Jalapeño Popper Cheese Football
This make-ahead Jalapeño Popper Cheese Football is the perfect game day appetizer to share with your family.
Football season is back!! The moment my family has been waiting for since February is finally here.
My mom and husband are the biggest football fans in the family and they love to get together on Sunday afternoons to enjoy {yelling at} the game together.
I personally LOVE jalapeño poppers but I think Tim might panic at the sight of such a huge pepper on the plater.
Instead, I decided to make this awesome jalapeño cheese ball shaped like a football with Wheat Thin crackers crumbled over the top and served on the side.
The jalapeños are diced finely, hidden inside, and just give the cheese a bit of a kick without being too spicy.
Why This is the Best Recipe
I love making easy party appetizers, I think this is the best jalapeño popper cheese ball recipe because:
- Football-Shaped: How fun and festive is this for football season or The Big Game??
- Potluck Party-Friendly: This travel-friendly appetizer is perfect for bringing to a party.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can get all the work done the day before.
Ingredients
All you need to make this easy recipe is:
- Cream Cheese: To keep things lighter, I used Neufchatel cheese
- Shredded Cheddar
- Fresh Jalapeño
- Garlic Powder
- Green Onions
- Sour Cream: For garnish
- Crackers for Serving: I prefer Wheat Thins but a butter cracker or something like Triscuits would work, too.
Prep the Cheese Ball
To make this adorable appetizer, simply blend together the cheeses, onion powder, minced jalapeño, and chopped green onions in a bowl.
Then scoop it out onto the platter and gently pat it into a football shape with your hands.
CRUSH & SPRINKLE:
Place 15 Wheat Thin crackers in a plastic baggie. Seal it and use a kitchen mallet to crush them into crumbs.
Mix with some reserved green onions and pat them all over the top of the football.
SNIP & DECORATE:
Place 2 tbsp of sour cream in a plastic baggie and snip a small corner off the bottom. Pipe the sour cream over the football to make the laces.
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Make Ahead Tips
I'm always looking for ways to get food on the table faster. Make-ahead recipes are some of my favorites.
A jalapeño cheese ball is the perfect make-ahead appetizer because you can do all the prep work in the morning or the day before and let it just chill in the fridge until game time.
I recommend saving the sour cream decoration for just before serving so you can cover the cheese ball in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
Potluck Party Tips
If you're heading to a game day party out of the house, this is a perfectly portable appetizer to bring, too.
Transport the cheese ball on your platter and bring along the sour cream to make the laces just before serving.
Bring an extra box of crackers since they'll go with just about any appetizer on the table!
Serving Suggestions
I always keep an eye on the clearance section of the store and snap up cute and colorful paper plates and napkins when I spot them.
I keep them in a tub in my pantry and use them for special events like game day.
If you make the jalapeño popper cheese football ahead of time and then use paper plates, there's virtually no clean-up when the party is done!
The kids love how festive such a small and simple thing makes our viewing party.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
If you are looking for a more bite-sized version of this recipe, you'll love these less-spicy stuffed banana peppers or enjoy the same flavor combo but in Halloween form with these adorable jalapeño mummy poppers.
If you want a similar flavor but with less heat, you might enjoy my fried pickle dip or one of these other family favorites:
📖 Recipe
Jalapeño Popper Cheese Football
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese softened
- 1 (7 oz) bag of shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño pepper
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 green onions chopped, divided
- Wheat Thin crackers
- 2 tsp light sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, jalapeño pepper, garlic powder and 3 tablespoons green onions in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Transfer the mixture to a pretty platter and shape the cheese mixture into an oval shape to resemble a football.
- Crush 15 Wheat Thin crackers finely; mix the crumbs with the remaining onions. Press the cracker mixture onto the cheese ball until the entire surface is evenly coated with the crumb mixture.
- Chill the cheese ball for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in advance so it has a chance to set. If storing overnight, cover with plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out in the fridge.
- Just before serving, place a spoonful of sour cream into a small resealable plastic bag. Cut a small tip off one bottom corner of the bag; use "piping bag" to pipe sour cream onto football to resemble laces.
- Serve with crackers.
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