Ahhhhh, I’m so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow! Seriously. I’m getting things ready – and one of the things I can make ahead by a day is this ultra-easy ham & onion cheese ball appetizer. I know not everyone thinks about eating before a big family dinner, but in our family, inevitably, someone or something delays dinner by an hour, haha. That means keeping a nice wine on-hand, and some easy finger food until turkey time (please tell me I’m not the only one??)
So the hardest part about this recipe is remembering to set the cream cheese out to soften. But assuming you can master that one detail, you’re just going to toss 4 ingredients into a bowl for this great savory appetizer.
- 1 - 8 oz. package of softened cream cheese
- 4 oz. ham, diced finely or chopped in the food processor
- 2 diced green onions (about 2 Tbsp.)
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Don't bother stirring it - I just dig my hands right in and squish it together.
- Form it into a ball.
- Refrigerate until time to serve - you can make it up a day ahead or even two. Then, serve with crackers.

(Oh, and don’t worry – I’m going to tell you later this week how to make this adorable canape knife, too! You can personalize it ANY way you like!)
I hope you U.S. friends enjoy the long weekend with your families – and even if you’re not celebrating Thanksgiving where you live, I hope you still have an excuse to eat well and have fun!
If you don’t have garlic powder can you use minced garlic
We love having snacking food while waiting for the turkey to finish. Love this recipe! Can’t wait to try it!! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Looks jummie, have a happy thanksgiving.
Greatings from the Netherlands, Ria
We always have a light nosh sometime in the afternoon before big dinners. It makes getting dinner on the table much less stressful as no one is DYING of starvation. I think I’ll add this into the rotation as we all like to try new things.
Adrianne, you can plan my next gathering! :)