Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in this post may be "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Disclosure in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255. This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
If you’re feeling a little festive and are planning a party for St. Patty’s this year, you really should make this Leprechaun Cheeseball! You won’t believe how EASY this little cutie is to make. It’s the perfect dish to put you in the spirit of St. Patricks Day! Kids and adults alike will go wild for this adorable leprechaun.
While you are at it, you might as well start the day with some delicious St. Patrick’s Day Pancakes too! And if you really want to impress your guests, don’t forget about these St. Patrick’s Day Cookies And Cupcakes. It’s impossible not to have a great turnout with all this yummy food.
Ingredients Needed For This Leprechaun Cheeseball
The ingredients are pretty basic for this cheeseball recipe. Here is a breakdown of all the ingredients you need:
- Cream Cheese – For best results, it should be room temperature
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese – You can also use old white cheddar cheese too.
- Ranch Dressing Mix – You could also use a homemade ranch mix if you’d rather.
- Green Bell Pepper – The green pepper is for the hat on the leprechaun.
- Yellow Bell Pepper – You just need a small amount of yellow bell pepper for the hat and his nose.
- Red Bell Pepper – Make his mouth with the red bell pepper.
- Black Olives – They are only needed for the eyes, but some extra olives would also taste great with the cheeseball.
- Carrot – Slice the carrot with a veggie peeler so it looks like hair. Then add it to the leprechaun for the hair and beard.
How To Make a St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun Cheeseball
Don’t worry, making a cheese ball isn’t hard at all. The part that takes the longest is when it’s chilling in the fridge, but you can work on other party decorating then! Let’s get started:
First Step: The cream cheese should be at room temperature before you begin. If it’s not, you can warm it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Repeat until it’s room temperature.
Second Step: Put the room temp cream cheese in a medium bowl with ranch mix.
Third Step: Mix in the shredded cheese to the cream cheese mixture until it’s well combined.
Fourth Step: Form the cheese mixture into a ball. Put it in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 2 hours then you can begin decorating.
Fifth Step: Use 1/2 of the green bell pepper for the top of the hat. Make the rim with the top part of the bell pepper with the stem cut off. Add 1 piece of yellow pepper for the nose and the buckle. Use a piece of red bell pepper for the mouth and stick on 2 olives for the eyes. use a shredded carrot for the hair, beard, and eyebrows.
NOTE: Just press the facial features into the cheeseball. For the hat buckle, it’s easiest to use a toothpick to make it stay on.
What Should I Serve With The Cheeseball?
You can serve pretty much anything you want. It tastes great with all sorts of foods. And I have to admit, I may have even eaten it by the spoonful a time a two. Here are a few ideas to help you:
- Bread
- Crackers
- Celery
- Carrots
- Bell Peppers
- Pretzels
Can I Serve This Cheese Ball For Other Holidays?
Yes! Absolutely you can serve this cheese ball for other holidays. For example, for Christmas, you could use red bell pepper for the hat and mozzarella cheese for the beard. Honestly, the options are endless! You could cover the entire cheeseball with shredded cheese and serve it for any of the other holidays or even a potluck.
How Long Does The Leprechaun Cheeseball Last?
If you keep the cheeseball in an airtight container it will last up to 1 week. That will help you plan ahead if you are hosting the party and don’t want to make everything the day of. Plus, if you love to eat cheese balls for any occasion, you can make them ahead of time and munch on them for an easy lunch idea too.
St. Patrick’s Day Ideas
I love entertaining and going all out on decorations so I wanted to take a second to share with you some of our top picks! Take a look at these ideas:
St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Cheeseball
Ingredients
- 2 blocks of cream cheese (or 500g), at room temperature
- 1 cup shredded sharp/old white cheddar cheese
- 1 envelope of ranch dressing mix (28g)
- 1 green bell pepper for the hat
- small piece of yellow bell pepper for the hat
- small piece of red bell pepper for the mouth
- 2 black olives for the eyes
- piece of pepper for the nose
- 1 carrot peeled with a vegetable peeler for the beard, hair & hat
Instructions
- To make the cheeseball make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature, I like to take mine out 1-2 hours prior to making the recipe.
- In a bowl add your cream cheese and ranch mix and blend until well combined.
- Add the shredded cheese to your cream cheese mixture and stir until well combined.
- Grab the entire mixture and form it into a ball. Place on plastic wrap and then wrap up and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up before decorating.
- To decorate, I used 1/2 of bell pepper for the top of the hat and the rim part is made with the top part of the bell pepper that has the stem on it, stem cut off. I used a piece of yellow pepper for the nose and the yellow buckle on the hat. The mouth is a thin strip of red bell pepper. The eyes are 2 black olives. For the hair and beard, I just peeled a carrot with a vegetable peeler (I discarded the first layer of the carrot). I also used a carrot for the eyebrows and the hat.
Notes
All of the facial features stayed on by just pressing the cut out pieces into the cheeseball. But I did end up using 1 toothpick for the hat buckle.
