This hedgehog cheese ball is perfect for a boy's baby shower, a woodland themed first birthday party, church potlucks or casual parties with friends or colleagues. With only 35 minutes of prep time, plus some chilling time, it's super easy to make!
If you're looking for more easy, cheesy appetizers, try our recipes for Bisquick sausage balls and buffalo chicken dip.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 35 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes (including 2 hours chilling)
- 🍽️ Yield: 3 cups
- 🥕 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Gluten Free
- ⚡ Calories: 183 calories per serving (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
- 🧀 10 Ingredients: homemade onion soup mix, cream cheese, extra sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper, and thyme leaves.
- 🥣 Method: Hand Mixer
- ⌛ Time-Saving Hack: Use a spice grinder to quickly combine the onion soup mix, and use a hand mixer to blend the cheeses.
- ⭐ Expert Tip: Use homemade onion soup mix for the best flavor, and grate the cheese yourself for the perfect texture.
- 🌶️ Flavor & Texture: This woodland hedgehog cheese ball has a wonderfully creamy texture with lots of onion and spice flavors that pair perfectly with the three cheeses!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super Cute & Easy: This is the perfect adorable appetizer for first birthdays, baby showers, or anytime you want a cute woodland themed party!
- Make Ahead Friendly: The cheese ball mixture can be made a few days in advance and simply refrigerated until you're ready to decorate it and serve it.
- Creamy & Perfectly Seasoned: This recipe shows you how to make your own amazing onion soup seasoning mix to add to the cheese ball, which guarantees a fresh and wonderful flavor!
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I made this for my daughter's woodland creatures themed baby shower and it was such a hit! Not only was it easy to make and adorable, it was also absolutely delicious! I'm already planning on making it for future gatherings."
- Heather
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Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make your own hedgehog cheese ball? Fortunately, you don't need anything fancy or hard to find! Let's talk about the key ingredients.
- Cream Cheese: This soft cheese holds everything together and gives the cheese ball its creamy texture. Make sure it's at room temperature before you start.
- Cheddar Cheese: We like to use extra sharp cheddar because of its wonderful flavor, but any semi-soft cheese will work here.
- Spices: This recipe needs a lot of spices because we start by making a homemade French onion soup mix.
- Nuts: I use a mixture of pecan halves and walnut pieces to give the hedghog its signature prickly appearance. Feel free to use any type of nuts you like.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Spicy Version: Add more cayenne.
- Nut Free: Use pretzel sticks instead of the nuts.
- Healthier Version: Use low fat cream cheese or the American version of Neufchâtel cheese. Serve it with carrots and celery instead of crackers and bread.
How to Make Hedgehog Cheese Ball
- Grind the spices for the homemade onion soup mix together. (image 1)
- Beat together the cream cheese and grated cheddar until fluffy and smooth. (image 2)
- Add all the other ingredients, including the onion soup mix to taste. Scrape down the sides and mix until well blended. (image 3)
- Chill the mixture for 2 hours. (image 4)
- Place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a ball. Shape part of the ball into a point to make the hedgehog's body. (image 5)
- Unwrap the hedgehog and put it on a serving board or plate. Stick rows of pecans and walnuts on its back to create spines, then add raisins for the eyes and nose. Serve with crackers and enjoy! (image 6)
Recipe FAQs
Cheese balls are made from a mixture of a soft cheese, such as cream cheese, with a semi-hard or semi-soft cheese, like extra sharp cheddar. This creamy combination of cheeses is then seasoned with a variety of spices, condiments, or other flavorings.
This happened because you probably used a hard cheese (like Parmesan) instead of a semi-hard or semi-soft cheese (like cheddar). The hard cheese can't blend well into the soft cheese, meaning that it won't hold together properly.
It should last for a week in the fridge. Make sure to keep it tightly covered with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container to seal out fridge odors and to keep it fresh.
Yes, cheese balls freeze very well. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil. Seal it inside a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost the it in the fridge overnight before serving.
Crumble up a leftovers and sprinkle over hot pasta. Stir until melted and combined. Cut into cubes and toss with a green salad. Spread on bread and make a sandwich. Melt it in a saucepan and serve as a warm, cheesy dip. Add to omelettes or frittatas. Stuff chicken breasts or pork tenderloin with the cheese mixture. Serve with crudités.
