Cheese Balls

Have you tried this recipe? Enter the Food Foto Festival and win the Grand Prize! Competition closes on June 30, 2013.
Cheese Balls

This can be used as a starter especially if your guests are veggies. I made this cheese balls to make malai kofta, but since it was so good as it is, i didn’t get a chance to make malai kofta, but i have no regrets :). Next time if i could resist the temptation and pass to the next stage of malai kofta, you can see its result :)

  1. Paneer (cottage cheese) – 200 gms
  2. Potato – 1 medium – big (boiled & mashed)
  3. Crushed pepper – 1 tablespoon
    Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
    Cornflour – 1-2 tablespoon
  4. Salt
  5. Oil – for frying

Mix all the ingredients (except oil) together. Take small amounts from it and make small balls. Deep fry in oil & serve hot with sauce of your choice.

If you tried this out, do let me know how it turned out.



Over 12,000 readers can't be wrong! Never miss the free recipes!



  (Becoz, exciting stuff is coming soon...)
Have you tried this recipe? Enter the Food Foto Festival and win the Grand Prize! Competition closes on June 30, 2013.
  • http://www.rvkitchentreats.blogspot.com roopa

    yummmmmmy yum yum…just feel like snatching it from my monitor!

  • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

    Thanks Roopa :)

  • http://thebuddingcook.blogspot.com/ TBC

    Those are such pretty looking cheese balls. That’s a nice pic.

  • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

    Thanks TBC… btw i visited your blog too, you too have beautiful pictures :)

  • Sarika

    They do look great, can we add grated cheese along with the paneer.Do you think it will taste good?

  • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

    Thanks Sarika….

    hhmmm i havent added grated cheese, may be you can do one thing. Add grated cheese to a small portion and try out. It should be good, after all cheese right ;)

  • Pretty Woman

    Hi Maria,
    I am a recent visitor of your blog. :) and i find it very Glamorous.The colour combi and pictures look great.. I tried this cheese ball recipe last week,both me and my husband loved it. It does make a great starter hmmm.. but i feel that malai kofta might be even better (juicy koftas.. YUM!!) b’coz these cheese balls become oily while frying. Is there any way to avoid it?!! Oil or no oil we liked it anyway :)
    Great Job, Thanks u!!

  • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

    Thanks pretty woman for visiting my blog and also for your encouraging words. To reduce the oil of cheese balls, may be you can shallow fry it, instead of deep frying.

  • Litty abraham

    Hai,Maria I am a new visitor to this.I got the message from Jeena.Iappreciate your efforts.I promise that,will try your recipe and let u know.Will u please post a recipe for regular fruit cake or a plumm cake?.Thank you.

  • chi

    hi maria,i tried u re cheese balls today….am not sure if i did anything wrong(though i dideverything exactly like u said) …but the balls kept breaking when i was frying it….eventually,it drank a lot of oil…also,it didnt come as golde brown as u’rslooked….but it tasted ok….can u tellmewhat to do?

  • http://www.tangerineskitchen.blogspot.com Rachel

    finally found a recipe for cheeseballs..since my toddler loves them and i hate her eating so many packets of them from the store..this recipe is a relief…

  • Raichu

    Hi Maria,

    Wonderful recipe.Did you grate the paneer or just crumbled it ?

  • http://www.splitpearsonality.blogspot.com Zaara

    I tried these! I must say your photo was so tempting, thats why i had to try these little guys and they are great – like a party in your mouth when you pop them in. I added some red chilli flakes as well to give them a little zing. Great recipe! I hope you don’t mind if I add it to my blog.

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi Zaara

      Thanks for dropping in and visiting my blog. I liked your idea of adding red chilli flakes, I will def try that next time :) and yes you can add this to your blog, thanks for that :)

      Cheers
      Maria

  • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

    @chi – The cheese balls should be fried at a med -high flame, otherwise it tends to break, I think that’s what happened with you. That can also be the reason why it didnt become golden brown. Please do try frying it at medium-high flame next time. Hope it comes out well.

    @ Raichu – I crumbled the paneer in this recipe.

    @ Litty – Thanks for visiting the blog and I will try to post a fruit cake recipe sometime soon :)

  • http://www.splitpearsonality.blogspot.com Zaara

    Hi maria, I just did a small post on making homemade paneer – check it out some time =)
    http://splitpearsonality.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-tomake-indian-cheese-paneer.html

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Zaara

      I will check it sometime soon :)

      Thanks
      Maria

  • http://www.paras-sargam.blogspot.com Parasmani

    Love Kofta! Thanks…I will try.

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi Parasmani,

      Please do try this. Hope you will like it too.

      Cheers
      Maria

  • sameera

    hi…..this is sameera….ur cheese balls look great…..im a recent visitor to this web site…..and i like all ur recipies…….please publish some recipies for toddlers as well….mine is a very fussy eater

  • Namrata

    Hey these worked for me again.. Hey one thing to share for all my friends who complained about breaking of those balls while frying just add some extra potato and corn flour. Try frying a ball or two and repeat the same. Yes it wont take excess of potato and corn flour. Also dont try to roll the balls again and again once you start frying them. And hey Maria thanks a lot. It was easy simple and made me feel like lets try recipe.. :)

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi Namrata,

      Thanks a ton for trying this and also for sharing your tip with others too :)

      Really glad that you liked it and thanks for trying the malai kofta too :)

      Cheers
      Maria

  • gai3

    Hie Maria,
    am a recnt visitor to ur blog…and loved the recipe.Looks soooo mothwatering.Have also tried your Butter chicken and my hubby loveed it :)
    Great going!
    gai3
    would want to try out ur kids menu too.

