Classic Cheese Ball

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The best Cheese Ball recipe has plenty of cheddar cheese, green onions, and seasonings mixed with cream cheese. It's coated in chopped pecans and served with crackers, pretzels, or veggies.

How to make a Homemade Cheese Ball:

Combine: Beat cream cheese until smooth then incorporate remaining ingredients. High quality ingredients make a high quality cheese ball, so make sure to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Use a spatula to form the cheese mixture into a ball. Spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray as needed so it doesn't stick.

Cover in Nuts: Use whatever nuts you like best, but make sure they are chopped finely. While holding the cheese ball in one hand, use your other hand to gently scoop and press the chopped nuts on all the way around the ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Serve: Arrange cheese ball on a platter surrounded by crackers, vegetables, pretzels, or pita bread. Make sure you have a cheese spreading knife! If you use a cracker straight into it, it will break into pieces!

Serve Cheese Ball With:

• Crackers
• Vegetables
• Mini bagels
• Pita bread
• Pretzels

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5 from 2634 votes

Simple Cheese Ball Recipe

Author: Lauren Allen

I'm convinced this is the best Cheese Ball recipe, with plenty of cheddar cheese, green onions, and seasonings mixed with cream cheese. It's coated in chopped pecans and served with crackers, pretzels, or veggies.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 24

Equipment

• Cheese Spreading Knife

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x?

• ▢ 16 ounces cream cheese, , softened
• ▢ 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, (avoid pre-shredded cheese)
• ▢ 2 green onions, , chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano
• ▢ dash freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 2/3 cup pecans, , finely chopped

Instructions 

• Mix cheeseball ingredients: Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl then mix until smooth. Add cheese, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, parsley, garlic powder, oregano. and pepper then mix well to combine. 
  16 ounces cream cheese, 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, 2 green onions, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Dried oregano, dash freshly ground black pepper
• Form into ball: Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the mixture into one lump. Lightly grease your hands and form the mixture into a round ball. 
• Coat with nuts: Place the pecans on a plate. Hold the cheese ball in one hand and use the other hand to scoop the pecans onto the outside of the ball, pressing them in gently and turning the ball to coat all sides. 
  2/3 cup pecans
• Chill and serve: Cover the cheeseball in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow it to firm up. Remove from fridge about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften just slightly. Serve with crackers, pretzels, vegetables or anything else you'd love to dip in cheese!

Notes

*Use a spreading knife to serve the cheeseball. If you dip your cracker straight into the ball, chances are it will break.

Cream Cheese: Regular or low fat will work fine.

Cheddar Cheese: My personal preference for this recipe is sharp cheddar. Make sure to buy the block and grate it yourself instead of the pre-shredded stuff. It makes a big difference in both flavor and texture.

Nuts: could substitute almonds or another finely chopped nut, or leave the nuts out completely and use bacon bits, chopped green onion, or Craisins.

Make Ahead Instructions: Prep the cheeseball and form into a ball, but don't add the nuts on the outside. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to a week (depending on how fresh your ingredients are). Coat it in nuts an hour before you serve it and refrigerate until serving.

Storing Instructions: A cheese ball needs to be stored in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for several days or up to 2 weeks, depending on how fresh your ingredients are. Look at the expiration dates for the ingredients you are using, if you recently purchased them, it should last for about 2 weeks when kept in the refrigerator.

Freezing Instructions: Make and form cheese ball, but don't add the nuts on the outside. Wrap well in plastic wrap then place in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Keep in the freezer for up to one month. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight then add nuts when it's completely thawed then keep in the refrigerator until serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 129mg, Potassium: 50mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 361IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 89mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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I originally shared this recipe November 2017. Updated October 2019 and October 2025.