The BEST classic Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Recipe. This homemade creamy Cheese Ball is so easy to make and will become a must-have appetizer for parties and around the Holidays.
We have a shortlist of favorite party appetizers like Spinach Artichoke Dip, healthy Shrimp Cucumber Bites, and Stuffed Mushrooms. This cheeseball is sure to become a new favorite. It comes together fast and is packed with flavor.
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Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our Cheese Ball Recipe.
Cheese Ball Recipe:
I love a good cheese ball at parties, and who doesn’t? Packed with bacon bits, nuts, shredded cheese and seasonings, this is the ULTIMATE appetizer recipe.
Not only is the cheese ball loaded with so much flavor, but it also takes just minutes to prepare and is so stunning when served.
How to Make a Cheese Ball:
Making a cheese ball is SO EASY! Once you make a homemade cheese ball, you’ll never purchase store-bought again. You just can’t beat a homemade cheeseball!
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the cheese ingredients until well incorporated: cream cheese and sour cream, bacon bits, shredded cheese, green onion, walnuts, poppy seeds, and seasonings.
- Finely chop the cheese, walnuts, green onion for the coating (or you can leave it chunky if that’s your preference).
- Shape cheese ball and coat generously with the topping mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cooks TIP: For easier mixing, first, beat the cream cheese and sour cream with a mixer, then stir in remaining ingredients with a spatula or wooden spoon until well incorporated.
TIPS for the BEST Cheese Ball!
Though there’s not much that can go wrong when making a cheese ball, here are some added tips we found helpful:
- If you don’t have Ranch seasoning, you can substitute the sour cream and Ranch seasoning with your favorite Ranch dressing instead. It is a little easier to form the ball with sour cream though since it is thicker.
- The cream cheese MUST be at room temperature or you’ll have a really hard time mixing.
- If you enjoy spicy food, add Hot Sauce or Sriracha to the mixture for a kick.
- When serving the cheese ball, serve at room temp for a softer mixture that’s easier to spread or dip.
- You can use your favorite cheese or a mixture of cheeses. Mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, four-cheese (Mexican), Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese are all great options. TIP: Purchase a block of cheese and shred it for better flavor without additives.
How to Make Cheese ball in Advance?
We love make-ahead appetizers that taste just as good or better when made in advance. There are two ways to prepare the cheese ball in advance and both work great!
- Option 1: Prepare the mixture and refrigerate it in a bowl. Shape and coat before serving.
- Option 2: Prepare and shape the mixture and cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate. Coat before serving.
Ideas How to Shape a Cheese Ball-
You don’t have to limit yourself to only a classic cheese ball shape (as we have in this recipe). Here are some other creative ideas for shaping the cheese ball. The décor can vary, depending on the shape and event-
- SPORTS- An oval football for football parties, or a basketball for finals, etc.
- FALL- A pumpkin for fall parties.
- CHRISTMAS- A reindeer, snowman, wreath or tree for Christmas.
- THANKSGIVING- A turkey for around Thanksgiving theme.
- LOG- You can also just shape the mixture into a log instead of a ball for any occasion.
What to Serve with a Cheese Ball:
Cheese balls are classically served with crackers of choice, but they can be served with so many different sides. Here are some other serving options for a cheese ball.
- Vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes or celery)
- Pretzels or Pretzel Crisps
- Bagels if serving for brunch
- Crostini
- Pita chips
- Salami or turkey
- Tortilla chips
- Your favorite crackers
- Olives or roasted peppers
How Long Will Cheese Balls Last?
A cheese ball can last up to 5 days, if refrigerated. Be sure to keep it tightly wrapped.
Try These Other Party Appetizers:
These are the appetizers that always disappear fast and get rave reviews. Just like this cheese ball recipe, most of these appetizers can be made ahead to make your party planning even easier!
- Pico De Gallo – learn the secret to the best pico!
- Ceviche – authentic and irresistibly delicious
- Deviled Eggs – with bacon and a surprise ingredient
- Buffalo Chicken Dip- Classic dip with a twist
- Chunky Guacamole- A favorite at parties.
Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz bacon, chopped, divided
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1/2 cup Mexican cheese, shredded (4 cheese blend)
- 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped and divided
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and divided
- 3 Tbsp Ranch seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp poppyseeds, divided
Instructions
- Cut bacon into small pieces and sauté until cooked. Once cooled, set aside 1/4 of the bacon for the topping.
- In a bowl, add 3/4 of the bacon, 1/4 cup sour cream, 16 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup four-cheese blend, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 3 Tbsp green onions, 1/4 cup walnuts, 3 Tbsp Ranch seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp poppy seeds. With a wooden spatula, mix all ingredients until well combined.
- Finely chop the remaining 1/4 of bacon, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1 Tbsp green onion, and 1/4 cup walnuts. Mix together with the 1/4 tsp poppy seed. Spread this mixture onto a cutting board.
- Form a ball out of the cheese mixture and roll the cheese ball over the toppings to fully coat and shape into an even ball as it's coated. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Valentina Ablaev
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Delicious. Just used 2 tablespoons of ranch and omitted onion. Used lower salt bacon too. Will make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I actually doubled the recipe for our Christmas party and it was a hit. I made 2 balls and kept one in the fridge as I knew my hubby would love the “leftovers”. I substituted walnuts for pecans because that’s what I had on hand. Never thought to use poppy seeds for a cheese ball! I am making this again, 3 weeks later. Seems like it’s going to be our regular recipe. дякую, Натусю!
