Mini dill pickle cheese balls are an easy appetizer for your next party! These creamy little bites feature seasoned cream cheese blended with finely chopped dill pickles.
There are two things I absolutely love: dill pickles and cheese balls.
Why not put them together into one delicious appetizer?
That’s exactly what these mini dill pickle cheese balls do!
And the resulting appetizer is so yummy!
It’s a real crowd pleaser for any party, tailgate, or potluck.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Cream cheese– Let it soften up to room temperature
- Sour cream– To help make the creamy base. You can use any fat content sour cream but I always prefer full fat for best mouth feel.
- Seasonings– Garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper
- Cheddar cheese– Finely shredded
- Dill pickles– Finely chopped
- Fresh dill– Chopped
How to Make
Making these mini dill pickle cheese balls is very similar to making a larger cheese ball.
To do it, use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a large mixing bowl.
When the mixture is smooth and creamy, fold in 1/2 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese, the chopped pickles, and dill.
Then use a medium sized cookie scoop to drop scoops of the cream cheese mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Do this until you use up all the mixture.
Then cover the mini cheese balls with plastic wrap and let them chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
When the balls are firm to the touch, spread the remaining shredded cheese out onto a shallow plate.
Roll the cream cheese balls, one at a time, in the shredded cheese and press the cheese in as needed to cover them completely.
Put the coated cheese balls on a serving plate, serve with assorted crackers, and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or so.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes!
Part of why I love making cheese balls so much is because they are the perfect make ahead appetizer.
I often make these the day before I plan to serve them so the day of the party or event, I just need to pull the platter out of my fridge and plate some crackers.
Tips and Tricks
- Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature before mixing up the cheese balls. Working with cold cream will make it much more difficult.
- For a stronger pickle flavor, you could substitute the lemon juice with a teaspoon of pickle juice.
- Don’t want mini cheese balls? This recipe will make a regular cheese ball as well. Just form the ball, cover it in plastic and let it chill. Then roll the large cheese ball in shredded cheese and serve it with crackers or pretzel sticks.
Other Cheese Ball Recipes
Mini dill pickle cheese balls are a perfect bite sized party appetizer!
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other cheese ball recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried these MINI DILL PICKLE CHEESE BALLS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Mini Dill Pickle Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz blocks cream cheese softened
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dill pickles
- 2 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer whip the ingredients together until the mixture's smooth, creamy, and evenly incorporated.2 8 oz blocks cream cheese, 4 tbsp sour cream, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt & pepper
- Add a 1/2 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese, chopped pickles, and dill to the bowl and fold in until evenly combined.2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese, 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dill pickles, 2 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop drop scoops of the seasoned cream cheese mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Continue until all the mixture's been used.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours, or at least until firm to the touch.
- Spread the remaining cheese out onto a shallow plate. Roll the cream cheese balls, one at a time, in the cheese (pressing the cheese in as necessary) to cover completely.
- Transfer to a serving plate, serve with assorted crackers, and enjoy!
Notes
- Let the cream cheese soften to room temperature before mixing up the cheese balls. Working with cold cream will make it much more difficult.
- For a stronger pickle flavor, you could substitute the lemon juice with a teaspoon of pickle juice.
- Don’t want mini cheese balls? This recipe will make a regular cheese ball as well. Just form the ball, cover it in plastic and let it chill. Then roll the large cheese ball in shredded cheese and serve it with crackers or pretzel sticks.
Nutrition
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