Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

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This cheese ball has a perfect blend of flavors including ranch, crispy bacon bits, 2 kinds of cheese, and chives.

Prep Time10

Chill Time30

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 295kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

16 oz. cream cheese softened
3 Tablespoons sour cream
1 oz. packet Ranch seasoning mix (Equal to about 3 Tablespoons)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1.5 cups cheddar cheese see notes*
¼ cup green onions diced (can sub 1/3 cup diced chives)
6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Use a silicone spatula to mix all ingredients until well combined. Transfer to saran wrap and use it to help you mold it into a ball.
Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes in order to allow the flavors to blend. Remove saran wrap and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with crackers, vegetables, Pita chips, or crusty breads.
As of 12/2020: Sour Cream, Garlic Powder, and White Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese were added to the recipe for improved taste and texture. They are optional, but recommended. The recipe video does not include these ingredients.

Notes

*I like to use a combination of sharp yellow and white cheddar. Cracker Barrel is my brand of choice. For best results, shred it from a block instead of using bagged shredded cheese. Monterey Jack is a good option to add to the mix as well.

PRO Tips For This Recipe

Important! Be sure to get Ranch seasoning mix for this recipe, not Ranch dip mix, they do taste differently and have different uses.
This cheese ball can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
I like to fry the bacon the night before making this as it's a lot quicker and gives it time to cool before mixing with the cheese.
Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for 1 hour before you prepare, (if possible). This makes it easier to combine evenly with the other ingredients.
Optional: Roll the cheese ball in chopped pecans for an added crunch.
Some people roll these into bite-sized balls and serve them with toothpicks.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/bacon-ranch-cheddar-cheeseball/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-23128":{"type":"food","name":"Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball","slug":"wprm-bacon-ranch-cheese-ball","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bacon-Ranch-Cheddar-Cheese-Ball-2.jpg","rating":{"count":43,"total":215,"average":5,"type":{"comment":43,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"16","unit":"oz.","name":"cream cheese","notes":"softened","converted":{"2":{"amount":"226.8","unit":"g","unit_id":12941}},"unit_id":12936,"id":4388,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"16","unit":"oz.","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"16","unit":"oz.","unitParsed":"oz."},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"226.8","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"3","unit":"Tablespoons","name":"sour cream","notes":"","unit_id":12930,"id":4132,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tablespoons","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tablespoons","unitParsed":"Tablespoons"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"1","unit":"oz.","name":"packet Ranch seasoning mix","notes":"(Equal to about 3 Tablespoons)","converted":{"2":{"amount":"28.35","unit":"g","unit_id":12941}},"unit_id":12936,"id":7137,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"oz.","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"oz.","unitParsed":"oz."},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"28.35","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"3\/4","unit":"teaspoon","name":"garlic powder","notes":"","unit_id":12938,"id":3825,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3\/4","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3\/4","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"1.5","unit":"cups","name":"cheddar cheese","notes":"see notes*","converted":{"2":{"amount":"113","unit":"g","unit_id":12941}},"unit_id":12935,"id":4429,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1.5","unit":"cups","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1.5","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"113","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","name":"green onions","notes":"diced (can sub 1\/3 cup diced chives)","converted":{"2":{"amount":"25","unit":"g","unit_id":12941}},"unit_id":12934,"id":3670,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"25","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"6","unit":"","name":"strips bacon","notes":"cooked and crumbled","converted":{"2":{"amount":"6","unit":""}},"id":4430,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"6","unit":"","timestamp":1778512764000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"6","unit":"","unitParsed":""},"unit-system-2":{"amount":"6","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}}],"originalServings":"10","originalServingsParsed":10,"currentServings":"10","currentServingsParsed":10,"currentServingsFormatted":"10","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"favorite":false,"unitSystems":[1,2],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"servingsUnit":"people","servingsUnitRaw":"people","originalServings":"10","originalServingsParsed":10,"type":"recipe","recipeId":23128,"name":"Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball","image":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bacon-Ranch-Cheddar-Cheese-Ball-2-500x500.jpg","servings":10,"parent_id":"3615","parent_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/bacon-ranch-cheddar-cheeseball\/","cachedAt":1778512764,"modifiedAt":1750250153}}}