The Best Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Ball for Any Holiday Party
Level up your ordinary cheeseball and make this bacon jalapeno cheese ball recipe bursting with Southwestern flavor!
What could be better than bacon, jalapeño, and cheese? 🤤 Try this easy homemade cheese ball with all three! It’s a quick, crowd-pleasing appetizer packed with flavor so good it’ll disappear fast… so you might want to make two! 😋
Watch me make this easy cheese ball on Instagram!
This cheese ball recipe is such a keeper and something I’ve been making for years. The creaminess of the cream cheese is a great base for smokey bacon and chives!
Serve this easy cheese ball with a hearty cracker, on a tray or plate, and with a cheese spreader.
Eating keto? This could also be a delicious low-carb or keto appetizer if you provide other dippers such as celery or pork rinds as a couple of ideas!
Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Ball
yield: 8 SERVINGS
prep time: 15 MINUTES
cook time: 5 MINUTES
total time: 20 MINUTES
Creamy cheeseball featuring the perfect combo of flavors with bacon, chopped jalapeno, sharp cheddar, and onion.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large jalapenos, stems and seeds removed, diced, divided
- 6 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled, divided
- crackers, for serving
Directions
1
Mix together the cream cheese, green onion, cheddar cheese, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, cumin, half of the diced jalapenos, and half of the crumbled cooked bacon. Place the remaining diced jalapenos and bacon to the side on a plate or cutting board.
2
Stir together so that it's well mixed.
3
With your hands, roll the cheese mixture into a ball. It helps to get your hands a little wet to avoid sticking.
4
Now roll the cheese ball in the leftover jalapeños and bacon until the outside is covered.
5
Chill covered for at least one hour before serving. Serve with crackers or desired dipper and enjoy!
Extra tips on making this bacon jalapeño cheese ball recipe:
- The beauty of cheese ball appetizers is that they are so easy to adapt to taste. If sharp cheese doesn’t sound good to you, choose another favorite shredded cheese.
- Jalapeños without the seeds are far less spicy and taste great in this combo. However, if you want to nix the spice altogether, substitute with chopped bell peppers instead. I enjoy using my push-down hand chopper to chop jalapeños easily.
- A microwave bacon cooker makes it super easy to make your bacon and is very useful for a recipe like this!
- This cheese ball will need some time to set up in the fridge and let the flavors meld. You can even make it the day before. Then just set it out on the counter for a bit to soften before serving.
- If you happen to have leftovers, you can scoop them into a covered container and they will last for a couple of days.
Create an entire snack board around your cheese ball!
For a recent dinner party appetizer, I created a fun charcuterie board and included my bacon jalapeño cheese ball on it, along with nuts, crackers, and a selection of other delicious meats and cheeses. This recipe was so easy to make and was well-received.
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