Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Bites with Bacon

These Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Bites are the perfect bite sized appetizers for holiday gatherings, game days, baby showers or a girls night! These mini cheese balls are great with crackers, bagel chips or with pretzels.

Okay guys, this seriously is one of the best cheese balls recipes out there. I am absolutely obsessed with any appetizer that is bite sized and versatile and these babies fit the bill. These Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Bites with Bacon are the perfect appetizers for parties of all occasions. Including baby showers, holiday gatherings, game days or a girls night.

The mini cheese balls can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for less prep the day of. Bonus: this easy appetizer recipe can work for any time of the day and be served with crackers, bagel chips or pretzel sticks. I hope you and your family love this yummy mini appetizer recipe.

Kitchen Tools

• A Large Bowl- Any will do, this is to just combine and mix all your ingredients. 
• A Small Bowl- For the Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.
• A Cookie Scoop- This isn't required but it helps with getting all the everything bagel cheese balls the same size.
• A Cookie Sheet or Large Plate- This is to store the mini cheese balls while chilling in the fridge. Just make sure whatever you use is large enough for the mini cheese balls to be stored in a single layer.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• A Small Skillet- For frying the bacon. You could bake the bacon if you prefer.
• A Pairing Knife and Cutting Board- For chopping the green onion.

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese
• Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt- You could use sour cream as well. 
• Plain Goat Cheese- Make sure the goat cheese doesn't have any flavor or oil on it.
• Shredded Cheese- I used shredded mild cheddar cheese, you could use Colby Jack or Sharp Cheddar Cheese as well. 
• Everything But The Bagel Seasoning- If you do not have the store bought spice you can make your own instead! Check out the instructions below. 
• Cooked Bacon- You can do this ahead of time to save on prep work for this cheese ball bites recipe. You can make my bacon on the stove top or you can make some ninja foodi bacon.
• Chopped Green Onions

How to Make Mini Cheese Balls

Welcome, you have found the most delicious and easy appetizer you will ever make! Really though, these everything bagel cheese ball bites are insanely easy to make and work great for virtually any occasion. Also, they work for both brunch and evening gatherings so that is a huge bonus.

1. Cook your bacon (in a skillet or oven) and crumble it into small pieces. You can do this step days ahead of time and store the cooked bacon in the fridge to save on prep work for these mini cheese balls as well.
2. Finely chop your green onion, measure out the remaining ingredients and add everything (except the Everything But the Bagel Seasoning) to a large bowl. 
3. Mash and stir to combine all the ingredients together. In a separate small bowl, add the bagel seasoning. 
4. Once everything is combined, take a small cookie scoop (or eyeball it) and scoop out some of the cheese ball mixture and roll in it your palms to form a ball. Your hands are going to get a bit messy, it's okay. 
5. Once the ball is formed, drop it in the Everything But the Bagel Seasoning and roll the cheese ball until it is completely covered. Place cheese ball on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or plate and repeat until all of the mixture is gone.
6. Place the mini cheese ball bites in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour covered to chill. You can also let them chill for as long at 24 hours ahead of time. 
7. When ready to serve place each cheese ball bite on a cracker, bagel chip or stick a pretzel stick in each. 
   
   Check out the Mini Cheese Balls with Bacon recipe video for a more detailed look at prep for this appetizer recipe.

DIY Bagel Seasoning

For these cheese ball bites I like to use Everything But the Bagel Seasoning from Trader Joe's. I love how convenient it is to just have it all made up and it saves an extra step for this recipe. I have forgotten to purchase the seasoning one too many times I learned how to make my own along the way. The spices you will need are pretty basic, and you should be able to purchase them from your local grocery store. The individual spices you will need to create your own Everything But the Bagel Seasoning are:

• Sesame Seeds
• Sea Salt Flakes
• Black Sesame Seeds
• Poppy Seeds
• Dried Minced Garlic
• Dried Minced Onion

To create the seasoning use equal parts of each individual spice. For this mini cheese balls recipe use 1 ½ tablespoon of each spice and add them all to a bowl then mix to combine. This measurement will yield about ½ cup of the seasoning which will be enough to coat all of your mini cheese balls. 

More Appetizer Ideas

Ritz Bites Recipe
Mini Avocado Toast
Prosciutto Wrapped Breadsticks
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Crockpot Chili Cheese Dip
Fried Green Tomatoes

Making a Large Cheese Ball

To make a one large everything bagel cheese ball you will follow all the recipe prep and instructions up until the scooping of the cheese balls.

• Once you have the cheese mixture combined, place the mixture on a large piece of cling wrap laid flat on a counter. Also, it helps avoid sticking if you spray the cling wrap with some cooking spray.
• Next, wrap the cling wrap around the cheese mixture so none of it can escape. Manipulate and roll the cheese mixture into the shape of a ball. Next, refrigerate for at least one hour to overnight.
• Right before serving the cheese ball, roll the ball in the everything but the bagel seasoning and serve with crackers, pretzels or bagel chips.

Common Questions

I hope you and your family love these Mini Cheese Balls with Bacon! This recipe is so simple and versatile and makes such adorable bite sized appetizers for the holiday season.

Happy Eating!

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