Jalapeno Chia and Pumpkin Seed Cheese Ball

Party food has a special place in my heart. Delicious food along with the company of friends or family makes the delicious food taste even better. Anything with cheese also has a special place in my heart because cheese is so yummy. My Jalapeno Chia and Pumpkin Seed Cheese Ball is so good! We ate this delish appetizer poolside the other day and my husband and I loved it. Even my boys who don’t eat peppers love this recipe.

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I love all the healthy ingredients in this cheese ball. The cheeses provide protein and calcium. The chia seeds provide protein, omega-3, fiber, calcium, and iron. I love the tasty pumpkin seeds as well and they add in protein and nutrients as well. This cheese ball also includes jalapeños and a banana pepper (I even grew these peppers in my garden!). Jalapeños have many health benefits too including vitamin C, A, and fiber; they are a vegetable and not just a spicy additive to foods.

The Ingredients to Make a Jalapeño Chia and Pumpkin Seed Cheese Ball

The ingredients needed to make this scrumptious vegetarian cheese ball include the following foods:

• cream cheese
• shredded Pepper Jack cheese
• grated Parmesan cheese
• minced garlic
• banana pepper
• jalapeño peppers
• honey roasted pumpkin seeds (I always find these in the deli section)

Kitchen Tools Used to Make the Cheese Ball and How To Make It

This is a simple, quick appetizer you can make in about 15 minutes. I love how quick it is to make it because we lead a busy life and making something that is delicious and quick is important to me. You will need a food processor, a fork, 2 bowls, a knife, and meauring cups and spoons to make this cheese ball.

I mix all the ingredients togenter except for the pumpkin seeds (crush and set aside). I like to stir this type food mixture with a fork because I can mash it and stir. The cheeses and veggies mix well with a fork when the fork is pressed down over and over again into the mixture. I also stir periodically with the fork while mashing. Using softened cream cheese works the best, however I have done with with cream cheese fresh from the fridge, I just had to work harder to force the fork through the cheese (that’s more work! so set it out for a bit to make it easier on yourself;).

After it is fully mixed, I shape it into a ball with my hands and roll it in crushed pumpkin seeds. I added it to a plate and stacked five crackers all around it on all sides. Displayed this way it reminded me of a sunflower (so a perfect fall appetizer!).

When To Make It

This cheese ball recipe is perfect for parties whether it’s a summer outdoor party, fall party, Thanksgiving appetizer, Christmas appetizer or New Year’s Eve. My family loves to do a spread of appetizers at Christmas and I have often hosted a New Year’s Eve party where appetizers are the main course. Appetizers are fun and so delicious and the options are endless. Any get together would be perfect to enjoy this cheese ball. My family even loves it as a snack but often the five of us can’t eat it all at one time so I store it in the fridge until to enjoy later.

Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s so good and we love to eat it dipping Ritz™ crackers in it. It is delicious with a margarita or beer too. Or, lemonade;

Related Posts: Check out some of my other recipes Jalapeno Pumpkin & Chia Seed Wontons

Pecan Squash Rolls Appetizer

S’mores Party Dip

This is an original recipe by Julie Hoag @8/24/2017.

Jalapeno Chia and Pumpkin Seed Cheese Ball

Party food has a special place in my heart. Delicious food along with the company of friends or family makes the delicious food taste even better. Anything with cheese also has a special place in my heart because cheese is so yummy. My Jalapeno Chia and Pumpkin Seed Cheese Ball is so good! We ate this delish appetizer poolside the other day and my husband and I loved it. Even my boys who don't eat peppers love this recipe. This easy-to-make, quick appetizer has many healthy ingredients including pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, cheeses, and peppers.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 15 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 12 ounces cream cheese block, softened
• 1/2 cup cheese, Pepper Jack medium
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 banana pepper chopped into small pieces using a food processor
• 2 jalapeno peppers chopped into small pieces using a food processor
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, honey roasted I use the Good Sense brand.
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Instructions

 

• Allow cream cheese blocks to soften. Combine 12 ounces block cream cheese with 1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp. minced garlic, finely chopped banana pepper and jalapenos peppers (remove seeds from peppers and use a food processor to get very small pieces). Stir and mash thorouhly with a fork until fully mixed.
• Add 1/4 c. pumpkin seeds to a sealed baggie. Fully crush seeds with a kitchen mallet.
• Using your hands, shape the cheese mixture into a ball.
• Roll the cheese ball in the crushed pumpkin seeds. Serve with your favorite crackers. I love this cheese ball with Ritz crackers.

Notes

Make sure you set the cheese ball out to soften for a bit if you refrigerate it after making it so it is easy to scoop the cheese with crackers (or use a little knife to spread). If the cheese ball is too hard from being in the refrigerator, the crackers may just break when you attempt to scoop the cheese.

Other yummy dipping suggestions:

• blue corn tortilla chips
• bagel chips
• lime flavored tortilla chips
• pea pods
• slices of red, green, yellow, or orange peppers
• carrots
• cucumber slices
• crispbread
• whole grain wheat crackers
• Triscuits™
• Sun Chips™

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!