Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls are a creamy, crunchy, and flavor-packed fusion snack or appetizer that is perfect for festive occasions like Diwali, holiday parties, or family gatherings.
Made using softened cream cheese, boiled sweet corn kernels, and pomegranate arils, this no-cook festive snack is ready in just minutes. These colorful bite-sized treats are the ultimate 5-minute party appetizer that combine the Indian chaat flavors with a smooth, cheesy twist.
Infusing oils or vinegars with exotic spices or fruits can elevate your dishes with unique aromas and flavors.
Table of contents
Whether you want to try easy Diwali snacks, Indian fusion appetizers, or looking for holiday appetizer ideas, this easy cream cheese chaat ball recipe is perfect for you.
Serve this at your festive party or get together, and watch them disappear in seconds! They will become your favorite go-to for any celebration!
About Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
This cream cheese corn chaat ball is a fusion chaat recipe that has the goodness of cream cheese combined with Indian spices, and chutneys like tamarind and mint chutney. Making this no cook snack recipe is super easy and takes only 5 minutes of your time.
Just chop the veggies, chop roasted pistachios, mix well and chill. When you want to serve, shape the balls. Coat the balls with roasted crushed papads, and drizzle with chutneys to the balls right before serving to maintain the freshness and crispness of these chaat balls.
Each ball is a bite-sized explosion of flavours, textures, and colors. They are creamy inside, crispy outside, with the taste of chutneys, pops of corn, and pomegranate in every mouthful.
The crushed papad coating adds that satisfying crunch that reminds you of crispy papad chaat from Indian street food stalls.
The best part is that this no-cook festive snack is easy to customize and can be made in advance and served chilled. Instead of corn, you can use boiled potatoes or simply leave adding any veggies. For color and flavor, I used spring onion greens, but you can also use herbs like cilantro or mint. Also, spices can also be customized, so feel free to tweak this recipe according to your taste preference.
For coating I used roasted moong dal papad, but you can also coat these balls with crispy boondi, crispy sev, aloo bhujia, crushed papdis, or Chana Dal Namkeen.
Serve these chaat balls at your next party, and it is sure to become a favorite among the crowd.
The Inspiration Behind This Recipe
These Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls came to life when I wanted to make something festive, modern, and fuss-free, something that feels luxurious but takes barely any effort to make. I had some cream cheese and corn at home, So I thought of making the Indian version of cream cheese balls.
Inspired by the flavors of Indian street chaat but with a creamy, global twist, this recipe perfectly fits into your Diwali appetizer recipe collection.
The wonderful thing about the recipe is that it does not need any cooking, so kids can also make them. So next time when you are throwing a party, involve your kids in mixing and shaping, and coating these cream cheese balls, and watch them create delicious bites with the assorted coatings.
Whether you are putting together your Diwali party menu ideas, planning festival food recipes, or looking for quick Diwali snack ideas, this recipe is guaranteed to become the star of the show.
Let’s learn to make these balls!
Why You’ll Love the Recipe
These Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
✔️ are ready in under 5 minutes
✔️ is a perfect vegetarian party starter
✔️ is creamy and crunchy
✔️ is ideal for Diwali or any other festive menu
✔️ is no-cook
✔️ is gluten free & vegetarian
✔️ have classic flavours with modern cheesy twist
✔️ are ideal for holiday appetizer
✔️ look elegant & tastes irresistible
Ingredients
-
Cream Cheese (Softened): It is the star ingredient of this recipe used to add a rich and creamy base.
-
Boiled Sweet Corn: They bring a sweet, juicy crunch in every bite, make sure to dry them before adding them to cream cheese.
-
Chopped Onion: They add a sharp, crunchy texture and pungent flavor to the creamy base.
-
Pomegranate Arils: Fresh pomegranate adds freshness and a beautiful color.
-
Spring Onion Greens: Sliced Spring onion greens add a mild onion flavor, freshness, and beautiful green color.
-
Roasted Pistachios: Chopped and roasted pistachios add a lovely nutty crunch and richness.
-
Spices: To season these balls I used basic spices like roasted cumin powder for warmth and earthiness, chaat masala for tangy chaat flavor, ground black pepper for a light spice, and black salt to enhance the taste.
-
Papads: Roasted crushed papads are used for the crispy coating. You can also use fried papad for richness, fine sev or crushed papdi for a variety.
-
Toppings: These balls are drizzled with mint coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, and pomegranate arils and more roasted papads.
How to Make Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
This step-by-step chaat recipe is simple, quick, and ideal for anyone who loves experimenting with Indian street food recipes at home.
Making these balls is simple. All you need to do is prep the ingredients like chopping onion, slicing spring onion greens, and chopping roasted pistachios.
Then make the base by mixing, softened cream cheese, chopped onion, spring onion greens, corn, pomegranate arils, roasted cumin powder, chaat masala, black salt, and black pepper until creamy and smooth. Flatten the mixture and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes, so it firms up slightly.
To prepare the coating, roast 4 papads on direct fire, or pan until crisp. Let them cool completely and then crush into fine flakes. You can also use fine sev or crushed papdi for a different texture.
After that, shape the balls, scoop small portions of the chilled mixture and gently roll into bite-sized balls.
