Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

This easy Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball is loaded with crispy bacon, zesty ranch, cheddar cheese, and green onions in a creamy cheese ball that's perfect for parties, holidays, and game day. Make it ahead and serve with crackers, pretzels, or fresh veggies for an easy crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball combines some of the best appetizer flavors into one creamy, cheesy, savory bite. It's made with a cream cheese and sour cream base loaded with ranch seasoning, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, and fresh green onions, then rolled in even more bacon with fresh parsley and optional pecans. It's a flavor combination that is truly irresistible!

Best of all, it's incredibly easy to make ahead. Prep it the day before your party or holiday gathering, let it chill in the refrigerator, and all that's left to do is add the coating and set it out with your favorite crackers and dippers.

It's an easy classic appetizer that's just as perfect for Christmas and New Year's as it is for game day, potlucks, or any party where you need something you know everyone will dig into.

Why You'll Love This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

• Loaded with flavor. Bacon, ranch, cheddar, and green onions pack plenty of savory, cheesy flavor into every bite. All classic, well-loved flavors that go amazingly together!
• Easy to make. Just mix, shape, chill, and coat. There's no cooking required other than the bacon.
• Perfect for entertaining. Set it out with an assortment of crackers, pretzels, and veggies for an easy party appetizer.
• Make-ahead friendly. Prepare it ahead of time so there's one less thing to worry about when you're entertaining.
• Easy to customize. Swap the cheese, add a little heat, change up the coating, or even turn it into mini cheese ball bites.

How to Serve a Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

With a spoon, please! Just kidding... kind of.

I typically serve this cheese ball with an assortment of crackers, such as butter crackers and wheat crackers, plus pretzels or pretzel thins.

You can also serve it with:

• Bagel chips
• Pita chips
• Crostini or toasted baguette slices
• Celery sticks
• Carrot sticks
• Bell pepper slices

For the best creamy, spreadable texture, take the cheese ball out of the refrigerator about 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Straight from the refrigerator, the cream cheese will be quite firm and harder to spread.

Can You Make Cheese Ball Bites with This Recipe?

Yes, you can use this recipe to make mini cheese ball bites too. Sometimes these are served kind of like cake pops on a little pretzel stick. Also be aware that you may need more bacon, parsley, and pecans for the outer coating since there will be more balls making it this way.

Tips & Variations

The simplicity of this recipe is what makes it such a hit. But sometimes we need a little variety or we just don't have the ingredients on hand. Here are some suggestions for variations.

• Bacon bits - I highly recommend using freshly cooked bacon. You just can't beat it. But in a time crunch, you can use bacon bits. I suggest the real bacon kind. You will need about ¾ cup.
• Pecans - The pecans in the outer coating are optional. I often don't add them because they're not my kids favorite. Alternately, you can also use other nuts finely chopped nuts, such as walnuts or almond slivers.
• Cheese - I listed cheddar in the recipe because I feel like cheddar goes with bacon and ranch like three peas in a cheese ball pod. But lots of other cheeses will work here, so choose your favorite! Pepper Jack, smoked gouda, Monterey Jack, or Colby Jack are all great options.
• Pimentos - Add some drained pimentos into the cheese ball mixture for a little extra pepper flavor.
• Heat- Add finely chopped jalapeño, a pinch of cayenne, or a few dashes of hot sauce to give your cheese ball a spicy kick.
• Skip the coating - This recipe will actually work as a spread in a bowl if you don't want to deal with the mess of rolling it into a ball. Or you can make it into a ball without the outside coating and serve it that way, and you won't be missing much flavor (The outside is mostly for looks!)
• Seeds - Seeds make an excellent simple coating for the outside of the bacon ranch cheese ball. Try rolling it in poppy seeds, white or black sesame seeds, or even "everything but the bagel" seasoning.
• Serve it as a spread. Don't want to shape a cheese ball? Skip that step and serve the mixture in a bowl as a creamy bacon ranch cheese spread.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make ahead: This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball is perfect for making ahead. Prepare and shape the cheese ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For the freshest coating, I recommend waiting to roll it in the bacon mixture until closer to serving.

Storage: Store leftover cheese ball covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, as long as all of your ingredients were fresh when you made it. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 to 30 minutes before serving again.

Freezer: You can also freeze this cheese ball before adding the outer coating. Wrap the shaped cheese ball tightly in plastic wrap, followed by foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then roll in the bacon, parsley, and pecan mixture before serving.

More Dip Recipes You'll Love

• BLT Dip - all the flavors of a BLT including savory crumbled bacon, fresh juicy tomatoes, and crisp lettuce in a creamy cool dip.
• Jalapeno Popper Dip - Creamy, cheesy cream cheese based dip loaded with fresh jalapenos and a bit of crumbled bacon.
• Easy Layered Taco Dip - the best taco dip layered with beans, salsa, and a creamy seasoned filling, topped with all of the best taco toppings.
• Avocado Cilantro White Bean Dip - a creamy and super healthy dip made from white beans and ripe avocado with tons of flavor from fresh garlic, lime, and cilantro.
• Texas Trash Dip - one of the easiest dips to make and so gooey and delicious too. This one is always a hit at parties, and you can make an extra large batch easily.

Bacon Ranch Cheeseball Video