Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

This Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball is a quick and easy appetizer made with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch, bacon, and green onions. It’s perfect for holiday entertaining, game day, or any other occasion. 

Serve with your favorite crackers, sliced baguettes, veggies, and pretzels. And if you are looking for more cheese ball recipes, you might also like this Ham and Cheddar Cheese Ball or this spicy Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball.

Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

Crispy bacon, creamy cheese, and zesty ranch flavors come together in this delectable bacon ranch cheese ball. Perfect for any occasion, this crowd-pleasing appetizer is a breeze to prepare and is sure to be a hit with everyone. Plus, it’s versatile enough to pair with crackers, veggies, or your favorite dippers.

It’s made with softened cream cheese, finely shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, crispy bacon bits, and Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix. Feel free to add nuts if you love them—some chopped sriracha almonds would be great!

You can make this recipe around the holidays for an easy appetizer idea, or just to snack on for a regular old Sunday evening. 

Ranch Bacon Cheese Ball Video Tutorial

Key Recipe Ingredients

• Cream Cheese: You can use a full or part-skim version of cream cheese.  You’ll just need the regular, 8-ounce bricks sold in the supermarket. 
• Cheddar Cheese: a finely shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese mix works great.  You could even do a shredded pepper jack cheese if you’d like a little kick to your cheeseball.
• Green Onions: Thinly sliced green onions give it so much flavor.  If you’re able to let this cheese ball sit for a few hours or overnight before serving, it will really give the green onions a chance to flavor the cream cheese. 
• Bacon: You can certainly make your own bacon bits but cutting up the raw bacon into 1/2″ chunks and sauteing them in a pan until they are golden brown. If you choose to go that route, you’ll need a pound of bacon. The pre-cooked bacon bits from Costco also work really well.  They really save a lot of time and mess in the kitchen.  
• Seasonings: a Tablespoon of Hidden Valley Ranch powder is all you need to season this cheese ball. Yup, it’s that easy. It gives this cheeseball the perfect blend seasonings.

How To Make Hidden Valley Ranch Cheese Ball

1. Make the bacon bits. Take the bacon out of the packaging. With a sharp knife, cut the bacon into 1/3″ strips. In a frying pan on the stove, on medium heat, Saute the bacon bits for 5-8 minutes or until the bacon is sizzling and turns crispy. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the bacon bits to a paper plate lined with a paper towel to cool.
2. Make the cheese ball mixture. Add the cream cheese, 1/2 cup bacon bits, sliced green onions, shredded cheddar, and hidden valley ranch mix all together in a medium-sized mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid. Mix well, using a spatula to scrape the cream cheese from the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Shape the cheese ball. Form the cream cheese mixture into a ball with a rubber spatula and place on a platter. If you can’t get it smooth or into a symmetrical ball shape, you can use your hands.
4. Garnish. Once the bacon bits are cool, you can grab a handful of bacon bits and cover the sides and top of the cheeseball. Add a few sliced green onions and crisp bacon bits to the top of the cheese ball for garnish.
5. Chill. Cover with plastic wrap until needed and serve with your favorite buttery crackers and veggies. Enjoy!

Cheese Ball Tips

• You can make this up to 3 days before you need it.  Just keep it wrapped in plastic wrap until you’re ready to serve it. 
• Nuts, crumbled bacon, green onions, and parsley are all great garnishes for this easy cheese ball recipe.
• Serve on a platter with your favorite buttery crackers and a veggie tray.
• Perfect for the holiday, an appetizer, birthday parties or a potluck.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing Instructions

• Refrigerator: wrap the cheese ball in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

More Easy Appetizer Recipes

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• Loaded Baked Potato Skins
• Spicy Italian Meatballs
• Jalapeno Artichoke Dip
• Chili Lime Steak Bites
• Smashed Potatoes
• Flaming Hot Cheeto Chicken Tenders
• Mini Charcuterie Cups
• Tomato Bruschetta
• 3 Cheese Pesto Flatbread
• Mini Cheese Quiches
• Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip
• Jalapeno Artichoke Dip
• Homemade Pepper Jack Queso
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This Hidden Valley Ranch Bacon Cheese Ball is a quick and easy appetizer recipe that everyone will love. It’s a 5 ingredient easy cheese ball recipe with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, hidden valley ranch seasoning, bacon bits, and green onions.