Mom's Cheese Ball Recipe is an easy appetizer recipe that is packed with cheese, hard boiled eggs, olives giving it great flavor. It can be shaped into a ball or cheese log, this easy cheese ball recipe makes a gorgeous classic holiday appetizer or a good cheese ball for your next party.
This is the best cheese ball and it was always one of the favorite appetizers the whole family looked forward to at holiday gatherings. Mom made this recipe for every Christmas Eve holiday party we had with Dad's family and it still is a an absolute must make recipe for any holiday party.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
✔️ This homemade cheeseball is a super easy appetizer and can be made up to 4 days ahead of time.
✔️ You get the perfect blend of flavor and an added boost of protein with the hard boiled eggs, olives, and pimento as an ingredient.
✔️ It is easy to make a double batch for larger gatherings.
🥘 Ingredients
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Shredded Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese has the best flavor for this type of recipe. It is strong, bold, and firm.
Hard boiled eggs: this is part of the main ingredients in this recipe that gives it incredible flavor.
Red bell pepper
Onion
Green Olives with pimentos, a cheese ball with olives and pimento adds that green and red festive look!
Saltine crackers, works with the mayonnaise to bind the cheese ball together.
Mayonnaise, feel free to use regular or low fat mayonnaise.
🔪 Instructions
- Add the grated cheese to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, peppers, olives, pimentos, egg, crackers, and salt. Stir to combine
- With a wooden spoon, stir the mayonnaise to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- Shape cheese ball mixture into a ball shape or cheese log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Roll cheese ball or log after wrapping to make uniform and refrigerate.
🥄 Equipment
🥫Storage
Store cheese balls in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap or wax paper in an airtight freezer bag up to 5 days.
📖 Variations
- After shaping, roll cheese ball in chopped pecans and or chopped bacon bits. Wrap and refrigerate.
- Use ½ teaspoon onion powder in place of the onion, or substitute with 2 tablespoons of green onions.
- Add ½ cup crumbled blue cheese for a tangy bite.
- Use black olives in place of the green olives and pimentos.
- Add 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper in place of the bell pepper.
💭 Top Tip
- Don't use bagged pre-shredded cheese. To get the best flavor and texture, you will want to shred your own cheese using a box shredder.
🙋 FAQ's
For the most part, yes. However because of the type of ingredients used to make this particular recipe, I do not recommend doing so.
Yes, but expect the flavor to change. While sour cream and mayonnaise will perform the same function in this recipe, they both have very different distinct flavors.
📚 Related Recipes
Mom's Italian Style Deviled Eggs
Pimento Cheese Burgers - Keto Low Carb
🍽 Serve with...
This cheese ball is great served with carrot and celery sticks, buttery crackers, and pita chips.
🏫 The last word
Unlike the classic cheese ball recipe, this one is made without cream cheese, which is great for those who don't like it.
The saltines are important to add as they are part of what binds the cheeseball together.
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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Mom's Easy Cheese Ball Recipe
Equipment
- Wooden spoon
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- ½ pound grated sharp cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 3 tablespoons minced green pepper
- 5 large green olives with pimentos , chopped
- 1 large egg , hard boiled and chopped
- ½ cup saltine crackers , finely crushed
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the grated cheese to a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, peppers, olives, pimentos, egg, crackers, and salt. Stir to combine.
- With a wooden spoon, stir the mayonnaise to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.Shape cheese ball mixture into a ball shape or cheese log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
- Roll cheese ball or log in wrapping to make uniform and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Sue Lau says
Love the jalapeno!
Liz says
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 :)).
Christie says
This looks like Nana's pimento cheese in a cheese ball! LOVE it!
Claudia Lamascolo says
merry christmas! we put egg in many things this is a sure winner! thank you mom and Shelby!
Caroline says
It's always nice to recreate family recipes, love the presentation!
Cindys Recipes and Writings says
I like cheese in eggs so egg in cheese balls sounds good to me!
Hezzi-D says
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!
Denise Wright says
I've had a lot a cheese balls in my time but this really sounds unique with the egg, olives and peppers. Yum!
Linda Bouffard says
Yummy. Also PINNED to my Pinterest board Food. Best wishes, Linda
http://www.craftsalamode.com/
Jude says
Good stuff on crackers for sure. Mmm.
Pam says
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.
Robin Sue says
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!
Megan says
I have a favorite cheese ball recipe but it would be fun to (finaly) branch out and try something new! great presentation. 🙂
Apples and Butter says
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.
Darius T. Williams says
This looks good - Mom was really onto something here!
Melissa says
This has such pretty colors and sounds delicious! I think I will make it for our new year's party.
Bunny says
I've never made a cheese ball before but I'm going to bookmark this , this would be very nice for Christmas! Thanks HoneyB!
Reeni says
What a tasty cheese ball! Your presentation is beautiful, love the snowflake dish.