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Goat Cheese Balls are the easy, no bake appetizer that always disappears first, with creamy herbed goat cheese rolled in crunchy crouton crumbs and served on cute pretzel sticks. I made a tray of these for a last minute game day when Maddie’s friends came over, and the whole batch was gone before kickoff. If you love an easy party starter, our hot spinach artichoke dip is another guaranteed crowd pleaser.
A pretzel stick handle turns these into the most poppable, no mess bites on the whole appetizer table.
Goat Cheese Balls Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 cheese balls
- ⚡ Calories: 77kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy tangy goat cheese with a crunchy, savory crumb
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a no bake party bite like our cream cheese wonton cups
Quick Answer
Beat softened goat cheese and cream cheese with sliced scallions, chopped parsley, and black pepper until smooth. Scoop and roll the mixture into tablespoon sized balls and set them on a lined tray. Pulse croutons into crumbs, stir in extra parsley, and roll each ball in the crumbs. Insert a pretzel stick into each one and serve.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Two cheeses balance flavor. Tangy goat cheese pairs with mild cream cheese for a smooth, scoopable mixture that is rich but not too sharp.
- Croutons make the perfect crust. Crushed garlic and butter croutons add a savory, crunchy coating with way more flavor than plain breadcrumbs.
- Chilling helps them hold. Rolling the cheese into balls and keeping them cold makes them firm enough to coat and serve without falling apart.
- Fresh herbs brighten every bite. Scallions and parsley add color and a fresh, savory pop that cuts the richness of the cheese.
- Pretzel sticks are built in handles. A pretzel stick makes these mess free to grab and eat, and adds an extra salty crunch.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are a completely no bake, make ahead appetizer that comes together in about 20 minutes.
- The creamy goat cheese center and crunchy crouton coating are an irresistible combination at any party.
- They are as fun to serve as our cream cheese wonton cups, with built in pretzel handles.
Key Ingredients
A short list of simple ingredients makes these easy bites. Here is what each one does.
- Goat cheese: The tangy, creamy star. Softened goat cheese gives these balls their signature flavor and smooth texture.
- Cream cheese: Mellows the goat cheese and helps the mixture roll into smooth, sturdy balls.
- Garlic butter croutons: Pulsed into crumbs, they make a savory, crunchy coating with built in seasoning.
- Scallions and parsley: Fresh herbs that add color and a bright, savory pop throughout.
- Pretzel sticks: The fun, salty handles that make these as easy to eat as our spinach artichoke dip is to scoop.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make these goat cheese balls your own with a few easy twists.
- Nutty coating: Roll the balls in chopped toasted pecans or walnuts instead of crouton crumbs.
- Everything bagel: Coat them in everything bagel seasoning for a savory, salty crust.
- Sweet and savory: Add a drizzle of honey or a few dried cranberries to the mix.
- Herb swap: Use chives, dill, or basil in place of the parsley and scallions.
- Spicy kick: Mix in a pinch of red pepper flakes or roll in chopped candied jalapenos.
How to Make Goat Cheese Balls
- Beat the softened goat cheese and cream cheese with the scallions, 1 tablespoon parsley, and black pepper until smooth.
- Pulse the croutons in a food processor into fine crumbs, then stir in the remaining parsley.
- Scoop tablespoon sized portions and roll the cheese mixture into balls on a lined tray.
- Roll each ball in the crouton crumbs to coat, then insert a pretzel stick into each one and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the cheese first. Room temperature goat cheese and cream cheese blend smoothly and roll without crumbling.
- Chill before coating. If the balls feel too soft, pop the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes so they firm up.
- Use a small scoop. A tablespoon cookie scoop makes uniform balls fast and keeps your hands cleaner.
- Crush croutons fine. Finer crumbs stick to the cheese balls better and give a more even coating.
- Coat just before serving. Add the crouton coating close to serving time so it stays crunchy.
- Make them ahead. Roll and chill the balls a day ahead, then coat and add pretzels right before the party.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These mini goat cheese balls are a showstopper on any appetizer spread or charcuterie board. Arrange them on a platter with our hot spinach artichoke dip and a few loaded tater tot nachos for a game day grazing table that has it all.
They pair beautifully with crackers, sliced baguette, fresh grapes, and a glass of crisp white wine. For a bigger party, set them out next to our homemade meatballs for warm and cold bites side by side.
Serve them chilled with the pretzel sticks already inserted so guests can grab and go. They are the perfect make ahead bite for holidays, showers, and any gathering where you want maximum flavor with minimum fuss.
Goat Cheese Balls FAQs
Yes, they are a great make ahead appetizer. Roll and chill the cheese balls up to a day in advance, then roll them in the crouton crumbs and add the pretzel sticks right before serving so the coating stays crunchy.
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Keep the crouton coating and pretzel sticks separate until serving if you want them at their crunchiest.
You can freeze the uncoated cheese balls for up to a month. Thaw them in the fridge, then roll in fresh crouton crumbs and add the pretzels before serving.
Crushed crackers, panko breadcrumbs, chopped nuts, or everything bagel seasoning all make great coatings. Garlic butter croutons add the most savory flavor, but any of these work.
Absolutely. Shape the whole mixture into one large ball, roll it in the crouton crumbs, and serve it with crackers and pretzels for dipping and spreading.
They are best served chilled or at cool room temperature so they hold their shape. Take them out about 10 minutes before serving for the creamiest texture.
Hosting a crowd? Whip up our crowd favorite hot spinach artichoke dip next.
These mini goat cheese balls are a fun addition to any charcuterie board.
Mini Goat Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces goat cheese softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons flat-leaf parsley fine chop
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup garlic and butter croutons
- 15 pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Line a sheet tray or baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the goat cheese, cream cheese, scallions, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth.8 ounces goat cheese, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 scallion, 1 ½ tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Taking a tablespoon-sized scoop, roll the mixture into balls and place them on the sheet tray in a single layer.
- Place the croutons in a food processor, pulse into crumbs.1 cup garlic and butter croutons
- Place the crumbs in a bowl, add the remaining parsley and stir to combine.
- Roll the cheese balls in this mixture.
- Place them back on the sheet tray.
- Insert the pretzel toothpicks, place them on a serving tray, and enjoy.15 pretzel sticks
Notes
- You can switch up your herbs in this to your liking!
- Add other cheeses to your mixture for a different flavor.
- There are various things you can roll these in, see my tips above.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- We love serving these with pretzels in the tops for easy serving, this is optional.
- You can make one large cheese ball out of this if you’d like, or even a goat cheese log.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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A great recipe for Christmas table. Too bad it came to her right now.I’ll do next year, however 🙂
I could snack on these every single day!!
These are perfect party eats! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Hi there
Just stopped by to let you know that I featured this on my Saturday Spotlight post this week!
Saturday Spotlight/a>
Thanks again for linking up! Hope you have a great weekend!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
Love the secret ingredient – nothing goes to waste! Perfect for New Years Eve snacking. Thanks Dana!
I’m going to make these cheese balls tonight! Loved all about them 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!