Mini Cheese Ball Bites are the perfect easy appetizer to serve at holiday parties. These tasty little cheese balls are made with dried fruit and cream cheese, rolled in bacon or nuts, and served on a pretzel stick to make a bite-sized snack. Make these individual-sized cheese ball appetizers for New Year’s Eve, Christmas parties, game day, or any other occasion!
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What’s in this Mini Cheese Balls recipe?
Everyone loves a cheese ball at parties, and these cheese ball bites on pretzel sticks mean you won’t have to share! They’re quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients.
- Cream Cheese: This is the base of the mini cheese balls. It’s easiest to work with at room temperature, so leave it out an hour or two before making.
- Shredded Cheese: Adds an extra cheesy flavor. I like to use white cheddar, but you can use another type.
- Dried Fruit: Adds texture and flavor into the cheese bites. I used a mix of dried apricot, cherries, and cranberries.
- Italian Seasoning: Adds a savory flavor to the cheese. You can add as much or as little as you like, or skip it if you prefer.
- Mixed Nuts: Finely chopped nuts add crunch to the outside of the balls.
- Bacon Crumbles: Another option for coating the cheese balls.
- Pretzel Sticks: Stick these into the bite-sized cheese balls to serve, so you can easily pick them up and pop them into your mouth.
Pro Tip: These are best served very cold, so I recommend making them the night before, and chilling them in the fridge right up until serving.
Variations on Cheese Ball Bites
This mini cheese ball appetizer is so versatile. Just by choosing your preferred dried fruit and nuts, you can really change the flavor and look of each one. But there are more ways to change these little cheese bites, so you can serve them at any and every party.
Use your favorite nuts (mixed nuts, pistachios, candied walnuts, pecans, toasted almonds); any dried fruit (apricots, cherries, cranberries, mango); another type of seasoning (garlic & onion powder, everything bagel seasoning, herbs de Provence); or another coating (breadcrumbs, dried herbs, dried fruit or nuts, crumbled crackers, sesame seeds).
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Give the cheese mixture at least 2 hours to chill and set in the refrigerator before finishing and serving them.
These cheese balls are a mix of cream cheese and shredded white cheddar cheese. You can use other types of shredded cheese for a different flavor.
The ingredients will not mix together properly unless the cream cheese is fully softened–I recommend working with it at room temperature. The easiest way to do this is to simply set it out on the counter for a couple of hours before using it.
How to Make Ahead and Store
Once you’ve made the mini cheese balls, store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them. Keep them in an airtight container, or cover the plate with plastic wrap.
I like to make them the night before so they have plenty of time to set up in the fridge, but you can make them up to 48 hours ahead of time, or as little as 2 hours (they do need time to chill).
You can also keep leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Freeze
Layer cheese ball bites between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container or resealable bag. You may want to wrap individual balls in plastic wrap to keep them separated if using a bag. Freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge. Store them without the pretzel sticks.
Serving Suggestions
This mini cheese ball bites are the perfect appetizer for New Year’s Eve, holidays, and parties of all kinds. They make a fun addition to charcuterie and cheese boards too.
Serve them along with other tasty party appetizers, like cocktail meatballs, pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, and bacon-wrapped shrimp.
5-Star Review
“Doubled the recipe and every one was eaten!” – Dana
Mini Cheese Ball Bites
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature or softened
- ¾ cup freshly shredded white cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup dried fruit i used a mix of dried apricots, cherrys, and cranberries. you could use all three or use them individually
- 1-1½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1½ cups mixed nuts finely chopped
- 1½ cups bacon crumbles
- 12 medium-sized pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, cheddar, fruit, and herbs together until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese, ¾ cup freshly shredded white cheddar cheese, ¾ cup dried fruit, 1-1½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Form into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a baking sheet. Let chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Roll each cheese ball in either bacon or nuts (or both!), pressing them lightly into the cheese so that they stick.1½ cups mixed nuts, 1½ cups bacon crumbles
- Keep covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve (I think they are best served very cold. I would recommend keeping them in the fridge overnight before serving).
- Just before serving, skewer each cheese ball with a pretzel. Enjoy!12 medium-sized pretzel sticks
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
Hee Hee, it says to roll them in buts! My inner third grader laughed.
#4 Roll each cheese ball in your preferred toppings (bacon, buts, etc)
Typo! Good catch!
Doubled the recipe and ever one was eaten!
I love to hear that!
I’m anxious to make these for a Christmas party I get to attend. Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by, Shery!
Would like suggestions to replace nuts to use other than breadcrumbs
you can use chives, grated hardboiled egg, parmesan..
I LOVE THE RECIPE’S….. BUT IT TAKES FOREVER…. TO GET TO THEM…. MAKE IT EASIER…. PLEASE…THANK YOU….KIM
Was there a tip to putting something on your hands before rolling the cheese into balls? Like oil or dampened?
Thx
Just add cold water to your hands
Hello, How many does this recipe yield?
I sometimes wonder what people eat and like because we obviously have different palates. I rarely comment on a recipe but I had to on this one. I was apprehensive when I read 1-2 TABLESPOONS of Italian seasoning for 8 oz of cream cheese. So, I started out with very little because you can always add more but it is near impossible to fix when you add too much of one ingredient. I made these for Easter 2014 for about 50 people. When I tasted them as I was making them, I called my cousin to say I didn’t think they were good. She said to bring them anyway because some people might like them. I shouldn’t have listened to her and just threw them out then. But I brought them to the Easter gathering. Not one person liked them…not one! They were disgusting! I think if fresh herbs were used it would make a huge difference. But as the recipe reads, disgusting! I am deleting this recipe from my recipe file on my computer. It is a waste of good recipe space.
So sorry to hear you and your family didn’t like these! I hate to hear that, but you’re right, everyone has different tastes. I appreciate you trying it, I apologize again that it wasn’t quite what you wanted. Hope you have a good rest of the week – Becky
I think I may have to souble the recipe to B able to give a true rating! ….if they r as good as they sound!!!!