This week's ranch cheese bowl from Jill's Carefree Kitchen YouTube video will definitely be a hit. It uses simple ingredients, but is elevated, making your own homemade bacon bits, a ranch and cheese blend, which is all rolled in crispy bacon pieces. This is the sort of appetizer that everybody wants to taste.

I have made bacon bits in the past, and it's always more impressive than buying them from your local store. The great thing about these little cheese balls is they look quite fancy, but they are actually very easy to make. I like to think of a good cheese ball as being rich and creamy, with a nice crunch in the middle, but also that crispy textured coating on the outside.

Key Takeaways

Getting Your Ingredients Ready

Selecting Your Bacon

The first step is to get your ingredients prepared and ready. You'll need a full pound of thin-sliced bacon for your homemade bacon bits. If you need a shortcut, though, you can use store-bought if needed. You can even mix the two by using the store-bought for the mix and keeping the homemade bacon bits to coat your cheese balls.

This recipe uses two cheeses, a cream cheese base with extra added shredded cheddar. I do take the effort of making my own bacon bits because I feel the flavor is just so much better. Costco is a great place for this, since you can buy these sorts of things in bulk, which is great for stocking up your pantry.

I always like to mix up my cheeses when making a cheese-based appetizer, usually opting for something creamy mixed with something sharper and more bite so that they complement each other.

Selecting Your Cheeses and Cream Base

Getting Your Green Onions and Ranch Ready

Smart Swaps for Different Tastes

Original Ingredient	Tasty Alternatives
Fiesta blend cheese	Pepper jack cheese (finely shredded)
Regular cheddar	Sharp white cheddar
Ranch seasoning	Onion soup mix

Creating Your Own Bacon Bits at Home

Cutting and Cooking Your Bacon

To make your own bacon bits at home, cut the bacon into half inch pieces and cook them over medium heat. You'll need to keep stirring them until they turn golden brown. Don't forget to drain them on some paper towel and remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon. Always keep an eye on your bacon, as it can burn very quickly. I have burned bacon many times by being distracted and leaving the kitchen. Don't do this, it's a recipe for disaster.

For fried food in general, I always like to use paper towels. You need to get rid of the excess frying oil; otherwise, your food can turn soggy. As I've learned to become a better cook, one thing I have picked up is keeping an eye on my food as it cooks. This is so important; your dish can be ruined in a second just by turning away.

Letting the Bacon Cool and Drain

Quick Option: Using Store-Bought Bacon Bits

Bringing the Cheese Ball Together

Creating the Creamy Base with Ranch and Green Onions

To bring the cheese ball mixture together, start by making the base. Mix the creamy cheese with some sliced green onions and work in the ranch seasoning. This is the first step. You can use a pre-bought ranch packet from your pantry if you don't want to buy a dedicated seasoning mix. Do this before you fold in around 2 cups of shredded cheese. I like to keep ranch seasoning packets in the pantry for recipes like this.

When I slice my green onions, I like to have them nice and thin, using the rocking knife technique. It also makes you look like a pro when cutting. You don't want to go overboard with the green onions, since no one enjoys too much onion in their cheese balls.

Adding the Cheddar Goodness

Mixing Methods That Actually Work

Mixing Tool	Why It Works
Hand mixing	Gets the job done, no cleanup of extra dishes
KitchenAid mixer	Makes quick work of thick cream cheese
Hand mixer	Good middle ground for easier mixing

Creating and Coating the Cheese Ball

Forming the Perfect Round Shape

To actually make these cheese balls and get the correct shape, you need to wet your hands so that you can make the mixture manageable. Using your palms, you can work the mixture into a round ball. Try not to worry about the shape too much; they don't have to be perfect.

I do know that when I'm cooking, I am guilty of trying to get every ball the same size and exactly the same shape. I always feel it just works better, but remember it makes no difference to the taste; they will still taste excellent.

Remember, these are rustic; make the work as such. I love shaping my food by hand. I always remember my first attempt at making ciabatta; the dough was so wet and difficult to work with, but using plenty of oil or keeping your hands wet allows you to manage such sticky foods.

Coating with Bacon Pieces for Texture and Flavor

Getting Your Hands Dirty: Messy but Rewarding

Final Steps and Serving Your Cheese Ball

Adding Fresh Green Onion Garnish

To finish these cheese balls off, I like to add some extra sliced green onions pressed onto the tops. This adds a little pop of color against the bacon bits and also a preview of the flavor in the bowls themselves.

The best crackers to have with these cheese balls are Townhouse. They are known for being strong and sturdy. I do think that garnish matters and it just finishes off a dish, so I don't like to skip this, as I think it's important to how the food works and we all eat with our eyes. The Townhouse crackers are the perfect choice here. They could also be used for dips.

Picking Perfect Crackers for Dipping

Making Your Party Platter Look Amazing

Getting Ready Early and Keeping Things Fresh

Preparing Your Bacon Bits and Cheese Mixture Ahead

You can get prepared for making these ahead by making the bacon bits one to two days early. Keep them covered in a fridge container, and they will stay crispy. The fuel mixture can also be shaped and wrapped in plastic, and these can also be refrigerated up to three days ahead. The benefit of this is the flavor will improve as they sit in the fridge.

I do enjoy a good bit of prep ahead, especially for a party or gathering. I always tend to prep ahead around two days. Recipes like these are just as good made ahead, or maybe even better, when compared to fresh. To keep things crispy in the fridge, I always add a paper towel and use it to line my container. This helps to absorb any moisture and keep your food crispy.

Storing Everything Until Your Event

Creative Cheese Ball Recipe Ideas

Spicy Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball

There are plenty of variations out there for cheese ball recipes. You could make a jalapeño popper version using diced jalapeños, either fresh or the jarred variety, and this will replace your green onions. You can use pepper jack instead of cheddar, and crushing up some buttery crackers can replace the bacon bits for the crispy outer coating.

I love spicy food, so a jalapeño popper version is right up my street. I do tend to prefer using fresh jalapeños, as the pickling changes the flavor in my opinion. I also like to keep capers or panko in my pantry, and this is perfect for coating so many different things.

There are bacon ranch cheese balls, which is a great flavor combination, and I would love to try smoked salmon and caper cheese balls. I do love to add capers to my recipes. I love the briny bite that they give.

Ham and Swiss Cheese Ball

Mix-and-Match Cheese Options and Fun Add-Ins

Connect with Carefree Kitchen

Recipe Card You Can Print

On Carefree Kitchen's website, you can find other variations such as jalapeno popper and ham and cheese cheese balls. Look out for the printable recipe card. I'm a big fan of recipe cards, as you can print them out and take them to the kitchen. If you're like me, cooking can sometimes get messy, and you don't want to get food over your phone.

I do enjoy following Preppy Kitchen across multiple platforms. There are so many excellent food creators out there now. When it comes to cheese balls, I definitely want to try the jalapeno one, since I love spicy food.

When it comes to organizing my recipes, I like to keep everything on my desktop and alphabetized, as well as organized by category.

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