Only 7 ingredients and a few minutes of time are needed to make this easy holiday appetizer. Cream cheese, chopped dried beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and shredded cheddar cheese combine to form a wonderfully flavorful cheese ball.

What is Dried Beef?

Dried beef can be found in jars in the canned meat section of the grocery store. Armour is the brand that I use. Dried beef, also called chipped beef, is pressed, salted, dried beef that is cut in thin slices. It is very, very salty, so I like to soak in in warm water for a few minutes to remove some of the salt.

My favorite recipe to make with dried beef is Creamy Chipped Beef and Toast. Such a great breakfast!

Tips For Making Chipped Beef Cheese Ball

Give the cream cheese plenty of time to soften. It will be so much easier to mix the ingredients together.
Chop the beef up really small and it will be much easier to spread on crackers and eat.
Leftovers can be used to stuff mushrooms.

Can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.
Can be made a few days in advance. Wait until just before serving to coat it with the nuts and onions.
The uncoated cheese ball can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen. Thaw in refrigerator.