All the incredible flavors of japaleño poppers rolled into a cheese ball is a crowd-pleasing appetizer that’s totally scrumptious! Made with cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeños, bacon, ranch seasoning, and chives. This is simple to make appetizer that’s great for parties, game day, and is a must-make during the holidays.
Have you ever been to a party and see people gathered around the food table and wondered what are they digging into? Most likely it was a cheese ball! There’s just something about cutting into that round, creamy ball to discover what other flavors are hidden inside. I’ve had a long time love affair with cheese balls because, well, first, there’s cheese, right? Then, there’s just so many different flavor combinations you can put together that there’s really no way you can mess things up, so what’s not to love. The true-blue recipe that Mr. A Southern Soul digs is my Cheddar & Chive Cheese Ball. But, I just couldn’t leave well enough alone so I decided it was high time to up my game with something spicy. My newest cheese ball recipe combines all the flavors of Jalapeño poppers into an easy to make appetizer that takes just a few minutes to make.
What you’ll need to make Jalapeños Popper Cheese Ball:
- cream cheese
- jalapeño peppers
- cheddar cheese
- Pepper Jack cheese
- bacon
- chives
- parsley
- ranch seasoning
- salt and pepper
This cheese ball is great to take to a party or serve when you’re entertaining. You can make it a day or so ahead of your event since it will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Cheese balls also freeze really well. I like to double this recipe during the holidays and make two smaller cheese balls and freeze them. That way, you’ve got one to keep and one to share.
Pro tips for making a cheese ball:
- make sure you have plastic wrap on hand. It makes shaping the ball much easier.
- have a small bowl on hand to put your wrapped cheese ball into before you put it in the refrigerator to chill. This will keep the bottom of the ball from getting flat.
- place all of the “outer” ingredients that you’ll roll the ball in on a small sheet pan. You’ll be able to roll the ball around and the sides of the pan keep the ingredients from getting lost.
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Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese - softened
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese - shredded
- 1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese - shredded
- 2 tablespoons cooked bacon or bacon bits
- 1 medium jalapeño - seeded and minced (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives - finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Cheese Ball Coating
- 2 tablespoons cooked bacon or bacon bits
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives - finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley - finely chopped
Instructions
- To the bowl of a food processor, stand mixer or mixing bowl, add cream cheese. Blend/stir until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, bacon bits, jalapeños, ranch seasoning and chives. Blend together until well mixed, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and spoon cheese ball mixture into the middle. Bring up sides of wrap and form cheese mixture into a ball. Place in a bowl and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Place bacon bits, fresh chives and parsley on a small baking sheet or rimmed pan. Take cheese ball out of plastic wrap and roll in coating. Place on serving plate with crackers and serve immediately.**Can be rewrapped and stored in fridge until time to serve.
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