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This Bacon Ranch Turkey Cheeseball will be a hit at the holiday table! Turkey feathers are made with pretzels, and the cheese ball is surrounded by everyone’s favorite butter crackers. This is a Thanksgiving appetizer you MUST add to your menu! A cheeseball is a cheese dip with yummy flavors formed into a ball and served with various snacks such as pretzels, chips, crackers, and veggies to dip.
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Turkey Cheeseball
How adorable is this Thanksgiving Turkey Cheeseball? Everyone will love this adorable Thanksgiving appetizer and will go absolutely nuts for it. While the real turkey is roasting in the oven, you and your guests can enjoy this fun and festive turkey cheese ball appetizer.
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Cheeseball Ingredients:
- cream cheese – softened
- sour cream – light or full fat
- freshly shredded cheese – You can substitute cheddar with a variety of other freshly shredded cheeses such as Colby jack, Monterey jack, pepper jack, mozzarella, or American cheese.
- cheddar cheese block corner (triangle) – for the turkey’s beak!
- ranch seasoning – powder
- red pepper flakes – You can substitute with paprika
- garlic powder – or minced garlic
- bacon – or bacon bits
- pretzel rod – for the turkey’s neck
- large pretzel twists
- mini pretzels
- candy eyes
How to Make a Turkey Cheeseball
In a large bowl, combine sour cream with softened cream cheese. You may need to use an electric mixer or stand mixer if your cream cheese isn’t softened completely.
Add the ranch seasoning powder, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder to the cream cheese mixture and mix well. Combine cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup bacon crumbles with the mixture until very well mixed.
Remove 3 tablespoons from the mixture and set aside. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and place the remaining cheese ball mixture in the center. Wrap the cheeseball mixture by pulling the corners of the plastic wrap together and forming a ball. You can better shape the ball through the plastic wrap.
Repeat with the 3 tablespoons of cheeseball mixture that you set aside, this will be the turkey’s head. Refrigerate your cheeseballs for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Bacon Ranch Turkey Cheese Ball Recipe
Unwrap your cheeseballs, they should be chilled and solid holding a ball shape. To form the turkey’s head, place a pretzel rod about ½ inch into the small cheeseball, add the cheddar cheese block corner as the beak, and add candy eyes. Place the other end of the pretzel rod into the front top of the large cheeseball. It should go far into the cheeseball to help hold the weight of the head.
To form the turkey tail feathers, place large pretzel twists into the back of the cheeseball slightly overlapping but side by side, pressing firmly so that the cheeseball holds the pretzels upright. Place the small pretzel twists in front of the large pretzel twists.
Finally, using a spoon or your hands, pack the remaining bacon crumbles around the outside of the cheeseball and turkey head to coat your cheeseball turkey. Keep chilled in the fridge and covered until ready to serve. Serve cold, on a platter, with pretzel sticks and assorted crackers.
You can use pre-made bacon bits for this bacon cheddar ranch cheeseball recipe. You’ll need 1 cup of bacon bits. The flavor may be slightly different than using freshly crumbled bacon, it may have a smokier flavor.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Turkey Cheeseball Recipe
Turkey Cheeseball
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- stirring spoon
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (1 ½ blocks) of cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1½ cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 small corner from a cheddar cheese block
- 3 tablespoons powder ranch seasoning – NOT ranch dip mix
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (divided)
- 1 large pretzel rod
- 3+ large pretzel twists
- 5+ mini pretzels
- 2 candy eyes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine sour cream with softened cream cheese. You may need to use a mixer if your cream cheese isn’t softened completely.
- Add ranch seasoning, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder to the cream cheese mixture and mix well.
- Combine cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup bacon crumbles with the mixture until very well mixed.
- Remove 3 tablespoons from the mixture and set aside. Lay out a large sheet of plastic wrap and place the remaining cheese ball mixture in the center. Wrap the cheeseball mixture by pulling the corners of the plastic wrap together and forming a ball. You can better shape the ball through the plastic wrap.
- Repeat step 4 with the 3 tablespoons of cheeseball mixture that you set aside, this will be the turkeys head.
- Refrigerate your cheeseballs for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Unwrap your cheeseballs, they should be chilled and solid holding a ball shape.
- To form the turkey's head, place a pretzel rod about ½ inch into the small cheeseball, add the cheddar cheese block corner as the beak, and add candy eyes. Place the other end of the pretzel rod into the front top of the large cheeseball. It should go far into the cheeseball to help hold the weight of the head.
- To form the turkey tail, place large pretzel twists into the back of the cheeseball slightly overlapping but side by side, pressing firmly so that the cheeseball holds the pretzels upright. Place the small pretzel twists in front of the large pretzel twists.
- Finally, using a spoon or your hands, pack the remaining bacon crumbles around the outside of the cheeseball and turkey head to coat your cheeseball turkey.
- Keep chilled and covered until ready to serve. Serve cold with pretzels and assorted crackers.
Love this turkey and Wilber making this for thanksgiving dinner at my daughters. Where do I get the eyes?Thanks for the turkey.
Thanks, Betty! You can find candy eyes in most grocery stores, craft stores, Target, Amazon, or Walmart in the baking aisle.
at Walmart in the baking isleby the icing and decorations for cupcakes
This Turkey cheese ball is amazing. I will try and make it for a fall gathering we have coming up. I saw another recipe that had a piece of red pepper for the wattle under the chin so I will add that. Question for you. Do you think chopped up green onions would go good in with the dip?
That’s a cute idea! I think chopped-up green onions are delicious on almost everything, this dip included!
Excelente!!
Well, I tried it! We had four family members visiting from Germany for Thanksgiving so I thought I would test it on them. I bought all the ingredients and had made bacon (to be crumbled and added) a day or two before. Everything was going great until I realize over half of the bacon had been eaten. I had been making the cheeseball secretly late at night, so I couldn’t just run to the store without them been suspicious. I had no choice but to use the bacon that was left. It wasn’t as pretty as the picture in the recipe, but they LOVED it! My picky vegetarian daughter even tasted a small piece and loved it as well. In fact, she asked me if I was making a Christmas themed cheeseball! Well, I’m all for it if there is a recipe out there. Any suggestions are appreciated!
Looks delicious and I am making it for Thanksgiving. One question: 1/2 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes seems like a lot. Has anyone made the recipe using this much and does the taste of the red pepper flakes mellow with the other ingredients? Thanks!
My grandsons,4&7 yrs old, loved helping to make this delicious turkey appetizer