Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball is a giant ball of cream cheese and cheddar rolled around in bacon. It’s the perfect snack to serve for parties, holiday gatherings, tailgating, wine and cheese parties, and more.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Now it’s time to bring in the New Year.

I’m lame and pretty much don’t do anything on New Year’s Eve. A few times I’ve gone out, but I mainly stay home with family to watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve while we stuff our faces with cheese ball, which is the inspiration for today’s Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball.

It’s a big ball of cheddar mixed with cream cheese then rolled in real bacon. The best way to end the year is with cheese and bacon!

We always have cheese ball every New Year’s Eve. It goes Ritz crackers, cheese ball, slice of beef stick. They last maybe 30 seconds on the plate then we have to make more.

Usually we just buy cheese ball from the store, but I wanted to try making it by hand. It’s actually much easier than I thought. You just have to be patient because it requires time to chill before rolling in bacon and serving.

What ingredients are in a cheese ball?

Typically the base of a cheese ball is made with cream cheese. Then you add your flavorings such as shredded cheese, onion, garlic, peppers, green onion, bacon, nuts – really the ideas are endless.

It’s important to use full-fat cream cheese because fat free cream cheese is too watery and will affect the texture of your cheese ball after sitting around.

The original recipe I adapted had more cream cheese than cheddar, which is the opposite of what I wanted. I kept adding more and more cheddar until I was happy.

I used a block of sharp cheddar which I grated by hand. Feel free to use mild or sharp, block or preshredded.

Next is the bacon! It’s important to use fresh, crispy bacon and not imitation bacon bits. They may work in salads and dip mixes but not for this cheese ball. Real bacon always makes it better.

How do you make a homemade cheese ball?

Making a homemade cheese ball is really easy! Beat all of the ingredients together, form a ball, then chill. That’s it!

Chilling the cheese ball means you can easily make it ahead of time, which is especially useful when you have a big party coming up.

How do you make cheese ball bites?

Instead of rolling the cheddar cheese ball into one large ball, use a #60 cookie scoop (affiliate link) and roll them into 1 inch balls.

How long do cheese balls last?

Without the bacon, this cheddar cheese ball can be made up to a week ahead of time. Once you roll it in bacon, it’ll last probably about 24-48 hours, depending on how soggy the bacon gets.

Is it ok to freeze cheese ball?

I personally wouldn’t recommend freezing this bacon cheddar cheese ball because freezing will drastically change the texture of the cream cheese. It will become too gritty.

You can refrigerate it up to a week ahead of time without ruining the texture. Tightly wrap your naked cheese ball in plastic wrap. Right before serving, roll it in bacon.

Of course don’t let New Year’s Eve be the only occasion for this bacon cheddar cheese ball! Make it for parties, football games, and other get together events.

You can even have a wine and cheese party. And if you do end up making this for a wine and cheese party, don’t forget to invite me.

More Cheese Ball Recipes

• Mini Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball Bites
• Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Pistachio Cheese Ball Bites
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheese Ball

Source: Adapted from Food Network