Description
Creamy bacon cheddar ranch cheese ball delivers a flavor explosion that’ll make party guests swoon. Crispy bacon bits and tangy ranch blend seamlessly, creating an irresistible appetizer you won’t be able to stop enjoying.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 16 oz (450 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (100 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (120 g) cooked bacon, crumbled
Seasoning and Herbs:
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix (store-bought or homemade)
- ¼ cup (25 g) chopped green onions (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Coating:
- ¼ cup (60 g) cooked bacon, crumbled
- ¼ cup (25 g) shredded cheddar cheese
For serving:
- Crackers
- Pretzels
- Vegetable sticks
Instructions
- In a spacious mixing vessel, thoroughly amalgamate cream cheese, cheddar, ranch seasoning, crispy bacon fragments, and freshly chopped green onions until a uniform consistency emerges.
- Gently manipulate the creamy blend into a compact spherical formation using clean hands or a flexible spatula, ensuring smooth edges and compact density.
- Encase the nascent cheese orb in transparent culinary film, allowing it to rest and solidify within the refrigerator’s cool environment for approximately 60-90 minutes.
- Prepare a textural coating by finely chopping herbaceous parsley, delicate chives, and optional toasted nutty elements in a wide, shallow receptacle.
- Extract the chilled cheese sphere and meticulously roll its surface through the herb and nut mixture, ensuring complete and even coverage.
- Transfer the elaborately adorned cheese creation onto an elegant serving platform, accompanied by an array of crisp crackers, slender breadsticks, or vibrant raw vegetable companions like crunchy celery and sweet carrot batons.
- Allow the cheese ball to rest momentarily at ambient temperature before serving to optimize flavor and spreadability, inviting guests to indulge in its rich, savory profile.
Notes
- Soften cream cheese completely at room temperature for smooth, easy mixing without lumps.
- Add extra crispy bacon for more intense flavor and delightful crunch when coating the cheese ball.
- Experiment with different nut combinations like pecans or almonds to create unique texture and depth of taste.
- Make this appetizer ahead of time by preparing and refrigerating up to 3 days before serving for enhanced flavor melding.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 232
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 490 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg