Looking for a fun and easy Thanksgiving snack idea? This turkey cheeseball charcuterie board is a fun way to make a holiday-themed snack that will delight kids and adults alike.
You can serve this as a snack by itself or put it in the middle of a kid-friendly charcuterie board with whatever snacks you’d like to customize it to your audience. Snack boards like these are also perfect to munch on while reading Thanksgiving books for a little reading group!
Looking for more fall craft ideas and activities? Check out these projects:
- Make a Paper Bag Owl Puppet (A Fall Handprint Craft!)
- Pumpkin Outline – A Free Printable Template
- Fall Bingo for Kids – Free Printable Game
- Turkey Template – Free Printable
What is a Turkey Cheeseball?
Rather than using a regular cheeseball in the middle of your snack or charcuterie plate, you can add a few edible adornments to make your nut-covered cheeseball look like a turkey. This is a fun and delicious fall snack that’s also perfect for Thanksgiving.
Why kids love Turkey Cheeseballs:
- Kids love food that looks like a fun object or animal. It’s a craft you can eat!
- Seasonal snacks are fun because they don’t usually get to have them all year round, so they feel a little more special.
- When kids help make snacks, they are more likely to try a new food or just feel like a big helper in the kitchen.
- Snacks that look like animals are a great opportunity to learn more about that animal (for example, did you know that only boy turkeys can make the “gobble” noise?).
What you’ll need to make it:
- Nut-covered cheeseball (check the cheese section of your grocery store)
- Pretzel rod (for the neck)
- Candy eyes
- Candy corn (for nose)
- Royal icing or icing tube
- Crackers (for tail feathers)
- Baby carrot slices (for tail feathers)
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can’t find a nut-covered cheeseball already made?
If you can’t find one already made, you can make your own! Here’s how:
Get a container of sharp spreadable cheese and refrigerate it so it’s chilled. Scoop it out into a piece of plastic wrap, cover the cheese, and use your hands to form it into a ball shape. Uncover the cheese and roll it into some sliced almonds (or other nuts) to get the nuts on the outside. Refrigerate until ready to decorate.
Can I use something other than nuts on the cheeseball?
Yes! You can use crushed up crackers or pretzels instead of nuts.
What are some ideas to add to a turkey cheeseball to make it a charcuterie board?
You can add veggies, fruit, other cheese, sliced cured meats, pretzels and crackers to eat with the cheese, or seasonal candy or cookies to garnish the board.
Tips to Make a Turkey Cheeseball:
- Some icings take a little longer to start to set, so lay your pretzel rod on the table to add the eyes and beak—you may need to hold them there for a minute as it begins to set or they may start to slide off the sides.
How to Make a Turkey Cheeseball:
- Take a pretzel rod and break about 1/3 of the pretzel off of the length. With the remaining pretzel rod, use your icing to glue on two eyes at the top and a candy corn (underneath it) to be the beak. Allow the icing to set.
- Insert 3-5 crackers into the back of the cheeseball to be big turkey tail feathers.
- Slice baby carrots into thin strips and stick them in front of the crackers to be the next row of feathers.
- When dry, insert your turkey neck into the front of the turkey to complete the look. Serve immediately, either by itself or as part of a charcuterie board (or refrigerate).
Once your turkey cheeseball is complete, add your other charcuterie snacks to a serving platter or board and let the snacking begin!
Looking for more fun edible ideas? Check out:
- Snowman English Muffin Personal Pizza (A Winter Snack Idea!)
- Bunny English Muffin (An Easy Easter Breakfast Idea!)
- Fruit Loops Rainbow Craft (and Snack!)
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Get the How-To
Supplies
- 1 nut-covered cheeseball
- 1 pretzel rod
- 1 candy corn
- 2 candy eyes
- 3 Town House crackers ((or other cracker))
- baby carrots (sliced)
- royal icing (or icing tube)
Instructions
- Take a pretzel rod and break about 1/3 of the pretzel off of the length. With the remaining pretzel rod, use your icing to glue on two eyes at the top and a candy corn underneath it to be the beak. Allow the icing to set.
- Insert 3-5 crackers into the back of the cheeseball to be big turkey tail feathers.
- Slice baby carrots into thin strips and stick them in front of the crackers to be the next row of feathers.
- When dry, insert your turkey neck into the front of the turkey to complete the look. Serve immediately either by itself or as part of a charcuterie board or refrigerate.
