You’re guaranteed touchdown status at your next game day party with this Buffalo Ranch Football Cheese Ball! This crazy easy appetizer can be made in advance and is portable and DELICIOUS!
You guys have no idea how excited I am to FINALLY be sharing this recipe with you! I’ve been keeping this baller Buffalo Ranch Football a secret for entirely too long and I’m so happy to finally be able to shout it from the rooftops.
TOUCHDOWWWWWNNNNN!
While I know that football season is *supposed* to be more about the actual football and less about edible footballs, let’s not kid ourselves here.
The best part about watching the game is the food!
Buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, and copious amounts of cheese reign supreme when it comes to game day favorites and this crowd-pleasing appetizer rocks ALL THREE.
SCORE!
Buffalo Ranch Football Cheese Ball
The flavors here are unreal, y’all! You can make it ultra-spicy by adding extra hot sauce and jalapeños or keep it as is for a delightfully zesty spread that’s great on everything from crackers to pretzels to veggies.
I think celery sticks and buttery crackers are tied for my favorite dip delivery method, though I’m fairly certain y’all can put this on everything! Think of it as a jazzed up pimento cheese that turns everything it comes into contact with into instant party food.
As written this feisty football yields about 24 (2 TBSP) servings. You can go all out and double the recipe to feed a massive crowd or also halve the recipe and make a mini football for a super small gathering if need be, it’s uber flexible and so. flipping. delicious.
Let’s do this!
Buffalo Ranch Football Cheese Ball
You’re guaranteed touchdown status at your next game day party with this Buffalo Ranch Football Cheese Ball! This crazy easy appetizer can be made in advance and is portable and DELICIOUS!
Below you’ll find detailed instructions to take out any guesswork. This recipe comes together FAST and is super easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese
- 2 jalapeños (save 3 TBSP for outside)
- 1 bell pepper (added all but 3 TBSP to interior)
- 1/4 cup green onion inside 2-3 TBSP outside
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (1/4 cup reserved)
- 1/4 cup “Red Hot” hot sauce or Buffalo sauce
- 1 packet ranch dip seasoning mix
- 1 8 oz package grated cheddar cheese
- EXTRAS
- sour cream for the football laces
Instructions
- Add your cream cheese to a large bowl and set aside.
- Remove seeds + stem from peppers and finely dice.
- Chop green onion and walnuts.
- Remove 3 TBSP of your jalapeño, 3 TBSP bell pepper, 2-3 TBSP of green onion, and about 1/4 cup of walnuts and set aside. This will coat the outside of your cheese ball.
- Add the rest of the veggies/nuts to your cream cheese along with the hot sauce, ranch dip seasoning mix, and cheddar cheese. Mix well using a fork or spatula. You could also use an electric hand mixer if you prefer!
- Making it spicy? Give the mixture a little taste test on a cracker and add more hot sauce and jalapeño if desired. Try not to eat it all right then and there!
- Once ready, scoop out mixture with a rubber spatula and add to a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and form into an oval shape. Flatten the top of the oval, pinching the ends and pressing the sides while shaping it into a football. You’ll want to press down on the middle and sort of pinch the sides while you press it into an edible football. I promise it’s super duper easy, relive those childhood play dough days and have fun with it!
- Place in fridge for 10-15 minutes to set the football. If mixture appears super soft, allow longer chill time.
- For the optional (but awesome!) laces: Place a few spoonfuls of sour cream in a quart-sized plastic baggie and press into one corner of the bag. Twist the excess bag to make a faux piping bag and snip the end. Pipe laces by making one long vertical line in along the center of the cheese ball and several short horizontal lines. This takes only seconds to do and looks SO COOL!
Recipe Notes
You can use just one bell pepper (any color) or grab a bag of multicolor peppers.
Those super cute sweet mini peppers work great here!
MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS:
Make this crazy flavorful buffalo ranch football cheese ball in advance for your game day spread. It requires zero cooking and tastes fantastic the next day. For a crunchy coating, you can chop up your walnuts and peppers and store them seperatley in airtight containers until just before serving, then press them into the football. Store the chopped peppers in the fridge and the chopped walnuts on your counter, easy peasy! The cheeseball itself can be mixed, formed into a football, and stored in your fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!
