Bits and Pieces Party Cheese Ball Recipe (2024)

Added some dried cranberries to the pecan and parsley mixture. Tasty and festive. Also, made mini balls with a pretzel stick in them for easy grabbing. Yum.

This was really, really good, and very well received! I used equal parts double cream bleu cheese and extra sharp cheddar. I didn't want to buy fish sauce just to use 1/4 tsp, so I used Worcestershire and a bit of anchovy paste, which I always have on hand. I also added a little liquid smoke and I really think the smokiness added more depth of flavor. I couldn't find roasted pecans, so I seasoned my own with butter, salt, a little cayenne pepper, and roasted them in the oven.

Make a day in advance and refrigerate. The flavors intensify by waiting and the result is worth the wait

There is no reason to add fish sauce to a cheese ball. To add a bit of umami presence and a tad of savory, add finely chopped mushrooms and a bit of salt or tamari. That said, a cheese ball with a blend of high quality, flavorful cheeses served at room temperature can stand on its own. Serve with fresh, high quality crackers and a nice sweet pepper jelly. Always place an ingredient list nearby if you put fish sauce in a typical food item that a vegetarian might eat. Thank you.

I've been making a version for decades after co-worker's holiday dish was a hit. Simply cream cheese, bit of Louisiana hot sauce, crumbled extra sharp cheddar (shred if u can't crumble) all warm to room temp. Mix by hand w/big 2 tine meat fork-to maintain chunks! Mix in fine diced blk olives,scallions, sweet red&green bell pepper, shape&roll in nuts/parsley. Go for 60/40 cheese/veg ratio. Veggies add HUGE flavor & texture. Vary by adding blue cheese, bacon, ham bits.

I make a bleu cheese ball (includes walnuts and parsley, among other things -- just to note similarities) and have frozen them successfully many times.

I'm veggie and skipped the fish sauce... Was excellent and barely any left after our party. Will make again.

I have made this recipe several times with different cheeses but my latest combination of gruyere and gouda has been the family favorite.

To make this vegetarian, use soy sauce instead of the fish sauce. You will add the umami and salt, maybe not the “funk” but a great sub.

Absolutely delicious. Just make sure to chill it enough to make a log or a ball. If too soft, it gets really messy.

I’ve made many delicious cheese balls without fish or anchovy sauce. When serving a normally ‘vegetarian ‘ dish that has hidden fish sauce in it, please be kind enough to inform your guests of the ingredients. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I used a healthy pinch of porcini mushroom powder to the same end.

Yes I usually make many, but don't roll them in the parsley mix. Then wrap individually in plastic wrap and put in a zip loc or some sort of freezer container. They do great in the freezer, keep for ages.

Made this for Xmas (of course) and used chopped pistachio for the nuts. This will become a must-make for holiday...everyone liked it, even those who snarked about how they didn't like cheese balls!

This was amazing. AMAZING. Cheeseball skeptics at my party stood corrected!

This is delicious. I’ve come back to it so countless times and it’s a hit every time! Someone recommended dried cranberries added to the exterior here, I’ve done that as well as sour dried cherries, both wonderful additions. I’ve also started subbing pistachios (yet another commenter’s suggestion) when my daughter was diagnosed with pecan allergy. Again, wonderful! For me, I can’t imagine not having the fish sauce. Try it as written and make riffs from there!

Pretty addictive. Added some horseradish sauce for flavor. Substituted goat cheese frommage blanc for goat cheese.

Added some horseradish sauce. Used ~3T goat cheese frommage blanc instead of goat cheese.

Made for the holidays and it was the first thing gone on the buffet table! I used smoked Gouda and Dubliner cheeses. No fish sauce at my store, so I used some Veggie Umami sauce instead. It was great, in fact I might use more than a quarter teaspoon next time. Making this again for New Year’s Eve party.

We usually do this once a year. We made it with Roquefort, Caprino, and Morlacco del Grappa for Boxing Day. We love that the recipe is infinitely variable according to which cheeses you use. The only thing is that serving this as an antipasto, you seriously risk guests arriving at the table already sated.

A WINNER! Guests were RAVING. A retro delight.

I make this as an appetizer for Christmas dinner. Everyone really liked it. Did not use fish sauce. However when I followed the recipe and tasted it, I thought it was really bland. In increased the amount of cheddar cheese by and additional 1/2 to 3/4 cup but did not increase the cream cheese or goat cheese. Served with crackers and sliced pears.

Very good. Had my doubts when I tasted it immediately after making it, but 24 hours later it was terrific. Made as written with the exception of worcestershire in place of fish sauce. Needed a lot more pecans and parsley than called for. Next time I will divide this into two balls and freeze one, which would still be ample for eight of us. I found it a bit salty and will use unsalted butter instead and a lot more scallion. Looking forward to trying this with blue cheese.

Delish! I did sort of doubled it. 10 oz cheddar, about 8 blue cheese, 8oz cream cheese, and a stick of butter. Amazing stuff. Really like the parsley

I used Murray’s English cheddar, Vermont creamery goat cheese, and Philadelphia cream cheese. Everyone loves it!

Love this! It's a huge hit at parties. I usually skip the butter or only add 1 tablespoon. It's very versatile - I've used different nuts and herbs for the coating based on what I've had on hand, and definitely recommend a high quality, interesting, flavorful cheese to make it pop. To be veg I add worcestershire sauce or miso, and to be spicier add some smoked chili powder and/or hot sauce.

A friend gave me a tip for a great vegetarian substitution for fish sauce — a product called Bragg’s Liquid Aminoes. (I admit, it has about the least-appealing name imaginable.) It’s labelled as a soy sauce substitute, but it’s more umami rich and dynamic than soy sauce.

Great recipe! Now that I've made it a few times I've started to adapt. I had smoked almonds in the cabinet which I added to the pecan crust--a nice smoky and salty addition. Also, I've realized that I don't love the filmy mouthfeel of cold butter, so I am going to reduce by half (2 Tbsp) next time. You really can use whatever you have on hand as the recipe suggests! I always make the day beforehand and I think it improves the flavor.

Shape into a log instead for easier serving

I made this a week in advance and it froze perfectly. Thawed in the fridge the night before than sat at room temp for a couple hours before eating. It was too lemony for a cheese ball. I think I’ll cut the lemon juice by half next time.