Pineapple Cheese Ball with cream cheese, chopped ham, crushed pineapples, and toasted pecans is a delicious medley of sweet and savory flavors! It’s easy to make and a guaranteed party hit!
Cheese appetizers are my favorite things to serve for special gatherings. They are a breeze to make and go well with the fresh fruits, cracker crisps, crusty baguette slices, and cured meats I like to assemble my party platters.
Along with brie en croute, this pineapple cheese ball makes a regular appearance on our holiday menu year after year. Chock full of cream cheese, crushed pineapple, chopped ham, green onions, red bell peppers, and crunchy pecans, it’s always the first to disappear! Guests can’t seem to get enough of the addicting sweet and savory flavors.
Another great thing about this pineapple pecan cheese ball other than being out-of-this-world delicious is you can make it way ahead of time, leaving you one less thing to worry about on the day of the event.
The cheese ball benefits from sitting in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight as it firms up for easier handling and the flavors are allowed to meld. Just wrap the shaped mixture in a plastic film to keep the outer part from drying out and coat with the chopped pecans when you’re ready to serve so the nuts stay fresh and crunchy.
Tips on How to Make Pineapple Cheese Ball
- To easily stir together the ingredients, allow the cream cheese to soften in room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy.
- To add depth of flavor, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and aromatic.
- To easily roll the cheese ball in nuts, chill in the refrigerator for a few hours until nice and firm.
The recipe makes two cheese balls but it can be easily doubled or halved depending on what you need. Serve with buttery crackers (Ritz are my favorite!) and expect a party in your mouth!
Watch the video and see how easy this Pineapple Pecan Cheese Ball is to make:
Pineapple Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, well-drained
- 1 cup deli ham, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese at low speed for about 1 minute or until smooth and fluffy.
- Add crushed pineapple, ham, celery, red bell pepper, green onions, and seasoned salt. Stir to combine.
- Divide mixture into two portions and shape each into a ball.
- Wrap each cheese ball with plastic film and allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 hours.
- When ready to serve, gently roll cheese ball in chopped pecans to fully coat, pressing down nuts to adhere.
- Serve with cracker crisps or bagel chips.
Nutrition
I wish I wasn’t lactose intollerant 🙁 This seams SO DELICIOUS I’m drooling!
Thanks for sharing!
xoxo Foteini
The sweetness from the pineapple sounds totally addictive!
Definitely 🙂
This looks so good. Will try this next weekend
Please do! It’s delicious!
The pineapple and cheese combo seemed odd to me at first, but I’m seriously intruiged after reading through the recipe and all the ingredients. I need to try this asap!! 🙂
Weird combination but definitely works 🙂
This is a great idea… And so easy to veganise. I’ll definitely give it a try but substituting the dairy and meat 🙂 Thank you!
That sounds like a plan 🙂
Oh my goodness that looks so delicious !!!! I am going to bookmark this. I think this will be great to make especially if invited over by friends or family for a game night !
Win!!
Great! This is sure to be a hit with the crowd 🙂
Oh y goodness this looks delicious! I never would’ve thought about adding pineapple to a cheeseball! I have to try this!
It’s a delicious addition and works pretty well with the other flavors, hope you try it 🙂
This pineapple cheese ball looks so yummy. I would definitely make it for my next hangout. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Ophelia!
I would have never considered these ingredients together but these look delicious!
It’s an interesting mix of flavors, I am sure you’ll love it! 🙂
It looks so yummy. I also love the presentation even more. Can’t wait to try it out.
Thank you!