Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball
If a Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball is not on your radar for holiday entertaining, you’re seriously missing out!
Luckily I have a cheese ball recipe that’s sure to be a hit at your next gathering. Loaded with bacon, pecans, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and seasonings, it’s one of the best cheese ball recipes to impress a crowd.
First, let’s talk about cheese balls for a second. We went back and forth on deciding if they were considered a dip — because we’re all about dip recipes here! — and ultimately went with YES! Cheese balls are definitely considered a dip because you use a variety of dippers to scoop up and eat all the yummy ingredients that make them up.
This Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball is a classic cheese ball recipe that’s perfect for entertaining.
The final presentation with butter round crackers is a showstopper at any gathering and we promise you nothing will go to waste with this cheeseball recipe— it’s tried and true and oh-so-delicious!
Ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup bacon bits
- Chopped pecans
- Sliced scallions
- Milk (of your choice)
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black crushed pepper
- Butter Round Crackers
How to Make a Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball
1. In a medium-sized bowl add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, all seasonings, and milk. Mix with a hand mixer, until well combined.
2. Then add half of the bacon bits, half of the scallions, and half of the pecans. Make sure to chop those into smaller pieces first.
3. Put a piece of saran wrap on the counter and put the cheese ball in it. Then fully wrap it up with the saran wrap and form it into a ball.
4. Place the cheeseball in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. In a shallow bowl, add the remaining chopped pecans, bacon bits, and scallions.
6. Remove the cheeseball from the fridge.
7. Roll the cheeseball around in the prepared shallow bowl and make sure the whole ball is coated with the remaining coating.
8. Serve with crackers or dippers of your choice.
What to Dip in a Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball
Buttery round crackers, like RITZ, are our favorite dipper of choice for this Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball, however, these dippers also work well.
- Pretzels
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Pita chips
- Bagel chips
- Sliced baguette
- Pork rinds
How to Store a Cheese Ball
If you have any leftover cheese ball, wrap the remaining ball in Saran or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat again.
Can Cheese Balls be made in Advance?
The great thing about cheese ball dips is that they can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. We recommend keeping your formed cheese ball wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge. If you will be keeping it in the fridge for a few days, wrap the cheese ball in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil to keep the ingredients as fresh as possible.
Tips for Making Cheese Balls
- Consider wearing food-safe disposable gloves when forming your cheese ball — the cream cheese is very sticky and gloves make cleanup easy!
- Let the cream cheese come to room temperature before making your cheese ball, it’s much easier to mix.
- While the classic cheese ball shape is round, feel free to form any shape you wish. We made cheese balls in pumpkin, football, and Christmas tree shapes— get creative!
Bacon Pecan Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup bacon bits
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp everything bagel seasoning
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, all seasoning, and milk. Mix with a hand mixer, until well combined.
- Then add half of the bacon bits, half of the scallions, and half of the pecans. Make sure to chop those in smaller pieces first.
- Put a piece of saran wrap on the counter and put the cheese ball in it. Then fully wrap it up with the saran wrap and form it into a ball.
- Put the cheese ball in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl, add the remaining chopped pecans, bacon bits, and scallions.
- Roll the cheese ball around in the prepared shallow bowl and make sure the whole ball is coated with the remaining coating.
- Serve with crackers, or dippers of your choice.
