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Pumpkin Cheese Ball is a sweet, no bake dessert dip that tastes like pumpkin cheesecake rolled into a party ready ball, and when I set one out on a *football Sunday* with graham crackers and vanilla wafers, Maddie and Lizzie circled the platter until it was gone. If you love our caramel apple pudding cups, this is the make ahead fall treat your next party needs.
Ten minutes of mixing, a quick chill, and you have the easiest dessert appetizer of the season.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 545kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet pumpkin cheesecake flavor with warm spice and a chocolate drizzle
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a no bake mix and chill recipe like our cream cheese fruit dip
Quick Answer
Beat softened cream cheese and butter until smooth, then mix in pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and dry spice cake mix. Wrap the mixture tightly in plastic wrap, shape it into a ball, and chill for 2 hours. Unwrap the Pumpkin Cheese Ball, drizzle with melted chocolate, top with chocolate chips, and serve with graham crackers.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Dry cake mix magic. Spice cake mix adds sweetness, warm spice, and structure all at once, no oven required.
- Room temperature dairy. Softened cream cheese and butter whip together silky smooth with no lumps.
- A plastic wrap mold. Wrapping the soft mixture tightly in plastic wrap shapes a perfect ball while it firms up in the fridge.
- A two hour chill. Chilling sets the ball so it holds its shape on the platter and scoops cleanly.
- Chocolate two ways. A melted chocolate drizzle plus whole chips on top adds sweetness and crunch against the creamy center.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is completely no bake, ten minutes of mixing is all the work.
- It tastes like pumpkin cheesecake in dip form, sweet, tangy, and loaded with fall spice like our pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
- You can make it a day ahead, it actually gets better as it chills.
Key Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the simple ingredients that make this sweet Pumpkin Cheese Ball the easiest fall party dessert.
- Cream Cheese: The creamy, tangy base, let it come fully to room temperature so the mixture whips up smooth.
- Pumpkin Puree: Real pumpkin gives the cheese ball its color and cozy fall flavor, use pure pumpkin, not pie filling.
- Spice Cake Mix: The secret ingredient, dry cake mix stirs in warm spice flavor and thickens the mixture with zero baking.
- Powdered Sugar and Brown Sugar: A double dose of sweetness that makes this taste like pumpkin cheesecake, just like our cream cheese fruit dip.
- Chocolate Chips: Melted and drizzled on top, then scattered over the ball for a sweet, crunchy finish.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This Pumpkin Cheese Ball is easy to dress up or change around. Here are a few favorites.
- Roll it in toppings: Instead of the drizzle, roll the chilled ball in chopped pecans, toffee bits, or crushed gingersnaps.
- Make it a pumpkin shape: Press indents into the chilled ball with a wooden skewer and add a pretzel rod stem for a pumpkin look.
- Swap the cake mix: Yellow or butter pecan cake mix works if you cannot find spice cake mix, just add an extra half teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- White chocolate version: Drizzle with melted white chocolate for a sweeter, prettier contrast.
- More easy fall treats: If you love no bake desserts, try our caramel apple pudding cups next.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheese Ball
- Beat the room temperature cream cheese and butter together with a hand or stand mixer until completely smooth.
- Add the pumpkin puree and beat until well combined, then mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time.
- Add the pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar and mix until fully combined.
- Add the dry spice cake mix about a third of a cup at a time, mixing as you go. The mixture will still be soft.
- Mix until everything is well combined and smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Scoop the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it tightly into a ball, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Unwrap, drizzle with melted chocolate, and top with chocolate chips.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the dairy fully. Cold cream cheese or butter leaves lumps, set both out for at least an hour before mixing.
- Blot the pumpkin. Pressing the puree with a paper towel removes extra moisture so the ball sets firm.
- Wrap it tight. Twist the plastic wrap firmly at the top to press the mixture into a smooth, round ball.
- Chill the full 2 hours. The mixture is soft when mixed, the fridge is what makes it scoopable and sliceable.
- Drizzle just before serving. Add the melted chocolate and chips after unwrapping so they look glossy and fresh.
- Serve it cold. Set the ball out no more than 30 minutes before the party so it keeps its shape.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Pumpkin Cheese Ball is the dessert version of a party cheese board classic. Surround it with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, apple slices, and pretzels for a sweet and salty spread.
It is perfect for Halloween parties, Friendsgiving, and football Sundays, especially next to a platter of our pumpkin snickerdoodles.
Hosting a full fall dessert table? Add our pumpkin cake and a batch of pumpkin donut holes and watch it all disappear.
Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to four days, and honestly it makes a great bagel spread the next morning, a trick we learned with our iced pumpkin oatmeal cookies icing bowl.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball FAQs
This Pumpkin Cheese Ball is sweet, it tastes like pumpkin cheesecake in dip form. Cream cheese, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and spice cake mix make it a dessert appetizer served with graham crackers and vanilla wafers instead of veggies.
Yes. Make the Pumpkin Cheese Ball up to two days ahead and keep it wrapped in the refrigerator. Add the chocolate drizzle and chips just before serving so they stay glossy.
Boxed cake mixes sold in the US are made with heat treated flour, so they are safe to use in no bake recipes like this Pumpkin Cheese Ball. If you prefer, spread the mix on a tray and bake it at 350 degrees for 5 minutes first, then cool before using.
Graham crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, pretzels, and apple slices are all perfect for scooping this Pumpkin Cheese Ball. Anything with a little crunch and a touch of salt works beautifully.
Store the Pumpkin Cheese Ball covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving so it scoops easily.
Yes. Wrap the un-topped Pumpkin Cheese Ball tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then add the chocolate drizzle and chips before serving.
Want one more crowd pleaser? Our pumpkin cake feeds twenty with almost no effort.
For the savory side of the table, bake these jalapeno popper mummies wrapped in crescent dough.
For the dinner side of fall, bake this sweet moist pumpkin cornbread in muffin form.
Serve it with a warm batch of cheese muffins for the full appetizer spread.
Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ⅓ cup spice cake mix
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Start by beating the cream cheese and butter together until smooth with a hand or stand mixer.
- Once smooth, add in the pumpkin puree and beat until well combined. Continue by adding the powdered sugar in small amounts.
- Once all the powdered sugar is well combined, add in the pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.
- Once well combined add in the spice cake mix 1/3 cup at a time. The mixture will not seem very firm but will firm up when it is set.
- Once all of the ingredients are well combined, grab a large piece of plastic wrap. Place mixture in the center, wrap mixture very tightly into the shape of a ball.
- Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
- Once set, take out of the refrigerator and unwrap. Place the ball on a platter or tray.
- Melt ½ cup of the chocolate chips and drizzle on the top of the ball.
- With the remaining chocolate chips, place on top of the melted chocolate before it hardens. Serve with graham crackers and vanilla wafers.
Notes
- You can use other cake mixes in this recipe such as vanilla, chocolate or gingerbread.
- If you do not want to use the cake mix as is, you can heat treat it in the oven for about 7-10 minutes.
- Use any of your favorite dippers for this recipe, see some of my suggestions above.
- Top this with other toppings, again see above on how to do this.
- You can easily double this recipe to save one for later.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- You can swap out the pumpkin spice for cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Make sure you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
Nutrition
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