Cheese Ball (3 Cheeses!)
Allow me to introduce you to my cheddar half: the beloved Classic Cheese Ball! I ALWAYS dive into the cheese ball first when I'm at a party. Filled with three cheeses, herbs, seasonings, a secret ingredient, and covered in buttery salted pecans. PLUS it's such an easy make ahead recipe! This is my new go-to appetizer for holidays, parties, and summer pool days!
Servings: 16
Calories: 163kcal
Ingredients
For the pecans:
- 1 cup pecans plus extra, see note**
- 1 tablespoon butter for the pecans
- 1/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt for the pecans
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper for the pecans, optional
For the cheese ball:
- 8 ounces cream cheese soft
- 1/4 cup butter soft
- 1/4 cup goat cheese soft
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese finely grated, well packed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons green onion finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley for rolling the cheese ball, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Set out the cream cheese, butter, and goat cheese to come to room temperature.*
- Toast the pecans. Spread 1 cup pecans (**see note; I always double this) on a baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a bowl in the microwave and drizzle over the pecans. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper, if you like a little heat. Toss it all together.
- Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Stir, then bake for another 2 minutes. Stir, and continue baking in 1 minute increments until the pecans are TOASTY. They should be DARK. Not just warm. Not light brown. This is how you get incredible flavor and snap from pecans. But...watch them so they don't burn! Set aside to cool.
- Shred 1 cup sharp cheddar. I like to use the fine grater for this recipe, but the big grater works fine too. PACK the cheese into a one cup measuring cup. Press down with your fingers on the cheese until it's completely full.
- Finely mince 2 tablespoons green onions.
- Make the cheeseball. In a large mixing bowl, add all the cheeseball ingredients: 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup goat cheese, 1 cup packed cheddar cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons minced green onion.
- Mix. Use a sturdy spoon or a hand mixer to beat it all together until combined. It will be fairly soft. Trust!
- Chill. Scrape it all onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese up in a ball and then chill it in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight is even better, to help the flavors marry.
- When you are ready to serve, let the cheese sit out on the counter for about 15-30 minutes to soften.
- Roll the cheese ball. Chop up 1 cup of pecans. Roll the cheese ball in the toasty pecans until coated.
- Chop 1 tablespoon parsley. Or more, if you love parsley. Roll the cheese ball in the parsley.
- Serve your cheese ball with grapes, apricot jam, and extra toasty pecans!
- Storage: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge! It will last at least 2 weeks.
- Freezing: Technically you can freeze a cheeseball. Wrap well and let thaw at room temp. Don't add the pecans until you are ready to serve. It might not hold together as well after freezing, because of all the moisture. I recommend storing in the fridge since they last so long!
Notes
*Softening the cheese and butter: If you are in a hurry, you can add the cream cheese, goat cheese, and butter to a bowl and microwave on POWER LEVEL ONE for 30 seconds at a time. This will soften it instead of melting it. Check it frequently.
**Toast 2 cups of pecans! You only need 1 cup of pecans to coat the outside of this cheese ball. But my favorite party trick is to double the pecans amount to 2 cups (including doubling the salt and butter.) Then you have an extra cup of whole pecan halves for serving alongside your cheese ball! Trust me, the middle-of-the-cheese-ball dippers will thank you.
***Chilling. If I am in a huge hurry, I stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes and then transfer to the fridge. Don't forget the timer!! You don't want your cheese to freeze.
Nutrition
Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 474IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 0.3mg
