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An Everything Bagel Cheese Ball rolls a creamy bacon cheddar scallion filling in homemade everything bagel seasoning, and it is the appetizer that empties first at every party we throw. I started making it for holiday get togethers years ago, and it now anchors the snack table right next to our cheddar bacon ranch stuffed celery sticks.
Whipped cream cheese, sour cream, sharp cheddar, bacon, and scallions get rolled in a poppy seed, sesame, garlic, and onion crust that tastes exactly like your favorite bagel.
Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (mostly chilling)
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 220kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory and tangy with everything bagel crunch (bacon, cheddar, and scallion)
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our cream cheese wonton cups
Quick Answer
Mix poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Whip softened cream cheese until smooth, mix in sour cream, then stir in shredded cheddar, sliced scallions, and crumbled bacon. Scoop the mixture onto plastic wrap, form it into a ball, and chill at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, roll the ball in the seasoning mix until coated and serve with chips, crackers, and fresh vegetables.
Jump to:
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball FAQs
- Other Recommended Party Appetizers
- Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Appetizer Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Homemade everything seasoning beats the jar. Mixing the five components fresh keeps the garlic and onion flakes crunchy and lets you control the salt.
- Whipping the cream cheese first matters. A smooth, airy base means the mix ins distribute evenly and the ball spreads like a dream on crackers.
- Sour cream adds the bagel shop tang. Half a cup loosens the filling and brings that cream cheese schmear flavor that makes the bagel theme land.
- The plastic wrap trick shapes a perfect sphere. Wrapping and twisting the soft mixture forms a tight, round ball with zero sticky hands.
- Chilling firms it for the coating. Two hours minimum sets the ball so the seasoning presses on cleanly instead of smearing.
- Coating just before serving keeps the crunch. Seeds and dried flakes soften over time against the moist filling, so a fresh roll means maximum texture.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like a loaded bagel schmear. Everything seasoning, bacon, cheddar, and scallion in every single swipe.
- Fifteen minutes of work, hours of payoff. The fridge does the rest, and it travels to parties like a champ.
- It feeds the whole snack table. Surround it with crackers, chips, and veggies and it becomes the centerpiece, just like our loaded potato skins on game day.
Key Ingredients
Simple deli and pantry staples build this crowd favorite. Quantities are in the recipe card below; here is why each one matters.
- Cream cheese. The creamy foundation. Soften it fully so it whips light and lump free.
- Sour cream. The tangy secret that makes the filling taste like a real bagel schmear instead of plain cheese spread.
- Sharp cheddar and bacon. The savory backbone. Shred the cheddar fresh and cook the bacon crispy so it stays crunchy inside the ball.
- Scallions. Fresh oniony bite that cuts the richness, the same finishing move as our banana pudding cheese ball uses with wafers, but savory.
- Everything bagel seasoning. Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and kosher salt, mixed fresh for the crunchiest coating.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This cheese ball is a base recipe begging for riffs.
- Add smoked salmon. Fold in chopped smoked salmon for a full bagel and lox experience.
- Make it spicy. Diced jalapeno or a pinch of cayenne in the filling wakes the whole thing up.
- Swap the coating. Roll it in chopped toasted pecans or extra crispy bacon when everything seasoning is not your crowd.
- Go ranch. A tablespoon of dried ranch seasoning in the filling turns it into a ranch bacon cheddar ball, cousins with our stuffed celery sticks.
- Mini cheese balls. Roll 8 small balls and coat each for individual servings on a grazing board.
How to Make Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
- Mix the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes, and salt in a small bowl, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth, then add the sour cream and mix until combined.
- Add the cheddar cheese, scallions, and bacon, and stir to combine.
- Scoop the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap, form it into a round ball, and chill at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, unwrap the ball, roll it in the seasoning mixture until fully coated, and serve with chips, crackers, and fresh vegetables.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the cream cheese completely. An hour on the counter means a smooth, whippable base with no lumps.
- Cook the bacon shattering crisp. Soft bacon disappears into the filling; crispy bacon gives you texture in every bite.
- Shred the cheddar from a block. Bagged shreds are coated in starch and make the filling slightly grainy.
- Use the plastic wrap twist. Gather the wrap around the mixture and twist the top to shape a perfect ball without touching it.