Choose your favorite dippers: crackers, pretzels, chips, carrot sticks, celery sticks
:: pin it for later ::
I’m kind of freaking out over how good this is.
You probably won’t believe me when I say that I shared this touchdown dish with friends, but I swear I actually shared this time!
I mean…. Paul and I did eat like half of it before making it to their house but that comes as no surprise right? Of course I *HAD* to run quality control on this bad boy, right? It’s not my fault that it’s irresistible!
I mean, ok, it IS but whatever! I’ll behave next time.
Maybe.
Probably not.
We couldn’t keep our hands off of it!
SAVE TIME! Make Ahead Option
Make this crazy flavorful buffalo ranch football cheese ball in advance for your game day spread. It requires zero cooking and tastes fantastic the next day.
For a crunchy coating, you can chop up your walnuts and peppers and store them separately in airtight containers until just before serving, then press them into the football.
Store the chopped peppers in the fridge and the chopped walnuts on your counter, easy peasy! The cheeseball itself can be mixed, formed into a football, and stored in your fridge for up to 4 days. Awesome, right?!
Bonkers for Buffalo Sauce? Try my Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Bowls and Buffalo Shrimp Dip next!
Kathy
This looks so good, would like to try it…but is there something I could use instead of nuts? Maybe chopped celery?
Jenn
Hey Kathy! You could use more peppers or any other veggies your heart desires! Celery sounds awesome and bacon would also be amazing!xo
Kristin
AMAZING recipe. The cheese is smooth and creamy and the veggies add the perfect amount of crunchy texture. So much flavor — gets devoured during all get-togethers!
Kelsey vinson
All about the hot wings!!
Anita Jude
Your football-shaped dip sounds wonderful
Jenn
Thank you Anita!!!
Trisha Musgrave
I absolutely love pickle and onion wraps!!!
Mary Gardner
My favorite tailgate appetizer is jalapeño poppers or buffalo dip and chips.
Jenn
I always beeline for both! Thanks for entering Mary! 🙂
Kimmy Ripley
Antipasto skewers for the win!
Jenn
Ooh those sound good! Thanks for entering Kimmy! 🙂
Lisa
I love loaded nachos.
Tracie Cooper
My family loves buffalo chicken dip!
Jenn
Such good flavor! Thanks for entering Tracie!
stella methvin
mostly taco dip and Hubs must have pigs in a blanket too.
Jenn
Love a good taco dip! Thanks for entering Stella! 🙂
Carol Ezovski
My favorite is tortilla roll ups with cheese and ham
Jenn
Yum!!! Thanks for entering Carol!
Eileen Boyce
Cheese and veggies with buffalo dip.
Jenn
Always a great choice! Thanks for entering Eileen! <3
Kayla Klontz
My favorite would be queso dip!
Jenn
Yesssss! I always hog the queso! Thanks for entering Kayla!
Erin M
I always make swedish meatballs for tailgate parties.
Jenn
Sounds fantastic Erin! Thank you for entering! 🙂
judith
guacamole!
Jenn
Always delicious! Thanks for entering Judith!
Krista
Not only does this sound amazing but it looks amazing too!
Jenn
Thank you Krista!!
Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie
This is perfect for every Sunday!
Jenn
I’m with you on that! Edible footballs all weekend- every weekend!!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate
Oh my word, my husband and our friends are going to flip over these flavors! YUM! So perfect for Saturday!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen
What a pretty football. *words I never thought I’d say*
Jenn
Bahahaha thank you Renee! 🙂
Sabrina
What a perfect recipe for the gameday snack table! Yum!
Jenn
Thank you Sabrina!
Paula - bell'alimento
Sliders and wings are my go to but this is absolutely adorable. Love it.
Jenn
Thank you Paula! That sounds like a great combo for game day!
Emily
I love to make Frank’s buffalo dip!
Jenn
Woot! Thanks for entering Emily!
Jenny | Honey and Birch
I’m such a sucker for anything buffalo cheese! This is perfect for tailgating.
Jenn
Meeee tooooo! Thanks Jenny!
Lisa Brown
My favorite is buffalo chicken dip. I’m intrigued by this spin on it. I’ll have to give it a try.
