Keto Pumpkin Cheese Ball (Pumpkin-Shaped Fall Appetizer)
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Introduction
Let’s clear one thing up first: there is no pumpkin in this keto pumpkin cheese ball. None. It’s a cream cheese, cheddar and jalapeño cheese ball that happens to be very convincingly dressed as a pumpkin. It’s October, after all. Everyone’s playing dress-up, the cheese ball included.
The inside is what you’d hope for from a cheese ball: soft cream cheese, plenty of shredded cheddar, little flecks of jalapeño and a squeeze of lemon to keep it from tasting flat. The outside is where it gets fun. Instead of rolling it in shredded cheese or crushed chips, you cover it in triangles of sliced orange cheddar, then tie it up with kitchen string so it sets with proper pumpkin ridges.
It fits the table from early fall right through Halloween and Thanksgiving, and all of the work happens before the guests arrive.
Why Sliced Cheddar on the Outside
Most pumpkin cheese balls get their orange from a coating: shredded cheddar, crushed tortilla chips, even cheese puffs. Those all work, but they give you a bumpy, crumbly pumpkin.
Thin cheese slices give you a smooth one. Cut into triangles and laid on with the points toward the top, they overlap like panels and cover the whole ball in a single orange layer. When the string goes on, it presses grooves into that smooth surface instead of into loose crumbs, and you can see in the photos how cleanly the ridges show up.
Here’s the pro tip: take the slices out of the fridge first and let them come to room temperature. Cold cheddar doesn’t want to bend. Try to curve a slice straight from the fridge around the ball and it tears. At room temperature it’s pliable enough to wrap the curve.
What You Need
- Cream cheese is the base, and it needs to be at room temperature. Cold cream cheese fights you when you try to stir the cheddar in.
- Shredded cheddar goes into the filling for flavor and body.
- Fresh jalapeño, finely chopped. A tablespoon spread through a whole block of cream cheese is a small amount, though jalapeños vary in heat.
- Lemon juice, just a teaspoon, for a little brightness against all that cheese.
- Thin-sliced sharp cheddar for the shell. We like Wegmans’ thin-sliced sharp cheddar here, but any thinly sliced orange cheddar works. Thin slices bend around the curve of the ball, and orange cheddar gives you the pumpkin color.
- A zucchini stem for the pumpkin stem. Cut the stem end off a zucchini and you’re done.
You’ll also need plastic wrap, a small bowl and some kitchen string.
Getting the Pumpkin Shape
The shape comes together in two chills, and each one has a job.
The first hour firms up the filling. Soft cream cheese is sticky and hard to shape, so it goes into a bowl lined with plastic wrap and into the fridge. Once it’s firm, lift it out by the wrap and shape it into a ball with the plastic still covering it, so your hands stay clean.
Then take the wrap off. All of it. Any plastic left on the cheese gets buried under the cheddar triangles, and you’ll find it the hard way when you cut into the pumpkin.
The second hour sets the ridges. Once the cheddar triangles are on, wrap the whole thing snugly in plastic again. This time the wrap is there so the string doesn’t stick to the cheese and comes off cleanly. Tie the string around it several times, crossing over the top like the lines on a pumpkin, and pull it snug enough to press real grooves into the ball. Push the zucchini stem into the top, then back into the fridge it goes. An hour later, snip off the string and peel away every bit of the wrap. The grooves stay put.
Keto Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Ingredients
All Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tbsp jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 5 oz Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced, at room temperature, for the outside; any thinly sliced sharp cheddar works
- 1 zucchini, medium, stem end only, for the pumpkin stem
Nutrition Facts
8 servings per recipe| Per Serving 210 | Per Recipe 1700 | |||
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 100 each | 101.25 | 809.99 | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 110 each | 41.25 | 330 | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 26 each | 0.2 | 1.63 | ||
| ⅓ serving of lemon juice (1 tsp) @ 3 each | 0.12 | 1 | ||
| 6 ⅙ servings of Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced (5 oz) @ 90 each | 69.33 | 554.66 | ||
| 20g | 25% | 157g | 202% | |
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 10 g each | 10.12 g | 81 g | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 9 g each | 3.38 g | 27 g | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 0.3 g each | 0 g | 0.02 g | ||
| 6 ⅙ servings of Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced (5 oz) @ 8 g each | 6.16 g | 49.3 g | ||
| 12g | 59% | 94g | 472% | |
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 6 g each | 6.07 g | 48.6 g | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 6 g each | 2.25 g | 18 g | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 0.1 g each | 0 g | 0.01 g | ||
| 6 ⅙ servings of Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced (5 oz) @ 4.5 g each | 3.47 g | 27.73 g | ||
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| 59mg | 20% | 472mg | 157% | |
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 30 mg each | 30.37 mg | 243 mg | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 25 mg each | 9.38 mg | 75 mg | ||
| 6 ⅙ servings of Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced (5 oz) @ 25 mg each | 19.26 mg | 154.07 mg | ||
| 290mg | 13% | 2330mg | 101% | |
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 110 mg each | 111.37 mg | 890.98 mg | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 170 mg each | 63.75 mg | 510 mg | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 3 mg each | 0.02 mg | 0.19 mg | ||
| 6 ⅙ servings of Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced (5 oz) @ 150 mg each | 115.56 mg | 924.44 mg | ||
| 1g | 1% | 12g | 4% | |
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 1 g each | 1.01 g | 8.1 g | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 1 g each | 0.38 g | 3 g | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 5.9 g each | 0.05 g | 0.37 g | ||
