Pineapple Cheeseball

Easy Pineapple Cheeseball, sweet, savory, and perfect for holidays, parties, and game day appetizers.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword easy-appetizers, easy-cheeseball-recipes, pineapple-cheeseball

Prep Time 10

Chilling time 8

Total Time 8 10

Servings servings

Calories 126kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

3/4 cup chopped pecans toasted
1 8 oz block plain cream cheese softened to room temperature
1 8 oz container onion and chive cream cheese softened
1 8 oz can sweetened crushed pineapple well drained in a fine mesh sieve to remove juice
1 tsp garlic salt
3 Tbsp green bell pepper finely diced
3 Tbsp red bell pepper finely diced
1-2 small green onions finely chopped
2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided use
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pop into the oven and roast for 6-8 minutes just until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely before adding to the cream cheese mixture.
Using an electric mixer, whip together the cream cheese, onion and chive cream cheese, crushed pineapple, and garlic salt.
Stir in the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, green onion, pecan pieces and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese by hand.
Shape into cheese ball mixture into 1 large or 2 small cheese balls and roll in the remaining shredded cheddar cheese tossed with fresh parsley and reserved 1/4 cup pecans. (Please Note: If making 2 smaller cheeseballs extra shredded cheese and pecans may be needed to fully coat.)
Wrap cheeseball in a large piece of plastic wrap, press to re-shape and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, until firm.
Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips or fresh vegetables.

Use Freshly Grated Cheese - For the best flavor and moisture, grate your own cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese works best but you could adapt using mild cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese or even spicy pepper jack cheese.
Peppers - You can replace green pepper with jalapeños.
Spices - You can use plain salt or seasoning salt and garlic powder, instead.
Protein - You can add crispy bacon to the cheese ball mixture for a smoky flavor.
Fresh Herbs - You can use fresh chives or parsley to coat the cheeseball.
Roll in Pecans - You can omit the pecans from the cheeseball mixture and roll the cheeseball in toasted pecans instead. When doing so, you'll need about 1 cup of toasted pecan pieces.
Shape Options - This pineapple cheese ball can be made into one large or two smaller cheese balls. It can also be shaped into a log if you prefer, it's completely up to you.