Pumpkin Cheese Ball
I didn’t drain the salsa the first time I made this, and by the time people showed up the ball had slumped into something closer to a pumpkin pancake. Now I tip it into a fine strainer and press it with a spoon. Takes a minute. The other thing I learned the hard way is to roll it in the chips right before it goes out, not the night before, because the crumbs go soft and kind of sad in the fridge.
Don’t let the shape fool anyone. There’s no pumpkin flavor in it at all, just a savory cheddar ball with a little cumin and jalapeño heat, and the Dorito dust is what turns it orange. The stem is the top of a bell pepper. We set it out with tortilla chips, celery sticks and buttery crackers.
A savory pumpkin cheese ball for fall parties and Halloween spreads. Creamy and tangy inside, with a crunchy shell that crackles when you scoop. Give it at least two hours in the fridge so it holds its round shape, and leftovers keep three days covered.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Tip the salsa into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Press it with the back of a spoon and let it drip for 10 minutes so the cheese ball stays firm.1/2 cup chunky salsa
- Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the cheddar, onion, jalapeño, cumin and drained salsa, then beat on low until evenly mixed and creamy.16 oz cream cheese, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 3 tbsp yellow onion, 1/2 jalapeño, 1 tsp ground cumin
- Scrape the mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Gather the wrap up around it and twist the top to press it into a tight ball, then flatten the bottom slightly on the counter.
- Refrigerate the wrapped ball for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to hold its shape when unwrapped.
- Put the chips in a zip-top bag and roll over them with a rolling pin until you have coarse crumbs with a few bigger flakes left in.2 cups nacho cheese Doritos
- Unwrap the ball onto a serving plate. For pumpkin ribs, press shallow lines from top to bottom with the back of a butter knife. Press the crumbs all over the surface by the handful, then push the bell pepper top into the center as the stem.1 bell pepper top
- Scatter the leftover crumbs around the base and serve right away with tortilla chips, crackers and celery sticks.
Nutrition
Notes
Coat the ball just before serving; the crumbs soften within a few hours in the fridge. For a milder version, skip the jalapeño and use mild salsa.
This is a homemade version and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Doritos.
You might also like our Easy Cowboy Caviar.
made this for my sons halloween party and drained the salsa like you said, it held its shape the whole afternoon. used a poblano stem bc thats what i had lol
tasty but i coated it the night before and the chips were soggy by the time we ate. next time ill wait. also might go a little lighter on the cumin for my kids