This easy recipe for mini olive cheese balls coated in savory cracker crumbs makes the perfect appetizers for a Christmas party, New Year’s party or any get-together!

Why make these mini cheese balls

No bake
Easy recipe
Quick preparation - 20 of them are ready in 15 minutes!
Make ahead - even though this is a quick recipe, you can make these mini cheese balls the night before serving. Just throw them in an air-tight container and take them out when ready to serve.
Easier to eat than the classic cheese ball!

These quick appetizers are the perfect party food. Try them and let us know in the comment section what you think!

How to make Olive Stuffed Cheese Ball Bites Step 1

Ingredients

Cream cheese
Cheddar - you can either buy a block and grate it yourself or buy shredded. I prefer the first option.
Dried oregano
Pitted olives - preferably stuffed
Savory crackers of your choice

How to make Olive Stuffed Cheese Ball Bites Step 2

Tools needed

Bowl for mixing
Fork or spoon (spatula will also work)
Food processor or a ziploc bag and rolling pin for turning the crackers into crumbs

How to make Olive Stuffed Cheese Ball Bites Step 3

How to make olive cheese balls

First, gather all the ingredients. Then, drain all the liquid from the olives, put them onto a few sheets of paper kitchen towel and set aside. This is to get rid of any excess moisture from olives.

Meanwhile, mix the two cheeses with oregano until smooth. Now all you have to do is cover each olive with some of this mixture. There is no need to use a lot of the mixture. Just enough to cover each olive. About a teaspoon should be plenty.

When ready, roll the cheese ball bites in cracker crumbs and you are done. Chill them in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Pro tips

It does not matter what kind of olives you use, just make sure they are pitted. My personal favorite are stuffed olives (with pepper, lemon or jalapeno …) as they are more flavorful. To make these olive balls I used pepper stuffed olives.
The cream cheese mixture will be sticky, but you will still be able to form balls easily. Make sure to use chilled cream cheese.
I serve these olive cream cheese balls coated in cracker crumbs, but you can omit this step, if you like. Or use walnuts, pistachios or pecans instead. Alternatively, you can serve the olive balls on crackers.

Homemade Olive Stuffed Cheese Ball Bites

More appetizer recipe ideas:

Olive Cheese Balls

Author: Julia

This easy recipe for mini olive cheese balls coated in savory cracker crumbs makes the perfect appetizers for a Christmas party, New Year’s party or any get-together!

4.54 from 32 votes

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Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings balls, see note 3

Ingredients

20 olives (pitted, see note 1)
8 ounces cream cheese (225 grams)
3.5 ounces cheddar cheese (finely shredded, 100 grams)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
7 crackers (see note 2)

Instructions

Place 20 olives onto 2 sheets of paper kitchen towel and set aside. The towel will soak up any excess moisture.
In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, grated/shredded cheese and dried oregano until well combined. Use about a teaspoon of the mixture to coat one olive with it.
When done, roll it into a ball. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture.
Crush the crackers either using a food processor or a Ziploc bag and rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl. Coat each ball in the mixture and place onto a plate.
Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (up to overnight) before serving. When chilling them in the fridge overnight, I prefer placing them in an airtight container or covering them with plastic wrap.
Enjoy!

Notes

Olives - you can use black or green olives but for more flavor, I recommend using stuffed olives.
Crackers of your choice, like Ritz crackers. Crackers can be substituted with walnuts or pecans.
You should get somewhere between 20-24 balls out of this recipe. The number will depend on how much of the mixture you will use per ball.
These can be made the night ahead and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge until the following day.
If you find the mixture too soft to your liking, add more grated cheddar.

Nutrition

Calories: 72 kcal (4%), Carbohydrates: 2 g (1%), Protein: 2 g (4%), Fat: 6 g (9%), Saturated Fat: 3 g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 16 mg (5%), Sodium: 140 mg (6%), Potassium: 25 mg (1%), Fiber: 0.3 g (1%), Sugar: 1 g (1%), Vitamin A: 222 IU (4%), Vitamin C: 0.01 mg, Calcium: 54 mg (5%), Iron: 0.2 mg (1%)

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

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