Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
The best and easiest cheese ball that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. You just can’t go wrong with bacon and ranch together!
Have you ever had a cheese ball before? Because if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat. And if you have, well, you’re still in for a treat.
See, a cheese ball is literally a ball of whipped cream cheese mixed in with your favorite ingredients. In this case, a ton of fun goodies are thrown in here – from those crisp bacon bits to the Ranch seasoning mix, and a hit of Worcestershire for that depth of flavor.
Once it’s all whipped up, you’ll throw the mixture into plastic wrap, forming it into a ball as best as you can. Don’t worry – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Then you can throw it into the freezer or fridge to let it harden just a little bit.
When you’re ready to serve, you’ll roll the ball with some extra bacon and chopped pecans. Yes, extra bacon. Because at the end of the day, there can never be “too much” bacon, especially on game day.
Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 1-ounce package Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix, homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a small bowl, combine half of the bacon, pecans and 2 tablespoons parsley; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, goat cheese, Ranch Seasoning, Worcestershire and remaining bacon and parsley on medium-high until well combined and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Shape the mixture into a ball and roll in the prepared bacon-pecan mixture.
- Serve with crackers.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Fisher Nuts. All opinions expressed are my own.
Would this work as individual cheese balls with a pretzel stick?
Will it make a big difference in taste of I leave out the goat cheese?
I’ve been making this recipe for almost 8 years. Still haven’t found a better one. A hit every time I make it.
So easy ! So deish! Makes the eyes light up in the room! Game day? Any day!
My first attempt at making a cheese ball for a potluck. It was really easy and one of the best I’ve tasted!
I served it with parmesan basil pita chips and little flatbreads.
Great!
I made this today and it was SO GOOD! Thank you for this recipe! I was testing it out as a possible Thanksgiving addition and I’m definitely doing it.
I did use feta instead of goat cheese, like you had suggested in the comments, but otherwise I adhered to the recipe. Really, really delicious.
hello,is there a way that show a video of how to make cheese ball
THANK YOU
Hi there,
Will be making this tomorrow. ..can I use low fat cream cheese?
Yes, absolutely.
This is delicious! I’ve never made a cheeseball before but this was so easy! I don’t like goat cheese , so I just added extra cheddar and it was lovely! Thank you! The ranch added the perfect flavour!
It was easy to make and it was outstanding.
No one on my husband’s side of the family likes nuts ( sad day for me) do you have any subsitutions for the nuts or should I just omit them ?
Thank you!
You can omit.
I made this today but did not roll it in the extras because I was making a hedgehog shape for my daughter’s birthday party. This was a total hit. Everyone loved it. My mother in law asked me to bring it to Tgiv. Hahaha.
Can you elemanate the goat or feta cheese??
Yes.
I don’t have a paddle with my mixer. Any suggestion on how else to mix it?
You can also use a wooden spoon.
Substituted with more cheddar cheese
can i skip the goat cheese not a fan.
Yes, absolutely. Feta would be a great substitute.
I’ve been making these for 50 years, and that is the most eye-poppingly gorgeous Cheese Ball in the history of the planet.
Very good. I got the ranch package that makes 16 oz. of dressing..(.04) not 1 oz. Tasted good to us!
Oh my gosh! I can literally survive on these little delicacies all day long ! Definitely asking my mom to make these tomorrow and have also forwarded this to my friends to give it a try. 🙂 ♥♥♥
This is so yummy and took about twenty minutes to fry the bacon and put everything in the fridge and then two hours later formed it into a ball and it was gone in one hour. Making two more for a party tomorrow. Love this but I crushed walnuts instead of pecans. Thank you so much
This receipe looks amazing, however I live in Germany, any ideas where I can get the Ranch dressing from. Many thanks
There are many easy DIY Ranch Seasoning Mix recipes available online that can be used instead.