Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball

Sharing my first-ever cheese ball with you today. And this one is a whopper! SO MUCH flavor packed in, with the choice of omitting the jalapeño seeds or not. Make this as spicy as you like, and regardless, you’re gonna love it.

Cheese balls have been around forever. While I think they’ve gotten a bad rap in the past, it really depends on the combination and quality of ingredients. As y’all know, I’m Tex-Mex obsessed which means you’ll find a lot of bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers and beef and bean nachos at my gatherings.

Now let’s get to making the best cheeseball EVER! 😀

Ingredients needed for Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball:

• Cream Cheese – You can use a light version or a full-fat version.
• Yogurt – Use plain Greek yogurt, at least 2% fat.
• Seasonings – A pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
• Bacon – Get it nice and crisp.
• Cheese – I went with sharp cheddar cheese, but others work too.
• Jalapeños – You can omit the seeds and rind for less heat, or keep some for a bit of heat.
• Onions – Green onions add so much flavor to this appetizer.

How to make a Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball:

1. Prep ingredients. Cook the bacon and crumble. Chop the jalapeños and green onion.
2. Reserve ingredients. Reserve about 1/4 cup of each of the following – bacon, cheese, green onion, and jalapeños.

3. Combine ingredients for cheese ball. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Make sure you let the cream cheese sit out to soften. Then use a hand mixer to combine everything together.

3. Form cheese ball. Use your hands to form the cheese ball. Wrap up tightly with Saran Wrap, and place in the refrigerator for several hours to cool.

4. Add reserved ingredients to cheese ball. After the cheese ball has been chilled for several hours, press the reserved ingredients all over the outside of the cheese ball. Place back in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

5. Serve. Serve the cheese ball with crackers, chips, or veggies of your choice.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT JALAPEÑOS:

• Some jalapeños are hotter than others. Boy, do I know this fact. I’ve used jalapeños SO much in my cooking since moving to Texas, and while I sincerely love them, they can betray even a spice lover like me. I love this explanation by Elise Bauer, “The older the pepper, and the more stress the plant has been under, the more white lines you’ll see, and the hotter the pepper will be. The smoother the pepper, the younger, less stressed, and milder it is.“
• Always use gloves when handling the insides of jalapeños. Guys, I know this, because I’ve literally used my bare hands to deseed them. BIG mistake!
• Never touch your eyes after handling jalapeños. Lesson learned after burning my eyes while putting my contacts in. OUCH!

NEED OTHER SNACK IDEAS?

• Cheesy Pesto Party Bread – Carbs anyone? Yes please.
• Cowboy Caviar with Avocado – Full of lots of healthy veggies and of course, avocado.
• Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms – At only 50 calories each, you can definitely pig out on these.
• Spicy Chex Party Mix – Super addicting. Just warning you now!
• Homemade Pretzel Bites – My latest obsession. So good!

Kitchen Tools used for this recipe: (Affiliate Links)

• Global 7-inch Knife
• Hand Mixer

xoxo ~Sue