No matter what time of year it is, this Everything Bagel Cheeseball is sure to delight your guests as the perfect fall appetizer. Shaped into a pumpkin, it makes the perfect fall treat.
I assume you found your way to this recipe from my “Fall Entertaining in the Kitchen” post. If so, welcome back. I am thrilled to share these recipes with you. (In case you haven’t yet seen that post, you can catch up here.)
Everything Bagel Cheese Ball:
If you’re here for my Everything Bagel Cheese Ball recipe, you’ve come to the right place!
Truth be told, I love a tasty cheeseball. (Well, to be completely honest, I love cheese in any form.) Unfortunately, it seems that the humble cheeseball has gotten a bad rap. It’s been around forever and is viewed as boring by some. That’s why I decided it was time for a little makeover.
And this isn’t the first time I gave the classic cheeseball a makeover. Remember my Fall “Apple” Cheeseballs? Or my Mini Truffle Cheeseballs?
If you’re looking for my pumpkin-shaped Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball Recipe, you can find that HERE.
How to Make an Everything Bagel Cheese Ball:
First, I started with the flavor.
The concept for this cheeseball was inspired by the super trendy everything bagel. Obsessed with the “Everything But the Bagel” seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s, I assumed a cheeseball covered in the spices would be incredible. Boy, was I right!
It’s that classic flavor we’ve all come to love.
While this cheeseball is outstanding on its own, I decided to take it one step further and shape it into a pumpkin. To do that, I removed a stem from a small pumpkin and inserted it into the top of the cheeseball.
To remove a stem from a pumpkin, I recommend cutting off the very top of the pumpkin like I did here and then peeling away the pumpkin flesh. This will lessen the risk of breaking the stem.
While the stem clearly made this look like a pumpkin, I also used a chopstick to create grooves from the base of the pumpkin to the stem. This extra step makes this illusion more realistic, don’t you think?
Not severing this recipe in the fall? No worries. Skip the pumpkin shape and just roll it into a ball to suit any season or holiday.
What do you serve with an Everything Bagel Cheeseball?
Serve the cheeseball with bagel chips (which I couldn’t seem to find) for the ultimate flavor combo. Pretzels, crackers, breadsticks or even crostinii make a delicious pairing too.
Let’s dig in!
And because all of that wasn’t enough, I decided to make three smaller pumpkin cheeseballs. I simply doubled the base recipe for the sun-dried tomato ball and divided it into three parts.
I wanted an intense orange color for these three cheeseballs, so I busted out my secret ingredient: Nacho Cheese Doritos. I put them in a large plastic baggie and smashed them with a rolling pin. Pulverized, they were the perfect shade of orange, and they added a delightful flavor to my mini cheeseballs.
For the stems of these pumpkins, I used thin breadsticks that I drizzled with balsamic vinegar and toasted in the oven to deepen the color. A pretzel rod would also work nicely.
And that’s it. With all the cheeseballs plated, I set everything up using a long wood cutting board and a matching cake stand to add height. Crackers and breadsticks filled various containers, while produce from the farmers market provided more color and seasonal flare. Operation fall entertaining complete.
I hope you get a chance to enjoy both of these recipes during the cool months to come.
If you liked these pumpkin-inspired cheeseballs, you’ll love these too:
- Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball
- Apple-Shaped Cheeseballs
- Mini Cheeseballs (Cheeseball Truffles)
- Buffalo Chicken Cheeseball
- Christmas Tree Cheeseball
Everything Bagel Cheese ball Recipe:
Everything Bagel Cheeseball
Ingredients
- 1 package (8-ounce) cream cheese - softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 scallions - chopped
- 6 slices bacon - cooked and chopped
- About 1/2 cup Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend*
- Bagel chips and/or crackers for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, cheddar cheese, scallions, and bacon. Form the mixture into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for an hour.
- Once the cheeseball has set, roll it into the Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend to evenly coat.
- (To make your cheeseball resemble a pumpkin, add a real or faux pumpkin stem to the top. Then use the tip of a chopstick or the back of a butter knife to create grooves.)
- Serve with bagel chips and crackers.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Don’t have a Trader Joe’s near. Recommend a quality substitute? I currently have Badia bagel spice.. but can find another brand if anyone can suggest something.
I have never made a cheese ball before. I did substitute turkey bacon and cut it very finely. The consistency was softer than I had expected but I wrapped it in plastic wrap and refrigerated it over night. That helped firm it up enough to shape it the next day. I liked the consistency as it was easier to spread than most cheese balls. The Everything but the Bagel seasoning was also a nice addition. It was surprising and a great appetizer for a large group. Thank you.
Great flavor but the consistency is more that of a cheese dip as opposed to a cheese ball. Next time I will omit the door cream.
Hi I M TRYING TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN EARLY FOR THANKSGIVNG. IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE AHEAD AND FREEZE A CHEESE BALL? iF SO ANY TIPS??
You can make a day in advance and roll in the spices just before serving, but I do not recommend freezing a cheese ball.
xo Michael
I made this forThanksgiving and although it was a great presentation I would never make it again! It was so salty that it was not enjoyed by anyone that had it. Being a good cook, my daughter pulled me aside and said it was salty and didn’t want to hurt my feelings but the salt was so overwhelming nobody touched it after the first bite. I just think you should know that maybe the seasoning should be adjusted? I used the Trader Joe’s but something went wrong and I’m not sure what?
