This '70s Finger Food Is Always Devoured At My Tailgating Parties
You can’t go wrong with an appetizer made almost entirely of cheese.
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Football season is in full swing, and one of my favorite things about this time of year is the always fun and ever-evolving culture of food and tailgating. This includes, of course, creating and bringing to life epic tailgating menus and ideas. I especially love the flexibility and approachability of tailgating recipes for cooks of all levels. Discover more tailgating appetizers here.
Preparing for a tailgating party only has to be as complicated, time consuming, or complex as you want it to be. For example, one of the biggest hits I serve is a good old-fashioned, classic cheese ball. It’s a make-ahead recipe that takes just a few minutes to prepare. It doesn’t require expensive or hard-to-find ingredients, and it’s devoured every single time I make it. This retro finger food is a must-try for your next tailgating party. You’ll be whipping up football-shaped cheese balls in no time!
History of the Cheese Ball
When I see a cheese ball, the word "retro" always comes to mind. I envision the early era of Julia Child (known for her individually sized Roquefort Cheese Balls), where dinner parties were the thing to do on a Saturday night and people went all out on presentation, from food and drinks to music and fashion.
This was an appetizer frequently served throughout the 1960s and 1970s at dinner parties or holiday gatherings, and over the years, the cheese ball has earned its reputation of being timeless. Classically, cheese balls are made by blending cream cheese with shredded Cheddar, garlic powder, and hot sauce or Worcestershire before forming the mixture into a ball shape and coating it completely with chopped nuts.
What Is a Cheese Ball?
The term “cheese ball” can sound quite vague. For example, growing up in my house, cheese balls meant bocconcini, or small, bite-size balls of mozzarella. That’s not the case at all when referring to this retro cocktail party hit. That being said, it’s important to understand what a cheese ball is before diving into any recipe.
Cheese balls are quite literally a ball formed with a base of creamy cheese, which is combined with other flavors from sauces and spices, rolled into a ball, hardened in the refrigerator, then rolled in chopped nuts. Once you become familiar with the base method, you can get creative! Other cheeses ideal for forming cheese balls are blue cheese, goat cheese, and feta cheese. You can also try this 4-Ingredient Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball. You can even take a sweet approach with this Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball served with graham crackers and wafers.
Allrecipes/Julia Hartbeck
How to Make My Favorite Cheese Ball Recipe
If you do one quick internet search, you’ll be bombarded with an endless scroll of cheese ball recipes. This can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve never made it before and want to start with a basic recipe. Below, you’ll find my very simple, tasty, and beginner-friendly cheese ball recipe, and the one I turn to most often for tailgating and entertaining. This is a classic that you can easily work into your rotation.
Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
7 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon hot sauce or Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped candied pecans
1/3 cup roughly chopped raw pecans
Bagel chips and/or butter crackers for serving (such as Ritz)
Directions
In a mixer, add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, Worcestershire, onion powder, black pepper, parsley, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and lemon juice.
Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed until incorporated. Scrape the attachment and sides of the bowl as needed.
Transfer mixture to the center of a large square of cling wrap (wax paper works too, but cling wrap is easier for shaping). Gather the wrap and shape the mixture into a ball. Wrap securely. Refrigerate the cheese ball for at least 3 hours, or chill overnight.
Place the candied and raw pecans in a shallow dish. One hour before serving, remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator. Unwrap, and while still chilled, roll the cheese ball in nuts, pressing to stick and completely coat. Gently reshape the cheese ball if necessary. Transfer to a round serving dish. Cover at room temperature until ready to serve surrounded by bagel chips and butter crackers.
Tips For Crushing this Cheese Ball Recipe
Make your cheese ball ahead of time. First and foremost, it’s all about the flavor! Making this one or two days ahead of time allows the different flavors to really meld together, so each bite has a sharp cheddar kick with subtle hints of fiery hot sauce and robust Worcestershire sauce, earthy herbs, and tangy lemon juice. Secondly, the cheese ball has to have ample time to firm for neatly rolling and coating with nuts. If it hasn’t had this chance, it will be a sticky, messy, uneven mess. No one needs that drama in the midst of party prepping!
It’s all about the cheddar. You can use any sharp cheddar for this, but I love using Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar Cheese. It’s rich, sharp, and the perfect texture for every phase of this recipe, from mixing, to refrigerating, to serving and, of course, snacking. It’s considered one of the best Trader Joe’s products of all time for a reason!
Don’t serve this fresh out of the refrigerator. Enjoying the cheese ball at room temperature allows the flavors to have a true chance to come together. If the cheese ball is too cold, it will just taste like cold cheese. There’s also a higher chance of the crackers breaking when trying to spread the mixture.
Serve it with a spreader and dull knife. Cheese balls aren’t meant for dipping or digging into using a cracker. It remains on the firm side, so the crackers will likely break if people try to use them as a vehicle for serving. It’s also unsanitary. Remember to serve your cheese balls with a cheese spreader or butter knife, so people can easily help themselves.
It’s totally OK if you don't have all of these dried herbs in your pantry. This is a forgiving recipe. Use those that you do have in stock in your pantry. Another shortcut or option would be to omit the dried herbs, and replace them with 2 teaspoons of Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute, which is a blend of dried spices that will lend the same flavors.
Raw nuts or toasted nuts will work just fine for this recipe. I like incorporating candied and raw nuts for another layer of flavor as you bite into the other, very powerful tangy, sharp, and savory flavors. However, the toasty and nutty flavors of raw or toasted pecans alone will be tasty and add dimension, as well. Walnuts or almonds would be my back-up choice if pecans aren’t an option. To make your own, check out this basic candied walnuts recipe.
