Carrot Shaped Bacon Cheddar Ranch Cheeseball
Bacon cheddar ranch cheeseball shaped like a carrots makes a delicious and festive springtime appetizer. Full of creamy goodness, salty bacon and ranch flavor, this delicious dip will be a hit!
I have a thing for cheeseballs.
Give me a holiday or an occasion and I’ll give you a seasonally appropriate, absolutely delicious cheeseball.
I have sweet ones for desserts and savory ones like this for appetizers.
And this adorable carrot shaped bacon cheddar ranch cheeseball is the perfect starter for Easter or any other springtime occasion.
Ingredients
To make this, you’ll need:
- Cream Cheese– Let it soften on your counter prior to use.
- Ranch Dressing Mix– The powdered kind. I’ve tried all kinds, and I have to recommend the Hidden Valley brand- if you can find it.
- Cheddar Cheese– Finely shredded and divided.
- Bacon– Cooked crisp and crumbled
- Parsley– Fresh Italian parsley. Don’t substitute dry parsley.
Optional Tasty Additions To Cheeseball (Not 100% required, but recommended)
These ingredients aren’t required to make the cheeseball work but will add extra flavor.
- 2 tbsp sour cream to make the dip much more spreadable and creamier
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder for added flavor
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions- green bits only
How to Make
Part of the reason why I love making cheeseballs so much is because they are incredibly easy to put together and this one is no exception.
To do it, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT for 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and the parsley to a large mixing bowl.
Beat it all together until smooth it’s creamy with a hand mixer.
Transfer the cheese mixture to a large sheet of plastic wrap, and roughly shape it into a curved triangle/rounded carrot.
Wrap the shaped cream cheese up tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
Around 30 minutes before you’re ready to serve, gently unwrap the cheeseball and transfer it to your desired serving tray or plate.
Press the remaining finely shredded cheddar cheese into the cheeseball all over it’s visible surfaces. Push the stems of parsley into the center of the carrot ‘top’ so that it fully resembled a carrot.
Serve with crisp veggies and other dippers.
Enjoy!
Dipping Ideas
I love to serve this with:
- sturdy veggie slices like carrot and celery sticks or sliced cucumbers
- pretzels
- crackers
- tortilla chips
- pieces of toasted baguette
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! I often put these together the night before.
Storing Leftovers
To store leftovers, wrap up any of the remaining cheeseball tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Tips and Tricks
- Check out The Best Basic Cheese Ball Recipe for lots of helpful suggestions about making cheeseballs in general.
- Bacon is optional and you can omit it if you are vegetarian. You could also add finely chopped spinach for iron & nutrients.
- You could shape this into a standard cheeseball and serve it year round. OR, with a couple simple edible garnishes transform it into a little chick instead.
Other Easter Cheeseball Recipes
This carrot shaped bacon cheddar ranch cheeseball is a yummy spring appetizer, perfect for Easter entertaining. Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other Easter cheeseball recipes? Try these:
- Bunny Butt Chocolate Cheese Ball
- Easter Egg Cheese Ball
- PEEPS Cookies & Cream Dessert Cheese Ball
- Monster Cookie Dough Cheese Ball (swap the traditional m&m’s for the pastel Easter variety)
If you’ve tried this BACON CHEDDAR RANCH CHEESEBALL or any other recipe on my 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!
Carrot Shaped Bacon Cheddar Ranch Cheeseball
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz blocks cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp ranch dressing mix powder
- 5 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 6 strips bacon cooked crisp & crumbled
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients EXCEPT for 2 cups of the cheddar cheese to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, blend it all together until smooth & creamy.
- Transfer the cheese mixture to a large sheet of plastic wrap, and roughly shape it into a curved triangle/rounded carrot.
- Wrap the shaped cream cheese up tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Around 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, gently unwrap the cheeseball and transfer it to your desired serving tray or plate.
- Press the remaining finely shredded cheddar cheese into the cheeseball all over it's visible surfaces. Push the stems of parsley into the center of the carrot 'top' so that it fully resembled a carrot.
- Serve & enjoy!
Notes
- Check out The Best Basic Cheese Ball Recipe for lots of helpful suggestions about making cheeseballs in general.
- Bacon is optional and you can omit it if you are vegetarian. You could also add finely chopped spinach for iron & nutrients.
- You could shape this into a standard cheeseball and serve it year round. OR, with a couple simple edible garnishes transform it into a little chick instead.