Serving Woodland Hedgehog Cheese Ball
Want to serve this hedgehog for a first birthday party or baby shower? The guests will love this adorable snack if you serve it on a slice of wood or cutting board. Decorate it with rosemary sprigs, frosted cranberries, and a cute sign.
If you're looking for other appetizer recipes, make sure to try our recipes for Bisquick sausage balls, sardine salad, British sausage rolls, and Hawaiian meatballs. You'll also love these pigs in a blanket rolls!
Expert Tips
- Make your own soup mix. It's a lot tastier and healthier than the store bought packet!
- Grate the cheddar yourself. The pre-grated kind will make the cheese ball gritty.
- Keep your hands clean by shaping the mixture when it's wrapped in plastic wrap, then peeling it off when you're done.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 1 month.
Other Appetizer Recipes
Recipe
Woodland Hedgehog Cheese Ball
Ingredients
For the Homemade Onion Soup Mix (⅓ cup, 42g)
- ¼ cup dried minced onion
- 1¼ teaspoons onion powder
- 1¼ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
For the Cheese Ball
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
For the Decoration
- 1 cup pecan halves
- ⅓ cup walnut pieces
- 2 dried black beans for the eyes
- 1 raisin for the nose
- Few sprigs of fresh rosemary
For Serving
- Crackers of your choice
Instructions
Making the Onion Soup Mix
- Stir together all the spices in a small bowl until well combined.
- In a few batches, grind the spices a little smaller using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Making the Cheese Ball
- Beat the cream cheese and cheddar with a hand-held electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and additional spices. Add the homemade onion soup mix to taste.
- Blend until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides for an even mix.
- Chill the cheese mixture in the fridge for about 2 hours to firm up the mixture. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days at this point if you want to make it ahead.
Shaping & Decorating
- Once the mixture has chilled enough to handle, place the mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the wrap around the cheese, then shape it into a smooth ball. Use your hands to shape one end into a point to make the hedgehog's head.
- Unwrap the hedgehog and place him on the serving board. Make any adjustments to the shape, smoothing holes or creases with the back of a spoon.
- Once you're satisfied with the hedgehog's shape, stick on the two dried beans for eyes and the raisin for a nose. Decorate the hedgehog's back with rows of pecan halves and walnut pieces to look like spines.
- Curl a few sprigs of fresh rosemary around the hedgehog to look like pine branches in a forest. Serve with crackers.
Video
Notes
- Make your own soup mix. The store bought kind contains preservatives and extra salt.
- Grate your own cheese. The pre-grated kind will have a gritty texture in the cheese ball.
- Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap as you're shaping it to keep your hands clean, then peel it off when you're done.
- Want this spicy? Add additional cayenne pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week, or freeze them.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Marissa Wells
This turned out so good! My family and I made this for a holiday dinner last week. We used sliced almonds for the quills, and raisins for the eyes and nose. It was almost too cute to eat!
Emma Fajcz
We're so happy to see that, Marissa! Thank you for making our recipe and sharing your review!
Debbie
I have been looking for a different Appetizer to take to a Girl's Cocktail Party tomorrow and I have the ingredients for this and really like the presentation. Only change I will make is to use a large black olive cut into eye shapes and mouth, as I don't want anyone to accidentally bite on a dried bean. I think I will make spiced pecans and fill it in thicker without walnuts (don't have any) I have a rustic wooden Martha Stewart tray with silver twisted ropes for handles and a huge pine tree in back yard. Thanks for the great recipe, pictures presentation ideas.
Emma Fajcz
Sounds great, Debbie! We hope everyone will enjoy the cheeseball!
Heather
I made this for my daughter’s woodland creatures themed baby shower and it was such a hit! Not only was it easy to make and adorable, it was also absolutely delicious! I’m already planning on making it for future gatherings.
Emma Fajcz
That's wonderful, Heather! Thank you for making our recipe. We're happy it could make your daughter's baby shower extra special.
Janinne
Thank you for this recipe. Planning to use the hedgehog cheese ball for son and daughter-in-love’ s baby shower. Will also make the soup mix for my spice cabinet.
Emma
You're welcome, Janinne! We hope you enjoy the cheese ball and the spice blend!
Megan
Made this for a baby shower, so adorable!
Emma
Thank you so much, Megan! We're thrilled that the hedgehog cheese ball was featured at your baby shower!