Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe For Your Next Party
This yummy Dried Beef Cheese Ball is a classic holiday appetizer that can be served at parties year-round. This easy and nostalgic recipe takes just 10 minutes to make and is the perfect blend of creamy and salty.
It’s an old-school dish to serve when entertaining and you’re going to love how simple it is! If you’re a fan of easy appetizer recipes, save this one for later!
The Dried Beef Cheese Ball You Won’t Want to Share
A chipped beef cheese ball is rich and decadent and a party snack idea that you will crave.
I totally geek out when there is a cheese ball present at a party. The cream cheese, cheddar and green onions give it SO much flavor. Then add that salty dried beef and it takes it to the next level.
Related: The BEST Cheese Ball Recipe
Don’t be afraid of dried beef. It’s a unique ingredient but you can use it in a lot of different ways!
I had some leftover dried beef from my favorite chicken dinner recipe so I decided to make a cheese ball with it. When I was a kid, we used to eat Creamed Chipped Beef and it was SO tasty!
A cheese ball with dried beef is so easy to make, and they make such a great appetizer idea! It’s a great make-ahead recipe for a crowd.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Make sure it’s super softened so it mixes the best with the other ingredients.
- Dried beef: See my notes below on the best dried beef to buy and where to find it in stores.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: I love to use sharp cheddar because it has lots of flavor and pairs really well with the dried beef.
- Green onions: They bring a freshness that is a nice counterpoint to the processed meat.
- Garlic powder: I like to use garlic powder to add depth of flavor to the cream cheese ball. But feel free to use seasoned salt or onion powder if you prefer.
- Worcestershire Sauce: I love to use Worcestershire to enhance the beef flavor.
As with all of my recipes, I love to encourage you to add other ingredients that you may like. This would have been super tasty with some black pepper and bacon bits too.
What is Dried Beef?
Dried beef is super salty. Some people suggest rinsing the slices. I am far too lazy for that.
So make sure you taste your cheese ball mixture before adding any additional salt.
Dried beef, sometimes also called chipped beef, is pressed, dried, and salted meat that has been thinly sliced.
You find it in the canned meats aisle (by the chili and tuna), which sounds heinous, but just breathe through it. Dried beef is good, really good.
Be sure to plan ahead the first time you make this recipe as it can be difficult to find dried beef. It’s sometimes available on Amazon Fresh (but this jar is small and you’ll need at least two of them) and it’s not at my local Ralphs store.
I can sometimes find it up at Albertsons but I have the best luck at Walmart. I always grab an extra jar to keep in the pantry since there are several recipes that I love that call for it.
The best dried beef, in my opinion, is by Armour or Hormel. You can also use Buddig dried beef but I don’t prefer it.
How to Make a Chipped Beef Cheese Ball
Step 1
Add the cream cheese and seasoning to your stand mixer. You could also use a hand mixer but I never get to use my stand mixer so I decided this was how I wanted to mix it. And mix until fluffy.
Step 2
Chop your dried beef and green onions. And grate your cheese if you don’t buy pre-shredded cheese.
I totally get that cheese you grate yourself is way better, but I always like a good time-saving hack so this is up to you.
These old episodes of ’24’ aren’t going to watch themselves and not grating my own cheese means I can find out if Jack Bauer is going to save the world, again, sooner.
Step 3
Add the dried beef and green onions and give it a whirl in the mixer.
Step 4
Add the cheese and mix it in.
Step 5
Scoop out the cheese ball mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. I actually needed to use two pieces, one laid perpendicular over the other piece, so I could cover the whole thing.
You may not need to do that if your plastic wrap is wide enough.
Step 6
I gathered the end and bunched it at the top. If it won’t stay, just a clothespin or something. I used my hands to form it into a ball-like shape.
Place in the fridge for about 2 hours to chill before serving.
How to Serve Cheese Balls
When you remove it from the fridge, you can form the dried beef cheese ball a little bit more to get the shape you want.
Many people roll the finished beef ball with extra chopped chipped beef. It’s totally up to you.
There is seriously no wrong way to serve a dried beef cheese ball.
I had originally wanted to roll this dried beef cheese ball in chopped pecans to give it a nice finished look but I couldn’t find them in my pantry.
Also, my oldest son is allergic to pecans and I wanted him to be able to eat this easy cheese ball too. If you are serving this for a party, consider rolling it in pecans.
The best crackers to serve with this cream cheese ball are Club Crackers, Wheat Thins, Ritz and Triscuits. It’s also really good on a slice of baguette and even tasty on veggies (if you’re into that kind of thing…).
Storing
You can leave the plastic wrapped cheese ball in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. You can also freeze the cheese ball for a few days.
The cheeses don’t keep their regular texture when chilled so it’s best to eat them a day or so after making.
Just make sure you keep them as airtight as possible.
Top Tips
- Make sure you let your cream cheese sit out and soften long enough so that it is easily smushable (technical cooking term).
- This recipe is super versatile and you can add in other flavors that you think you would like. Things like olives and other types of onions would be good.
- If you can, make the chipped beef cheese ball the day before you want to serve it. The flavors get a little more pronounced as they sit.
This Beef Cheese Ball Recipe is Perfect for Parties
I love serving a cheese ball recipe at a party because they are always a crowd-pleaser. They’re pretty inexpensive to make and can feed crowd.
They can also be made ahead of time and sit out for a while during the party since they’re unfussy.
I’m a big stickler for food safety so it really grosses me out when I see mayo-based things out for hours. But this cheese ball with dried beef, totally ok.
When’s the last time you made a cheese ball?? Because you need to.
This cheese ball recipe with dried beef couldn’t be easier! The hardest part is waiting for it to firm up in the fridge.