Jenn
Thanks for entering Lisa 🙂 It’s such a great dip! Hope you get a chance to try this as well – we’re LOVING it and already plan on making another one this month!
Angela Hendricks
I love dips and cheeseballs! Oh and meatballs too! I could live off of those three items!
Joan Kubes
I love hot wings!
Susan Christy
Spicy grilled wings are my favorite
Jenn
SO good! Thanks for entering Susan!
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto
Now that is quite the deal! 22 cent jalapenos is amazing! WOW and this looks gorgeous!
Jenn
Right?! They were so fresh and crisp too 🙂 Thanks Vicky!
Deborah
I like pigs in a blanket
Jenn
Those are always so tasty! Thanks for entering Deborah! 🙂
Ashley Kolpak
Buffalo chicken wing dip
Jenn
Love it – thanks for entering Ashley!
Ellen
Great for game day! Great for tailgating! Love easy to transport dishes.
Jenn
Thank you Ellen!
manda shank
I love buffalo wings
Jenn
Meeeeee too! Buffalo sauce FTW! Thanks for entering Manda 🙂
Chris
Oh wow! This looks seriously amazing, Jenn!! And you’re totally right, the best part about watching the game is ALL about the food.
Jenn
Yessss! Football food is the BEST! Thanks Chris 🙂
Jenn
Oh my gosh, this is so cute! Perfect for parties and game day eats! My hubby is a football coach so I definitely need to try this!
Jenn
Thanks Jenn!
shelly peterson
I like a good pot of home made chili.
cshell090869 at aol dot com
Jenn
Me too Shelly! Thank you for entering the giveaway 🙂
Patty @ Spoonabilities
This is adorable! And it looks so good too.
Jenn
Thank you Patty!
Nancy Loring
A favorite in this house is sweet and sour kielbasa. It is usually the first thing to go.
Jenn
Sounds awesome Nancy – thanks for entering!!
Janice R.
My favorite tailgate appetizer is tortilla chips with salsa and I also love pigs in a blanket w/ mustard.
Jenn
Chips and salsa are always a win here! Thanks for entering Janice 🙂
Valentina
Bring on the game! Such a perfect game day treat!
Jenn
Thank you Valentina!
Kim O
i always make crockpot grape jelly meatballs. everyone’s fave.
Jenn
Yum!!!! My mom makes those and I love them so! Great idea + thanks for entering Kim 🙂
Kristen
My favorire are Asian style sweet & spicy wings.
Jenn
YUM!!! Thanks for entering Kristen!
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C
Your football-shaped dip is adorable! I bet it’s delicious too. I’m a long-suffering Browns fan, so football is more about the food, for sure.
Jenn
Soooooo delicious, thanks Andrea! Haha my team is doing awful this year so we’re def in it for the food and moral support to our losing team! xo
Ginny
I’ve got to say that’s one of the prettiest cheese balls I’ve ever seen. We are new to an area and my husband has found the Save-A-Lot. I need to go with him!
Jenn
Thank you Ginny! I was really impressed by the low prices and the produce was top quality too! 🙂
Tim
My favorite tailgating appetizer is barbecued rope sausage wrapped in a tortilla. I grew up in Texas and we called that a Texas corndog!!
Jenn
Thanks for entering Tim! Texas Corndogs sound awesome!
Lisa Bryan
This is seriously the cutest thing I’ve seen for game day parties. Definitely gonna make this one!
Jenn
Thank you Lisa! Hope you adore it!
Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks
That is such a cute way to plate a cheeseball! So much more easier to scoop and than a rolly polly ball! I love how your cheeseball is PACKED with yummy ingredients too! 😀
Jenn
Thanks Joyce! I could seriously eat this all season long… so good! 🙂
Kelly D
My favorite tailgate appetizer is nachos and cheese.
Jenn
Nachos are LIFE! Thanks for entering Kelly! 🙂
Edwina at Induction Cooking
I love this, it looks so perfect. And delicious! I must try making this. I wish I was eating it right now, yum.
Jenn
Thank you Edwina! I wish I was eating it right now too – we need to throw a football party stat! 🙂 xoxo
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