Hi Elena! That sounds great. I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
I made the cheeseball as an appetizer before thanksgiving everyone loved it they said the bacone made it.l got your new cook book for Christmas.thank you your reciepe or so easy too fallow.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Pam!
I’ve bought ingredients for 3 of these cheese balls and realized I bought ranch dips mix instead of ranch dressing packet what should I do?
Hi Joeann. I think they can be used interchangeably based on what I read online but you can look up the ingredients on the packages and compare them.
Actually, I made this recipe, it was good but VERY salty. A friend asked if I used ranch DIP OR DRESSING powder…I used the dip and that is too salty. You have to use the RANCH DRESSING powder for this. We ate it, but it is SALTY! whew! BTW, we loved the rest of the texture and ingredients of the cheese ball, will make again with different ranch powder! 😀 Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Sue. Good to know. I don’t have the packets on hand to compare but likely there is more salt in the dips vs. seasoning mix.
This is a five-star recipe! One comment I had was it was the BEST cheese ball he has ever had. It is definitely my standard recipe!
That’s amazing, Becky! I’m so glad to hear that.
My husband declares this delicious! I’m not a fan of ranch or these flavors, but I know my guests will be. Thank you for adding, again, to my repertoire! Quick question: This makes a lot. What would you think about freezing half of it? Would that work?
Hi Victoria! You’re very welcome! I haven’t frozen it but in my research, it sounds like cheese balls can freeze well. Maybe add the nuts on after thawing?
Made this for a Christmas party and followed the recipe to a T, except I used spicy ranch seasoning for a little kick. It was a crowd pleaser for sure and even had a few people ask for the recipe. Will be making this again.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Hello! This looks wonderful! Do you think this would freeze well?
Hi Erin! I haven’t tested it myself but I think so. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and add nuts once completely thawed.
This is my families favorite cheeseball recipe! I use everything bagel seasoning and chopped pecans. Thank you!
So glad to hear that!
Hi Natasha,
I would like to give this a try but I cannot do walnuts because of an allergy. Do you think I can substitute with chopped sunflowers seeds or just completely omit the walnuts?
Looking forward to your reply.
HI Marisa, I think that would work to substitute the nuts with seeds or just omit the nuts altogether and add a little more bacon and chives.
The link for the Ranch Seasoning is broken. I would like to know what brand, etc. is recommended. Would you please fix that link?
Hi Amanda, I corrected the link and thank you for letting me know. Here is the Ranch Seasoning that was used for this recipe.
Do you think imitation bacon bits can be used instead of real bacon?
Hi Wendy, we prefer real bacon since the imitation ones tend to be harder, but if that’s all that you have on hand it may work. I hope you love this recipe.
I made this for a party. Everyone loved it. It makes a lot so next time I will cut the recipe in half.
Hey Carol! Great to hear that it was a huge hit. Thanks so much for this review and for sharing that with us.
Can use freeze these? I would like to make a a couple of these and have them ready when we need to bring one any occasion.
Hi Chelsea! I haven’t tested that but I think it will work.
can this be cut in half? way too much for me and my husband.
Hi Donna! Yes, you it can be. In the recipe card above, if you hover over the serving size you can slide to increase/decrease the serving size and this will convert the ingredient list for you.
Fantastic recipe…After reading some of the reviews I only added 2 tbsp of the Ranch powder… Will definitely be making again… Thank you
So glad you loved it, Kathy! Thank you for sharing.
Everyone LOVED this cheeseball recipe! I didn’t have dry Italian seasoning mix or sour cream so I used ranch dressing. I also used Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel sesame seasoning blend for the last 3 seasonings. Then I just rolled it in the bacon and cheese (I didn’t use nuts). I’m sure it tasted almost the same as the original recipe just without the nuts….thank you for a keeper!
You’re so welcome. Great to hear that it was a huge hit!
I made this for New Years Eve and here’s a list of the mistakes I made after getting feedback from friends with good taste buds and have no trouble being honest. 1. I used ranch dip mix instead of ranch seasoning and that could have been a mistake. 3 tablespoons was over powering and way too much. 2. I love bacon and added more bacon. Even some bacon bits from a packet. And a few drops of liquid smoke. Don’t do this. Follow the recipe. Two people commented, “wow that’s a lot of bacon”. I did not think that “too much bacon” was possible. But I achieved it. 3. I added too much cheese and even some pepper jack. Again, follow the recipe. I did not. All the extra stuff just made this too salty. Which is another comment I got. Luckily it was a large gathering and there were tons of other dishes to help keep mine unnoticed. One other comment I got was “ohh…this is an explosion in your mouth!” lol. It was not a boring cheeseball so I got that going, anyway. Better luck to me in the kitchen in 2023!
Thanks for sharing that with, Bradley. I recommend following the recipe as it is especially on your first try but practice makes perfect! I’m sure it will be very great on your next try.
Fantastic but almost to salty with 3 tb.s ranch seasoning, I used the same ranch that the recipe suggests. Next time I will use half the amount and it should be perfect.