Are you tired of making the SAME old cheese ball? I have a SIMPLE solution for you to try!
A holiday party isn’t complete without a cheese ball! So instead of making one big one, why not mix it up with a variety of small mini cheese balls!
Each one holds a new flavor and is already portioned out, perfect for plopping on individual plates. You can flavor these mini balls with your favorite coats. A couple of the coatings I did were: bacon, paprika, chives, black sesame seeds and white sesame seeds.
Some other options for you to play around with are tarragon, hulled pumpkin seeds, almonds or chopped pistachios 🙂
You can also mix up your cheese base. I did a cheddar cheese, but feel free to experiment with parmesan, pepper jack or gouda!

Mini Cheese Balls
Makes about 20, 1 inch balls
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
1 cup shredded firm cheese (cheddar, parmesan, pepper jack or gouda)
Salt & pepper
Coating topping of your choice (chopped pistachios, chives, tarragon, hulled pumpkin seeds, bacon and paprika, almonds, sesame seeds, walnuts, etc..)
- Mix together cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce.
- Add in lemon zest and mix in your shredded cheese of choice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well until you have a creamy texture. You can use a hand or stand mixer.
- With moistened hands, form into 1 inch balls and chill for about 3-4 hours.
- After balls have chilled, roll in toppings. May then be kept in refrigerator until guests arrive. Have fun with a variety of toppings and cheese! Serve with crackers and pretzels 🙂
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Mini Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 8 oz softened cream cheese
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 cup shredded firm cheese cheddar, parmesan, pepper jack or gouda
- Salt & pepper
- Coating topping of your choice chopped pistachios, chives, tarragon, hulled pumpkin seeds, bacon and paprika, almonds, sesame seeds, walnuts, etc..
Instructions
- Mix together cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce.
- Add in lemon zest and mix in your shredded cheese of choice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well until you have a creamy texture. You can use a hand or stand mixer.
- With moistened hands, form into 1 inch balls and chill for about 3-4 hours.
- After balls have chilled, roll in toppings. May then be kept in refrigerator until guests arrive. Have fun with a variety of toppings and cheese! Serve with crackers and pretzels 🙂
Video
Recipe Notes:
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Jey @ The Jey of Cooking says
These are seriously adorbs, Corey! I dog-eared this in FNMag too. Glad to hear it was a hit!
Ashley's Cooking Adventures says
I absolutely love this idea and am totally stealing it for our next Holiday party! This is just brilliant not to mention I want to pop every one in your pictures in my mouth!
Corey @ Family Fresh Meals says
Thanks girls. They were soooooo easy to make. I am excited to try different cheese bases and coats. 🙂
Erina says
These cheese balls are so cute! Such a great idea!
debbie says
great idea!! gotta try them!
Julie@teachinggoodeaters says
Those look delicious!
SkinnySimpleRecipes says
Thanks for the idea chef cory.Love it!!! I did substitute goat cheese for creme cheese and it worked perfect.
Suzy Shoppers says
Oh these look great! I am going to try to make them with Parmesan and garlic. Hope it comes out ok!
Kelly TheNourishingHome says
What an adorable blog you have! These cheese balls look fun and delicious! Thanks for popping over to say hi at my blog. So nice to meet you! Blessings, Kelly
Anonymous says
took these to a prty last night….HUGE hit. Thank you
Corey @ Family Fresh Meals says
That is so great! Thank you for stopping by to let me know! XO
Dee says
What a fantastic and unique idea … Definitely going to try this at next gathering. I think I might even take and make 2 different cheese flavors — such as cheddar and gorgonzola. Thanks for sharing this idea.