Quite possibly one of the most fun appetizers to serve! Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites are finger-lickin good! We often make a bunch of appetizers to serve for a meal and this one always makes the cut. This one, Bacon Jalapeno Poppers, Sausage Jalapeno Poppers, and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms are the most requested!
Cheese Balls
Who doesn’t love a cheese ball stuffed with every amazing flavor known to man? Not only do these happen to be a perfect size, but they have the most amazing flavor. Bacon, ranch seasoning, and of course cheese!
These cheese balls are more of a “cheese ball bite”, meaning that they are much smaller than the average cheese ball. You can easily pop one in your mouth or grab your favorite cracker.
How to Make Cheese Ball Bites
Mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and ranch seasoning. You can use a food processor, but I just grabbed a fork that worked great too. Just make sure your cream cheese is room temperature!
After you have mixed together all of the ingredients I recommend grabbing a pair of gloves to mix up the individual bites. The first time I made them it was a sight to behold… cream cheese and cheese covering my entire hand! The next time I grabbed a pair of gloves and not only was the clean up easier, but it also went a lot faster. We were able to roll out about 16 cheese ball bites, but it may vary depending on how big you make yours. I liked them on the smaller side… about 1 inch in diameter.
How to Coat Cheese Ball Appetizers
It’s only 3 easy ingredients, but it’s important to get them right.
- bacon
- chives
- pecans
You want crispy bacon… nothing chewy allowed! Then chop your crispy bacon into small pieces. If they get too big they won’t fit nicely onto your cheese ball bites.
Your chives should be a fresh and fragrant as possible. I had to go to 3 stores to find some that actually had flavor! Just like the bacon, make sure you do a fine dice.
I tried candied pecans as well as roasted pecans to see if it would make a difference and ultimately we found that regular old chopped pecans worked great.
What to Serve With Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball Bites
There is no wrong here, but my kids loved Ritz crackers best. Something about the salty bacon and cool and creamy cheeses paired with a buttery cracker was so delicious! We also enjoyed pretzel crackers, pretzels, and toasted bread (crostini). You could also make some parmesan crisps and serve the cheese ball bites on top!
Want to make this into a giant Cheese Ball?
Simple, instead of 16 bite-sized portions, just mold the cream cheese mixture into one giant ball. Cover with the bacon coating and chill until ready to serve.
Looking for Other Great Appetizers?
Seriously flavorful bite-sized cheese balls make the best appetizer!
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 ounce package dry ranch mix
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
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Mix together cream cheese, cheddar, and ranch package. Form into 16 small balls (about 1/2 inch) and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
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In a small bowl or on a plate, stir together cooked bacon, chives, and pecans.
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Roll balls in bacon-chive-pecan mixture.
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Serve. If not immediately serving, loosely cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
I live in Australia and we don’t have Ranch mix. What is in it for a compsrison
Never too late for this one ! Keeping for gatherings to come ! Thank you !
Your recipes look great. Ready to give them all a try. Thanks!
Everything looks amazing
This is a great appetizer and if you live in a country that ranch envelopes aren’t available look on Pinterest for a make your own recipe or order from Amazon.
Cant wait to try
I live in Mexico where the dry Ranch is not available. If I use bottled, how much should I use or perhaps not use it at all? This looks delicious & would love to try it.
Here are the ingredients for making your own! 🙂
1/3 cup dry powdered buttermilk (*see note below)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon salt
Delicious!
How do I sign up for your web site
This will be perfect for xmas eve we had a big family get together every year and new finger foods are always welcome
Hi, I don’t love nuts in most things. Could I substitute black olives for the nuts?
I think the black olives might be too wet and soft to coat the cream cheese mixture. (They might be amazing IN the filling though!) You could try a sturdy cracker that is crumbled or pumpkin or sunflower seeds, but I have not tested that for flavor.
Do you have a sausage ball recipe? I love your recipes❤
These were inedible because the use of an entire package of ranch mix. Everyone had same comment- overload on the ranch. They ended up in the garbage, sadly. Id use 1-2 T. at the most!
A 1-ounce package is about 3 tablespoons in total. Did you happen to purchase a larger package? Then yes, it would be overwhelming.
I can’t wait to start receiving your great recipes. They sound delicious. Thank you.
New to this but interested.
how many carbs
Very nice 👍 madam
Love your recipes I trying them all the time
What is a dry ranch mix please live in Guernsey Uk.
Judy, you can try making this:
https://iamhomesteader.com/homemade-ranch-seasoning-mix/
these sound delicious. always looking for new items to place on protein platter at christmas and special occasions. thank you
p.s….
can you advise me on how to get regular granulated white sugar to stick to the outside of baked sugar cookies?
Hi, Beverley! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. Add the sugar right after you remove the cookies from the oven. I hope that helps, and have a great day!
I didn’t have ranch mix and I dont like chives or pecans. So, I sauted one large slice of minced onion until very brown and added minced garlic. I put half of this mixture into the cheese ball with the cheddar. Then I mixed the remaining onion mixture with bacon bits and toasted sesame seeds. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Sounds fantastic Kimi!