| ⅓ serving of lemon juice (1 tsp) @ 1 g each | 0.04 g | 0.33 g | ||
| 0g | 0% | 0g | 1% | |
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 2.5 g each | 0.02 g | 0.16 g | ||
| 1g | 8g | |||
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 1 g each | 1.01 g | 8.1 g | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 3.7 g each | 0.03 g | 0.23 g | ||
| ⅓ serving of lemon juice (1 tsp) @ 0.4 g each | 0.02 g | 0.13 g | ||
| Sugar Alcohols | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| Allulose | 0g | 0% | 0g | 0% |
| 1g | 12g | |||
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 1 g each | 1.01 g | 8.1 g | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 1 g each | 0.38 g | 3 g | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 3.4 g each | 0.03 g | 0.21 g | ||
| ⅓ serving of lemon juice (1 tsp) @ 1 g each | 0.04 g | 0.33 g | ||
| 8g | 16% | 65g | 130% | |
| 8 ⅒ servings of cream cheese (8 oz) @ 2 g each | 2.02 g | 16.2 g | ||
| 3 servings of cheddar cheese, shredded (¾ cup) @ 6 g each | 2.25 g | 18 g | ||
| ⅒ serving of jalapeño pepper (1 tbsp) @ 0.8 g each | 0.01 g | 0.05 g | ||
| ⅓ serving of lemon juice (1 tsp) @ 0.1 g each | 0 g | 0.03 g | ||
| 6 ⅙ servings of Wegmans sharp cheddar, thin sliced (5 oz) @ 5 g each | 3.85 g | 30.81 g | ||
About these numbers: We are home cooks, not certified nutritionists. Nutrition is shared as a courtesy and calculated with free online nutrition calculators — we compare a few to get as close as we can — so please treat it as a helpful estimate rather than a guarantee. The brands you buy, any swaps you make, and how generously you portion the recipe will all move these numbers.
Directions
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Mix the filling.
Put the softened cream cheese in a bowl and add the lemon juice, chopped jalapeño and shredded cheddar. Stir with a spoon until everything is evenly mixed through.
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Chill the mixture in a lined bowl.
Line a small bowl with plastic wrap, spoon in the cheese mixture, smooth the top and press it down lightly. Fold the overhanging wrap over the top and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm. While it chills, set the cheddar slices out on the counter so they come to room temperature; cold slices tear instead of bending.
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Shape the ball and cover it with cheddar triangles.
Lift the chilled mixture out of the bowl by its plastic wrap and, with the wrap still covering it, shape it into a ball. The wrap keeps your hands clean. Then peel off all of the wrap; any plastic left on the cheese ends up inside the ball. Cut the room-temperature cheddar slices diagonally into triangles. Set the bare ball on a clean sheet of plastic wrap on a cutting board and press the triangles on with the points toward the top, overlapping them until the whole ball is covered.
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Tie the ridges and chill again.
Bring the sheet of plastic wrap up around the covered ball and wrap it tightly. The wrap keeps the string from sticking to the cheese and makes it easy to remove later. Tie kitchen string around it several times, crossing at the top, so it presses in the grooves of a pumpkin. Press the zucchini stem into the top and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Unwrap and serve.
Snip and remove the string, then peel away all of the plastic wrap, making sure no bits of plastic are left on the cheese. Set the pumpkin in the middle of a serving plate, press the stem back in if it has shifted, and surround it with dippers. Garnish with a few fresh herb leaves.
Notes
What to Serve With It
The photos show regular crackers, which are not low carb. For a keto platter, swap in cucumber rounds, celery sticks, bell pepper strips, pork rinds or cheese crisps. The Nutrition Facts panel covers the cheese ball only, not the dippers.
Storage
Wrap leftovers tightly and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep the ball in the fridge until shortly before serving, so the cream cheese stays firm enough to hold its shape.
Variations
For more heat, add extra jalapeño or a pinch of red pepper flakes. Garlic powder, smoked paprika, chopped green onion or crumbled cooked bacon can go into the filling too. For a party, you can shape several small pumpkins instead of one large one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there pumpkin in a pumpkin cheese ball?
Not in this one. It’s a cream cheese, cheddar and jalapeño cheese ball, and the “pumpkin” is all in the shape: orange cheddar on the outside, string-pressed ridges, and a zucchini stem on top.
Can I make a pumpkin cheese ball ahead of time?
Yes, and it’s one of the best things about it. You can make it the day before. Leave it wrapped and tied in the fridge overnight, then take off the string and every bit of the plastic wrap just before serving.
Leftovers keep, wrapped, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How long can a cheese ball sit out at a party?
No more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is above 90°F. That’s the USDA’s limit for perishable food left out of the fridge, and cream cheese counts. Put it out close to serving time and return leftovers to the fridge promptly.
Is this cheese ball spicy?
There’s only a tablespoon of jalapeño in a whole block of cream cheese, but jalapeños vary a lot. Scrape out the seeds and ribs before chopping for a gentler filling. If you want no heat at all, finely diced green bell pepper gives you the same green flecks.
Rounding Out the Table
The cheese ball is the easy part of the platter to keep low carb; the dippers are where the carbs sneak in, and the crackers in our photos are regular ones. The notes under the recipe have low-carb swaps.
If you want more to fill out the table, our Halloween pumpkin deviled eggs keep the pumpkin theme going, and keto sausage balls are a warm, savory bite to go next to something cold and creamy. And if you’re putting together a whole Halloween spread, our black cat charcuterie board makes a good neighbor.
If you make this little pumpkin for a party this fall, let us know how it went. We love hearing from you!
