This quick and easy cheeseball recipe combines two favorite party appetizers, olives and cheddar cheese, into one delicious ball of goodness! Try this yummy olive cheeseball with ranch seasoning next time you need to feed a crowd. It won’t disappoint!
I’m the girl at the party that hovers over the appetizer table, taking up permanent residence where I can reach all of the olives and crackers and cheeses and chicken parmesan bites.
I’ve seen the shirts that say “I’m here for the food”, but I think I need a shirt that says “I’m here for the appetizers”. And I’m not ashamed.
I think I’ve mastered the art of grazing while not appearing to be hoarding all of the snacks, and I’ve even been known to wear elastic waist joggers to family parties so that I can enjoy all of the goodies in comfort.
And a good cheeseball is my favorite! Combine two appetizer staples, cheese and olives, and you get this easy and delicious Ranch Olive Cheeseball.
Here’s how to make your new favorite savory cheeseball recipe:
Ingredients for Ranch Olive Cheeseball
- 2 – 8oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
- 1 8oz bag shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp dried chives (optional: a sprinkle more for garnish)
- ½ can whole black olives, drained and chopped (optional: a few more to slice for garnish)
- 1 – 1oz packet Ranch dip, dressing, & recipe mix
You will also need plastic wrap and a bowl to form your olive cheeseball.
How to Make this Yummy Ranch Olive Cheeseball
1. Combine all cheeseball ingredients in a large bowl.
After you’ve got all of your ingredients ready, and your cream cheese is softened, mix everything in a large mixing bowl until combined.
2. Wrap the olive cheeseball in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Here is the easiest way that I’ve found to form a nicely-shaped cheeseball that sits perfectly on a plate without rolling around or looking like a toddler’s clay art project:
- First, lay a piece of plastic wrap down horizontally.
- Then, lay another piece of plastic wrap on top of that one vertically, like a plus sign.
- Place your cheeseball mixture on the center of the plastic wrap, like this:
- Bring up all the ends of your plastic wrap, and gently squeeze and roll the mixture to form a ball.
- Place the olive cheeseball into a bowl, with plastic wrap ends facing up, and press into the bowl, like this:
Then, place your cheeseball into the refrigerator for about one hour to set.
You’ll see that this olive cheeseball isn’t really a “ball” shape… it’s more of a half ball. But, it looks really nice served on a plate with crackers around it.
3. Remove the cheeseball from the refrigerator, unwrap, and serve!
After about an hour, take your olive cheeseball out of the bowl and unwrap the plastic wrap, making sure to peel slowly so that you keep the cheeseball intact.
Serve with your favorite crackers or veggies, and you’re done! And, yes, it DOES taste as delicious as it looks!
Trust me… if you LOVE a good cheeseball, too, then you’ll want to try this one!
Tips for Making a Cheeseball
Here are some notes for how to customize your cheeseball, and how to make this quick and easy appetizer even quicker:
- Switch up the shredded cheese. Instead of cheddar jack, try a sharp cheddar or even a 4 Cheese Mexican blend.
- Add some other ingredients to your cheeseball to make it your own. Cooked, chopped bacon or finely diced onion would both pair well with the ranch and olive flavors of this cheeseball.
- If you don’t want to wait 30 minutes for the cream cheese to soften at room temperature, take them out of the wrappers and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Then microwave the cream cheese for about 15-25 seconds, until softened.
- Have leftovers? This cheeseball would be GREAT as a spread on some pinwheels with some sliced ham!
Ranch Olive Cheeseball
This quick and easy cheeseball recipe combines two favorite party appetizers, olives and cheddar cheese, into one delicious ball of goodness! Try this yummy olive cheeseball with ranch seasoning next time you need to feed a crowd. It won't disappoint!
Ingredients
- 2 - 8oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
- 1 - 8oz bag shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp dried chives (optional: a sprinkle more for garnish)
- ½ can whole black olives, drained and chopped (optional: a few more to slice for garnish)
- 1 - 1oz packet Ranch dip, dressing, & recipe mix
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap down horizontally on your counter. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top of that one vertically.
- Scoop out the cheeseball mixture and put it in the center of the plastic wrap.
- Bring up all the ends of the plastic wrap together, and gently squeeze and roll mixture to form a ball.
- Place into a bowl, with plastic wrap ends facing up, and press into the bowl.
- Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set.
- Take olive cheeseball out of the bowl and unwrap the plastic wrap, making sure to peel slowly so you keep the cheeseball intact.
- Serve with your favorite crackers or veggies.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 203Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 244mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Different online calculators may calculate nutritional information differently. Also, the addition of optional ingredients and varying brands and products may change the information. For the most accurate data, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients that you use.
Head over to Delish for even more cheeseball recipes, or check out some of my other appetizer posts:
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