I love to entertain, but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming to have people over. That’s why I love to have an easy, make-ahead, real food appetizer that I can pull out of my fridge in a moments notice! And that’s exactly where my Quick Party Cheese Ball recipe comes in!
Perfect for a dinner party or a casual get together, my Quick Party Cheese Ball literally takes about 15 minutes of prep time to make if you use a food processor.
And if you need to serve it super fast, skip making a ball and simply serve the cheese mixture in ramekins topped with nuts.
Last time I made this recipe I set it out, and the cheese ball was literally devoured by my family in a half an hour. Yes, it’s that good!
Finally, if you celebrate the Christmas holiday, check out the recipe notes below for an easy way to make your cheese ball even more festive!
Cheers!
Bruce
Recipe: Cheese Ball
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 -2 cheese balls 1x
Ingredients
- 2 8- ounce packages cream cheese
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 tablespoon onions (minced)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons chives (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons red pepper (minced)
- 1 1/2 cup pecans (roasted and chopped)
Instructions
- Shred the cheddar cheese. Using a food processor makes this super easy, and it’s a great way to mix together the entire recipe.
- Add the onions, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper / hot sauce. Mix / pulse together until smooth. Mix in the chives and red pepper. Refrigerate mixture for a couple of hours.
- Shape the cheese mixture into one large or two small balls (wax paper can really help with this). Roll the cheese ball in the roasted, chopped pecans covering the entire cheese ball. Wrap the cheese ball in wax paper and chill. Keeps for 2-3 weeks.
- Serve with crackers and enjoy!
Notes
We recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.
If you don’t have enough time to let the cheese chill to form into a ball, put the cheese mixture into several ramekins and sprinkle with toasted nuts.
To toast raw pecans, preheat oven to 350°F. Spread chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast them until the just start to smell nutty and brown (about 5 minutes). Watch carefully because it’s really easy to overcook and scorch nuts.
For the Christmas holiday try using a sharp white cheddar cheese. The bits of red pepper and chives will create a festive red and green look in the white cheddar cheese ball. 🙂
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Snacks & Appetizers
Kitchen Tips and Resources:
- A good food processor makes mixing up this recipe even easier! If you don’t have one, I love my Cuisinart!
- Don’t have any cheese spreaders? Then check out some of these options: (1) Multipurpose Stainless Steel Cheese Spreaders, (2) Wooden Handle Wide Blade Cheese Spreader, (3) Juniper Wood Cheese Spreader, and (4) Laguiole Butter Knives / Spreaders Stainless Steel blade with Black Handle.
- If you don’t have time to chill the cheese to form into a ball, try filling ramekins with cheese and sprinkling the nuts on top!
