This Hatch Green Chile Cheese Ball is a fun Mexican twist on a classic! Three cheeses mixed with spices and the popular roasted chile for a beautiful and impressive appetizer.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
There is something special about Hatch green chiles and I love to use them in as many ways as possible! (See a list of our Hatch recipes below the recipe card at the bottom of the page).
This time, I have taken the popular party appetizer cheese ball and modified it to highlight the peppers plus some complimentary spices.
Fast and easy to make, this cheese ball can be popped in the refrigerator and pulled out to serve when you are ready, letting you enjoy the company of your friends and family.
Serve it up with vegetables, chips, and crackers!
Ingredients
What is cheese ball made of? Here is what you need to make this recipe:
- Cream Cheese
- Hatch Green Chiles
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Shredded Pepperjack Cheese
- Garlic Powder
- Green Chile Powder (optional)
- Cumin
About Hatch Green Chiles
Hatch chile peppers are popular and from the town of Hatch, New Mexico. You can typically find various heat levels of the pepper, with the hottest available earliest in the season.
I love to use the fresh peppers, since I am lucky to have them in this area. If you do not see them in the produce section, I have found that frozen packs of roasted and diced green chiles are the closest substitution.
And of course there are always canned diced green chiles easily accessible.
Another option is to buy Anaheim peppers fresh and roast them yourself. The Anaheim pepper is actually a variety of Hatch peppers that were grown in California. The main difference is they are very, very mild. So to get heat, you will want to add hot sauce.
Pick the heat level of diced Hatch green chiles that you prefer. Think of their heat similar to a salsa. I like to go with mild or medium as I can always make it more spicy but do not want anyone to be uncomfortable with it being too hot!
Instruction Overview
Mix together all of the ingredients except for the corn chips (or coating of choice) in a large bowl.
Shape the cheese mixture together into a round sphere shape. The best you can! It can be tricky with it being so soft. We can fix that later.
Completely wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. (As long as it is holding its shape, you are good!).
When ready to serve, remove the cheese ball from the plastic wrap.
Shape into a sphere as needed (it tends to flatten a little).
Crush up the blue corn tortilla chips (or coating of choice) and place on a large plate or cutting board.
Roll the cheese ball in the chip pieces, and press pieces on in the blank spots as needed.
Serve with your favorite dunkers.
Modifications and Substitutions
Instead of tortilla chips on the outside, you could use any nut chopped up.
You can swap out pepperjack cheese for Monterey jack, more cheddar, or even mozzarella.
Kim’s Tips
The green chile powder is completely optional, but I love it because it brings some of that green chile flavor through the entire cheese ball, even if you do not get a chunk of the pepper itself.
If using tortilla chips for the outer coating, do not coat until ready to serve. Otherwise, the chips will get soggy.
FAQs
What do you eat a cheese ball with?
Cheese balls can be eaten with crackers, chips, vegetables, and bread.
For this recipe I would keep with the Mexican flavors and use things such as tortilla chips, crackers, and bell peppers.
How long will a cheese ball keep?
A cheese ball lasts at least a week in the refrigerator.
Is it OK to freeze a cheese ball?
Yes! Make sure it is wrapped well. And allow time for thawing when ready to serve. This is easiest by thawing in the refrigerator overnight.
Hatch Green Chile Cheese Ball
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened (2 packages)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese (or Monterey, or Mozzarella, or more cheddar)
- 4 ounces diced green chiles heat level of choice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon green chile powder optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces blue corn chips (approximately, a couple handfulls) or coating of choice, such as nuts
Instructions
- Mix together the softened cream cheese, cheddar, pepperjack, green chiles, garlic powder, green chile powder (if using), cumin, and salt in a bowl with a spatula.16 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese, 4 ounces diced green chiles, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon green chile powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt
- Scoop the cheese mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap and use your hands to shape it into a large ball.
- Wrap the ball up and refrigerate at least 30 minutes for it to somewhat harden.
- Remove the ball from the refrigerator when ready to serve and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Crush the blue corn tortilla chips into smaller pieces and roll the ball in the chips. Fill in gaps as needed with your hands to cover most of the ball.2 ounces blue corn chips
- Serve with dippers like vegetables, chips, and crackers.
