Vegan snowman cheese ball

Remember this vegan snowman cheese ball for your next holiday party! It’s made with an easy tofu cheese. Then it’s rolled into balls, and decorated. Ready in just 15 minutes! Serve with crackers for spreading. 

Holiday parties and Christmas gatherings are a great time to bring out the cute.

And what could be cuter than this adorable little snowman cheese ball?

He’s made of tofu cheese and all piled up with caper eyes and a carrot nose. Ready for whatever December throws at him. (I’m betting it will be crackers.)

This tofu cheese has umami from white miso paste, tang from lemon juice, cheesiness from nutritional yeast flakes, and nuttiness from tahini.

It is the same base as my tofu ricotta recipe. However, instead of blending until crumbly, this version is blended until smooth in the food processor. That way it’s easy to roll into balls and form into a snowman.

(For more snowman food ideas, check out this melted snowman soup.)

What kind of tofu should I use?

For this recipe, I recommend a 16-ounce package of vacuum packed super firm tofu. You can just crumble it straight into the food processor without pressing it first.

I usually buy it at Trader Joe’s. It’s one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products. You can also find Wildwood brand at natural grocery stores.

If you only have water-packed tofu, that will work fine too. You’ll just want to press it first.

Keep in mind that you’ll likely need about a package and a half of the water-packed variety, because the water-packed kind comes in smaller packages. (Water packed tofu is generally 14 ounces in comparison to 16 ounces of super firm.)

And some of the weight is water, which will be removed with draining and pressing. Whereas the super firm kind doesn’t have any liquid in it.

I don’t recommend silken tofu for this recipe. It’s soft and won’t give you the bulk you need for forming the snowman.

How to make it

Here’s what you’ll need for the tofu cheese.

Put the following into a food processor:

• Super firm tofu
• White miso paste
• Nutritional yeast flakes
• Lemon juice
• Tahini
• Salt

Process at a low speed until smooth, stopping occasionally to stir & scrape down the sides.

Once it is evenly incorporated, use your hands to scoop out a handful of tofu cheese. Roll it into a ball. Set it aside and make two more.

Make the first ball the largest for the base, a middle sized one for the center, and the smallest one for the head.

(The snowman can be whatever size you wish. For the purposes of this post, my snowman was about four inches tall in total.)

Stack the three balls on top of each other to make the snowman cheese ball. Place on a platter with crackers or crostini for serving.

Decorate it:

• Capers for eyes and buttons (Capers are immature flower buds from the caper bush. Look for them near the jarred olives in the grocery store.)
• Sliced carrot for a nose
• Sliver of red bell pepper for a mouth
• Pretzel sticks or rosemary sprigs for arms

Make it your own

You can make this snowman your own by varying the vegan cheese or decorations.

• Instead of tofu cheese, make almond cheese balls.
• Add to the tofu cheese with flavorful ingredients like minced garlic, fresh or dried basil, granulated onion, or sun-dried tomatoes. (Keep in mind that some of those ingredients will affect the white color.)
• Instead of capers for eyes and buttons, use peppercorns, sliced olives, or blueberries.
• Instead of sliced carrot for a nose, use a tiny wedge of vegan cheddar block.
• Instead of a bell pepper for a mouth, use a slice of cherry tomato, sun-dried tomato, or several peppercorns.
• Add a thin long slice of cucumber or carrot for a scarf.

Can it be made gluten free and oil free?

Absolutely!

The tofu cheese is already gluten free and oil free. So the key is making sure you use gluten free and oil free pretzel sticks for the arms, or use rosemary sprigs.

Can it be made soy free?

Yes!

If you’d prefer a soy free cheese, use my almond cheese balls recipe instead.

The almond cheese recipe is made with a base of blanched almonds. It has a lovely tangy flavor from olive brine, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Just skip the part of the recipe where the balls are breaded & fried. Roll them into three varying sizes, and form into a snowman.

Keep in mind that while tofu cheese can be used right away, the almond-based cheese needs time to firm in the refrigerator before rolling into balls. Plan accordingly.

What to serve with it

This mildly flavored cheese goes well with any number of charcuterie-style accoutrement. It can be used with sweet or savory pairings.

Serve it with any of the following:

• Flavored crackers (Rosemary is especially nice)
• Toasted crostini
• Toasted bagels
• Pretzels
• Crudités
• Olives
• Pickles
• Pear or apple slices
• Berries
• Vegan deli slices
• Candied pecans

What to do with leftovers

You will definitely have more tofu cheese than you need for one snowman. However, it’s easier to use a whole package of tofu, rather than trying to weigh & divide it into smaller portions.

You can make a bunch of snowmen with the extra. (Of course, you’ll need more snowman decorations like capers and pretzel sticks.)

You can roll the cheese balls in toppings for a vegan cheese balls holiday wreath.

Or you can use any remaining tofu cheese as a spread on its own, smear it on bagel sandwiches, or use it in lasagna. 

Can you make it ahead of time?

Yes!

This is a great appetizer to make ahead of time. It keeps well in the refrigerator in a covered container for about 4 days.

You may want to decorate it just before serving, though, so that the decorative pieces don’t get dried out. Carrot sometimes browns a little over time once cut.