Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (2024)

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  • Cheese

By

Morgan Eisenberg

Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (1)

Morgan Eisenberg

Morgan Eisenberg is a creative blogger at Host the Toast. She has an absolute obsession over all things edible.

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Updated March 21, 2019

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Why It Works

  • Starting all three cheese balls with the same base makes it easy to offer variations with minimal work.
  • Flavorful cheeses and good pairings for coatings give these retro cheese balls a modern update.

There is one mid-century dish that does not deserve to be lumped in with the other molds and loaves. It, too, involves processing ingredients until smooth and then molding them into an unnatural shape. It's the cheese ball, and it's actually delicious. But how do we inject some allure into the kitsch? We take away the junk (I'm looking at you, waxy pre-shredded cheddar), we use more flavorful ingredients, and we give people options. Nothing says sultry like a tray full of cheesy choices, am I right?

Reinvent Retro This Holiday With A Trio Of Updated Cheese Balls

Recipe Details

Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe

Active60 mins

Total3 hrs

Serves16 servings

Ingredients

For the Base:

  • 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature (675g)

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (30ml)

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt(2g)

  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper(1g)

  • 1/4 cup minced fresh chives (about .25 ounces; 7g)

For the Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Herb Cheese Balls:

  • 1/3 base mixture (about 1 1/4 cups)

  • 8 ouncesfresh goat cheese (225g)

  • 3/4 cupassorted fresh herbs such as chives, mint, basil, and parsley, finely minced (175ml)

  • 2 teaspoonsfreshly grated lemon zest (10ml)

  • Coarsely ground black pepper

For the Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnut, and Pomegranate Cheese Balls

  • 1/3 base mixture (about 1 1/4 cups)

  • 8 ounces crumbled blue cheese (225g)

  • 2/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (about 4 ounces; 115g)

  • 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (about 2 ounces; 55g)

For the Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Herb Cheese Balls:

  • 1/3 base mixture (about 1 1/4 cups)

  • 8 ouncescrumbled feta cheese (225g)

  • 10 small sun-dried tomatoes (about 2 ounces; 55g)

  • 1 cup toasted pine nuts (about 6 ounces; 170g)

Directions

  1. For the Base: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the chives and process again until just combined. Remove from the food processor and divide into thirds.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (3)

  2. For the Goat Cheese, Lemon, and Herb Cheese Balls: Add 1/3 of base mixture to the bowl of a clean food processor. Add goat cheese and process until smooth and well-combined. Transfer mixture to a sealable container and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese firmly in the plastic wrap and use your hands to mold into a sphere. Place the plastic-wrapped ball back in the refrigerator and chill until firm again, about 1 hour.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (4)

  3. Combine herbs, lemon zest, and plenty of ground black pepper on a large plate. Remove the goat cheese ball from the plastic wrapping and roll it in the chopped herbs until fully coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (5)

  4. For the Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnut, and Pomegranate Cheese Balls: Add 1/3 of base mixture to the bowl of a clean food processor. Add blue cheese and process until smooth and well-combined. Transfer mixture to a sealable container and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese firmly in the plastic wrap and use your hands to mold into a sphere. Place the plastic-wrapped ball back in the refrigerator and chill until firm again, about 1 hour.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (6)

  5. Combine chopped walnuts and pomegranate seeds on a large plate. Remove the blue cheese ball from the plastic wrapping and roll it in the chopped nuts until fully coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (7)

  6. For the Feta Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Pine Nut Cheese Balls: Add 1/3 of base mixture to the bowl of a clean food processor. Add feta and sun-dried tomatoes and process until smooth and well-combined. Transfer mixture to a sealable container and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer mixture to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese firmly in the plastic wrap and use your hands to mold into a sphere. Place the plastic-wrapped ball back in the refrigerator and chill until firm again, about 1 hour.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (8)

  7. Spread toasted pine nuts on a large plate. Remove the feta cheese ball from the plastic wrapping and roll it in the chopped nuts until fully coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (9)

  8. Serve cheese balls with chips, pita, crostini, crackers, pretzels, or vegetables.

    Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (10)

Notes

You can make any individual cheese ball recipe by scaling the base recipe down to one third.

Special Equipment

Food processor

This Recipe Appears In

  • Reinvent Retro This Holiday With A Trio Of Updated Cheese Balls
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
404Calories
37g Fat
9g Carbs
13g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories404
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g47%
Saturated Fat 16g82%
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 543mg24%
Total Carbohydrate 9g3%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 3mg17%
Calcium 222mg17%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 335mg7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Updated Cheese Ball Trio Recipe (2024)

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