This holiday classic cheese ball is made with a combination of cream cheese and cheddar cheese, green onions, pecans, and spices and rolled into a ball. Serve with crackers and veggies, and you have a great centerpiece for your appetizer table.
When I think of having a cheese ball, memories of New Year’s Eve with my family come to mind. We always make appetizers and snacks for New Year’s Eve, and the cheese ball is at the top of the list of must-have appetizers. They are always served with crackers or veggies, and the cheese ball is always rolled in walnuts or pecans. Sometimes I wish I could make smaller balls and sell them as individual-sized cheese balls because if you leave that cheese ball out for too long, my husband will eat the entire thing in one sitting if you don’t watch him.
What I love about this Classic Cheese Ball
- Make it Ahead This recipe can be made ahead of time, up to a week in advance, although you will want to wait to add the nuts until you are closer to wanting to use it. I like it when you can make a recipe ahead of time and then just pull it out when you need it.
- Flavor This cheese ball is not short on flavor. With the blend of cheeses, Worcestershire sauce, spices, and a little bit of hot sauce (this won’t make it spicy), all the flavors blend together nicely.
- Perfect Party Appetizer This appetizer is great because if you’re making other appetizers that need to be in the oven or require a little more attention to detail, this one is easy to serve. Unwrap it, serve it with crackers and veggies, and you’re done.
What is the Best Cheese ?
When it comes to making a cheese ball, I like to start by making a base with cream cheese and medium-to-sharp cheddar cheese, but once you have the base, you can pretty much go in any direction you want and make it your own with the flavors you like.
- Cheeses that are good options: Sharp cheddar, gouda, pepper jack, or a mixture of all of them
- Cheeses that I like to stay away from: You want to try and stay away from a cheese that is dry, like parmesan.
Classic Cheeseball ingredients
- Cream Cheese Full fat or low-fat works well for this.
- Cheddar cheese I like to use medium- to sharp-flavored cheddar cheese and grate it myself because I sometimes find the pre-grated cheese doesn’t have a lot of flavor.
- Green onions finely chopped green
- Seasonings and spices dried parsley, garlic powder, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce
- Pecans Chop the pecans as finely as possible. I will sometimes put them in the food processor and pulse them a few times. You could also switch out the pecans for almond slices or take out the nuts completely and use bacon bits.
How to Make Classic Cheese Ball
- Combine ingredients Mix the cream cheese with the remaining ingredients until smooth.
- Form the Cheese Ball lay the plastic wrap flat and then use a spatula and take all the mixture and place it onto the plastic wrap and form a ball shape this makes the process a little less messy.
- Coat in nuts You can use any type of nut you prefer; just chop them nice and fine. and roll the cheese ball into the nut mixture.
- Chill Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
What to Serve with a Cheese Ball
There are many different options for dipping, You can serve different types of crackers, pretzels, pieces of bread, vegetables, and pita pieces.
The Best Classic Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese grated
- 2 green onions chopped
- ½ tsp Worcestershire
- ½ tsp hot sauce
- ½ tsp parsley flakes
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅔ cup pecans chopped fine
Instructions
- Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Add cheese, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, parley, and garlic powder, mix well to combine.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the mixture into one lump. Place onto plastic wrap and form into a round ball.
- Place the pecans on a plate. Hold the cheese ball in one hand and use the other hand to scoop the pecans onto the outside of the ball, pressing them in gently and turning the ball to coat all sides.
- Cover the cheeseball in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow it to firm up. Take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften just slightly.
I love a good cheeseball and this has to be one of my favorite recipes! Thanks for sharing!
Perfect cheese ball for parties! It’s super easy to make and the whole family loved it!
Such a fun app for any occasion. I love that you can make this cheeseball ahead of time though, makes the day of so much less stressful!
Those look yummy, especially during cold days… Thanks for sharing!
This instantly took me back to holidays with my mom. She made a mean cheeseball. I wish I had her recipe, but this looks so similar… going to give it a try!