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi gai3,

      Thanks for visiting and also for trying out the recipes :)

      Hope to see you here more often..

      Happy cooking :)

      Cheers
      Maria

  • http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shabs-Flavours/120573951341398 shabna ahamed

    hai maria , hw r u
    I recently came to know about your page and blog.
    wow its simply awesome.
    Your recipes are simply nice and beautiful.
    I tried your cheese balls, it came out awesome.
    My huby and little one loved it.
    I love experimenting new recipes.
    I even have a facebook page .
    hope u will check i have pasted the link on the website column.
    anyway thanku dear…………………. recipe was wonderful.

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi Shabna

      I’m doing good dear. Thank you so much for all your sweet words & also for trying the recipe. I’m so happy to hear that the cheese balls was a hit with your family :)

      Thanks for adding me to your FB page. I visited your page & its great! You’ve a wonderful collection of recipes. I was on a holiday, so didnt get time to go through it in detail, but I will do that soon :)

      Best wishes to you!

      Cheers
      Maria

  • Sindhu Nair

    Hi maria,

    I have one doubt:

    whether paneer should be grated before mixing up with other ingrediats or we can add as such?

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi Sindhu

      I crumbled the paneer and used it. You can either crumble or grate the paneer. It helps in mixing.

      Cheers
      Maria

  • bins

    Hi maria..h r u/?

    i have been making these yummy balls for quite a while…they were great! the 1st time,they came out nearly as good as urs(tho not quite),but now adays,when i make them,they tend to break even when i fry them in medium hot oil…
    i wonder if it has something to do with the way i boiled the potato-i cubed and boiled it.cud that be the reason?do reply if you can help me…thanks…

    • http://www.mariasmenu.com Maria

      Hi Bins,

      I’m doing good dear.

      Some of the reasons for the cheese balls to crack can be:

      If the oil is not hot enough, try heating the oil at highest heat & then reduce it to medium & add the balls.

      Another reason can be the balls are not binded well, may be less qty of potato.

      I also boil the potatoes in the same way, but make sure that you mash them well & then mix with other ingredients.

      Hope this helps..

      Cheers
      Maria

      • bins

        thanks maria.mebbe the binding was the problem…thanks for the help..have a great day…

  • Neha_mikki

     heya maria ….

    m jus 16yrs n luv 2 cook alot n ur reciepe hv helped me a whole lot in cumin out of bright colorss….i realyy admire uh…jus keep posting more n more of ur recipess..tc…:) 

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Hi Neha,

      wow! I’m thrilled to know that I’ve a very young reader :) Its a pleasure to know that you find the recipes here helpful. Keep experimenting & share your comments, I’d love to hear from you. All the best & happy cooking dear :)

      Cheers
      Maria

  • Radhika Sk007

    Hi Maria!!

    luv ur recipees!! cheese balls came out really well..gonna try ur malai kofta next :)

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Thank you so much Radhika :)

      Cheers
      Maria

  • Mehnaz_ibrahim

    My balls crumbled when deep frying :( plz help.

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Hi Mehnaz,

      This problem usually happnes

      1. If the oil is not hot enough. Its ideal to put the flame on med-high while frying this.

      2. Also it can happen if the balls are not binded tightly. Try adding more potatoes to bind the balls together.

      Hope this helps…

      Cheers
      Maria

  • Rhea108

    Tried making the paneer kofte but adapted it as i made fresh, homemade paneer – very nice!

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Hi Rhea,

      Thank you! I bet it was great especially with the homemade paneer.

      Cheers
      Maria

  • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

    Hi Aishwarya,

    Thanks a bunch dear for your encouraging comment!

    Cheers
    Maria

  • Sangeeta Vijayan

    Maria, Thanks a ton for this recipie..
    I wanted to know how did you mix Paneer with the other ingredients? Did you steam or boil the Paneer to make it soft?

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Hi Sangeeta,

      I jsut crumbled the paneer with my hands & mixed it with other ingredients. I didnt steam or boil it.

      Cheers
      Maria

  • valli

    ok ok recipe…

  • sophie

    hi maria,i hv 1 doubt,in ur ingrdnts list u typed paneer(cottage cheese) so wht shuld i buy?i mean the name which i buy it frm market..

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Hi Sophie, You ask for paneer in the shop.

      Cheers
      Maria

  • JRNewYork

    What is “cornflour”?  Is that the same as corn starch?

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      I think so :)

  • Elby thomas

    Hai Maria…

    how r u? 
     i tried cheese balls and it was awesome… tried many recipes from your blog like chicken tomato roast, egg roast, butter cake,beef fry, chicken fry… everything was perfect…  my family loved your recipes.. i am so interested in cooking…. thanks a lot dear…. 

    • http://mariasmenu.com Maria Jose

      Hi Elby,

      The list of recipes that you tried from the blog, makes me a happy person :) Thanks a lot dear!

      I’m really thrilled to know that everything you tried came out well.

      Cheers
      Maria