Chipped Beef Cheese Ball is a savory, crowd-pleasing appetizer that’s been stealing the show at parties for decades! With just cream cheese, dried beef, and green onions, this retro classic delivers incredible flavor in every creamy, salty bite.
Love More Shaped Ball Recipes? Try My Donkey Balls Recipe or this Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Savory, creamy, and full of flavor, this Chipped Beef Cheese Ball is a classic party appetizer that never disappoints. Blended with cream cheese, dried beef, green onions, and a touch of seasoning, it’s rolled into a perfect ball and chilled for easy slicing or spreading. Serve it with crackers or veggies for a crowd-pleasing snack everyone will love.
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Chipped Beef Cheese Ball
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 large cheese ball
Description
Classic Chipped Beef Cheese Ball made with cream cheese, dried beef, and green onions. This retro appetizer is perfect for parties, holidays, and game day gatherings. Easy to make ahead and always a crowd favorite!
Ingredients
Base:
- 16 ounces cream cheese (two 8-ounce blocks), softened
- 2.25 ounces dried beef (chipped beef), finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Accent (MSG), optional (see substitutions below)
- 4 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
For Serving:
- Butter crackers
- Wheat crackers
- Pretzels
- Corn chip scoops
- Raw vegetables (carrots, celery, bell peppers)
Instructions
Set cream cheese on the counter and walk away for at least an hour. I used to think I could rush this—nope. Cold cream cheese is impossible to mix smooth. You’ll beat it for ten minutes and still have chunks. Save yourself the frustration and just let it sit out while you’re getting ready or watching TV or whatever.
Use kitchen scissors to chop the dried beef. Life’s too short to wrestle with a knife trying to cut those thin little pieces that slide all over your cutting board. Scissors take two minutes tops. Slice your green onions however you normally slice green onions.
Throw soft cream cheese in your bowl. Add the MSG if you’re using it, half your chopped beef, dump in the green onions. Turn your mixer on and let it rip until you can’t see any cream cheese chunks. My hand mixer takes maybe two minutes. Don’t stop too early or you’ll have lumps nobody wants.
Time to get your hands dirty. Scoop that mixture out and form it into a ball with your hands. It’s soft, it’s sticky, it’s messy—totally normal. Some days mine looks like a perfect sphere, other days it’s more blob-shaped. Doesn’t matter one bit once people start attacking it with crackers.
Grab the rest of your dried beef and press it onto the outside. Just pat it on there until the whole surface is covered. This makes it look impressive sitting on the plate, plus you get beef flavor in every single bite instead of having to dig for it.
Wrap it tight in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. I always make mine the night before though. Tastes way better after sitting overnight—flavors blend together or something. Also means I’m not scrambling around trying to throw it together an hour before people show up.
Peel off the plastic, set it on your best plate, pile crackers and veggies around it. Then just stand back because it’s about to get demolished.
Notes
- Use kitchen shears to chop the dried beef – it’s SO much faster than trying to chop it with a knife, and you won’t have little pieces flying everywhere.
- If your cheese ball seems too soft to shape, pop the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes first.
- Can’t find dried beef? Look for it in jars near the canned tuna, or in the deli section in vacuum-sealed packages.
- For a smoother texture, pulse the dried beef in a food processor before adding it to the mixture.
- Make mini cheese balls using a small cookie scoop – they’re perfect for individual servings and look adorable on an appetizer spread!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No-bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredient List
Base:
- 16 ounces cream cheese (two 8-ounce blocks), softened
- 2.25 ounces dried beef (chipped beef), finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Accent (MSG), optional (see substitutions below)
- 4 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
For Serving:
- Butter crackers
- Wheat crackers
- Pretzels
- Corn chip scoops
- Raw vegetables (carrots, celery, bell peppers)
Yield: About 16 appetizer servings
Why These Ingredients Work
Full-fat cream cheese or don’t bother. I tried the low-fat version once trying to be “healthy” and it was grainy and sad. The real stuff whips up smooth and gives you that rich, tangy base that makes this whole thing work.
