Skip to Content

Easy Cheese Ball Recipe

Homemade cheese ball recipe with cream cheese and green onions. A delicious appetizer for your holiday gatherings!

cheese ball surrounded by crackers

This is the best cheese ball recipe!

A cheese ball is a delicious addition to any holiday party, and a tradition that I grew up with, like many others did.

This is my go to recipe for an easy and tasty cheese ball that only uses simple ingredients and comes together in just a few minutes. 

This cheese ball is super creamy and rich, with that perfect contrast of crunch in the pecan topping! Fresh green onions, cream cheese, and a few simple spices add just the right amount of flavor for every creamy bite. 

It is so good we made a Pimento Cheese Ball and Pumpkin Cheese Ball version too!

holding a cracker dipped in cheese ball

Cheese Ball Recipe ingredients

A cheese ball is a mixture of:

  • cream cheese
  • fresh grated cheese
  • sour cream
  • and other spices for flavoring

Green onion adds a lovely extra punch of flavor that makes it irresistible. Once whipped together, the ball is then rolled in chopped pecans.

ingredients to make a cheese ball

How to make a Cheese Ball

Step 1: First, allow your cream cheese to soften for a few minutes. You will need two blocks of cream cheese.

Step 2: Once softened, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, fresh chopped green onions, salt, and pepper until combined with a hand mixer.

Step 3: Grate 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese and beat that in. I always recommend that you take the extra few minutes to grate your cheese fresh. It really makes all the difference in flavor and freshness!

shredded cheddar cheese in a bowl

Step 4: Cover and chill the cheese ball filling mixture in the fridge for around an hour or so to firm it up. This will help make it easier to form the cheese ball.

shredded cheddar added to the cheese ball ingredients

If you want to make this ahead, you can leave the batter overnight in the fridge, then just finish rolling and shaping it right before serving.

Step 5: Once you are ready to make the cheese ball, use greased hands and a spatula to form the mixture into a ball shape.

I first shaped the ball roughly with a spatula then sprayed my hands with olive oil spray to finish shaping it and that worked perfectly. Oiling your hands will help keep the cheese from sticking to much to you.

cheese ball on a plate of pecan pieces

Step 6: Next, roll the cheese ball in pecans until coated on all sides. You need about a cup of chopped up pecans.

cheese ball rolled in pecans

Step 7: Just place the chopped pecans in a bowl and roll the cheese ball until it is totally covered in chopped nuts on all sides. Your cheese ball is now ready to serve!

Easy Cheese Ball Tips

  • Grate the cheese yourself: Don’t skip grating the cheese yourself! The extra flavor and texture are just right for this recipe. I used sharp cheddar cheese, but medium cheddar would work just as well. 
  • Buy pecan pieces: To save time, buy your pecans in pieces so you don’t have to spend time chopping them up.
  • Use a butter knife to serve this cheese ball
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve: o not leave out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours
cheese ball with a bite taken out of the front

What crackers to serve with this Cheese Ball Recipe

Personally, ritz crackers are my favorite cracker to serve with a cheese ball, but pretty much any cracker is going to be delicious!

  • triscuits
  • pita chips
  • wheat thins
  • pretzel chips
  • or any kind of cracker
cheese ball platter with crackers

How to store a Cheese Ball

Leftover cheese ball can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. I doubt they will last that long though. In our house any leftovers are quickly devoured!

Easy Cheese Ball Recipe FAQs

How do you thicken cream cheese balls?

Cheese balls are made with a base of softened cream cheese, sour cream, and grated cheddar cheese. The cheese ball will thicken up and set once it has been refrigerated.

How do you eat a cheese ball?

Cheese balls are typically eaten with a variety of crackers or pretzels.

More Appetizers

Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

cheese ball with a chunk missing to show the inside

Be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow Build Your Bite on Pinterest for all the latest delicious recipes!

holding a cracker dipped in cheese ball

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!

cheese ball with a chunk missing to show the inside

Easy Cheese Ball

Yield: 1 cheese ball
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Easy cheese ball recipe made with cream cheese and green onions, sour cream, and sharp cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

  • 16 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ cup fresh green onions, minced or finely diced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup pecan pieces**

Instructions

  1. With a hand mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, green onions, salt, and pepper until combined
  2. Grate the cheddar cheese block fresh
  3. Beat in the sharp cheddar to combine
  4. Cover and chill the cheese ball mixture for around an hour, until the cheese ball mixture begins to firm
  5. Use a spatula and greased hands to form the cheese ball shape, then roll in the pecans until coated on all sides
  6. Serve with your favorite crackers and enjoy!
  7. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 5 days

Notes

Start with one cup of pecan pieces for rolling, and add more if necessary.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 130Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 140mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

sour cream and cream cheese ball with a bite taken out of the top

Sharing is caring!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sylvia

Thursday 16th of March 2023

Going to try this for St. Patrick's Day party.

Kimberly

Friday 30th of December 2022

Can you use two different cheeses? If so what kind would you recommend? I’m making to take to a chili party.

Fannie Dixon

Thursday 29th of December 2022

Haven’t tried it yet but it look delicious I will try it and tell you about it

Shontu'e

Tuesday 13th of December 2022

Can you add cooked bacon pieces to this recipe?

Paula Heavin

Tuesday 6th of December 2022

Can I make this on a Wednesday and serve Saturday?

Joy Shull

Wednesday 7th of December 2022

I personally would not let it sit that long before serving.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe