French Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball

French Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball – Caramelized onions, Gruyere and cream cheese coated in French’s® Crispy Fried Onions and chives makes for an insanely delicious appetizer.

This French Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball is a super delicious and shareable appetizer! It’s totally awesome for family gatherings during the holidays, except you’ll have to hurry to get a bite before it’s all gone!

It was a pleasure collaborating with French’s to sponsored this post for the #RealFlavorsHaveCrunch holiday campaign.. All opinions expressed are of my own.

I love making fun, easy and full of flavor appetizers that wow guests at holiday get-togethers and parties. While entertaining can be stressful, my job as the hostess is to one, make it easy on myself, two, not over complicate things, and three, make everything look so delicious that my guests feel loved.

So my goal this holiday season is to make everything into a cheese ball. I’m kidding… Well, kind of. You see, cheese balls take little time to prepare, they sit in the fridge until they’re ready to be served, and they’re just a gorgeous addition to every table.

My family loves, loves, loves caramelized onions and bacon. Whenever we hit up our favorite burger joint, both kids and adults load on the bacon and grilled onions. This past Thanksgiving, I had a bottle of French’s Crispy Fried Onions out on the counter for the traditional green bean casserole, and of course, I had little hands in the jar, eating as many fried onions as they could sneak. I really couldn’t yell at them, as I was doing the same exact thing. And while I am really the only one in my family who loves that casserole, everyone ate the fried onion topping right off the top.

With the kids and the hubs eating up all the onions, I was inspired to create this French Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball. We love French’s Crispy Fried Onions (obviously). And with bacon, the more bacon the better. I decided to combine the two into a no-bake appetizer. I also wanted a touch of heat, so I added some crushed red pepper. You can adjust this amount to what you think your party crowd would like.

Cheese balls are always huge hits over the holiday season, and this French Onion & Bacon Cheese Ball will become a go-to recipe – not just for your holiday season, but for the rest of the year as well.

With just a few simple ingredients, including bacon, cream cheese, and French’s Crispy Fried Onions, you are well on your way to an insanely delicious appetizer. Happy Holidays friends, and make this a season of foodie adventures. XOXO San

How do you make a cheese ball?

Cut raw bacon into chunks and fry up in a pan over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked.

Once cooked, remove from heat and drain grease.

Allow the bacon to cool on a paper towel; set aside.

Using the same frying pan heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat, then add onion and season with salt and pepper.

Cook over heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool.

Finely chop cooled bacon and add to a large mixing bowl.

Add cream cheese, sour cream, Gruyère, thyme and red pepper flakes, beat until well combined.

Stir in cooled onions, until completely mixed in.

Form the cheese mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap to chill for at least 1 hour.

In a small bowl combine chives and French’s Crispy Fried Onions, toss to combine.

When ready to serve, remove the cheese ball from the fridge and roll it in the fried onion and chive mixture.

Serve with crackers, chips or baguette slices.

How do you store a cheese ball?

Wrap cheese ball tightly with plastic wrap and completely in aluminum foil and shape again with your hands before storing in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.

To freeze, wrap cheese ball in plastic wrap and then add to a resealable freezer bag.

Place in freezer for up to 1 month.

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