Cheese ball is cream cheese, sour cream and sharp cheddar mixed with pimientos, Worcestershire and scallions, then shaped and rolled in crushed pecans. Nothing is cooked at all. Thirty minutes gives you enough for ten people.
Shred the cheddar from a block rather than using the bagged kind, because the anti-caking starch on pre-shredded cheese keeps it grainy. The whole point of a cheese ball is that it spreads, and starch works against that. Block cheddar blends into the cream cheese instead of sitting in it.
Twenty minutes firms the outside enough to take a coating, not enough to hold its shape on the table. Give it two hours if you want it neat while people dig in. Shape it inside the plastic wrap either way, because the mixture is too soft to handle.
Classic Cheese Ball
Course: AppetizerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalThe same mixture scoops into mini balls on pretzel sticks, which solves the problem of one ball sitting out too long. Made ahead it keeps three days wrapped, as long as the nut coating waits until the day.
Ingredients
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, from a block
1 (4 oz) jar diced pimiento peppers, drained
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ cup sliced scallions
1½ cups finely crushed pecans
Crackers, pretzels or crudites, to serve
Directions
- Mix: Stir the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, pimientos, Worcestershire, garlic powder and scallions together until combined.
- Shape: Tip the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap, gather the sides and shape it into a ball.
- Chill: Refrigerate for 20 minutes, or up to two hours if you want a firmer shape.
- Coat: Unwrap and roll the ball in the crushed pecans, pressing them on all over.
- Serve: Serve straight away, or rewrap and chill until needed, with crackers alongside.
Two decisions change how this turns out, and neither of them is in the ingredient list.
FAQs
How long does it really need to chill?
Twenty minutes is the minimum and gets you a ball firm enough to coat. Two hours is better if it has to sit out while people help themselves, since sixteen ounces of cream cheese softens fast. Overnight does no harm at all.
Is it really 395 calories a serving?
Slightly less in practice, because that figure counts the full cup and a half of pecans. Most of the coating stays in the bowl rather than on the ball, so the real number lands nearer three hundred and sixty. Still rich, just not quite that rich.
Can I make it without nuts?
Crushed pretzels work, and one reader mixed them into the cheese as well as rolling it. Dried cranberries, everything seasoning or chopped pistachios all coat just as well. The coating is structural as much as decorative, so do not skip it entirely.
How far ahead can I make it?
Three days wrapped, but leave the coating off until the day. Nuts soften against damp cheese overnight and lose the crunch that makes the whole thing work. Roll it about an hour before serving and put it back in the fridge.
What about a Christmas shape?
Same idea, different mould. A Christmas cheese ball wreath uses a bundt pan for the ring and swaps the coating for parsley and sun-dried tomatoes. A ball suits a small gathering, a wreath suits a table people stand around.
What else goes on the table with it?
Something hot, since a cheese ball is cold and rich and the spread needs contrast. A supreme pizza dip gives you that without competing on creaminess. Keep the crackers sturdy, because this is a spread and thin ones snap.
The source nutrition counts all 1½ cups of crushed pecans, although much of the coating stays in the bowl rather than on the ball. Nutrition is the source plugin’s automatic calculation and should be treated as an approximation.
