Easy Ranch Cheese Ball Recipe

This ranch cheese ball recipe is the perfect addition to any gathering.  This recipe is easy, you can make it ahead of time, and you are left with delicious results. It's the a tasty holiday cheese ball you can actually make any time of year!

Who doesn't love a cheeseball?!  They are the perfect spread for crackers and always please a crowd.  

According to legend (which means this probably isn't true) the first cheeseball was served to Thomas Jefferson at the White House.  

The cheeseball wasn't widely popular until the mid century - it kind of went along with army green appliances and shag rugs. Since then they lost the spotlight for a bit, but now they are in style again, and I can't get enough of them!

They're great for a crowd and perfect to serve up with other party and holiday faves such as cranberry salsa, sweet and sour meatballs, and crispy baked potato skins.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Great for parties!
• Easy to make for groups of all sizes.
• Make it in advance.
• Easy to change up the flavors!

Ingredients You Need

Whipping up this tasty appetizer is simple.  All you'll need are a few things you can pick up at just about any grocery store.

• Cheese: The heart of this recipe is cream cheese and Colby jack cheese. I highly recommend buying a block cheese and grating it yourself. It will have a better texture and flavor.
• Dried herbs and spices: Parsley, dill, dehydrated chopped onion, onion salt, garlic salt, and black pepper season the cheese mixture.
• Sugar: Just a touch to balance the salt and seasonings.
• Walnuts: Use finely crushed walnuts to coat the exterior of the cheese ball.

Substitutions and Variations

• Like it spicy? Add a sprinkle of hot sauce such as tabasco or some finely diced chilies to the cream cheese mixture.
• Turn it into a Thanksgiving cheese ball or Christmas cheese ball. Mix together some finely chopped cranberries and chopped parsley with the walnuts. This adds holiday colors and flavor to the cheese ball.
• Bacon ranch cheese ball: Cook up your favorite bacon, cool and add to the cream cheese mixture with the grated cheese.
• Change up the nuts. Pecans or almonds work great too!
• Change the cheese. For bolder flavors, sharp cheddar cheese and blue cheese work great.

How to Make a Cream Cheese Ball

Let me give you the rundown.  You won't believe it but you'll be done from start to finish in under 10 minutes.

1. Whip your cream cheese.
2. Add in the herbs and seasonings and mix until well combined.

Pro Tip: Save your arms, and use an electric mixer to mix your cream cheese.  I use the paddle attachment on my kitchenaid stand mixer.

3. Stir in the grated Colby jack cheese.
4. Transfer the cheese ball mixture to parchment paper or plastic wrap.

5. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball with clean hands or using parchment paper or plastic wrap.
6. Roll the cheese ball in walnuts. Lastly, chill until you're ready to serve.

How do you serve a cheese ball?

Let's talk briefly about how to present your cheeseball.  Let's face it - a ball of cheese is kind of boring.  

I decided to serve mine on a cutting board in a method similar to a grazing board. You can add crackers, fruit, meats, olives, cheese slices, and other dips to the board.

It looks beautiful on the table and brings variety to your guests.  They can pick and choose from a variety of appetizers, and your cheeseball is the star of it all.

Of course you will want to add some items to use for dipping up this simple cheese ball recipe. Here are some of my favorites.

• Store-bought crackers. A super easy dipper. You can select a variety of flavors and shapes to jazz up your holiday cheese ball.
• Homemade toasts or chips
• Fresh fruit and veggies. Grapes look amazing, but also consider adding some apple slices, cucumber slices, and veggie sticks which work great to scoop up some of the easy cheese ball to eat.
• Pretzel sticks

Expert Tips

• Chill the cheese ball before serving. The flavors develop as it sits making it taste even better.
• Make sure the walnuts are chopped finely or crushed. You can do this by hand or put them in a food processor to speed things up. The smaller pieces will more easily stick to the cream cheese ball.
• Use block cheese and grate it yourself. Shredded cheese has cellulose added to it which I think affects the flavor and texture of the cheese.

FAQs

More Easy Party Appetizers

Did You Make This Recipe?  Do You Have Questions?

If you tried this easy ranch cheeseball recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave us a comment below. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to see what else we’re getting up to!  And don't forget to pin this recipe to save for later.