Cheese Ball Recipe

By Maria Lichty

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Quick Summary

Easy Cheese Ball-this simple and delicious cheese ball recipe is a favorite appetizer during the holiday season. It is easy to make, can be made in advance, and is great served with crackers or cut up vegetables.

cheese ball covered in pecans on plate with crackers and knife on the side.

This homemade Cheese Ball recipe is our family’s favorite! It’s easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. It is the perfect appetizer for parties, especially during the holidays.

The base of the cheese ball is made from cream cheese, which gives it a rich, smooth texture. It’s usually mixed with shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and a dash of hot sauce. To add a bit of crunch and visual appeal, the cheese ball is rolled in crushed pecans.

It can be made up to one week in advance, which makes it perfect for parties. You can have it chilling in the fridge until it is party time!

Everyone will love digging into this delicious cheese ball. It’s creamy, savory, and so good with crackers, cut up vegetables, pretzels, or crostini.

cheese ball ingredients in bowls on wood cutting board.

Customize Your Cheese Ball

  • Spice it up!: Add in extra spices or herbs. Chopped parsley, dill, paprika, everything bagel seasoning, and thyme are all good options.
  • Nuts. Chopped walnuts, chopped or sliced almonds, or chopped pistachios are all good options. If you don’t like nuts or have a nut allergy, you can omit the nuts.
  • Pomegranate or Dried Cranberries: For the holidays, you can roll the cheese ball in pomegranate arils or dried cranberries for a festive look!
  • Pretzels: You can cover the cheese ball in chopped pretzels. I love the extra salty coating.
  • Bacon: If you like bacon, you can roll the cheese ball in chopped cooked bacon.
  • Fresh Herbs: Garnish with fresh herbs, like parsley or chives, to add a pop of freshness and color!

How to Make a Cheese Ball

  • Use room temperature cream cheese. I recommend a brick of Philadelphia brick cream cheese. If you take it straight from the refrigerator it will be hard to work with. I like to use my stand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until it is smooth.
cheese ball mixture in bowl with spoon with a plate of crackers on the side.
  • Next, add the shredded cheddar cheese and mix until combined. I like to use white cheddar cheese, but regular cheddar is fine too. For the best flavor, I recommend using freshly grated cheese instead of the bagged pre-shredded cheese. Pre-grated cheese often contains anti-caking agents, which can affect the texture and flavor of your cheese ball. Freshly grated cheese melts and mixes more evenly.
  • Add some flavor! Add the garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, green onions, and a little dash of hot sauce.
  • Mix until everything is combined; but don’t over mix or the cheese ball can become dense or greasy. I’s okay if the texture isn’t perfectly smooth.
cheese ball being formed in plastic wrap on wood cutting board.
  • Form a ball. Place the cheese mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap, then fold the wrap around the mixture and shape it into a ball by pressing the wrap gently around the mixture. This technique can help you form a more uniform shape without it sticking to your hands.
  • Chill the cheese ball for at least one hour before serving. This will help the ball keep its form and allow the flavors time to meld.
cheese ball covered in chopped pecans on plate.
  • Roll in pecans. Rolling the cheese ball in crushed pecans adds texture and flavor, but it’s easier to coat the cheese ball after it’s been chilled and shaped. When ready to serve, remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator and roll in the chopped pecans.
  • Let sit. I like to let the cheese ball sit out on the counter for about 20-30 minutes before enjoying so it is easier to spread.
cheese ball covered in pecans on plate with cheese spread on a cracker.

What to Serve with a Cheese Ball

Place the cheese ball and a platter or plate with a spreading knife and serve with:

  • Crackers
  • Cut up vegetables (carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumber, snap peas)
  • Pretzels
  • Baguette slices
  • Pita bread

How to Make Ahead, Store, & Freeze

  • Make Ahead: If you want to make the cheese ball in advance, form it into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or storage bag. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When ready to serve, roll it in the chopped pecans.
  • Storing in Fridge: If you start with fresh ingredients, you can store the cheese ball in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.
  • How to Freeze: I prefer a freshly made cheese ball, BUT you can freeze cheese balls. Wrap it well in plastic wrap (without nuts) and then add a layer of foil. Place the ball in a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and roll in pecans before serving.
cheese ball on plate with crackers and cheese knife spreader.

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Cheese Ball Recipe

This easy cheese ball is a party favorite! It only takes minutes to make and is great served with crackers, bread, or veggies.
4.56 from 38 votes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • A few dashes of hot sauce
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • Crackers, cut up vegetables, or baguette slices, for serving

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and mix until just combined. Add the garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, green onions, and hot sauce. Mix until well combined combined.
  • Spoon cheese mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. Wrap cheese ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
  • When ready to serve, remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator. Place chopped pecans on a plate. Unwrap cheese ball and gently roll in pecans, coating well. Place on a serving plate and serve with crackers, cut up vegetables, or baguette slices.

