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Tortilla roll-ups with pickles, ham, and seasoned cream cheese. Pickle lovers—you will want to try these! Delicious & easy appetizers perfect for special occasions.
This is a family favorite appetizer recipe—pickle, ham, and cream cheese tortilla roll-ups (or pinwheels). We’ve always called them roll-ups, but essentially, they are the same as pinwheels.
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Our aunt started this tradition in our family many years ago. When she makes them for family get-togethers, she piles them super high! Which is a must because they go really fast.
Ingredients for Pickle Roll-Ups
8 oz cream cheese – regular cream cheese.
Seasoning salt – seasoned salt like Lawry’s.
1 package tortillas – soft flour tortillas.
1 large package of deli ham – thinly sliced deli ham. We like smoked ham.
1 large jar of pickles – baby dill pickles.
Supplies & Favorite Tools
- Cutting board
- Butter knife to spread cream cheese
- A good sharp knife to slice the roll-ups (you will likely get frustrated with a dull knife, so make sure it’s sharp or sharpen it beforehand!) We like to use a pairing knife or steak knife from our KitchenAid cutlery set.
- Serving board or serving tray
How to Make Pickle Tortilla Roll-Ups
Follow these simple steps to make these deliciously addicting roll-ups.
Step 1 | gather supplies & Prepare ingredients
Prepare your workspace with a cutting board, a butter knife, and a sharpened pairing or steak knife. You’ll want to drain your pickles to limit the amount of moisture in the roll-ups.
It helps to leave the cream cheese out to soften for a bit, making it easier to spread. (Otherwise, pop it in the microwave on defrost for a few seconds.)
Step 2 | Spread cream cheese on the tortilla and season
Layout one flour tortilla on the cutting board and spread with softened cream cheese, and sprinkle with seasoning salt. (Our sister will mix the seasoning salt into the cream cheese in a bowl – so that is an option, too.)
Step 3 | Layer with deli ham & pickles
Next, top the tortilla and cream cheese with a layer of thinly sliced deli ham. Place the pickles in a row across one end of the tortilla.
Step 4 | roll up tortilla
Then, carefully wrap the tortilla around the row of pickles and continue to roll from one end to the other.
Step 5 | slice into bite-size pieces
Taking your sharp knife, slice the roll into 1/2-inch slices. The ends will be scraps, but no worries because you’ll have plenty of samples!
Step 6 | Pile on a serving tray and enjoy!
Place on a serving tray and pile high until you run out of ingredients. If you’re having a large gathering – we recommend making at least two batches. Enjoy!
Perfect Occasions for Pickle Roll-Ups
We make these easy appetizers for most holidays and parties. The kids will ask for them for their birthday party snacks, and we will always serve them for bridal or baby showers. Mainly because they are so simple to make & it’s easy to gather the handful of ingredients you need. Bonus, they are always crowd-pleasers! Here are occasions that are perfect for these roll-ups.
- Bridal showers
- Baby showers
- Birthday parties (kids and adults!)
- Anniversary parties
- Graduation parties
- Game day/football parties & let’s not forget the Super Bowl!
- Potlucks
- Office parties
- Appetizer/game night with friends
- Barbecues
- Last-minute invites
- So many special occasions!
You may want to wait to prepare these pinwheels until you are alone — or they’ll never make it to the get-together! Our children love to steal them while we’re making them, which makes it hard to pile them high on a serving tray.
Print Pickle, Ham & Cream Cheese Tortilla Roll-Ups
An easy recipe for pickle, ham & cream cheese tortilla roll-ups. These will be your new go-to appetizer for holidays, parties, potlucks, and barbecues.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese
- Seasoning salt
- 1 package soft flour tortillas
- 1 large package of thinly sliced deli ham
- 1 large jar of baby dill pickles
Instructions
- Spread one soft flour tortilla with softened cream cheese and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Top with a layer of thinly sliced deli ham.
- Place pickles across one end of the tortilla.
- Wrap the tortilla around the row of pickles and continue to roll to the other end of the tortilla.
- Slice the roll into 1/2-inch slices.
- Place on a serving tray and repeat until you run out of ingredients.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!
- It’s best to make these roll-ups the same day, a few hours before serving if possible. The tortilla will get a little soggy when left in the refrigerator overnight. But still delicious!
- For large gatherings, plan to make two batches.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 rollup
- Calories: 56
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 261.2 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.3 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 7 mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to commonly asked questions about pickle rollups.
How far ahead of time can I make pickle rollups?
You can make pinwheels ahead of time. But due to the moist nature of the pickles and the deli ham in this recipe, you’ll want to make these rollups only a few hours in advance to avoid the soggy tortillas.
However, if you have leftovers and store them in the refrigerator overnight—pickle, ham, and cream cheese rollups are still delicious, but you will notice a difference in the tortillas.
What are pinwheels (or rollups)?
Pinwheels (or rollups) are a type of appetizer using tortillas and different types of fillings (deli meat, cream cheese, veggies, etc.)—rolled and sliced into bite-sized appetizers.
How do you roll pinwheels?
The answer is—very carefully! We prefer to place the tortilla on top of a cutting board, add the ‘fillings,’ and then roll from one end to the other. Using this method, you will have ‘scraps’ at the end that do not roll nicely.
Some people choose to cut two ends of the tortilla, to make it more square, so you don’t have to deal with the end scraps later. It really just depends on your preference!
How long are cream cheese pinwheels good for?
We are cautious with how long we keep pinwheels with cream cheese out on the counter. It’s easy to lose track of time at family get-togethers and parties, but try to put the pinwheels back in the refrigerator after a few hours.
The USDA says perishable foods (including cream cheese) shouldn’t be left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. In fact, they recommend tossing anything left out at room temperature for more than two hours, without chilling dishes.
How long will pinwheels keep in the fridge?
You can keep pinwheels in the fridge for a few days. The tortillas will be noticeably different, however. Left overnight in the refrigerator, you’ll notice the tortillas get a bit soggy. Again, we recommend making these the day of.
How do you keep wraps from falling apart?
To keep wraps and roll-ups from falling apart, make sure to roll the tortilla tightly from one end to the other. And with this recipe, make sure your pickles in the row are close to the same size.
Some people will even use a bamboo cocktail pick to hold them together.
Can I freeze tortilla pinwheels?
Yes, you can, but it depends on the ingredients you put inside the tortilla. For this particular recipe, we wouldn’t recommend it due to the cream cheese. Frozen cream cheese is known to lose its texture and become less soft. Your tortillas will likely get soggy when defrosting as a result.
Plus, roll-ups (pinwheels) are so easy to throw together—we don’t think it’s worth the effort.
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Have You Tried This Recipe? Please rate it in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
More Appetizer Recipes
- Easy Creamy Cucumber Dip
- Mexicorn Dip
- Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
- Cheddar Cheese Fondue
- Apple Brie Crostini
- Pico de Gallo
Do pickles go bad? How long do they last?
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thank you for the recipe
What size tortillas?
Hi Debbie, I like to use the 10″ soft tortillas. Hope you enjoy!
-Kelsey
Try them with a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix sometime. Game changer!
Hi Melissa! Definitely need to try with Ranch Dip. Sounds delicious!
What kind of ham do you use?
Hi Marla! I use sliced deli-style smoked ham like the Hormel natural choice or Hillshire Farm.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Thank you! So glad your family loved it.
They look delicious. I will certainly be trying these this week. Never seen anything like that before over here in the UK!
Oh good! I’m glad it’s something new for you to try. They are really good. I used to make whole roll-ups and eat them for meals in college. 🙂