Then roll each ball in the crushed papads until evenly coated. Arrange them on a plate, drizzle with green chutney and tamarind chutney, and garnish with pomegranate arils.
Serve immediately for crunch or chill for up to 30 minutes before serving soft chaat bites. They are versatile, refreshing, and can fit beautifully into any festival food recipe spread.
Variations
Spicy Version
If you like spicier chaat recipes, then add finely chopped green chilies to the cream cheese mix for extra heat.
Nut-Free Chaat
If you want a nut free version, skip pistachios. For a variety you can swap them with roasted chickpeas.
Healthier Twist
For a healthier touch, you can replace cream cheese with hung curd or even use soft paneer.
Fusion Twist
For a fusion Indo-Mexican flair, you can coat them with crushed nachos instead of papad.
Serving Suggestions
These Cream Cheese Chaat Balls are perfect when served as vegetarian party starters or Diwali appetizer recipes.
You can serve them as it is for a quick chaat or serve them in small cups or shot glasses with chutneys and veggies for a stylish presentation.
You can also thread them on mini skewers for bite-sized party appetizers.
They go so well with other chaat recipes like dahi vada, dahi puri, avocado chaat, kala chana chaat, or corn chaat for a street food inspired platter.
Storage Suggestions
Store the prepared chaat balls without papad coating and chutneys in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Roll them with crushed papads and add chutneys and garnishes just before serving to keep the coating crunchy, crispy and fresh.
Tips & Tricks to make the best Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
-
Corn: Always use the boiled, cooled, and pat dried dry corn. Use a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This step helps the mixture stay firm and prevents sogginess.
-
Chilling: Refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes before shaping. This resting time helps them firm up and help shape it into smooth balls.
-
Cream Cheese: For best taste, texture, flavor, and creamiest texture, always use full-fat cream cheese.
-
Chutney: Drizzle the chutneys only before serving to keep them crunchy from the outside.
-
Other Veggies: Instead of corn, you can also use other veggies like boiled peas, or chopped bell peppers
-
Spring Onion Greens: Instead of swapping onion greens, you can also use herbs like mint, cilantro, basil, or parsley for a different flavor.
-
Nuts: Adding pistachios is totally optional in this recipe. You can skip adding them or substitute them with any other roasted nuts of your choice.
Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls (Step-by-step photo instructions)
How to Make Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
- Finely chop half an onion and slice the spring onion greens. Keep them aside. Also, chop the roasted pistachios and set them aside.
- In a small bowl, add cream cheese, onion, spring onion greens, corn, pomegranate arils, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, black salt, and black pepper.
- Mix well until smooth. Flatten the cream cheese mixture and chill it for 10–15 minutes so it firms up slightly. Meanwhile, roast the papads in a pan or directly over an open flame on medium-high heat until crisp.
- Once roasted, crush the papads into tiny pieces. Scoop small portions of the chilled mixture and roll them into bite-sized balls.
- Roll each ball in the crushed papads until evenly coated. You can also use sev or crushed papdi for coating. Arrange the balls on a plate.
- Drizzle lightly with green chutney and tamarind chutney. Garnish with a few pomegranate arils. Serve immediately for maximum crunch, or chill for up to 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Card
Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 7 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Appetizers | Indian | 10 Balls |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 109 calories | 1 |
INGREDIENTS
For Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
- 1 cup cream cheese (softened)
- 4 tablespoons boiled sweet corn (pat dry to remove excess moisture)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
- 2 spring onion greens, finely sliced
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons roasted pistachios, chopped
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon black salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 papads, fine sev or crushed papdi (for coating)
For serving
- Tamarind chutney (for drizzling)
- Mint coriander chutney (for drizzling)
- Pomegranate arils (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS:
How to Make Cream Cheese Corn Chaat Balls
- Finely chop half an onion and slice the spring onion greens. Keep them aside. Also, chop the roasted pistachios and set them aside.
- In a small bowl, add cream cheese, onion, spring onion greens, corn, pomegranate arils, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder, black salt, and black pepper.
- Mix well until smooth. Flatten the cream cheese mixture and chill it for 10–15 minutes so it firms up slightly. Meanwhile, roast the papads in a pan or directly over an open flame on medium-high heat until crisp.
- Once roasted, crush the papads into tiny pieces. Scoop small portions of the chilled mixture and roll them into bite-sized balls.
- Roll each ball in the crushed papads until evenly coated. You can also use sev or crushed papdi for coating. Arrange the balls on a plate.
- Drizzle lightly with green chutney and tamarind chutney. Garnish with a few pomegranate arils. Serve immediately for maximum crunch, or chill for up to 30 minutes before serving.
Watch Full Recipe Video:
NOTES:
- Adding pistachios is totally optional in this recipe. You can skip adding them or substitute them with any other roasted nuts of your choice.
- Refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes before shaping. This resting time helps them firm up and help shape it into smooth balls.
If this recipe helped you, then please spread the word by sharing and subscribing to us on YouTube to get more such Recipe Videos.
Your feedback is so helpful for me and other My Ginger Garlic Kitchen readers. So, for Facebook and Instagram, please mention @MyGingerGarlicKitchen or #mygingergarlickitchen. I would love to see your photos. :)
Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/cream-cheese-corn-chaat-balls/
Questions or comments about this recipe: