Impress your guests with this tasty 15-minute classic cheese ball during the Holidays or when hosting an event. It’s loaded with cheese, roasted bell peppers, green onions, and topped with nuts and makes the party ultimate appetizer!
Cheeseballs are great to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Game Day, or any event or gathering. They are the ultimate party appetizer and a crowd-pleaser too! This delicious 6 ingredient cheeseball comes together in under 15 minutes and can be prepared ahead of time too. The combination of savory cheeses with seasonings and the crunch of the nuts is simply irresistible and is sure to disappear in minutes. Serve with crackers or sliced veggies and thank me later!
I have a shortlist of favorite party appetizers like buffalo chicken dip, Nashville hot chicken wings, whipped feta dip, or these delicious cheeseburger sliders.
What You’ll Need to Make The Best Cheese Ball Recipe
Prepare The Best Cheese Ball Recipe in 15 minutes with the following ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese to prepare this recipe with a blend of other ingredients.
- Sour Cream: The source cream mixed with cream cheese creates a much softer and smoother consistency for the cheese ball.
- Cheese: Mix cheddar cheese with the cream cheese to create the most flavorful and cheesiest ball for eating.
- Chopped Nuts: As a final touch, use chopped pecans to give your cheese ball a slight crunch.
Do not forget your seasonings. You will need garlic powder, ground pepper, and salt to add flavor to the cheese ball. You will also need roasted red peppers and green onions or chives (optional!).
How to Make a Cheese Ball
Mix: Make The Best Cheese Ball Recipe by mixing sour cream and cream cheese in a bowl. You want to combine these two ingredients until it is creamy. Pour in all your seasonings, fold in the roasted red peppers and green onions, and then add your cheddar cheese to the mix.
Shape: Place your cheese mixture on top of the clean wrap and begin molding it into the shape of a ball then transfer to the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Grab the second sheet of wrap, add chopped green onions and pecans to it, and then place your cheese ball on top.
Serve: Place the wrap around the cheese while making sure to cover it generously with the onions and pecans. Serve it on a table with crackers and chips.
Tips for making the BEST cheese ball
The cream cheese and sour cream must be at room temperature or else you will have a very hard time mixing it.
You can use your favorite cheese blend. I love to switch things up and use Colby, Monterey Jack, or even shredded pepper jack cheese for a kick of spice!
Add a tablespoon of ranch seasoning or 1/4 cup cooked crumbled or chopped bacon for an extra kick of flavor!
For a spicy kick, add diced jalapeños, crushed red pepper flakes, or a dash of hot sauce for a cheese ball with some heat!
How to Make a cheese ball in advance
You can easily make a cheese ball ahead of time for less stress and work when preparing for a large gathering or event. To make a cheese ball ahead of time, simply combine the mixture, and shape into your preferred shape and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and then coat with nuts just before serving. If you want it to be completely ready when serving, simply coat in the nuts ahead of time and place in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance!
How to Store a Cheese Ball
Store the cheese ball in plastic wrap. After wrapping it, place it in the fridge, where it will stay fresh for up to five days. If you make The Best Cheese Ball Recipe weeks ahead of time, store it in the freezer after making sure it is completely covered!
What to serve with a cheese ball
Cheese balls are classically served with crackers of choice, but they can also be served with so many different sides like vegetables, crostini, pretzels, or pita chips.
How long should a cheese ball sit out before serving?
After you have removed your cheeseball from the fridge and rolled it in the nuts, allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes before serving. This will allow the cream cheese to soften so it’s easier to scoop.
The Best Classic Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, , at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, , at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup diced roasted red pepper , drained, (optional)
- 2 tbsp green onions, chopped + 1 teaspoon for topping
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Make Base: In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and sour cream. Mix it well until creamy and well combined. Add the seasoning garlic powder, pepper, and salt; mix to combine. Gently fold in the roasted pepper and green onions followed by cheddar cheese.
- Shape: Transfer the cheese mixture to a clean wrap and form the cheese mixture like a ball shape and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Garnish & Serve: To a parchment paper, add the chopped pecans with a few green onions. Transfer the cheese ball to the parchment paper and coat well with the pecan pieces. Serve the cheese ball with crackers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