Dried beef comes in these little jars that look super unappetizing on the shelf. I get it. But trust me—chop it up fine and mix it in, and suddenly you’ve got this concentrated beefy, salty flavor that people go nuts for. Usually find it near the canned tuna, Buddig and Hormel both make it.
Green onions are the only onions you should use here. Period. My aunt used regular yellow onions one year and we all smelled like an Italian restaurant for two days. Green onions give you just enough bite without clearing the room.
The MSG thing—look, my grandma used it, I use it, makes everything taste more intense. But my cousin’s wife won’t touch MSG and she makes it without, still disappears just as fast. Up to you.
Essential Tools and Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Plastic wrap
- Serving plate or platter
How To Make Chipped Beef Cheese Ball
Step 1: Prep Your Ingredients
Set cream cheese on the counter and walk away for at least an hour. I used to think I could rush this—nope. Cold cream cheese is impossible to mix smooth. You’ll beat it for ten minutes and still have chunks. Save yourself the frustration and just let it sit out while you’re getting ready or watching TV or whatever.
Use kitchen scissors to chop the dried beef. Life’s too short to wrestle with a knife trying to cut those thin little pieces that slide all over your cutting board. Scissors take two minutes tops. Slice your green onions however you normally slice green onions.
Step 2: Mix the Base
Throw soft cream cheese in your bowl. Add the MSG if you’re using it, half your chopped beef, dump in the green onions. Turn your mixer on and let it rip until you can’t see any cream cheese chunks. My hand mixer takes maybe two minutes. Don’t stop too early or you’ll have lumps nobody wants.
Step 3: Shape Your Cheese Ball
Time to get your hands dirty. Scoop that mixture out and form it into a ball with your hands. It’s soft, it’s sticky, it’s messy—totally normal. Some days mine looks like a perfect sphere, other days it’s more blob-shaped. Doesn’t matter one bit once people start attacking it with crackers.
Step 4: Coat with Dried Beef
Grab the rest of your dried beef and press it onto the outside. Just pat it on there until the whole surface is covered. This makes it look impressive sitting on the plate, plus you get beef flavor in every single bite instead of having to dig for it.
Step 5: Chill
Wrap it tight in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. I always make mine the night before though. Tastes way better after sitting overnight—flavors blend together or something. Also means I’m not scrambling around trying to throw it together an hour before people show up.
Step 6: Serve and Enjoy
Peel off the plastic, set it on your best plate, pile crackers and veggies around it. Then just stand back because it’s about to get demolished.
You Must Know
Soft cream cheese is THE difference between success and lumpy disappointment. Every time someone tells me theirs didn’t turn out right, it’s because they tried mixing cold cream cheese. Just can’t be done. Set it out early, be patient, thank me later.
Personal Secret: Day-old cheese ball beats fresh every time. Something happens when it sits in the fridge overnight where everything kind of melds together and gets even better. I’ve done taste tests—nobody argues with overnight.
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
Kitchen scissors for chopping dried beef changed everything for me. Stop fighting with a knife. Scissors, thirty seconds, done.
Too soft to shape? Bowl goes in the fridge for fifteen minutes. Fixes itself.
Can’t find dried beef at your regular store? Check by the deli or ask someone who works there. Sometimes they hide it in weird spots. Or order it online—Amazon has it.
Making mini portions? Cookie scoop, roll in beef, chill. Gets you like twenty little individual cheese balls that look fancy at work parties. Takes the same amount of time as making one big one.
Flavor Variations & Suggestions
Herbed Version: Chop up fresh dill and mix it in. Did this for my daughter’s graduation party last spring and three different people asked if I’d gone to culinary school. I laughed.
Crunchy Outside: Roll it in chopped pecans instead of beef on the outside. Or do half and half around the sides if you can’t pick. Both ways work.
