This easy cheese ball takes 15 minutes and is full of fresh flavor. The combo of sharp cheddar, herbs and smoked almonds is perfection. It never fails to be the hit of a party.
Somewhere during my 2nd trimester of pregnancy I fell in love with cheese balls. I was at a friend’s house one day and she made one from a gourmet mix for a snack. We. Ate. The. Entire. Thing.
She had never made one from scratch and I could not imagine buying a mix so I hit the kitchen determined to make the perfect cheese ball. It took a few tries but I did and this is it. You will never need another cheese ball recipe!
I took this cheese ball to multiple parties throughout the fall and it was always a runaway hit. I suggest doubling or quadrupling the recipe if you plan to serve a big group!
Tools In This Post: I don’t own a nut chopper – just one more thing to take up space. Instead I just pulse the nuts in my food processor for a few minutes. This Cuisinart has been my work horse over a decade now and it is running most days. I consider that well worth the counter space!
If you did need another cheese ball recipe this Bacon and Smoked Gouda one would be it! Seriously, yum!
Garden Herb Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 Tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. green onion finely minced
- 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper ground to a medium course grind (using more finely ground pepper makes it more spicy)
- 1/4 tsp. seasoning salt
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup smoked almonds or favorite nuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
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In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium high speed, whip everything except the cheddar cheese and nuts until mixed.
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Add the cheddar and beat on low until just mixed.
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Put mixture in the center of a large square of plastic wrap. Bring the edges of the plastic wrap up around the mixture and form a ball.
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Remove the plastic wrap and roll the ball in chopped nuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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My mouth wont’ stop watering, this sounds amazing! 🙂
I love a good cheese ball! Stay tuned for my Asian version, coming soon 🙂
seems like it is a very hard cheeseball. is there a way to soften it?
If you want a softer one try adding a little milk. I would start with a teaspoon or two and add by teaspoons until you have the result you want.
I made this as an afternoon treat, my family devoured it! This will be a treasured recipe thank you so much!!
You are most welcome, Lisa! This is one of my favorite simple go to recipes this time of year. You just can’t beat the flavor and it takes no time at all to make something that people rave about! In fact, I’m making several of these and my Asian cheese ball to take to the family Christmas gathering in CA. If you like Asian food flavors give it a try – you can find it under Appetizers in the recipe section 🙂 Merry Christmas!
This cheese ball is so good! I made it without the Worcestershire sauce, and it is amazing still! Next time I make it I am going to try adding salad shrimp to it. Thank you for the recipe!
Oh thank you for telling me so! A good cheese ball is so worth it! The salad shrimp sounds wonderful – please do let me know what you think! I was just telling my husband about the idea and he was excited to try it too. His idea was to try mixing them in frozen so they hold their shape and are easy to mix in and then letting them thaw in the ball. But if your shrimp have too much water it could be more of an adventure than you bargained for. Good luck!
What kind of cracker or bread do you use for this
I like French Bread or Ritz crackers. But really it is good with many crackers and breads – just what you like. Enjoy!