Thank you to Food Should Taste Good for sponsoring this post!
The cheese ball needs to make a comeback.
But not as a repetition of history.
No, the cheese balls of yesteryear deservedly earned a bad rap. You know the ones: A mass of sticky artificial orange industrial goo (ie, Velveeta) squished into a ball, rolled in some nuts and served with crackers. By the time this round object masquerading as cheese had been sitting at room temperature for 37 minutes it became so unappetizing in appearance that the party guests began drifting further and further away from the table.
Fortunately in recent years cream cheese has taken the place of the unidentifiable orange stuff. Its tangy, neutral flavor is the perfect base for any number of fun flavor combinations.
I think I’ve only ever made a grand total of four cheese balls in my life. But this one has led me to an irrevocable decision: Cheese balls need to make a regular appearance in my home. They’re just too good not to.
Today’s cheeseball features the Christmas colors of red, white and green in the form of smoky bacon, sweet dried cranberries, cream cheese and green onions and those flavors accompanied by Cheddar cheese, pecans and kicked up several flavor notches with blue cheese. It’s delicious!
Even our 3 year old daughter thought so because within the course of 10 minutes she made no less than 12 trips back to the plate to reload.
You already know we’re fans of Food Should Taste Good chips for a number of reasons (they’re all-natural, certified gluten-free, vegan and kosher. No MSG, no GMO’s and made with simple, wholesome ingredients). For this cheese ball I wanted to try their sea-salted brown rice crackers (for my GF readers, they’re gluten free) and I opened up a box. Our kids both went to town on them, scooping up the cheese ball. By the time they had their fill of everything my husband and I stared at the few remaining morsels. “I’ll make another one,” I announced. And I did. And it won’t be the last.
Super easy to make, you can shape this into a cheese ball or into a log or any design you heart desires. Either way, it’s going to be a hit!
For best results just be sure to let the cheese ball sit in the fridge for at least a few hours so the flavor have time to meld.
Let’s get started!
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
Stir or knead together until thoroughly combined.
Shape into a ball (or log if preferred) and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days.
Toss the outer layer ingredients to combine and spread them out on a plate. Roll the ball in them to even coat the outer layer.
Serve with crackers and enjoy!
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries
- For the outer layer:
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon
- Food Should Taste Good Brown Rice Crackers (or crackers of choice) for serving
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir or knead together until thoroughly combined. Form the mass into a ball or log (whichever shape desired) and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 2 days.
- Toss the outer layer ingredients together and spread them out on a plate. Roll the cheese ball in them to evenly coat the surface.
- Serve with crackers.
A special thank you to Food Should Taste Good for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions are entirely my own.
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Ali @ Home & Plate says
I can almost taste it through the screen. That cheeseball looks amazing. I love all the colors and detail. Such great photos too. Yum!
Manila Spoon says
You certainly had me at bacon and blue cheese but wow, wow, wow! What a show-stopping appetizer this is – so gorgeous and packed with delicious flavors, too!!! Pinned, too. :)
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
I want to dive into this cheese ball! It looks heavenly!
Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says
Cheese balls are one of my favorite appetizers to whip up – I love how they’re so easy to make and customize! The flavors going on here look delicious!
Tonia from TheGunnySack says
Wowza! What an amazing combination!
heather @french press says
oh how I remember those glowing orange cheeseballs, there always seemed to be at least one at every family gathering. this one is just gorgeous,a nd I’m sure just as tasty
Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah says
This is SO perfect for party season! Can never go wrong with bacon :D
Lauren @ Hall Nesting says
I love this holiday treat!
Julia says
Love the combination you have of blue cheese, cranberry and bacon! I bet this would be a hit at a holiday party!
Nutmeg Nanny says
This cheeseball looks perfect for holiday parties. If I saw this at a party you could find me parked next to it eating it all :)
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos says
I have never made a cheese ball but clearly that needs to change. This looks perfect for holiday entertaining! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.
Vicky @ Avocdo Pesto says
Haha yes I know exactly what you mean about those unappeetizer Velveeta based cheese balls. This sounds nothing like it though and looks festive and delicious. Love those gf brown rice crackers too!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
I have never made a cheese ball before, but this looks so amazing!!!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
That cheeseball is beautiful. I love making cheeseballs during the holidays! Bacon and cheese, YES please!
Levan | Games Like Zone says
Okay I’ll admit – I’ve NEVER actually tried blue cheese. Been too fearful. But you make it look so tasty! Okay I’m heading to the supermarket :)
Adina says
This looks so pretty,like a big jewel! I bet it tastes amazing. I found a recipe for some great looking crackers as well this morning (Cafe Sucre Farine), I think the two recipes would fit together perfectly.
Anna @annaDishes says
What a great use of cranberries! I love a good cheese ball! Will definitely make this soon!
Lisa @ Low Carb Yum says
This looks so good, I’d skip the crackers! Beautiful appetizer for serving at parties this time of year.
Laura says
I love how Christmas-y this looks! And it sounds delicious. We always had cheddar beer cheeseballs–also delicious but a different animal completely. I want to try this one. And don’t you love when the kids love something you made like that?
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Wowie! I just love this cheese ball — one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Great ingredients, too. I need to bring more cheese balls into my life, too! Thank you!
Erin says
Seriously that looks like a CHristmas ornament!! Love it. I think I need to make a cheese ball! And we LOVE Food Should Taste Good crackers, too!!
Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says
I have to confess that I’ve never made or had a cheeseball. And they weren’t a staple of the parties of my childhood. But this one is super tempting with those festive colors and tasty flavors!
B White says
What are the outer layer ingredients— or how much do you set aside for rolling on the outside?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi B, if you scroll to the bottom of the post you’ll find the recipe box and in the list of ingredients it says “for the outer layer” and will tell you what you need and how much.
Wanda says
I DO NOT want to be in the grocery store on Christmas Eve Day. Can I substitute Feta for the blue cheese?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I can’t blame you, Wanda! Yes, you can use feta, it just won’t have as strong, or the same, flavor.
Shannon says
this Cheese ball looks great, thanks for the recipe. Ingredients are on my shopping list! Happy New Years Kimberly !
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Shannon, Happy New Year! :)
Carron Ingham says
I’ve made this Cheese Ball twice now and it is so yummy! I served it at a family party yesterday and it was a BIG hit, My granddaughter’s eyes light up when I told her to wrap up the leftover and take it home!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Carron, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!