Calling all pickle fanatics! This Dill Pickle Cheese Ball Recipe is full of flavor, thanks to rich cream cheese, chopped pickles, ranch seasoning, and other yummy goodies. You’ve got to try it!
A Festive Cheese Ball Recipe with a Dill Pickle Twist!
Around here, we’re pretty big fans of cheese balls and cheese truffles. Who could resist a creamy, crunchy, cute appetizer like this Pumpkin Cheese Ball, these Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Truffles, or these Honey Pecan Cheese Ball Truffles? Whether you’re whipping up snacks for game day, or trying something special for a holiday menu, you really can’t go wrong with cheese balls.
For this recipe, I’m combining two favorites: a classic ranch cheese ball recipe, and crunchy dill pickles. If you are at all a fan of pickles, this combo will knock your socks off! It’s zesty, cool, crisp, and creamy, all at the same time – perfect for spreading on a cracker or eating with any other “dipper” of your choice (more on that later).
Are you a pickle fanatic? Try these other popular pickle themed recipes: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, Dill Pickle Chicken, and Air Fryer Fried Pickles!
What’s in This Cheese Ball Recipe?
To make this, you need softened cream cheese, so be sure to set it out ahead of time. You’ll also need dill pickle relish, but beware! The labels for dill relish and sweet relish can look very similar, so be careful to grab the right one. Here’s the full list of ingredients you’ll need for this cheese ball recipe:
For the Cheese Ball
- Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese tastes great in this recipe, but low-fat would also work. Fat-free may be too soft to hold together properly.
- Sour Cream: Or plain Greek yogurt.
- Relish: Dill pickle relish, of course!
- Dill Pickles: Chopped, for extra texture and dill-y-ness. You can use store bought or these homemade Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles.
- Ranch Dressing Mix: You’ll need the dry powdered mix. If you can find the dill ranch, that’s great! If not, substitute plain ranch.
- Worcestershire Sauce: A little goes a long way here, so measure carefully.
- Cheddar Cheese: Use pre-shredded cheese or shred it fresh.
- Dill: Fresh dill, chopped.
For the Topping
- Colby Jack Cheese: Again, you can buy it shredded or shred your own – either way is fine.
- Dill: Fresh chopped dill adds flavor and color to the topping as well as the actual cheese ball.
How to Make a Dill Pickle Cheese Ball
Like most recipes for cheese balls, this dill pickle cheese ball is very easy to make. Here’s how to do it:
- Stir Together the Cheese Ball Ingredients. First, combine the cream cheese and the sour cream in a bowl, and mix them together. Then stir in the remaining cheese ball ingredients, and mix well.
- Chill. Next, cut a large piece of plastic wrap and set the cheese ball “dough” in the center. Pull and twist the plastic wrap to make a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Roll the Cheese Ball in the Topping. Finally, mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl. Unwrap the cheese ball, and roll it in the topping mixture until it’s nicely coated.
- Enjoy! Serve the cheese ball cold, with crackers.
Recipe Notes
These are just a few helpful hints to keep in mind when making this zesty, fun dill pickle cheese ball recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
- Chill Time: It’s really important to refrigerate the cheese ball, so it doesn’t turn out mushy or melty. I recommend refrigerating it for at least an hour, or as long as overnight, before serving.
- Dippers: Crackers are a classic with cheese balls, so feel free to set out your favorites, from saltines to Triscuits, to Low Carb Crackers, to butter crackers to water crackers… but you can also serve apple wedges, celery and carrot sticks, pita crackers, bagel chips, and more! Any crunchy dipper will work beautifully here.
- Add Nuts: Want to up the ante, flavor-wise? Add some chopped nuts! Chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, or even slivered almonds would be great in the topping.
Serving Suggestions
To serve your dill pickle cheese ball, I recommend adding a couple of other appetizers with different tastes and textures, to make a fun contrast. These recipes would work perfectly:
- Buffalo Meatballs: Did someone say buffalo and ranch? Um, yes, please! The ranch seasoning and cream cheese in this cheese ball recipe would be amazing alongside your favorite buffalo dish. Try these easy Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs – they are a no-hassle, low-mess alternative to regular wings.
- Texas Caviar: Healthy, flavorful, and addictive, this recipe for The Best Texas Caviar (AKA cowboy caviar, depending on your region) delivers a crowd-pleasing appetizer that works equally well as a dip or light salad.
- Honey Mustard Pretzels: A little honey mustard is always in order, in my opinion. Especially when it comes to these super-crunchy, can’t-eat-just-one Honey Mustard Pretzels! You might want to make a double batch, because these guys have a tendency to disappear.
How Do You Keep a Cheese Ball Fresh?
To keep your cheese ball as fresh as possible, store the actual cheese ball in its plastic wrap right up until the last minute, and then roll it in the toppings just before serving. It will last for about 5 days in the fridge this way.
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge as well – but don’t store longer than five days total, starting from the day you made the actual cheese ball.
Can I Freeze This?
Sure! This cheese ball is actually great for freezing because it doesn’t have any ingredients that will turn soggy in the freezer. To successfully freeze it, wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil (or a freezer bag). Mark with the date, and freeze for up to 1 month. To thaw, just stick it in the fridge overnight and serve the following day.
Dill Pickle Cheese Ball
Ingredients
For the Cheese Ball
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ cup dill pickle relish
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- 1 tablespoon dill ranch dressing mix, dry powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
For the Topping
- ½ cup colby jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
- Combine the cream cheese and the sour cream. Then stir in the remaining cheese ball ingredients.
- Cut a large piece of plastic wrap. Place the cheese ball in the center, and pull the wrap together to make a ball. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Combine the topping ingredients in a bowl. Unwrap the cheese ball, and roll in the topping until coated.
- Place on a serving plate and serve with crackers.
Notes
Nutrition
More Tempting Appetizers
- Hot Spinach Dip
- Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Authentic Guacamole Recipe
- Best Cucumber Sandwiches
- Easy Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Bisquick Sausage Balls
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Ya’ll!!!! This cheese ball is SO good!! I am a huge pickle fan and I often get tagged in ridiculous pickle recipes. I’ll tell you this, when I saw this recipe pop up on my FB I didn’t hesitate to make it. I brought it to the Christmas party at my bar and it was gone in a matter of minuets. People were asking me if there was another one.!! I have since made these as little individual cheese balls and that was a huge hit as well. I used regular powdered ranch mix as I could not find the dill ranch. This is a must!
So glad you enjoy it Pearl!
How about cucumber slices as a dipper? They are wanna be, healthy dill pickles themselves!