What a great idea! The recipe looks really good and the creative take on the pumpkin just couldn’t be better. Trying it out this weekend. Great job!
I had an Inspired Charm craft party with a few girls from my block and we made no-sew fabric pumpkins from https://www.instrupix.com/diy-easy-toilet-paper-pumpkins-craft/ and I served 3 appetizers of Michael’s appetizers. I made the Everything Bagel cheeseball and by the end of the night, one of my neighbors was eating huge chunks of it on her crackers! Next time, I will use a little less seasoning because it’s salty and can overpower the delicious taste of the cheeseball. I just tested it before my company came and I scraped half of the seasoning off and repaired the appearance of the ball. Next, I prepared the yummy Mozzarella Caprese crostinis. Finally, for my keto neighbors, I made the avocado pesto blt bites and they were a hit! The avocado basil pesto mix is very versatile for use in other recipes. Inspired by Charm made for a great party.
I haven’t tried as yet, but I’m definitely going to and I’m sure they’re amazing! My five stars is for stellar designs and creativity! I LOVE these and can’t wait to present them to my coworkers at out next gathering.
Cannot wait to try this for our first potluck of Fall coming up very soon. Thank you Michael for your timing recipe inspiration. Love EVERYTHING on your blog and Instagram!!
Okay.. I used the chopped bacon, not bits or crumbles, in the jar.. it was EXACTLY 6 strips and it turned out awesome!! LOVE THIS RECEIPE!!!
Not a comment .. but a question . Do I have to use real fried bacon or do you think it’s possible to be able to use the bacon bits in the jar?
You must use real bacon. Do not use bacon bits.
xo Michael
I made this before and they turned out great. For some reason they are not setting u this time.I will try chilling overnight. They still have a great flavor.
I made the Everything but the Bagel Cheeseball a week before my Halloween party to sample it before serving to my guests and I’m so glad I did. While the pumpkin turned out super cute (5 stars for presentation) the cheeseball itself was a flop. Not wanting to make special trip to Trader Joes, I purchased Old Thompson “Everything Seasoning for Bagels & More” and found the garlic/onion to be way too overpowering (or was it the horseradish?). Either way, the green onions and bacon were lost. Since my husband wouldn’t eat it, I tried to pawn it off on my cleaning lady and she wouldn’t take it! I also felt the cheeseball was a bit heavy to maintain the shape well. So I found another recipe and tried again with much better results. I found it maintains it’s shape better without the sour cream. I tried forming the lines of the pumpkin using rubber bands around the Saran Wrap (as seen in another blog) and that was a disaster. I reshaped the ball and started over using a skewer; however, a chopstick would be better as my lines weren’t as defined as they should have been. I used sesame and poppy seeds for the outer coating eliminating the garlic and onion. I should also mention the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of the Everything Bagel Seasoning blend. I found this to be twice as much as needed. I used 1/2 this amount on my first cheeseball and it was still too overwhelming. A light coating of the sesame and poppy seeds were perfect. I found the bagel chips at both Walmart and Publix and also served with Triscuit, Chicken in a Biscuit (to add interesting shapes but didn’t love the crackers) and Firehook Sea Salt Mediterranan Baked Crackers (which were everyone’s favorite). In closing, love the concept of the pumpkin cheeseball but the recipe was $28 down the drain! (Bacon and Everything Seasoning Blend jack up the price as does the pumpkin ($2.50-$3.00) if you want a real stem. I saved the stem for the 2nd cheeseball so not a total loss there!) I love your blog. It’s very inspirational. I am so sorry to say I didn’t love the cheeseball.
Thank you for the detailed review, Kristen. I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t suit your tastes. I’ve had so many folks rave about this recipe. I suppose that’s how it goes with recipes some can love it while other’s don’t enjoy it. I appreciate the feedback.
xo Michael
Soooo basically you didn’t follow the recipe. It was too much of a burden to go to Trader Joe’s, and so you bought some other brand of everything bagel seasoning. And THAT other brand was not good. So, you changed the recipe. And then you blamed the recipe when it failed. Gotta love that.
Seeing that you appear to be the only one complaining that the seasoning was overwhelming and ruined the cheese ball ANd you are also the only one who used an off brand seasoning…. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the fail here is your own. Not the recipe.
I am excited to make this (as written) for my holiday party next week.
PS – how far in advance can I make this ?
PSS – Rachel Ray called. She wants her cheese ball back.
You can make it a day in advance. I would wait to add the seasoning until you’re ready to serve.
xo Michael
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This is such a cool idea! What a fun appetizer to bring to a party!
This is so cute and creative! Perfect for an autumn get-together!
found this through Pinteret and made tonight for Memorial Day cookout tomorrow. Finally had to chase husband out of it or there wont be any left for the rest of them lol. I just did standard round cheese ball this time but will save the pumpkin idea for Thanksgiving time. Thank you so much 🙂
I made this in the shape of a football for the super bowl and it turned out great! Wouldn’t change a thing.
Made this for the first time but it certainly won’t be the last. Everyone loved it!
to make with Doritos on outside do you use the same cheeseball recipe you use for the everything flavor one?
You can use whatever cheeseball base you’d like. I have a bunch on the blog, so pick your favorite. 🙂
xo Michael
The everything bagel cheeseball as really good. Made this one and the nacho cheese one for my party – everyone loved it and thought shaping them into pumpkins was so cute!