Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes! In fact, it needs to be made at least 2 hours in advance. That gives it a chance to chill in the shape you have formed it into. You could make this up to 5 days in advance, which makes it a great addition to your holiday parties!

Can I leave out the onion?

Definitely. I'm not a fan of raw onion either, but don't mind it in this recipe, and neither do my kids. If you dice it small enough, you might not even notice it.

Can I use a different color bell pepper?

Absolutely! While the green makes it look festive, this recipe also works with a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper.

We're allergic to nuts, can I leave those off?

You totally can leave off the nuts. In fact, my sister always does since one of her kids is allergic. It works great for her!

What's the easiest way to shape it?

I found that lining a round bottomed bowl with plastic wrap, and then plastic the cheese mixture into that and wrapping it up, worked great. Once it's refrigerated for a couple of hours, it kept it shaped once it was unwrapped and removed from the bowl. If you don't care about the shape of it, just place it in a bowl and use more as a dip.

My cheese ball is wet and won't stick together.

Most likely, you didn't drain your pineapple well enough. This is key to getting a great cheese ball. Drain any excess liquid whether it's the pineapple, onion, or pepper.

Appetizers & Snacks

Easy Pineapple Cheese Ball

By Mary SusanPrep 5 min

Jump to Recipe

This easy pineapple cheese ball is a crowd pleaser and an absolute must for any holiday party or cheese board.

The Story Behind the Pineapple Cheese Ball

This Easy Pineapple Cheese Ball recipe comes from my hometown of Danville, Virginia. There’s not much there and I’m always super impressed if someone has actually been there when I tell them where I’m from.

Danville is the type of town where you can go to Wal-Mart and always see someone you know. In fact, sometimes when I go back to visit, my mom and I will play the game, “let’s stay until we talk to someone we know.” Even after I have been gone for quite some time, I still will see someone I know, or someone who knows our family.

Since I grew up in such a small town, that means that my church congregation was also fairly small. Everyone knew everybody, and we were all quite good friends.

I remember when one of the families we were close with, the Bagleys. They had six sons and several of them were best friends with my brothers, so we so they a lot. When one of the older sons got engaged, I remember being at the wedding reception and thinking how beautiful his wife is. She still is to this day!

One thing that she introduced out congregation to was her delicious Pineapple Cheese Ball. I had never had anything as tasty as it. I’m pretty sure she brought it to a covered dish dinner and that was all I ate.

I think of this pineapple cheese ball quite frequently, but have actually never made it. I pulled out my Danville Cookbook that I have, and found the recipe. However, it wasn’t much of a recipe, but merely a list of ingredients. So, I called my mom to ask if she had every made it. She said she had not made it in years, but to call my sister because she makes several every year.

After speaking with my sister for thirty minutes, I got all the tips and tricks that I would ever need, and now I will pass them along to you. My sister said this is one of her families Christmas staples. In fact, she say that her family will go through an entire pineapple cheese ball in one sitting. It’s really that tasty and will be a great addition to any cheeseboard or to your list of party appetizers.

Recipe

Pineapple Cheese Ball

This easy pineapple cheese ball is a crowd pleaser and an absolute must for any holiday party or cheese board.

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Prep: 5 min

Instructions

1Drain the pineapple well. You should not be able to squeeze any extra fluid out of it. This step is key in making sure you have an actual cheese ball and not soup.
2Dice the pepper and onion finely. You don't want it minced and water, just small pieces. Try to avoid any onion or pepper juice from getting into your mixture.
3In a medium sized mixing bowl, warm the two 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. It should be soft enough to stir.
4Add in the salt, onion, pepper, and crushed pineapple. Stir together until evenly combined.
5Place plastic wrap in a rounded bowl, such as a salsa bowl, and scoop the cream cheese mixture into it. Wrap it up and keep it in the bowl.
6Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
7Once chilled, remove it from the plastic wrap and roll into chopped pecans.
8Serve chilled with your favorite crackers.