4 Easy Cheese Balls

Every holiday season, year after year, my parents buy the same kind of port wine cheese ball from the store. And I don’t mind one bit. In fact, I look forward to it. But through the years, I’ve discovered there’s so much more to the world of cheese balls than that single (yet delicious) cheddar and port wine one. You can flavor them pretty much any way you can think of, like these four incredible options. (Plus a homemade one always feels a little extra special.)

These four cheeseballs are easy to throw together, and they share a number of ingredients so if you want to have a full spread for a party, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to do so. They go well together or can stand alone, and each one is more delicious than the next.

There is a printable recipe for all of these below, but to make things a little clearer, I will also list out the ingredients for each cheese ball below the picture of it. The method for each one is the same: you beat together the ingredients until they’re nice and well combined, shape the mixture into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it until you’re about ready to serve. Before you serve, you roll the ball in the “coating” ingredients, which are listed with each recipe. It’s easy to do, and I can promise you they’re all easy to eat!

First up we have:

Dill Chive Cheese Ball

This guy tastes herby and fresh and bright and has a lovely green hue about him. He goes well with a more rustic cracker, and is made up of:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 1/2 cup Gouda cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons snipped chives, 1 teaspoon dried dill, and another tablespoon of dried dill for the coating.

These are all truly delicious, but if I had to make just one of these, it would be:

Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball

This cheese ball has a nice crunch and sweet-tart thing going on, which is a wonderful contrast to the gouda and cream cheese within it. It’s made up of:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 3/4 cup Gouda cheese, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons chives, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 2 tablespoons chives for the coating.

It’s a really great flavor combo.

The next one will keep any vampire away, guaranteed.

Glorious Garlic Cheese Ball

It definitely has a garlic bite to it, but will mellow as it chills. It pairs well with a plainer cracker as it has some zing. It includes:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 cup sliced almonds for the coating.

Last but not least, is one for the bacon lovers. (Isn’t that most of us?)

Bacon Cheddar Ranch Cheese Ball

This one is smoky with a little tang from the ranch, and the bacon lends a nice crunch against the creamy cheddar mixture. It’s made up of:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, 1/2 packet Ranch seasoning mix, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup chives or green onions, 4 strips crumbled bacon, and 2 more strips of crumbled bacon for the coating.

Six strips of bacon in one little cheese ball is a very good thing, I promise you.

You can choose just one of these to make, sure, but pairing all four together ensures you have something for everyone. You have one that’s fresh and herby, one that’s smoky and bacony, one with a fruity crunch, and one that’s all about garlic. Roll up these four and your next party spread is done!

4 Easy Cheese Balls

10 minutes active, 4 hours inactive to prepare serves 12

Ingredients

  • Dill Chive Cheese Ball
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup Gouda cheese, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons chives, snipped
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • For the coating:
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup Gouda cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • For the coating:
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
  • Glorious Garlic Cheese Ball
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • For the coating:
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • Bacon Cheddar Ranch Cheese Ball
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 packet Ranch seasoning mix
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped
  • 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • For the coating:
  • 2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preparation

  1. For each ball, beat together the cheese ball ingredients with an electric mixer on medium until fluffy and well combined.
  2. Place mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a ball, and cover completely. Chill until ready to serve, but at least 4 hours.
  3. When ready to serve, unwrap ball, shape further as necessary and roll in coating ingredients. Serve, and enjoy!
Whizzco for LPE