These mini goat cheese balls are my go-to holiday appetizer: creamy goat cheese whipped with cream cheese, honey, and a pinch of cinnamon, then rolled in a crunchy crust of chopped pecans, cranberries, and parsley. The cinnamon is my little secret, a warm note nobody can quite place, but everyone reaches for a second ball.
They take about 15 minutes of hands-on work, and you can prepare them up to two days ahead. That makes them perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve, when oven space is precious and you'd rather be with your guests than in the kitchen.
Reader Jenny made them for a party and told me they were voted second-best dish of the whole gathering and she'd even forgotten the honey drizzle. With the honey? I'm claiming first place.
Looking for a full amuse-bouche spread? Pair these with my smoked salmon and arugula oil and ham with cranberry compote, this recipe is the vegetarian one of the trio.
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Why you'll love these goat cheese balls
Mixing the goat cheese with cream cheese makes the taste softer and creamier. And by rolling it in a mix of dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and parsley, you get a delicious crunchy outer layer. This will be a crowd-pleaser for sure!
Ingredients and notes
- Goat cheese: This recipe uses soft goat cheese. I used small goat cheese balls because they mix well with the cream cheese, but you can also opt for a larger piece of goat cheese. Since you'll be adding honey later, use cheese without honey.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese makes the goat cheese softer and gives a delicious velvety taste. Any cream cheese without herbs is suitable for this.
- Cranberries: This recipe uses dried cranberries. They are sweeter than fresh ones and is a better combination with the cheese.
- Cinnamon: Just two teaspoons, and it's what makes this recipe mine. It doesn't taste like "cinnamon" in the finished ball; it adds a subtle warmth against the tangy goat cheese. Don't skip it.
- Honey: Goes in twice: a little inside the mixture to balance the tang, and a drizzle over the finished balls just before serving.
- Pecans: Toast them briefly in a dry skillet for extra flavor, then let them cool before chopping.
- Parsley: Adds fresh color to the crust. Flat-leaf looks prettiest, but curly tastes the same.
How to make goat cheese ball appetizers
Step 1 - Mix the cheeses
Finely chop the pecans, cranberries, and parsley. To a bowl, add the goat cheese, cream cheese, cinnamon, honey, ⅓ of the pecans, and two tablespoons of cranberries. Mix everything well until it is fluffy and creamy. Put it in the fridge for a while so it gets cold and you can easily scoop it. At least 15 minutes, but an hour is better.
Step 2 - Prepare the crust
Mix the rest of the pecans, cranberries, and parsley and put them on a plate. Spread this mixture as much as possible in one layer.
Step 3 - Scoop the goat cheese balls
With a small ice cream scoop, scrape some of the cheese mixture out of the bowl. The ice cream scoop already gives you a nice ball shape.
Step 4 - Coat the balls
- Place the scoop with the cheese mixture on the plate with the nut-cranberry mix.
- Roll the cheese balls in the nut mixture. This sticks super well to the outside. If you serve it right away, drizzle some honey over the balls. If you make this in advance, you can now store them covered with some foil in the refrigerator. Just before serving, drizzle the balls with honey.
Substitutions and variations
- Cream Cheese - Replace the cream cheese with an equal amount of mascarpone. This makes the balls even creamier.
- Pecans - You can also use walnuts or pistachios for this.
- Cranberries - Cranberries can also be replaced with currants, raisins, or dates.
- Parsley - It does not matter flavor-wise whether you use curly or flat parsley, but for the eye, the flat parsley is the most beautiful.
- Fried Cheese Balls - Prepare the cheese balls and put them on a plate. Make a coating of finely chopped pecans with the same amount of Panko. Fill a bowl with a beaten egg and a plate with the pecan-Panko mixture. First, dip the balls in the egg and then coat them with the nut mixture. Then bake them for 30 minutes at 465 °F (240 °C) in the oven, 4 to 5 minutes at 250 °F (180 °C) in the deep fryer or 7 minutes at 390 °F (200 °C) in the Airfryer. Drizzle with some honey and serve!
Make ahead, storage, and freezing
- Refrigerator: You can make the cheese mixture up to 2 days in advance and roll it into balls. Keep it covered in the refrigerator. I wouldn't apply the coating just yet. The pecans become soft and the parsley less fresh. But you can make the coating within a few minutes, so the cheese balls are on the table in no time.
- Freezer: You can freeze these cheese balls for up to 1 month. To store them easily, place them on a plate with some space in between and let them freeze. Then remove them from the surface and put them in a bag. That way they don't freeze together.
- TIP parsley gets a different structure in the freezer. Choose to add the nut topping later or omit the parsley.
Top Tips
- Remove both cheeses (cream cheese and goat cheese) 15 minutes before starting to prepare this recipe from the refrigerator. Then they are softer and blend better.
- Stick a pretzel stick into a cheese ball and you have a goat cheese lollipop. That way you don't need a skewer to eat them.
What to serve with goat cheese balls
- Pear and apple wedges
- Baked baguette slices
- Crudité
- Pretzels (salt sticks)
- Mini breadsticks
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make goat cheese balls ahead of time? Yes, this is a real make-ahead recipe. Mix and roll the balls up to 2 days in advance and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Add the pecan-cranberry coating just before serving so the nuts stay crunchy and the parsley fresh.
- Can you freeze goat cheese balls? Yes, for up to 1 month. Freeze them spaced apart on a plate first, then transfer to a freezer bag so they don't stick together. Add the coating after thawing, because parsley changes texture in the freezer.
- Why does the mixture need to chill? Fifteen minutes in the fridge (an hour is even better) firms the mixture so the ice cream scoop releases clean, round balls instead of a sticky mess.
📖 Recipe
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RECIPE CARD
Equipment
- Glass bowls
- Ice ball scoop
- Hand Mixer
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
cheese balls
- 5 oz soft goat cheese
- 5 oz cream cheese, without herbs
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 oz. pecan nuts, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cranberry, dried finely chopped
Nut coating
- 3 oz. pecan nuts, finely chopped
- 3 oz. cranberries , finely chopped
- 1 oz. parsley , finely chopped
To serve
- 2 tablespoons honey
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Making cheese balls
- Place goat cheese, cream cheese, cinnamon, honey, pecans, and cranberries in a bowl.5 oz soft goat cheese, 5 oz cream cheese, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 oz. pecan nuts, 2 tablespoons cranberry
- Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed so that the mixture becomes creamy and fluffy.
- Optional: put the bowl, covered, in the refrigerator, for at least 15 minutes, but you can leave it in longer. That makes creating the balls easier.
Coat with nuts
- Mix the pecans, cranberries, and chopped parsley on a plate.3 oz. pecan nuts, 3 oz. cranberries , 1 oz. parsley
- Scoop with an ice cream scoop, I used a diameter of 1.38 inches (3½ cm), a ball of the cheese mixture, and place it on top of the nut mixture.
- Roll the cheese ball through the nut mixture so that it gets an even layer.
- Place on a plate or bowl.
To serve
- If you serve the goat cheese balls right away, drizzle a little honey over the balls and serve.2 tablespoons honey
- Otherwise, keep them covered in the fridge. Drizzle with the honey just before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerator - Make the cheese mixture up to 2 days in advance and roll it into balls. Keep it covered in the refrigerator. I wouldn't apply the coating just yet. The pecans become soft and the parsley less fresh. But you can make the coating within a few minutes, so the cheese balls are on the table in no time.
- Frozen - You can freeze these cheese balls for up to 1 month. For easy storage, place them on a plate with some space in between and let them freeze. Then remove them from the surface and put them in a bag. That way they don't freeze together. TIP - Parsley gets a different structure in the freezer. Choose to add the nut topping later or omit the parsley.
The nutritional value shown is per appetizer. But it is true that you probably use less coating and honey than what is indicated. The real values will therefore be lower.
Nutrition
Jerika says
Wow! this is a perfect appetizer! and can be made only in just 10 minutes! This is awesome I'm so excited to try this Goat cheese ball appetizers! Thanks!:)
Nora says
Oh, these look so delicious! They will definitely make a perfect start to a Christmas menu! Thanks for the idea!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings says
These look really yummy as a make-ahead holiday snack! Can't wait to try them for a party this holiday season.
Toni says
This is totally addictive! Such an amazing appetizer!
Andréa says
It really is!
Andréa says
It's my favorite holiday snack. Easy to prepare and very delicious!
Andréa says
Thank you for your nice comment!
Andréa says
Thank you Jerika!
Jenny says
This easy appetizer was voted second best dish at a gathering. I forgot to drizzle on the honey but everyone still loved it! Thanks for a simple recipe with so much flavor!