Try this festive Roasted Red Pepper Ranch Cheese Ball for your next gathering. Easy to make with only a handful of ingredients!
If you are a cheese ball fan, you will love this Roasted Red Pepper Ranch Cheese Ball recipe. Imagine this tasty little thing sitting on your holiday table, decked out in red and green! With only 5 ingredients, this appetizer packs a lot of flavor and texture into every bite!
Each time I make a cheese ball, I am forced to remember the first one I ever made. It was not my finest hour. Thinking myself a “real cook”, I confidently mixed up cream and shredded cheese with all kinds of seasonings, expertly rolled the ball in nuts and set it out to serve. I was busy in the kitchen, not paying attention when the sounds came that every cook dreads – Yuck… Terrible…”throw it out”. Apparently I had used garlic salt instead of garlic powder and the cheese ball was so salty everyone was running for a drink. Completely embarrassing!
My friends always tell me it’s not a real party without a cheese ball! Cheese balls are little things that make the holidays fun! They look so festive on the serving table! Whether rolled in nuts or herbs, the flavor combinations are endless!
HOW TO MAKE A CHEESE BALL?
This cheese ball recipe is incredibly easy. It’s one of the easiest appetizers to make and friendly on the budget too. Just follow the simple steps below and scroll down for the complete recipe!
- Blend all of the ingredients, except the red peppers, in a bowl until smooth. Fold in the red peppers.
- Form the mixture into a ball on a piece of plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
- Place the parsley on a plate and roll the cheese ball until well coated.
- Transfer to a serving plate with crackers and enjoy!
HOW LONG WILL A CHEESE BALL LAST?
This cheese ball will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for about 5 days. I am pretty sure it will be eaten long before that because it is so delicious!
WHAT IF I WANT TO USE DIFFERENT COATING?
If you don’t want to use parsley, you can coat the cheese ball with any of the variations below. This recipe makes a large cheese ball, so you could even cut it in half to make 2 smaller balls and roll them each in a different coating!
- Nuts like pecans or walnuts
- Crushed pretzels or crackers
- Crushed tortilla or corn chips
- Chopped crispy bacon
- Toasted bread crumbs
- Snipped cilantro or dill
You can also try a spicy crowd-pleaser like Buffalo Chicken Ranch Cheese Ball for a tasty variation!
Roasted Red Pepper Ranch Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-1/2 tbsp ranch seasoning mix
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 3 tbsp roasted red pepper diced (from a jar)
- 2 tbsp parsley fresh snipped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to mix cream cheese, shredded cheese, ranch seasoning and hot sauce until completely blended. Fold in roasted red pepper until evenly dispersed. Scrape down sides of bowl and form mixture into a ball.
- Place on plastic wrap, wrap tightly and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
- Place parsley in a pie plate or flat dish, unwrap cheese ball onto plate and gently roll in parsley until all sides are coated. Serve.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Chef Tips
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
