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Cheddar Ranch Cheese Ball

Cheddar Ranch cheese ball with a creamy cheddar interior and a crunchy pecan-bacon coating. Chilled until firm, then rolled for a clean round shape and served with crackers and pretzels.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cream cheese, softened
  • 16 oz cream cheese softened
Shredded sharp cheddar
  • 2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Ranch seasoning
  • 1 packet (1 ounce) ranch seasoning
Green onions
  • 2 green onions finely sliced
Bacon
  • 6 slice bacon cooked and finely crumbled
Pecans
  • 0.75 cup pecans finely chopped
Fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Crackers and pretzels for serving
  • 1 crackers and pretzels for serving

Method
 

Mix the cheese base
  1. Beat cream cheese, shredded sharp cheddar, ranch seasoning, and green onions until well combined, with no visible dry seasoning left.
Chill to firm
  1. Shape the mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then chill for 2 hours until firm.
Coat with bacon-pecan topping
  1. Combine bacon, pecans, and fresh parsley on a plate so the coating is ready for rolling.
  2. Roll the chilled cheese ball in the coating, pressing firmly so it sticks on all sides.
Serve
  1. Let the cheese ball sit for 10 minutes at room temperature so it softens slightly before serving.
  2. Serve with crackers and pretzels for dipping and scooping.

Notes

For the cleanest round shape and best coating adhesion, chill until fully firm (2 hours) and press the coating firmly while rolling. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; let it sit 10 minutes before serving. Freezing is not recommended because the texture can become grainy after thawing. If you want a lower-fat option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and a reduced-fat shredded cheddar.