Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

This party popular cheese ball brings all your favorite flavors together like ranch, sweet garlic, smoky bacon, fresh green onions, and buttery pecans.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword appetizers using cream cheese, bacon cheddar ranch cheese ball, bacon cheese ball, bacon ranch green onion cheese ball, cheese ball, easy bacon ranch cheese ball, ranch cheese ball

Prep Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 118kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

2 8 ounce boxes cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese finely grated
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 1 ounce package ranch seasoning or ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 slices crispy cooked bacon coarsely chopped reserve half
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions reserve half
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Using a stand with the paddle attachment or hand mixer on a medium speed work up the cream cheese until is smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add cheddar cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire Sauce, ranch seasoning, dried parsley, and garlic powder. Turn the mixer to stir and add half of the chopped bacon and half of the chopped green onions.
Spoon the cheese into a ball shape on a large piece of plastic wrap. Bring up the sides of the plastic wrap to cover the cheese ball. Use the wrapping process to help shape the cheese into a ball. Refrigerate the ball for at least several hours up to overnight.
Place reserved bacon, reserved green onions, and pecans on a shallow plate. Remove the ball from the refrigerator and carefully unwrap it. Gently roll the cheese ball through the toppings on the plate. Place it on a serving platter with assorted pretzels, crackers, or crostini.

Notes

Pull the cream cheese out of the refrigerator in advance and bring it to room temperature.
Use a good smoked nitrate-free bacon and cook it quite crispy so it maintains that crispiness.
Take the chopped ingredients for the topping and sort them individually in separate sandwich bags in their best-stored environment. For instance, pecans are best stored at room temperature and the bacon and green onions in the refrigerator.
Use a good quality tasty sharp cheddar cheese.
Don't get too hung up on molding this into the perfect ball. Some how it always works out and there will be several opportunities to shape it a little more.
I have always found it best to refrigerate this bacon ranch cheese ball recipe for at least 24 hours. However, I have done it in a few hours by not softening the cream cheese quite as much, not working it as much with the mixer, and by cutting the sour cream in half.
Very important tip! Do not roll the cheeseball in the toppings until 20 minutes before serving. If you know it is going to be several days hold up on cooking and chopping the bacon and chopping the green onions and pecans.
If wrapped, re-wrapped properly, and stored in a cool spot in the refrigerator this cheese ball will last about a week.

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