This Easy 3-Ingredient Cheese Ball Recipe is a classic snack or appetizer made with cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and chopped walnuts. It takes just 5 minutes to make and is perfect for serving at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holiday gatherings.
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Every holiday season my family makes the same menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas… even down to the appetizers! This Easy 3 Ingredient Cheese Ball Recipe is one of the snacks we’ve been making for the holidays for over 20 years. It’s SO simple, but obviously delicious enough to keep around.
🥇Why this cheese ball is great
- It is so easy to make. Honestly, it can’t get easier. Just stir the ingredients together, form it into a ball, and roll it in chopped walnuts.
- This recipe only needs 3 simple ingredients: cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and walnuts. Few ingredients, but lots of flavor!
- The best thing about this recipe is that it can easily be made ahead before your holiday gathering. It’s hard to cook 10 dishes at once, so make this ahead and have it off your mind!
🍴Ingredients
Cream cheese: Any brand will do. Just take it out a few hours before making so it can soften to room temperature.
Ranch dressing or seasoning mix: This is the easiest way to give the cheese ball lots of flavor!
Walnuts: Buy them chopped or buy them whole and then chop them.
🔪 How to make this Easy 3 Ingredient Cheese Ball Recipe
This classic cheese ball only takes 3 steps to make!
- Stir together the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter, then place the chopped walnuts in the middle of the plastic. Scoop the cream cheese onto the nuts, then use the plastic wrap to form it into a ball while simultaneously rolling the outside in the walnuts.
- Refrigerate for an hour or up to 5 days. This helps it get nice and firm.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
One of these classic cheese balls will serve about 8 people as a snack or appetizer. For my extended family of about 22 people, we typically eat 3 cheese balls at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we also serve other appetizers alongside it.
If you do make more than one cheese ball, I highly recommend mixing each one in it’s own bowl. This will make it easier to keep the cheese balls evenly sized.
🙋 Questions and answers
The classic ranch flavors in this recipe pair really well with crackers, especially Ritz, Wheat Thins, and Triscuits. But you can serve it with any of your favorite crackers. It’s also great served with veggies, including carrots, bell peppers, and cucumbers.
The best part of this cheese ball is that it can be made ahead and just sit in the fridge until you need it! I usually make mine 1-2 days in advance, but it can last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
This cheese ball will last up to 5 days in the fridge if wrapped tightly with plastic or stored in a sealed container.
I never freeze cheese balls. In my opinion, cream cheese that has been frozen and thawed changes texture. I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator instead.
A cheese ball can sit out safely for about 2 hours. If you have more than one cheese ball, let one sit out and leave the others in the fridge until they are needed.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Use softened cream cheese, but not warm. If it is too soft, it won’t easily form a ball or hold its shape.
- Shape the ball with the plastic wrap, then wrap it tightly before refrigerating to keep it fresh.
- Let the cheese ball chill for at least an hour before serving so that it is firm and holds its shape.
- For extra holiday fun, form the cheese ball into shapes with large cookies cutters (we’ve done turkeys, Christmas trees, and snowflakes before). I would form the cream cheese into the shape, then add nuts after.
📖 Other snacks and appetizers
- Chicken Maple Sausages: These apple chicken sausages are heated in the slow cooker, then covered in a maple mustard sauce. Delicious appetizer!
- Stovetop Maple Pecans: This 3 ingredient snack only takes 10 minutes to make! They’re perfect for snack boards or toppings on salads, pancakes, or oatmeal.
- Easy Tzatziki Sauce Recipe: This is the perfect easy tzatziki to serve with a veggie tray at your next party!
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📋 Recipe
Easy 3-Ingredient Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- 1⅓ tbsp ranch dressing or seasoning mix
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix until thoroughly combined.
- Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter or other hard surface. Spread the chopped walnuts in the middle of the plastic.
- Scoop the cream cheese onto the nuts. Using the plastic wrap, form the cream cheese into a tight ball, pressing the outside into the nuts.
- Once evenly shaped and covered in nuts, wrap the cheese ball tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 5 days.
Notes
- Use softened cream cheese, but not warm. If it is too soft, it won’t easily form a ball or hold its shape.
- Shape the ball with the plastic wrap, then wrap it tightly before refrigerating to keep it fresh.
- Let the cheese ball chill for at least an hour before serving so that it is firm and holds its shape.
- For extra holiday fun, form the cheese ball into shapes with large cookies cutters (we’ve done turkeys, Christmas trees, and snowflakes before). I would form the cream cheese into the shape, then add nuts after.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Ryan says
I've never been a huge fan of cream cheese or recipes that use it. However, this cheese ball is the exception for me! This recipe is simple, super tasty, and perfect as an appetizer at parties!
Misty says
So glad you liked it! I know several people who don't like cream cheese, but love this cheese ball. It is a very simple, but classic, recipe.
Martha says
I just made this ahead to practice before the holidays. Delicious and super easy. Thanks!
Kim Jones says
My son saw this on your IG page and said he wants to make this for Thanksgiving!!
Misty says
We serve it at Thanksgiving every year! And it's SO easy, so a perfect appetizer when you're already making a lot of food. Hope you like it!