Our Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball is creamy, savory, irresistible goodness that also happens to be keto and low carb friendly! Perfect for partie where you can serve it with a variety of dippers – we’ve shared a ton of ideas below!
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I’m like one of those people on HGTV who constantly talks about “entertaining.”
“Oh, this kitchen would be perfect for entertaining.”
I’m sorry, I know it’s annoying, but it’s true. We ‘entertain’ a lot. We love having people over and our house seems to be the spot that our family and friends comes to hang out.
Which means that I need lots of fun snack ideas because people always seem to be hungry. 😉 We have this whole blog post with some of our favorite keto snack recipes, but highlights include our keto candied nuts and Instant Pot chicken wings!
My husband and I absolutely love this bacon ranch cheese ball recipe and it’s always a hit with guests too. This is perfect for me, the low carber, and for our friends, the carb eaters…we just serve it up with a variety of dipper options to keep everyone happy!
Serve this up with our keto margaritas and the party is started!
♥ Why We Love This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Recipe:
- Party Food: This one is a party favorite and a real crowd pleaser! It makes a great snack or appetizer.
- Versatile: Everyone loves the savory, cheesy flavors in this recipe and it’s perfect for serving with a variety of dippers for both your low carb friends and the carb eaters!
- Easy: It only takes about 5 minutes to prep this recipe and the fridge does all the rest! You can make this ahead of time and have it ready to go for snack time or the big game.
- Big Flavor: The combination of creamy cheese, savory bacon, and zesty ranch seasoning creates an irresistible flavor profile.
Ingredient Notes:
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Cheese – This cheese ball starts with softened cream cheese along with a cup of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Bacon – Some pre-cooked, crumbled bacon is necessary for this recipe. Try this air fryer bacon recipe to make it quick and easy! You could also just use packaged real bacon bits if you want to make it extra easy.
Ranch Dip Mix – A packet of ranch dip mix, or ranch dip powder, is going to add all that wonderful ranch flavor to the bacon cheese ball! We like Hidden Valley mix best.
Chives – We like to mix in some chopped chives as a simple way to add a bit of extra flavor that goes well with the cheese, ranch, and bacon! Green onions also work well in place of chives.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations:
You can easily swap the cheddar for another variety of cheese. Use pepperjack to add a bit of spice! Or parmesan for more of a salty, nutty flavor.
We rolled this cheese ball in a bit of cheddar, but you could also roll it in some chopped pecans for a little texture on the outside.
Like it spicy? Stir in some red pepper flakes, minced pickled jalapeno, or use the spicy fiesta ranch dip instead of the regular!
Step By Step Instructions:
Make sure your cream cheese is nice and soft and then add it to a mixing bowl along with the cheddar, ranch, chives, and bacon.
Use a spoon or a hand mixer to mix all of the ingredients together. We like this to be pretty smooth and well combined.
Lay a large piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or a plate and mound the cheese mixture up into the center of it. Fold the plastic wrap up and around the cheese and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Pop this in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up before unwrapping and serving.
What To Serve With A Cheese Ball:
There are so many options for serving with a cheese ball, but people tend to go for crackers and cbread. To keep things low carb, I like to put out lots of fresh vegetables, such as celery, mini peppers, and slices of cucumber. Sliced radishes add a nice little spice to the cheese ball too!
You could also make a batch of my low carb crackers or bake up some sliced cheese to make little cheese crackers.
Grab a package of Cheese Whisps if you like something crunchy like a cracker. We also really enjoy Flackers and usually have a bag of these on hand.
Recipe FAQs:
If your cheese ball is still shaped somewhat nicely, wrap it fully in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. If it’s mostly eaten, you can just spoon it into a small dish and cover it. It tastes the same regardless of the shape. Keep leftovers for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can! Store it pretty much how you would in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic with an extra layer of aluminum foil to protect from freezer burn. Keep frozen for up to one month.
There are a lot of varieties of cheese balls, but our bacon ranch cheese ball has a combination of crispy bacon and ranch dip mix combined with soft cream cheese and sharp cheddar.
MORE LOW CARB SNACK RECIPES!
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs: Love these spicy little meatballs!
- Corn Dog Muffins: There’s no corn in these muffins, but they’re always a hit!
- Ranch Roasted Nuts: People love munching on these!
- Fried Deviled Eggs: They’re easier than you think but so impressive!
- Keto Meatballs: Topped off with a simple BBQ sauce!
- Marinated Cheese and Olives: Perfect party snack food!
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
- 1 packet ranch dip powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, cheddar, bacon, ranch, and chives to a medium mixing bowl and stir together until well combined with a wooden spoon or a mixer.
- Spoon the mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and fold the plastic up and over the cheese mixture to form a ball.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour before removing the plastic wrap and serving.
Katie says
Went to a party were the food items were pretty much taken care of and I didn’t know what to contribute. I ended up bring this and served it with wheat thins and bell pepper chunks. It was an absolute hit and half gone before dinner started.
Karly Campbell says
So happy to hear that!
Toni says
Absolutely love this recipe, going to make some jalapeño poppers to pop in freezer with half of recipe thank you for sharing your recipes!
Karly Campbell says
Oh, that’s brilliant! Enjoy!
Miemie Sachse says
Yummy
AZ Anna says
Doesn’t it stick to the plastic wrap? I’m thinking parchment paper?? It’s all ready and tastes great!!!
Alana says
I made this last night as an appetizer for dinner and my kids filled up on it! In the future could I swap the cheese for blue cheese crumbles? Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Yes, I think blue cheese would work fine as a swap for the cheddar.
Pam says
Love the cheese ball. Needed a dip so added enough sour cream to soften and make it dip Pablo. Perfect!! Thank you so much.
Kaitlyn says
I’ve made this recipe for a couple years now for holidays, people love it!
Janet says
I used real bacon bits instead of fresh bacon. It was so salty. I guess not using fresh fried bacon would make a difference!
Theresa says
Could you use blue cheese crumbles instead of ranch seasoning?
Karly Campbell says
I’d swap the cheddar for the blue cheese. You’ll still want some seasoning in there, though…if you don’t use ranch maybe just do garlic salt and onion powder? Taste and adjust to suit! 🙂
Rene says
fOR the cheeseball, you could stuff dates or figs with a cranberry orange mixture
Renee says
I add a couple Tablespoons os sour cream to soften the cheese ball so it spreads easier.
Mariea says
What exactly is a serving of this? 2 tbsps or what? I just made it and while it’s nice to know there are 20 servings, I need to know what I’m measuring when I eat it. Thanks!
Karly Campbell says
Hi there! It’d be around 2-3 tablespoons. 🙂
Joyce Holsinger says
I’m going to make this cheeseball it looks yummy
Camille M Kaschafsky says
Is there a way to do a low carb dessert cheese ball? I am looking for a quick and easy low carb dessert for a Girls Night In.
Thanks in advance.
Karly Campbell says
I’m sure you could make a peanut butter cheese ball with some sweetener, but I’m not sure what you’d use to dip it in.
Terry S says
Possibly something with low carb/keto chunky cranberry sauce? Or maybe freeze dried strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, ground up and added in with sweetener of choice to the cream cheese
.