Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe is a holiday appetizer recipe that is not only delicious and full of cheese but makes a gorgeous presentation for your holiday table. A combination of cheddar cheese, peppers, pimentos, and olives give a burst of cheesy flavor in every bite. It is a tradition your family will love and remember year after year!
This classic cheese ball recipe isn't just for the holidays! It also would be great to serve for your game day parties. The best part of this recipe, other than how delicious it is? There is no food processor needed! Made in just one bowl, this is a quick and easy recipe to make with less mess!
Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe - a family tradition
Mom’s Cheese Ball was a yearly tradition every Christmas Eve with the Law Family. Dad and Mom would pack us kids up along with the goodies and head up to my grandparent’s home. There we would see family that we didn’t get to see as often as we may have wished to.
We would enjoy the food and the company of our family. We would gather around, and everyone who came brought something to share.
The most requested holiday recipe
I think everyone thought that Mom's Cheese Ball was the best cheese ball recipe. It was a much-requested recipe and she passed this recipe on to other several family members and friends. And, I make this every single year since I have had my own home.
Do you love the Snowman Cheese Spreader below? So do I, and they make great holiday hostess gifts!
The secret ingredient in this holiday appetizer
This recipe has the basic ingredients that bring a cheese ball together. However, one ingredient threw me off when Mom gave me the recipe. I never knew what she put into it until she wrote the recipe out for me to make myself.
I was surprised to find out there was a hard-boiled egg in this recipe! The reason it threw me off was that I never noticed it. I am assuming Mom pushed the egg through a fine-mesh because I never saw the egg in it. All the other ingredients are similar to what you would find in other recipes
Making this cheese ball recipe
When I make this recipe, I usually double it. I usually make it as a cheese ball but have been known to make them in log shape also. Mom always made them into a log shape, so I often will make one recipe as a ball, and then the other recipe as a log. No matter what the shape, they still taste the same, and the presentation is gorgeous.
Cheese: I like a sharp cheddar cheese because I feel it has the best flavor for this type of recipe. It is strong, bold, and firm. I also shred my own cheese. It's easy to do with a box shredder, just like my mom would use!
Peppers: green, red, or yellow pepper all work great in this recipe.
Onion: Minced fresh is best, but if you want to use dried minced onion, that will work also.
Green Olives and Pimentos: I just buy the green olives with pimento stuffing
Saltines: Crackers cannot be avoided in this recipe. It is part of what is binding the cheese ball together.
Mayonnaise: Essential in giving the cheese ball recipe another level of flavor.
Make this Cheese Ball Recipe your way
There are plenty of cheese ball recipes out there, with several different ways of making them. By using this recipe as a base recipe, you can make some of the slight changes below and make a different version of this recipe.
- Roll in chopped pecans before refrigerating.
- Sub green onion for regular onion
- Add some blue cheese to the cheese ball for a tangy bite
- Instead of a large ball, make the cheese ball into mini cheese ball bites.
- Use room temperature cream cheese in place of the mayonnaise
- Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and substitute the green pepper for jalapeno pepper
- Omit the egg and mayonnaise and use cream cheese and make a Pineapple cheese ball. Add some crushed pineapple and candied red and green cherries in place of the onions, peppers, olives, and pimento.
More holiday appetizer recipes you may enjoy
Variety is always great to have, especially when it comes to the holidays and to appetizers. Below are some of my favorite holiday appetizer recipes to serve alongside Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe.
Cranberry Pistachio Goat Cheese Bites are a sweet and savory bite that is easy to just pick up with a toothpick and bite into!
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms always go over really well with guests. Not only are these mushrooms low carb, but they are also the tastiest mushroom recipe ever!
Chorizo Jalapeno Potato Puff Bites are a festive and delicious air fryer recipe that is full of delicious spicy flavors. No air fryer? No problem, these can also be baked in the oven!
This Creamy Clam Dip is an all-time favorite. The tang of sour cream and hot pepper sauce combination is delicious with the chopped clams. And, don't forget the Buttery Garlic Bread Chips! These are great for scooping up that clam dip!
I love goat cheese and I love peppadews! So, it's no surprise that these Goat Cheese and Basil Stuffed Peppadews are a favorite of mine.
What are your family holiday recipe traditions?
Do you have a holiday recipe tradition, past or present that involves a family recipe? Leave me a comment below to let me know, I would love to hear your traditions and favorite recipes for the holidays too!
