This easy mini cheeseball recipe is perfect for entertaining. Cream cheese, cheddar cheese come together with beef and green onion for these cheeseball bites coated in delicious bacon bits! Serve with champagne punch for the perfect New Year's Eve appetizer or buffalo chicken dip for a game day treat.
Tis the season for holiday parties, which means lots of appetizers need to be made and I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to share with you all. Like out blueberry caprese skewers, these mini cheeseballs are a fun variation on a party staple.
Why I love this recipe
There are no fussy ingredients and it takes just 15 minutes of active time to whip it up! Then, just pop them in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Too easy!
Ingredients
- cream cheese
- thin-sliced deli beef
- green onions
- cheddar cheese
- bacon bits
- crackers for serving
Step by step
If you've never made a cheeseball you'll be excited to see how simple it is. And serving this cheeseball recipe as mini cheeseballs adds a fun twist!
- Chop up the meat and onions and combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix it all up until its totally blended.
- Roll the mini cheeseballs and coat them in yummy bacon bits!
- Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
See? I told you it was easy! Party success!
Tips for best results
- let the cream cheese soften to room temperature before mixing in the other ingredients to avoid lumps
- you can vary the shredded cheese you use to change up the flavor: monterey jack and colby jack are great alternatives
- you can gently press a pretzel stick into the mini cheeseball instead of serving with crackers
FAQs
You can absolutely make one big cheeseball with this recipe. Serving them as mini cheeseballs just gives a little more bacon to enjoy, either way, they are delicious.
Cheeseballs are a great appetizer to make ahead of time. You can keep them in the refrigerator up to 5 days. You can also freeze them by freezing them on a plate or tray and then transferring to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
It is important to chill cheeseballs in the refrigerator for at least one hour after making them to allow them time to firm up.
Be sure to check out these other easy party recipes:
If you’ve tried this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!.
Print
Easy Mini Cheeseballs
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: appetizer
- Method: none
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy mini cheeseball recipe is perfect for entertaining. Cream cheese, cheddar cheese come together with beef and green onion for these cheeseball bites coated in delicious bacon bits!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 bundles green onions
- 1 pound thinly sliced deli beef
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 9 oz bag Bacon Bits
- crackers or pretzel sticks for serving
Instructions
- Chop green onions and beef finely.
- Place your cream cheese, onion, beef, and shredded cheese into a large mixing bowl.
- Mix with your hands until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Roll mixture into balls approximately two tablespoons at a time.
- Pour Bacon Bits onto a plate. Roll cheeseballs in Bacon Bits, pressing firmly to coat.
- Refrigerate at least one hour or until ready to serve and serve with crackers of your choice.
Notes
Variation: you can gently press a pretzel stick into the cheeseballs before refrigerating instead of serving with crackers
Storage: refrigerate covered up to 5 days
Freeze: freeze on a plate and transfer to a freezer bag for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Keywords: mini cheeseball
Emma says
Perfect! Huge hit at my party!
Jen says
yum! huge hit at my party!
★★★★★
Debbie C. says
I love this recipe. I made it as written & my other half enjoyed it. For the next one, I made a few changes since he is SUCH a fan of bacon & not a fan of green onions. I substituted bacon bits for the beef, very finely minced yellow onion for the green onions, added some freshly cracked pepper & a TBSP of minced garlic, used extra sharp cheddar & then rolled it in bacon bits. He LOVED it. So, for him, it was a total winner. And now my mind is whirling with ideas for other kinds of cheese balls.....like a sweet one made with dried fruit, and even a pineapple one rolled in coconut flakes. Thank you for sharing this recipe. And for inspiring me to try different flavors.
★★★★★
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Debbie, it's definitely a fun recipe to alter and try different combinations! ~Melissa
★★★★★
Cristi Harris says
Could you use sliced roast beef from the deli counter rather than the processed stuff? This sounds like a fun recipe to try but I am not a huge fan of Buddig.
Thanks!!
Melissa says
Yes, absolutely Cristi!