Bacon Cheese Ball and Other Easy Tailgate Foods

This bacon cheese ball is an easy tailgate food that’s perfect for a game day crowd! A classic cheese ball recipe with cream cheese is kicked up with chipotle peppers and spices, then covered crispy bacon pieces. The best cheese ball recipe for pre-game snacking!

With a new football season underway (and my beloved Green Bay Packers in a great position of contention this year), I’m sharing my best cheese ball recipe with you.

Your party guests will go crazy for this spicy bacon cheese ball! AND, because it’s the first of the month, my blogging friends are sharing some of their favorite easy tailgate food with you. First, allow me answer a few common cheese ball questions.

How do I make a cheese ball?

A cheese ball is essentially created with soft varieties of cheese that are combined and packed together into a ball. You can use just about any soft cheeses you like. This bacon cheese ball recipe has:

• cream cheese
• cheddar cheese
• Monterey Jack (or Colby Jack)
• chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• chili powder, and
• an exterior of crunchy bacon pieces.

With these simple ingredients and about 10 minutes to make, this bacon cheese ball should be at the top of your party food list. Because I live in Wisconsin, also know as The Dairyland State, cheese is a must and a necessity for me to use in my favorite game day recipes. Bacon is a necessity because… well, it’s my favorite food. I love bacon!

If loving salty, crispy bits of pork fat is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Substitutes for Bacon

If you’re a vegetarian or you’d like to keep things a little bit healthier, feel free to swap out the bacon and roll the cheese ball in any of these ingredients instead:

• chives
• crushed nuts
• sunflower seeds
• chopped jalapeno peppers

You could even add some finely chopped baby spinach in with the cheese, or you can use all low-fat cheeses if you want. The idea is to make the cheese ball one that’ll disappear from the party platter faster than you can say touchdown!

How long does a cheese ball last?

If for some strange reason, your bacon cheese ball isn’t devoured right away, cover it well with plastic wrap or store it in a tightly covered container. Refrigerated, it should keep well for a couple of weeks. Obviously, if you see green fuzzy stuff growing on your cheese ball, don’t eat it… toss it.

How to Make a Bacon Cheese Ball

After you check out the cheese ball recipe, be sure to scroll down for more easy tailgate food recipes from me and my food blogging friends!

Spicy Bacon Cheese Ball

A classic cheese ball recipe is blended with a chipotle pepper and spices, then wrapped in a blanket of crisp bacon pieces. This is the best cheese ball recipe for a tailgating party! Low carb and gluten free!

4.89 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

chilling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 184 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar is best
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 1 cup of cooked bacon pieces)

Instructions

 

• Place cheeses in the bowl of a food processor. (If you don’t have a food processor, use a high speed blender.) Process until cheeses are combined.
• Add all remaining ingredients except for bacon pieces and pulse to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove plastic wrap and use clean hands to form cheese into a ball. Place bacon pieces on a plate and roll cheese ball in them before transferring to a serving platter.
• Serve with crackers, chips, or raw veggies.

Nutrition

Serving: 3TablespoonsCalories: 184kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 264mgPotassium: 64mgVitamin A: 465IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 157mgIron: 0.3mg

Tried this recipe? Mention @itsyummi or tag #itsyummirecipe!

More Easy Tailgate Food

Check these delicious game day recipes out and then leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear which one you think you’ll make first!

• Warm Cheesy Spinach Dip with Bacon {Low Carb}
• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sliders
• Clams Casino Dip
• Chocolate Lush (Chocolate Dessert Lasagna)
• Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Dog Bites, from It Bakes Me Happy
• Football Game Day Cookies, from Kleinworth and Co.
• Sun-Dried Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Dip, from Bread Booze Bacon
• Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers, from Homemade Interest
• Tropical Chicken with Grilled Pineapple, from Tara Teaspoon
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, from Around My Family Table
• Sloppy Joe Sliders, from I Just Make Sandwiches
• Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, from The Anthony Kitchen
• Homemade Soft Pretzels with Mustard Cheese Dip, from House of Nash Eats
• Bruschetta Turkey Burger Sliders, from Barbara Bakes
• Red Potato Salad with Bacon, from The Two Bite Club
• Easy Pizza Kabobs, from Frugal Foodie Mama
• Deviled Eggs, from Cooking on the Front Burners

This post was originally published on January 7, 2015. The images were updated and the links to easy tailgate foods were added for this publishing.