A Jalapeno Cheese Ball is a great appetizer to serve to your guests this Thanksgiving and all throughout the year. It’s got the perfect about of spice and the great flavor of smoked bacon.
I love using jalapenos in things like dips and dinner recipes. They give such good flavor and just enough spice to give it a little kick. I’m a huge fan of Jalapeno and Bacon Cheese Balls, AArtichoke Jalapeno Dip and Bacon Jalapeno Dip. You’re going to want to try all of them!

Jalapeno Cheese Ball Recipe
We usually get this ready the day before since it does need to sit overnight. This will last in the fridge for about 3-5 days so feel free to prep ahead of time.
You can serve it with crackers (my favorite), pita chips, tortilla chips, veggies or really anything you’d like!
Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Cheddar Cheese
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Pepper
- Jalapenos
- Green Onion
How To Make Jalapeno Cheese Balls
The first thing you want to do is let your cream cheese get to room temperature. To make this go quicker, I suggest cutting the cream cheese blocks into smaller pieces and letting them sit in a bowl for about half an hour.
With a mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and spices until it’s smooth. Then gently stir in (don’t use the mixer for this part!) shredded cheese, half of the bacon, half of the jalapenos and half of the green onions.
To form this into the ball shape, lay out a piece of Clingwrap or plastic and scoop your mixture onto it. Wrap it up, form the ball and let it sit in the refrigerator over night.
Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese 2 boxes
- 2 Tbsp. sour cream
- 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded (save 1/2 cup for later)
- 10 slices applewood smoked bacon cooked and chopped (save half for later)
- 2 jalapenos minced (save half for later)
- 1/2 cup green onions chopped (save half for later)
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, half of the cooked bacon, half of the minced jalapeno, and half the green onions and fold gently until incorporated.
- With the leftover cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and green onions, shake in a small Ziploc bag until combined and refrigerate.
- Lay a large piece of plastic cling wrap on a flat surface, spoon in cheese ball mixture, and fold cling wrap over the cheese ball.
- Shape into a ball and refrigerate overnight.
- Take the cheese ball out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
- Spread the bagged mixture on a flat surface, unwrap the cheese ball. Roll cheese ball around in the leftover toppings and coat it entirely.