*If you made Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe, please leave a star rating*
Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ lb. grated sharp cheese
- 1-2 Tablespoons minced onion
- 3 Tablespoons minced green pepper
- 3 chopped green olives
- 2 Tablespoons chopped pimento
- 1 chopped hard-boiled egg
- ½ cup fine crushed saltines
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the grated cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Toss the cheese with the onion, peppers, olives, pimento, egg, and saltines, and salt.
- Add the mayonnaise to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- Shape the cheese mixture into either a cheese ball or cheese log.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or until ready to serve.
Cristine
Looks yummy and your plates are gorgeous! I've never made a cheeseball, but I think this may have to grace my "Thanksgiving" table when Nathan comes home!
Hope Grumpy's mom can be home (or close to home) for the holidays.
natalia
Ciao ! I'd love to make it ! What are saltines ??? I loved your pretzels but didn't want to win again !!!
Lisa
Wow, i never had egg in a cheese ball but it does look good. Continuing to pray for your MIL.
Susan
This looks really yummy- I have found that if I make things in private- and no one watches me- they love it more. If they watch and see what goes into the recipe- they are all critics and usually wont taste!
No Thyme To Cook
Hi, HoneyB, I found you through Once Upon A plate (Mari!) and your comment on my blog, I love your post! The whole reason I started to cook was so my kids would know all the foods I grew up on from my grandmothers! Hope your MIL will be home for the holidays!
Cheeseball looks great, I love the dishes!
noble pig
It sounds good and I agree without the egg it lose it's uniqueness...it looks very holidayish.
Stephanie
That looks so awesome! I love cheese balls and logs. I have actually never made one (hmm, I need to work on that), but they're one of my favorite things to snack on when they're around.
creative one
Looks tasty!
Jessie
This has to be the prettiest cheese ball I've ever seen in my life. Looks great!
+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse
Happy cook
Wow they look yummy. I have never made anything like this at home.
It must be really excemetn to serve this when you are having a party.
Bobby
These cheeseballs look amazingly delicious. I love the ingredients, this is my type of food!
Barbara Bakes
I love the snowflake plates! You must have a great collection of plates. I need to get busy!
Fit Chick
Yummie sounding, must make for New Year's Eve! I love your snowflake plate!
J.Danger
looks good. That plate is adorable!
Natashya
Your cheese ball looks lovely. I have come to appreciate the subtle flavour that grated hard boiled egg can bring to a dish.
I like your stories about family - we don't have much in the way of family (hubby's and my parents having almost all passed away) but we try to make the season fun and festive for the kids.
Your Christmas dishes are adorable, I bet Christmas time at your place is wonderful.
Reeni
What a tasty cheese ball! Your presentation is beautiful, love the snowflake dish.
Bunny
I've never made a cheese ball before but I'm going to bookmark this , this would be very nice for Christmas! Thanks HoneyB!
Melissa
This has such pretty colors and sounds delicious! I think I will make it for our new year's party.
Darius T. Williams
This looks good - Mom was really onto something here!
Apples and Butter
I have never made a cheese log, but the flavors in this sound delicious. I think there may be a Christmas log on our table this year.
Megan
I have a favorite cheese ball recipe but it would be fun to (finaly) branch out and try something new! great presentation. 🙂
Robin Sue
What a nice cheese ball. Sounds very much like an egg salad but in a ball form, now you can't get any better than that. Thanks for sharing! Pretty photos too, love the little plate!
Pam
Wow. I've never seen a cheese ball recipe like this. It looks delicious. I also love the serving plate - it's so cute and festive.
Jude
Good stuff on crackers for sure. Mmm.
Linda Bouffard
Yummy. Also PINNED to my Pinterest board Food. Best wishes, Linda
http://www.craftsalamode.com/
Denise Wright
I've had a lot a cheese balls in my time but this really sounds unique with the egg, olives and peppers. Yum!
Hezzi-D
I love cheese balls! I can't wait to give this one a try, I've never had one with hard boiled egg in it!
Cindys Recipes and Writings
I like cheese in eggs so egg in cheese balls sounds good to me!
Caroline
It's always nice to recreate family recipes, love the presentation!
Claudia Lamascolo
merry christmas! we put egg in many things this is a sure winner! thank you mom and Shelby!
Christie
This looks like Nana's pimento cheese in a cheese ball! LOVE it!
Liz
Love this tried and true family recipe! And spicing it up with some jalapenos was a terrific idea (Bill has the same palate as Grumpy :)).
Sue Lau
Love the jalapeno!