Extra Cheesy: Shred up some sharp cheddar and mix it through. Makes the whole thing firmer and adds another cheese layer. My brother does this every time now.
Spicy Kick: Throw in diced jalapeños or sprinkle cayenne in the mix. My coworker brought a spicy version to the office party and people were fighting over the last bit.
Ranch Style: Mix in ranch seasoning. Cannot fail with ranch. Everyone loves ranch.
Make-Ahead Options
Make it one or two days early, keep it wrapped in the fridge. One less thing on your day-of party list when you’re already stressed about everything else.
Freezer works too if you’re planning way ahead. I wrap it in plastic wrap, then wrap it again in foil so it doesn’t get that freezer taste. Lasts two months easy. Night before you need it, move it to the fridge and forget about it till party time.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
Soft mixture after mixing is supposed to happen. Don’t panic thinking you messed up. Fridge firms it right up.
No MSG? Use regular salt or splash in Worcestershire sauce. Both totally fine substitutes.
Dried beef is already super salty so go easy on extra salt. First time I made this I dumped in garlic salt without thinking and it was like licking the ocean. Ruined my whole batch.
Double everything if you’re feeding more than fifteen people. I make two for big holidays—regular one and one with pecans so there’s options.
Serving Suggestions
Put out different crackers because everyone’s got opinions. I always do Ritz, wheat thins, and pretzel chips. Covers most people. Fritos Scoops are perfect for this because they’re sturdy enough to hold a big scoop without snapping in half.
Cut up some veggies—carrots, celery, bell peppers, whatever’s in your fridge. My health-conscious friends like having the vegetable option even though they still eat half the crackers too.
Cheese ball goes in the center of a big platter, everything else arranged around it. Sprinkle some extra green onion on top if you want it pretty for photos, but honestly people just want to eat it.
Works for literally any occasion. I’ve made it for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, random Tuesday movie nights. Never met an event it wasn’t right for.
How to Store Your Chipped Beef Cheese Ball
Refrigerator: Wrap leftovers back up in plastic or throw them in a container with a lid. Stays good five to seven days. Never actually tested the full seven days because it’s always gone by day two.
Freezer: Plastic wrap, then foil on top so it doesn’t get freezer burn. Two months, maybe longer but I’ve never kept it that long. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before serving.
Room Temperature: Gets two hours sitting out max, then back in the fridge it goes. Cream cheese isn’t one to mess around with.
Serving: Take it out about fifteen minutes before people arrive so it’s not rock solid. Makes it way easier to spread on crackers.
Allergy Information
Contains: Dairy (cream cheese)
Gluten-free: Cheese ball itself has no gluten but check your dried beef jar to be sure. Serve with gluten-free crackers or veggies.
Dairy-free: Could try dairy-free cream cheese but I’ve never tested it myself. Get the brick kind if you do, not the tub stuff.
MSG-sensitive: Skip the Accent, use regular salt or Worcestershire instead.
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
Can I make this without MSG?
Yep, works fine without it. Just add salt or Worcestershire sauce instead. Made it both ways a hundred times—both versions disappear just as fast.
Where do I find dried beef?
Canned meat section near tuna, or deli area in vacuum packs. Sometimes stores hide it in random places so just ask someone. Worst case, get thin sliced roast beef from the deli counter and chop it super fine. Not exactly the same but works okay.
My cheese ball is too soft to shape – what should I do?
Stick the bowl in the fridge fifteen to twenty minutes. Your kitchen might be too warm or your cream cheese was extra soft. Chill time fixes it.
How far in advance can I make this?
Day or two ahead in the fridge is perfect. Two months in the freezer if you’re super organized. Overnight is actually ideal though—tastes better the next day.
Can I use low-fat or whipped cream cheese?
No. Just no. Regular full-fat blocks only. Low-fat gets grainy and weird, whipped cream cheese has too much air to shape properly. Use the real stuff.
💬 Made this cheese ball? Drop a comment and let me know how it went! I love hearing whether people stick with the original or go rogue with add-ins.