Notes

The cheese ball will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you are going to keep it in the fridge for that long, I would wait to add the pecans until ready to serve so they don’t get soggy.

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 78mg, Potassium: 44mg, Vitamin A: 210IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Keywords cheese ball

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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4.56 from 38 votes (32 ratings without comment)

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  1. Mmmmm, I’m so glad they came up with cheese balls too! It’s such an easy way to make it SEEM as if you’ve spent all day in the kitchen, right?! Pinned for New Years eve & festivities.

  2. I make a fun Halloween party treat that’s a cheese ball rolled in crushed “nacho cheese” Doritos (they’re more *orange* than regular ones are), with a bell pepper cap and stem and they make such a cute pumpkin which tastes great too. But I usually just cheat and grab a pre-made cheese ball at Smith’s. Now that I’ve seen your recipe here, I really think I must make the ball myself — it looks easy enough that I don’t think I have any excuse!!

  3. Need to know if the cheese ball will hold together using pre-packaged shredded cheddar. Pre-packaged shreds are coated with something to keep them from sticking together in the package. Because of this, other cheese ball recipes require you to grate the cheese yourself. Please answer soon! This looks really good, and if I can get away with using pre-packaged cheddar, that would be GREAT.

    1. I haven’t tried using pre-packaged shreds. I always grate the cheese myself. I would think it would stay together because the cream cheese holds everything together. Let me know if you try it!

    2. I used pre-shredded sharp cheddar and it turned out great! It held together very well.

  4. I love so many of your recipes, but I have to say, your constant repetition of the name of the title recipe in every post, such obvious SEO, is pretty irritating. I’m sure it was a smart tip when your blog was new and you had to work hard to get noticed, but I can’t imagine that it’s still necessary at this point. So for the sake of your readers, maybe it’s time to drop that distracting habit? Just a suggestion!

  5. I truly believe that a good cheese ball is the key to a good party. And this one is absolute perfection, let me tell ya! Quick and easy and totally delicious. Love every bit of this post!

  6. This looks so good! I know most Cheese Balls are covered are nuts (at least all the ones I have seen). Is there an alternative for those who may have to avoid nuts? Thanks!

    1. At Christmas time I sculp the ball into a tree and coat with parsley. I use pieces of pimento, olives and bacon bits to decorate the tree placing assorted crackers around the bottom. Have fun.

  7. I love a classic cheeseball! I never grew up eating them, but I am making up for lost time with them now!

  8. This is recipe is going to appear on our holiday appetizer table this year! Thanks so much and happy holidays! A loyal blog reader in CA

  9. 5 stars
    I made this yesterday for our holiday garden club event. It was so easy to make and a huge hit! I’m going to make it again this weekend. I might mix in some cranberries with the pecans. Thanks for a great recipe!

  10. Ingredients are so simple but looks so amazing, want to have it right now. It seems like cheese balls are easy to make. This recipe will always be the hit in party.

  11. I have always used the same recipe as the one my mo used growing up. This recipe looks similar Somali am going to try it this year. The difference is that we always used yellow sharp cheese. This year I bought the extra sharp white cheese as I’m looking forward to trying it.
    I started making cheese balls as a newlywed ten years ago when I brought an appetizer over for my in-law holiday get together. They were an instant hit. Now my cheese ball and crackers are requested every Thanksgiving , Christmas and Easter!

  12. This sounds delicious und looks gorgeous!

    But, if I’m beeing completely honest.. after the pandemic years I never really got back into the mood of easily and unconcerned sharing food like a cheese board, dip and crackers or sheetpan nachos with larger groups of people. How do people do this? I’m still too anxious and I don’t know if those dishes ever will make a come back for me. Sad.

    1. I know this is a late reply, but wanted to mention that another option for those who aren’t able to share one big cheese ball is to make “cookie scoop” size ones and place an appetizer pick or toothpick for individual servings similar to cake pops. A little more effort but is worth it to accommodate guests who aren’t able to partake in buffet-style dining such as the immune-compromised. It also makes for a smoother buffet line as it makes it quicker to grab and go.

  13. 5 stars
    First time making a Chesseball. I didn’t know how easy it was till your recipe. Also, I Veganized it and it tasted GR8!!! Thank you VERY much for sharing this! It is definitely my go-to now!

    Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!

  14. 5 stars
    Made this for our weekly pinochle night. Big hit. Followed the directions and covered half with crushed cashews, because that’s the nuts I had on hand. The other half with chopped cranberry raisins. Next time I will mix them together because where they over lapped went first, lol. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. Will be making this again for sure. I served with townhouse butter crackers and Ritz cracker crisps. Need a sturdy cracker so will be trying some different kinds next time. Thank you.