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If you were to ask me what my favorite appetizers are, this Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Ball Recipe would definitely be on the list. It’s like the jalapeño popper meets the cheese ball and the result is phenomenal! If you are looking for delicious appetizers, this should be on the list whether you’re needing an amazing holiday appetizer or something for game day!
Jalapeño Cheese Ball Ingredients:
This recipe includes roasted jalapeños and while you don’t absolutely have to roast your jalapeños, I highly recommend that you do. The flavor is *perfection*! You can use raw jalapeños if you wish, but like I said, the roasted jalapeños are so good!
- Cream cheese: You will need 16 ounces of plain cream cheese. A typical package of cream cheese is 8 ounces, so you’ll need two packages. Allow the cream cheese to sit out for about 30 minutes or so to soften up. I do not recommend subbing a low fat variety of cream cheese. Softened cream cheese will be much easier to work with than cream cheese that hasn’t had time to sit for a bit.
- Sour cream or mayo: You only need about 1/4 cup of sour cream or mayo. Whatever you have on hand.
- Cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar is what I used, and you’ll want to grate your cheese extra fine. You will need to reserve half of the cheese for the topping. Pepper jack cheese would be another delicious option in place of cheddar! Freshly grated cheese
- Bacon: Crispy bacon pairs perfectly with the flavors of jalapeños and cheddar. Here’s how to bake bacon in the oven. Once your bacon is nice and crispy, chop it up into small bits. You’ll need to reserve half of the bacon for the topping.
- Jalapeños: You will need two fresh jalapeño peppers. Ideally, you’ll want to roast them on the stove top or in the oven. This gives them incredible flavor! Alternatively, you can slice up the fresh raw jalapeños but you’ll want to dice them up into fine pieces. You will not need to reserve any of the jalapeños for the topping. All of them will go into the cheese mixture.
- Green onions: You will need about 3 green onions finely sliced up
- Ranch seasoning: For this recipe we used 2 tablespoons of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning. They sell these in 1 oz packets, or also in a larger container that is not pre-portioned. If you do not have a ranch seasoning packet, you can use the following as a substitute: 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
Cheese ball without nuts!
Often times you will see that cheese ball recipes contain nuts. This is a cheese ball with no nuts which is perfect for those of you that don’t particularly like nuts in general, or don’t like nuts on your cheese ball. This is the best cheeseball without nuts – loaded with so much flavor from the sharp cheddar cheese, roasted jalapeños, green onion and smoky crispy bacon!
Of course, if you enjoy nuts on your cheeseball, feel free to add chopped pecans or walnuts.
How to form a cheese ball
It is surprisingly easy to form the cream cheese mixture into a ball shape. Once all of the ingredients have been added to the bowl and the mixture is well combined, use a spatula to scrape down the sides. With your spatula, you will be able to very easily start forming the mixture into a ball shape. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap on my counter, then transfer the cheeseball mixture to it. Use your hands to perfect the ball shape, then gently press in the reserved toppings to coat the jalapeno cheese ball with bacon, cheese and green onion. At this point, the cheeseball will be room temperature. Place it in the fridge for at least an hour so that it can firm up.
For serving, place the cheeseball on a large plate, then surround the cheeseball with all of your favorite dippers.
Whether you are making this for the holiday season or the big game, this jalapeño cheese ball is the perfect appetizer to share with others! It’s like a big jalapeño popper cheese ball! Spread it on crackers, celery, pretzels, or whatever you like for dipping! Enjoy!
More Jalapeno Recipes…
Looking for more delicious jalapeño recipes? Try some of our favorites like these jalapeño stuffed mushrooms or this Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese!
Whether you are making this Jalapeño Cheese Ball for the holiday season or the big game, this is the perfect appetizer to share with others. It’s like a big jalapeño popper cheese ball! Spread it on crackers, celery, pretzels, or whatever you like for dipping! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream or mayo
- 8 ounces finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 roasted jalapeños (you can use raw jalapeños if you wish)
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning (or a 1 oz packet ranch seasoning)
ROASTED JALAPENO DIRECTIONS
- Begin by roasting the jalapeños. If you have a gas stove, heat to medium heat. Place the peppers directly on the grate. Rotate every 30 seconds or so until the jalapeños are evenly charred. Immediately place the charred jalapeños in a bowl, then cover for about 15 minutes to steam the peppers. At this point you can peel the charred skin from the peppers. I like to wear kitchen gloves for this task. Cut open the jalapeños length-wise, remove the stems and scrape out the seeds, then dice the roasted jalapeños.
- If roasting the peppers in the broiler, preheat your broiler to high. Cut open the jalapeños length-wise, remove stems and scrape out the seeds. Place peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet with the skin side up. Broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until the skin of the peppers is charred and blistered. Remove the peppers and place them in a bowl, then cover for about 15 minutes to steam the peppers. At this point you can peel the charred skin from the peppers. It should come off easily. Dice the roasted jalapeños.
JALAPENO BACON CHEESE BALL DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, add 16 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 cup sour cream along with 2 tablespoons Ranch seasoning mix. Use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese and sour cream until it is smooth.
- Add in all of the diced roasted jalapeños, 1/2 of the grated cheddar cheese, 1/2 of the crumbled bacon, and 1/2 of the green onions. Stir to combine.
- Arrange a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and form the cream cheese mixture into a ball. Scoop the roughly formed ball into your hands and continue shaping it until it’s a smooth ball.
- Place the cheese ball on a piece of plastic wrap.
- Combine the reserved cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions in a bowl. Press this mixture onto the outside of the cheese ball, then pull the sides of the plastic wrap up over the ball to cover it. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour to firm up.
- Serve with crackers, celery sticks, pretzel sticks, or any of your favorite dippers.