- Coat right before serving. The seeds stay crunchiest when they go on fresh.
- Let it sit 10 minutes before serving. Slightly softened, it spreads beautifully on a cracker.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Set this everything bagel cheese ball in the middle of a board with butter crackers, pretzel chips, bagel chips, and crisp veggies like celery, carrots, and bell pepper strips. The bagel chips are the full circle moment everyone appreciates.
For a party spread, pair it with our turkey pinwheels and a tray of jalapeno popper pinwheels so there is a creamy bite in every direction.
It is also a brunch hero. Serve it next to a stack of bagels and our homemade sausage egg McMuffins and let everyone schmear their own.
Everything Bagel Cheese Ball FAQs
The filling is whipped cream cheese, sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar, sliced scallions, and crispy crumbled bacon. The coating is a homemade everything bagel seasoning of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes, and kosher salt.
Absolutely. You need about a half cup to coat the ball. The homemade mix tastes fresher and lets you dial back the salt, but the jarred blend works perfectly when you are short on time.
The wrapped, uncoated ball keeps in the fridge up to 3 days, which makes it a great do ahead appetizer. Roll it in the seasoning the day you serve so the seeds and flakes stay crunchy. Coated leftovers keep another 3 days, the coating just softens a bit.
Butter crackers, bagel chips, pretzel thins, pita chips, and sturdy vegetables like celery, carrots, cucumber, and bell peppers all work beautifully. Bagel chips are the thematic favorite, and salty pretzels against the tangy filling are sneaky great.
Yes, uncoated. Wrap the shaped ball tightly in plastic, then foil, and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and roll in fresh seasoning before serving. Skip freezing it coated; the seeds and flakes turn soggy when thawed.
It needs more chill time. The filling is soft when mixed and firms in the fridge over 2 plus hours. Reduced fat cream cheese and extra sour cream both keep it looser, so stick with full fat blocks and the listed half cup of sour cream for the firmest ball.
Want one more crispy party bite? Our crispy onion petals with dipping sauce never make it to halftime.
Build a grazing board with our gooey baked brie as the centerpiece.
Everything Bagel Cheese Ball Appetizer Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 4 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons dried garlic flakes
- 4 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Mix together the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion flakes, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.4 teaspoons poppy seeds, 4 teaspoons sesame seeds, 4 teaspoons dried garlic flakes, 4 teaspoons dried onion flakes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth.8 ounces cream cheese
- Add the sour cream and mix until smooth.½ cup sour cream
- Add in the cheddar cheese, scallions, and bacon, stir to combine.1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 2 scallions thinly sliced, 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter, scoop out the mixture in a large ball shape.
- Wrap in the plastic wrap and form it into a round ball. Place in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, unwrap the cheese ball from the plastic wrap.
- Place the spice mixture onto a plate and roll the cheese ball in the seasonings until the outside is coated.
- Serve with your favorite chips, crackers, and fresh vegetables.
Notes
- Nutritional value does not include dippers.
- This needs at least 2 hours to set up in the refrigerator but can set up overnight.
- If you want to use everything seasoning mix that shouldn’t be an issue, just make sure you use enough to cover the whole cheese ball.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Serve with any and all of your favorite dippers.
- Double this recipe to have more on hand for guests or to have on hand for later consumption.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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This was a hit at my brother’s party. everyone loved it. Thank you so much.
This truly is thee Ultimate Chesse Ball, folks! Follow the recipe to a T and you’ll be wowed! Always a crowd pleaser others want the recipe for. Trust it! XX
Great recipe! This cheese ball is amazing! Made it for thanksgiving and a Christmas party and it was a hit! I did leave the salt out of the 2nd one I made. I thought it was a bit too salty but even with the salt it was delicious!
That is some cheese ball! I’m printing out the recipe now, and linking this to my site! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! Look at that spread. Wish I was at your party. Yum. Pinned. Thanks for linking up at Snickerdoodle!
This cheese ball looks so good! Thank you for sharing on Show Me Saturday!
I really need to make this cheese ball! Your party looks like fun!! #client
I’m a sucker for a good cheeseball! This sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness Yum!!! I love cheeseballs & everything bagels… I need to try this! Thanks for sharing at Wake Up Wednesday!