This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball puts a delicious kick on the classic recipe we all know and love. Cream cheese, ranch, bacon, and more are combined in this tasty bacon cheese ball recipe for lots of flavor. It’s perfect as a Christmas party appetizer, New Year’s Eve appetizer, or for game day!
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball is all kinds of yum! It’s creamy, cheesy, and filled with bacon–what’s not to love?! I can’t wait to serve this bacon cheese ball as an appetizer for Christmas!
Everyone’s had a cheese ball before. It seems to be the go-to Christmas and New Year’s Eve appetizer, and for good reason. Who doesn’t want to dig into a ball of cheese? I’ve shared my Classic Cheese Ball Recipe with you guys in the past, and now I want to share a fun twist on this tasty party food.
It has everything you love about the classic version, but with BACON. Bacon is always a crowd pleaser at parties, so I love adding it into game day and Christmas party appetizers whenever I can. This recipe is a super easy appetizer to prepare for any holiday or party. No baking, just mix it all together and set it in the fridge.
I absolutely love this cheese ball recipe with bacon, and party guests always seem to love it too. Like I said, you can’t go wrong with bacon filled appetizers no matter the occasion!
Easy Bacon Cheese Ball Recipe
Nothing is easier than an appetizer that let’s the refrigerator do all the heavy lifting. This recipe is FILLED with flavor (what’s better than cheese and bacon?), and it’s really easy to make. This cheese ball recipe with bacon is perfect for any party, holiday, or occasion that requires you to feed guests, and it’s always a hit. Just add some crackers and let people dip away!
Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Swiss Cheese
- Bacon
- Greek Yogurt
- Ranch Seasoning Mix
- Parsley
The great thing about cheese balls is that you can really add in anything you want. I love the savory, tangy mix that the bacon and ranch adds in. Plus the yogurt gives it a bit of extra creaminess. SO yummy!
How to Make a Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
This bacon ranch cheese ball is so simple! Basically, you just mix your ingredients, shape the cheese into a ball, and refrigerate. This is a great appetizer to make a day or so before eating, since it needs plenty of time to set in the refrigerator before serving. Besides, that extra time in the fridge really lets the flavors meld together perfectly!
To Make:
- Cook and crumble up the bacon (you can do this well before starting, and refrigerate the bacon until ready to use).
- Use an electric mixer to combine all the cheeses, yogurt, ranch mix, and about 1/4 of the bacon crumbles.
- Mold the cheese mixture into a ball shape, wrap it in plastic wrap, place it in a small bowl, and then refrigerate it for at least 8 hours (or overnight).
- After it sets, combine bacon crumbles and parsley in a mixing bowl, and then roll the cheese ball in the bacon/parsley.
- Put it back in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
It’s so cheesy and delicious! Serve it with you favorite crackers for a simple holiday or Christmas party appetizer. Watch the video to see the step-by-step process!
Can you freeze a cheese ball?
Whether you have leftovers or you just want to make your bacon ranch cheese ball well ahead of time, you can freeze it.
- Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer safe resealable bag.
- If you are just trying to prepare these ahead of time, I recommend freezing it before rolling it in the bacon crumbles. But it will still work just fine if they’re already on there.
- Leftovers will be fine in the fridge for up to a couple of days.
Christmas Party Appetizers
Appetizers might just be my favorite food group. I love trying a bit of everything at parties, and they’re my favorite thing to make too. Whether it’s appetizers for Christmas, game day, or New Year’s Eve, they are always an important part of a good party! This cheese ball doesn’t disappoint.
Here are some other favorite Christmas party appetizers:
- Bacon Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
- Best Puppy Chow Recipe
- Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Deviled Eggs Recipe
- Orange Marmalade Meatballs
Any holiday or party will be so much better with this Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball on the table. It’s easy to make, it’s delicious, and it’s cheeeeesy. Anything cheesy is a crowd pleaser, so your guests will love this bacon cheese ball. Dig in!
More easy appetizers for the holidays:
- Classic Sausage Balls Recipe
- Orange Cranberry Christmas Cheese Ball
- Bacon Wrapped Crackers
- Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Cherries and Pecans
- Best Cheese Ball Recipe
- Swedish Meatballs Recipe
- Sweet Potato Chorizo Cheese Balls
- Smoky Port Wine Cheese Log
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup 2 ounces Sharp Cheddar
- ¼ cup 1 ounce Swiss Cheese
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ of a 1 ounce package Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 pound bacon cooked crisp & crumbled, divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine cheddar, Swiss, yogurt, Ranch seasoning mix, cream cheese and ¼th of the crumbled bacon in a mixing bowl.
- Mix ingredients together with an electric mixer until well blended. Shape the cheese mixture into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a bowl just larger than the ball.
- Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- After the cheese ball has firmed in the fridge, combine the remaining bacon crumbles and chopped parsley in a small mixing bowl.
- Roll the cheese ball in the bacon crumbles/parsley mixture, pressing slightly so the bacon will adhere to the cheese.
- Return the cheese ball to the fridge until ready to serve.
- Serve with favorite crackers and/or fresh vegetables.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
I love this recipe!! It’s great for any get-together & always a hit!
So glad you love it Kristyn!
It’s like you read my mind to find out all of my favorite things and put them all into this appetizer! So delicious!!
Thanks Sabrina!!
Cheese balls are my go-to appetizer! This recipe looks SO flavorful and delicious!
ME TOO!
I’d be ALL over this at a party — yum!!!
I like the way you think lol
I would love to try this out! These flavors are perfect together!
xoxo