Dried Beef Cheese Ball
This is my dried beef cheese ball recipe. It’s that time of year when we are finally able to get together with family and friends. Do you love cheese balls as much as I do?
There is something awesome about making your own creamy, crunchy dried beef cheese ball that you can’t buy at the store.
My favorite thing at church get-togethers, family parties, or neighborhood gatherings would be appetizers. I love finger food, anything to pick up with your fingers and eat while talking to people.
In case you missed these posts, Pimento Cheese Ball, The Classic Bacon Cheese Ball
Items You May Need In The Kitchen
Dried Beef Cheese Ball

Dried Beef Cheese Ball
Step One
I love to gather my ingredients before I start to make the recipe.

Step Two
Let the cream cheese soften in your mixing bowl.

Step Three
Chop the green onions and save the bright green ones to roll the cheese ball in with some of the chipped beef.

Step Four
Rinse the chipped beef, if desired. It’s too salty for me. Drain it. Cut it into tiny pieces.

Step Five
Add the garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl of cream cheese. Beat with your hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Combine everything together, add the black pepper. Mix until smooth. Place the mixture into a bowl and cover with some plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for two hours.

Step Six
After two hours mold the mixture into a ball. Roll the cheese ball in some chopped green onions and chipped beef. Serve the chipped beef cheese ball with crackers or celery. Enjoy.
Finished Product

Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe

- 2 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1 4.5-ounce jar of chipped beef (save some to roll the cheese ball in)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 green onions chopped (save some for rolling the cheese ball in)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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Let the cream cheese soften in your mixing bowl. Add the garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl of cream cheese. Beat with your hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Rinse the chipped beef, if desired. It's too salty for me. Cut the chipped beef into tiny pieces, chop the green onions, and grate the cheese. Combine everything together, add the black pepper. Mix until smooth. Place the mixture into a bowl and cover with some plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for two hours. After two hours mold the mixture into a ball. Roll the cheese ball in some chopped green onions and chipped beef. Serve the chipped beef cheese ball with crackers or celery. Enjoy.
How do I store this cheese ball?
I store it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.
How long is a cheese ball good in my refigerator?
It depends on how fresh the ingredients were when you made the cheese ball. Typically the cheese ball is good for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze the cheese ball?
I can’t recommend freezing the cheese ball because I have never done it. You could take part of the cheese ball, place it in a freezer bag, and place it in the freezer for a trial run. I’d like to hear how it turned out when taken out to thaw and eat.
Can I use a different cheese?
Yes, you can. I have used Pepper Jack, Colby, and sharp cheddar cheese.
What can I serve with this cheese ball?
- Crackers
- Baguettes
- Celery
- Bagel Bites (pieces)
- Pretzels
- Pita Chips
What is chipped beef?
I quote Wikipedia, “Chipped beef is a form of pressed, salted and dried beef that has been sliced into thin pieces. Some makers smoke the dried beef for more flavor.” As mentioned in the recipe, I find the chipped beef from the store tends to be pretty salty, so I always rinse mine in water and then drain it. If you like your’s to be saltier, leave it as it comes out of the jar.
Can I add some nuts to the recipe?
Nuts would be a great addition. I don’t use nuts because I have a granddaughter who is allergic to nuts.
What is a cheese ball?
A cheese ball is an appetizer made with cream cheese, different cheeses, meats, green onions, and many different spices.
How far in advance can I make this cheese ball?
You can make this cheese ball about 1 week before you need it. This makes it nice because you can make other party items at the last minute.
Final Word
Sometimes it is easier to go to the store to buy a cheese ball, but this dried beef cheese ball is so easy to make and so much cheaper to make than to purchase. It also goes back to teaching our kids and grandkids how to cook from scratch.
We love cheese balls and often buy them from a local Utah-based store, Harmon’s. They have a bunch of varieties, but I don’t remember seeing them with dried beef as this recipe calls for.
I wanted to mention, one of the favorite meals I like to prepare for the family is called cream chip beef on toast. Whenever our kids and grandkids would come to visit they’d request it. I would use the same dried beef that we use with this cheese ball.
If you make a habit of cooking or baking at home, your kids and grandkids will learn by example a much-needed skill. May God Bless this world, Linda
Linda:
Recipe sounds interesting. Sounds like something they would have made during WWI or WWII. I always was a history buff. I’m just not sure my family would enjoy it. My husband will only eat pork or poultry.
Hi Jackie, thank you for the 5 stars, my friend! You are always so nice. I bet you’re right about WWI or WWII, chipped beef was a big item. I grew up on cream-chipped beef and cream tuna on toast!!! Oh, and SPAM! Oh, the memories! Linda
I made these cheese balls for my daughter’s wedding and they were frozen with no problems. I think they were made ahead about a month? I hope this helps.
Tammy H. Cheese Ball
3 8 ounce packages cream cheese or fat free cream cheese
2 packages sliced beef, chopped fine
1/3 cup creamy dressing, i.e. Ranch or Italian
1/4 cup minced onion or 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
Nuts of your choice, chopped
Hormel Bacon bits
Mix first four ingredients together. Then roll in nuts (pecans) and Hormel Bacon bits.
Hi Judy, oh my gosh, thank you for sharing you froze some cheese balls!! I love hearing this and for a month is even better! Linda
I have made this cheeseball for years, got the recipe from a friend. Not Christmas without it.
Hi June, oh thank you for the 5 stars!! I love hearing this!! It’s cheese ball month for me too! Linda
Hi what is packaged chip beef – corned beef?
Thanks
Hi Joyce, no, chipped beef is not corned beef. I wish I had taken a full picture of the jars. They are found on the canned meat aisles with either a red or blue lid. Here is the product to look at: https://amzn.to/3IkayVm