This bacon ranch cheese ball is the perfect party food and there are so many things you can spread it on! I’ll share some of my favorites below, so keep reading!
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. 😉
How to make cheese balls:
Making a cheese ball is actually really easy and once you’ve made one, I bet they’ll become a go to recipe for you!
To start, you’ll want really soft cream cheese. You can either leave it out at room temperature for awhile or you can microwave it until it’s nice and soft, but not melty.
Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and then start tossing in your mix-ins. You can get really creative with a cheese ball, but today we’re doing a bacon ranch cheese ball.
Add in some ranch powder, grated cheddar, freshly fried bacon pieces, and chives.
Use a mixer to combine everything together.
Lay a large piece of plastic wrap out on your counter and then scoop the cheese mixture out into a mound in the center of the plastic. Fold the plastic up around the cheese and shape it into a ball.
Pop the cheese ball in the fridge for an hour (or more!) to firm back up and then serve when ready!
So simple!
What to serve with a cheese ball:
To keep things low carb, I like to put out lots of celery and mini sweet peppers.
Cucumber rounds are also pretty perfect with a cheese ball.
You could also make a batch of my low carb crackers or bake up some sliced cheese to make little cheese crackers.
More low carb snacks to try:
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!
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup grated cheddar
- 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon
- 1 packet ranch dip powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- fresh veggies for serving
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.
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
.