I mean, you know it’s there. And it’s basically calling your name every time you walk by.
Do you have a favorite cheese ball recipe? While I like to think this cheese ball I posted in the past is the best cheese ball ever, this cheese ball recipe with dried beef is neck and neck!
The dried beef gives this cheese ball the perfect salty, meaty flavor. And the punch of the fresh green onions is the perfect counterpoint for all the creaminess and tang of the cream cheese.
While this works great for a party, it also makes a great family snack idea. Or a mom snack. Or lunch. Since I ate this for several days after I took these photos…
Related Recipes
- Burrata Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes is quick and easy and fun twist on the cheese ball idea.
- A Chicken Cheese Ball is savory and yummy!
- The best ever Cheese Ball has blue cheese and is super flavorful.
- This Cranberry Brie Bites Recipe needs just 4 ingredients and makes a tasty holiday showstopper.
- Indulge in the perfect sweet/savory blend of pineapple and cream cheese in this easy-to-make Pineapple Cheese Ball Recipe, great any time.
Dried Beef Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 2 ) 8 oz. packages cream cheese softened
- 1 ) 5 oz. jar dried beef chopped (you’ll use 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
- salt To taste. Remember the dried beef is already super salty!
Instructions
- Soften the cream cheese.
- Add the cream cheese, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce to your stand mixer and mix until fluffy.
- Chop the salty dried beef and green onions and shred your cheddar cheese (if you didn’t buy pre-shredded to save time).
- Add the dried beef, green onions and cheddar cheese to the stand mixer and mix.
- Taste the cheese ball mixture and season with salt and pepper if it needs a little bit more seasoning.
- On a piece of plastic wrap, scoop out the dried beef cheese ball mixture.
- Gather the ends of the plastic wrap and twist to hold the cheese ball in place. I used my hands to form it into a ball-like shape.
- Place the chipped beef cheese ball in the fridge for about 2 hours to chill before serving.
- When you remove it from the fridge, you can form the easy appetizer a little bit more to get the shape you want.
- Place this nostalgic party dish on a platter and serve with an assortment of crackers, bread and veggies.
Notes
Nutrition
You’re going to want to find this simple recipe again! Bookmark it or pin it so you can quickly find this cheese ball recipe with dried beef to make for your next party!
I love how easy and versatile the cheese ball recipe is! Perfect for any event.
A friend shared this recipe at a high school party way back in 1975 & it has been a longtime favorite with all of us & our families for many years! The only thing different in our recipe is the addition of 1 tsp. seasoned salt & an additional 3 oz. of cream cheese. I’ve always used light cream cheese, too. Last weekend I made a Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole for a family New Year’s party; I’d made this cheeseball several days earlier, so put it on the table. Many of us added some of the cheeseball to the potato casserole & the flavor was “out of this world” delicious!!
I have made this for many years in many ways, I din’t put the cheddar cheese in it. I also tried a few years back to not roll it into a ball but spread it out in a thin layer on a Tortillas shells.Than roll the shell up to a circle and cut into 1 inch pieces or what ever size you wish and and put it on a dish and it becomes finger food. Now my family won’t eat it any other way. less mess but takes more time.
Has anyone tried it without the cheese ??
When you say without the cheese, what do you mean? Like just dried beef and green onion and seasoning?
I have made without the cheddar cheese. It just has a cream cheese texture. I like the texture better with the shredded cheddar.
This has been a family favorite for years! However, we use a can of chopped black olives and omit the green onion. So good!
I was always taught to rinse the beef and pat it dry to cut the salt. Just takes a minute.
We’ve had this recipe in our family for approx. 50 years or more. The only difference is we use 1/2 jar of Kraft Old English cheese spread instead of the cheddar cheese. I also use the jarred dried beef, but my sister prefers to use the Buddig packaged dried beef. No difference in the flavor. It’s a great recipe and our families always expect it at Christmas time.
I’ve never heard of beef in a jar. We buy Budig slices in the lunchmeat/hotdog aisle and finely chop. Same recipe otherwise. Years ago there was a grocery chain called Big Bear. If anyone is looking for their Melissa’s Famous Cheeseball recipe that you could buy in fresh-made tubs in the deli at Big Bear, this is it. My best tip is to use either whipped cream cheese or make sure your cream cheese blocks are super soft (room temp) otherwise it’s hard to mix.
I loved the Big Bear deli and Melissa’s Cheeseball was the best.
Can these be frozen?
Made this cheese ball for New Years Eve. It had been years since I had made it. Love it. Flavor gets better as it sits. Make it a day ahead.
That’s a great tip! Thank you for sharing! It’s starting to be harder and harder to find the dried beef! I need to stock up!
This is a wonderful recipe that I’ve been using for thirty+ years. I do a couple of things different that my recipe called for. I chop my dried beef in a mini food chopper to a very fine chop. My recipe also makes two large balls or three small ones. I usually do the two large, one for party and one for family event. I use three jars of beef and three blocks of cream cheese. One jar or ⅓ of the chopped beef for rolling onto the cheese balls on the outside. I increase the amount of chopped onions, and other ingredients and just a touch of onion powder and garlic. No extra salt needed. My family request this every holiday or gathering. I like it because I can make it the day before.
I love to hear how everyone makes this just a little different! I definitely need to get my hands on a mini food chopper!
This sounds great. Can it be made with. Colby Jack cheese?
This is one of my favorites cheese balls. I cut the beef up in small pieces. Then I mix half of the beef in with all of the other ingredients, roll it into a ball, chill it, and then roll it in the other beef to cover the outside.
It is amazing!
That is a great idea! I’ll have to try adding the beef to the outside next time. Do you use dried beef for any other recipes?
I’ve been making this exact recipe for 25 years. It’s so delicious