Pumpkin Cheese Ball is the perfect dip-worthy take along for your next get together. ‘Tis the season for an awesome pumpkin-shaped zesty appetizer that your guests won’t be able to stop eating.
Earlier this year someone asked about making our low carb bunny dip for easter into a Halloween recipe. Uhhhh hecks yeah. We need more reasons to fit this epic-ally delicious cheese ball onto our dinner tables for the holidays.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball dipping options
Eating low carb can be tricky when it comes to dipping. You might be wondering about the best options to use with this Pumpkin Cheese Ball. We have you covered!
- To clarify – this dip is Pumpkin shaped, not flavored. Perfect for Halloween and not at all a scary weird flavor combo to try to dip with. Jalapeno awesomeness awaits.
- Use veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli or cauliflower – you can’t go wrong!Â
- Baked Zucchini Chips – can easily bake them at home and they are delicious.
- Low carb crackers or our low carb cheese chips are simply divine options if you’re not feeling the veggie route. We’re a little biased about the cheese chips but seriously, the salty flavor pairs SO nicely with this dip!
Making and storage solutions
This low carb jalapeno cheese ball can be made just before you serve it (provided the cream cheese isn’t too soft) or you can make the cheese ball ahead of time. We prefer to make ahead of time, usually the day before and storing it in the refrigerator.Â
Leftovers are rare when it comes to this low carb jalapeno cheese ball – but if you find yourself lucky with some leftover, cover the remaining cheese call tightly with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight contained to keep it fresh.
When stored properly, your Pumpkin Cheese Ball will last about 3-4 hours, so long as it is not left at room temperature for an extended period of time or left unwrapped, which will significantly reduce the lifespan of your cheese ball.
Check out this gluten free green bean casserole from This Vivacious Life.
Having a ball: What do you need?
This Pumpkin Cheese Ball is a pretty easy low carb appetizer to whip up. We love it for its simplicity and its flavor with a zesty punch.
- Cream cheese, vinegar, mozzarella, Colby cheese, bell pepper, jalapeno, onion powder , dried chives, dill, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, bacon make this dip MAGICAL.
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, saving 2 cups of the Colby cheese for the finishing touch.
- A jalapeno stem will top off your pumpkin-inspired shape to represent the pumpkin stem.
- While we’re at it, a friendly reminder to de-seed your jalapeno and USE GLOVES if you have them! 😉
- We have a confession. Sometimes when we make this dip, we get a little heavy handed with the bacon. Because, bacon!
HOW MANY NET CARBS IN THIS CHEESE BALL?
1 Net Carbs per 1/4 cup of this amazing Pumpkin Cheese Ball! Yes, that is correct! Remember those cheese chips we talked about to eat with this dip? Those are 1 Net Carbs for 4 chips. Talk about winning!
If you are new to this Low Carb/Keto lifestyle and are unsure what we are talking about please feel free to read up more on Net Carbs. Or start at our Low Carb & Keto 101 Starter Page.
Looking for some other take-along dishes for a get together?
We recommend our Keto Swedish Meatballs and Ham and Cream Cheese Pinwheels – they will pair wonderfully with this dip and you’ll be the hit of the party.
Feels like we often go for cheesy things.
Speaking of cheesy …
Let’s get a little fun facts in to round out this recipe.
- Did you know? In 1801, Cheshire, MA sent a 1,000+ lb cheese ball to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson!
- Cheese Balls or Cheese Dips are a longtime holiday go-to in the United States, but first appeared in the wartime cookbook Food of My Friends in 1944.
- National Cheese Ball Day is April 17. That date also HAPPENS to be the birthday of one of our cheesiest of good friends and colleagues here at That’s Low Carb. Coincidence? We think not. We are all cheese obsessed here.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE LOW CARB RECIPES:
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz) cream cheese , softened
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1/2 cup mozzarella , shredded
- 1/2 cup colby cheese , shredded
- 1/2 bell pepper , chopped (optional)
- 1 jalapeno pepper , deseeded and diced ( reserve the top for the stem)
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 slices bacon , chopped and drained
- 2 cups colby cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except the 2 cups of Colby.
- Put down a piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface and spoon cheese ball mixture onto plastic wrap. Grab all four corners of plastic wrap and roll into a ball.
- Place into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Place Colby cheese into large bowl. Remove plastic wrap from cheese ball and roll into the cheese, ensuring the cheese sticks.
- Place on serving tray and top with leftover jalapeno stem.
- Serve with low carb veggies and cheese chips!
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