Snowman Cheese Ball

Festive and delicious, this cute snowman cheese ball can be made ahead of time and is the perfect addition to your holiday spread when entertaining.

The first year I made a snowman cheese ball was the only year I didn’t put up a Christmas tree. My son was an overly active toddler, so a tree seemed like an unnecessary danger that year. (Or maybe I was just an exhausted mommy and used that as an excuse.) 😉

We were hosting Christmas Eve dinner, though, so I did put up some lights and tinsel and tried to make my food a little more festive.

What could be more festive than a snowman cheese ball? Right?

Choosing a recipe

While I am providing a basic cheese ball recipe for you, you can really use just about any recipe. If you have a tried and true cheese ball recipe, feel free to use that instead!

I have to admit that my standby cheese ball has always been one made with cream cheese and shred up surimi. While it’s tasty, I have been trying to eliminate processed and imitation foods from our diet. So, I’ve provided you with another recipe that uses a variety of shredded cheeses and harbs instead.

The ingredients

While you can use most cheese ball recipes, it is important to choose a recipe that gives a relatively firm ball that holds its shape well. The lower ball needs to be able to support the weight of the upper ball. Ideally, you’ll also want the ingredients to be light in color. That said, you can camouflage a darker cheese ball with a light color colored coating.

One year, I tried making a softer cheese ball with only herbs and cream cheeses, and the snowman didn’t really hold its shape well. It looked like Frosty was melting away.

Having some solid ingredients really helps the balls keep their shape. This year, I used shredded cheeses, but the surimi also had the same effect. Next year I want to try using some salted cod and other fresh fish and seafood. If it works well, I’ll try to remember to update this post. 😉

The cheeses

The base of the cheese ball is obviously a cream cheese. Just as with the cheese stuffed dates, you can use a variety of cream cheeses for the cheese ball. In most cases, classic cream cheese or goat cream cheese will work best. For sweet cheese balls, mascarpone would be a good option, though.

As for the shredded cheeses, you can also use whatever cheeses you enjoy or that are easiest to find in your area. I chose to use shredded mozzarella and a white aged cheddar. (Using white cheddar vs. orange cheddar helps keep the ball on the lighter side.) I also used some shredded pasta cheeses (which is likely a mixture of cheeses like parmesan, romano, and/or pecorino.

The seasonings

I kept the seasonings simple, to allow the various cheeses to stand out. My favorite light colored seasonings are garlic powder and dried onion. They both give a great flavor to the cheese ball.

You can also use a variety of herbs. I kept it simple this year, only adding parsley, but I often add herbs like thyme. Again, I didn’t want to go overboard on the herbs to keep the snowman cheese ball light in color.

Freshly ground pepper is another delicious addition to the cheese ball. Because this cheese ball uses a lot of different salty cheeses, I didn’t add any salt. Taste yours though, and add salt if you feel it’s necessary.

You can further customize the ingredients to suit your taste. Experiment using some of your favorite seasonings. If you like it spicy, feel free to try adding some cayenne pepper or even some chopped up fresh peppers.

You can even try making a sweet cheese ball with fruits or jams and honey.

I used the same cheese for both, but, again, you could take advantage of the fact that it is comprised of 2 balls, and try out 2 different recipes.

How to make a snowman cheese ball

Regardless of the recipe you choose, the basic way to make a snowman cheese ball is mostly always the same.

Mix the cream cheese with the other ingredients. An electric beater can really help incorporate the ingredients and break up any larger bits of harder cheeses or other hard ingredients.

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How to form the cheese balls

To form the balls, line two small bowls with plastic wrap. Divide the cream cheese mixture into 2 unequal parts. (The larger part will form the body of the snowman, while the smaller one will form its head.)

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Scoop one of the parts of the cream cheese mixture into one of the lined bowls and add the other part to the other bowl. Wrap the plastic film around the cream cheese mixture, and use the film to help form the cheese into rounder balls. Once formed, place the bowls in the fridge while you work on preparing the decorations. This will help firm up the cheese so that the snowman holds its shape better.

Making the snowman

Once the cheese has hardened up again and can hold up its shape, you call roll the balls in a coating to help them keep their form and give the cheese balls some texture and flavor. The coating can also cover up darker ingredients inside the cheese ball and keep it from drying out so easily.

Possible coating ingredients

Because we’re making a snowman, I suggest using a white-colored coating. One option is to use grated white cheeses like Parmesan or mozzarella.

Another option is to use ground blanched almonds, or another light-colored nut. You can also use crushed crackers or light-colored bread crumbs. This year, I tried making a mixture of crushed prawn crackers and almond flour.While I normally make my own prawn crackers, this year I went the easy route and used store-bought for saving time. (I also wanted bright white crackers.)

For a sweet snowman cheese ball, you could try using grated coconut or even smashed up cookies for covering the balls.

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Decorating the snowman

To decorate the cheese ball, use your imagination!

The eyes, mouth, and buttons

Black peppercorns make great “coal” for buttons, eyes, and a coal mouth. You can also use other seeds like pumpkin seeds or other seeds.

Tiny chocolate chips would be perfect for a sweet snowman cheese ball.

The nose

Snowmen usually have a carrot nose. Obviously, the carrot nose can be made with the tip of a small carrot, but you can also use yellow or orange bell peppers or something similar in color. 

For a sweet snowman cheese ball, try using a piece of cantaloupe or persimmon.

The hat and scarf

I usually make the scarf and hat out of red peppers. The red color gives a festive addition to the snowman. One year, I used raw red peppers, but I’ve since found that using roasted red peppers is even easier because roasted red peppers are easily wrapped around the cheese balls.

For a sweet cheese ball, try using fruit leathers or even jelly type candy strips.

The arms

The arms can be made from thin pretzels or bread sticks. This year, I forgot to buy something that could be used for the arms, and headed to my herb garden to look for something I could use.

I ended up using a branch from one of my rosemary plants after removing the green leaves from it. In the end, I think it looks even better than the other options.

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Making the cheese ball ahead of time

One of the great things about making a cheese ball is that it can be made ahead of time. Making the cheese balls days in advance allows for the flavors of the different ingredients to meld together.

While you can make the cheese balls up to a week ahead of time, I’d suggest waiting until the day you want to serve them to coat the cheese balls and further decorate them.

Can you freeze cheese balls?

I was a little bit skeptical, but one year I made several cheese balls, and had one that I forgot to serve so I froze it. A month or tow later, we had people over and I took the cheese ball out to give it a try. It was delicious!

Again, ideally, I’d freeze the uncoated cheese ball well wrapped in plastic wrap to protect it from freezer burn. Thaw it slowly in the refrigerator. Once thawed, coat and decorate the cheese ball as desired.

Serving suggestions

Serve the cheese ball with crackers or small toasts. It can also be served with fresh vegetables like carrot and celery sticks.

Sweet cheese balls can be served with cookies or fruits.

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