Once the cheeseball mixture is hardened, remove the cheese from the the fridge, unwrap it, and place it into the piping bag for easier assembly.
Cut a hole at the end and start piping your serving plate into a tree shape.
Using your spatula, you can finish the shape into a smoother look.
For smaller trees, the mixture can be divided in half.
Fourth step: Fill with olives
Start with decorating. As first use your olives for the outside of the cheese. Pick each olive and using your hands, gently push evenly onto tree mixture for the olives to hold.
Continue spreading the olives all around the tree mixture.
Fifth step: Decorate with greens
Once you are happy with your olive spread, finish the decoration with a few steaks of rosemary branches. Sprinkle with additional dried cranberries or whole red pepper corns.
You can top each tree with star shape cut veggies like red bell pepper, lemon peel, or carrot.
Place the tree in the middle of the table and serve with crackers.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Cheese mixture – small pieces of chopped pecans, chive, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, or red bell pepper can be added.
- Rosemary – can be swapped with dill weed or Christmas tree brunches
- Additions – add more red whole pepper or dry cranberries for an extra Christmas look
- Olives – best is if you can find smaller colorful olives. I have picked mine in an Arabic shop and antipasto market. You can also use marinated olives.
- Serve – If you are not going to serve immediately, you can place the three into the fridge for a few hours before serving.
- Mini trees – mixture can be cut in half and decorated.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What crackers to serve with your cheese ball recipe
Pick from our various keto crackers:
- Raw seed cracker bread
- Everything bagel crackers
- Chaffle chips
- Sesame crackers
- Tortilla chips
- Toasted bread
- Pretzels
- Ritz crackers
Can you decorate with cranberries and pecans
Dry cranberries are a perfect addition to make the tree even more Christmasy looking. You can also swap red olives, if not possible to find with fresh cranberries for that extra red color.
Chopped pecans can also be added if your tree is bigger and you need more decoration.
Can you make ahead this appetizer?
Our recipe is designed as an appetizer that can be made ahead of time. As you have to store the cheese mixture in your fridge, you can prepare it a day before. The mixture can be stored for a day or two. On the day of serving, it only takes a few minutes to assemble the tree.
How to wrap the cheese ball for storage?
Storing your cheese ball, I suggest placing your cheese mixture only onto the plastic wrap or saran wrap. Once you are ready to serve, take out the mixture, shape the tree and decorate.
As I have already mentioned, I have added a minimal amount of sour cream to help its shape. Additionally, stored in the fridge should keep the shape for a long.
Our Christmas tree cheese ball can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 5 days without any issues.
Can this Christmas cheese ball be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the cheese ball, but I suggest freezing only the cheese mixture without the decoration.
Once ready to consume, take the mixture out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw naturally.
The decoration with olives and branches takes only a few minutes in the day.
Other Christmas Recipes
- Christmas tree cupcakes
- Pine cone cheese ball
- Meringue cookies
- Eggnog
- Chocolate roulade
- Vanilla crescents
- Gingerbread cookies
- Santa hats cupcakes
- Challah bread
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Christmas Cheese Ball Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Sour cream
- 5 Garlic cloves
- 2.5 Cups Hard cheese
- 25 Olives
- Fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. With regards to cheese, any hard cheese shredded at home will work.
- Place shredded cheese, crushed garlic, sour cream, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl. Mix the whole spread until all is combined. Place the cheese ball onto the large piece of plastic wrap placed on a work surface and refrigerate for two to three hours for the mixture to harden and is firm enough to shape.
- Prepare a big serving plate or cutting board, which you will use as a centerpiece. Once the cheeseball mixture is hardened, remove the cheese from the the fridge, unwrap it, and place it into the piping bag for easier assembly. Cut a hole at the end and start piping your serving plate into a tree shape. Using your spatula, you can finish the shape into a smoother look.
- Start with decorating. As first use your olives for the outside of the cheese. Pick each olive and using your hands, gently push evenly onto tree mixture for the olives to hold. Continue spreading the olives all around the tree mixture.
- Once you are happy with your olive spread, finish the decoration with a few steaks of rosemary branches. Sprinkle with additional dried cranberries or whole red pepper corns.
Video
Notes
- Cheese mixture – small pieces of chopped pecans, chive, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, or red bell pepper can be added.
- Rosemary – can be swapped with dill weed or Christmas tree brunches
- Additions – add more red whole pepper or dry cranberries for an extra Christmas look
- Olives – best is if you can find smaller colorful olives. I have picked mine in an Arabic shop and antipasto market.
- Serve – If you are not going to serve immediately, you can place the three into the fridge for a few hours before serving.
- Mini trees – mixture can be cut in half and decorated.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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Keto and Low Carb Christmas
Collection of Christmas Recipes for you to have a look
