Ham and Cheese Roll Ups are a six ingredient appetizer that everyone loves! This easy party food is a recipe everyone will ask for on their way out the door.
Over the weekend we saw my family for the first time in almost a year. It was such a perfect day. If there are silver linings from 2020 and 2021, one is that I am much more appreciative of time with those I love.
If you are getting back into the swing of spending time with those you love, you might want to make a list of all the perfect party food you should share together. These Ham and Cheese Roll Ups should be at the top of that list!
This great appetizer recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients. They are easy to throw together the night before a gathering, and they will be one of the first finger foods to go.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Roll Ups
- Make the filling. Our filling is made with just cream cheese, garlic powder, shredded cheese, and pickle relish. After you beat the cream cheese it’s just a matter of mixing everything else in.
- Spread the filling on the tortillas. Evenly divide it amongst the four tortillas and make sure to spread it all the way to the edges of the tortillas.
- Add the ham. Divide the half pound of ham evenly amongst the four roll ups.
- Roll them up and wrap them. After you roll up the tortilla roll ups, you want to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least four hours.
- Slice them and serve. If you cut just a little bit off the ends of each roll up, you can cut them in half again and again and one more time to get 8 pieces out of each roll up.
Tips and Tricks
- Use room temperature cream cheese. The best part of these roll ups is the spread in them. It is near impossible to make that well if your cream cheese isn’t room temperature.
- Spread the filling well. Make sure to spread the cream cheese filling all the way to the edges of the tortilla. It will help the roll up stay together after rolling.
- Do not put the ham all the way at the edge. As you can see pictured above, we leave a ring of filling exposed when we add the ham. This also helps the roll up hold together.
Refrigerating
A key step in this recipe is to refrigerate the ham and cream cheese roll ups before slicing. The reason for this is while we use room temperature cream cheese to make the filling and construct them, we want it to be nice and cold when slicing. This helps the roll ups stay together.
Refrigerate for at least four hours before slicing. It works really well to make these the night before a get together and slice them right before serving.
Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container for three to four days.
FAQ
Can I replace the ham with turkey?
Absolutely, that would work great in this recipe.
Can I leave out the pickle relish?
You can, but it adds really great flavor and texture to the recipe. So I wouldn’t recommend it.
Can tortilla roll ups be frozen?
Yes. To freeze, place in a single layer on wax paper in the freezer for two hours. Then transfer to an airtight container, placing wax paper between the layers. Freeze for up to three months. To thaw, refrigerate overnight.
Other Great Party Foods
If you make these Ham and Cheese Roll Ups please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Ham and Cheese Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 4 tortilla shells (8 inches in size)
- 1/2 pound deli ham
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese with the garlic powder until it is light and fluffy. Stir in the cheddar cheese and pickle relish.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly amongst the tortilla shells. Make sure it is spread all the way to the edges of the tortilla shells. Then evenly divide the ham slices.
- Roll up the tortillas and wrap tightly with saran wrap. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours (or overnight).
- Remove from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap, and slice. Cut the edges off the rolls. Then slice in half, then in half again and again to make 8 total roll ups from each roll.
- Serve or store in an airtight container for up to two days.
Joyce says
Do you use dill or sweet pickle relish?
Sorry about that! Dill Relish.
Barbara says
What kind of relish do you use sweet or dill
Sorry about that! Dill Relish.
Janet Rowe says
Can you freeze these whole, without slicing first?
Yup! Just make sure to wrap them really well.
Deb Carmicheal says
I’m wondering what the calories are for this. It does sound super easy to make and something I could take for work to eat on
I just updated it with the calorie information.
Melissa says
What size tortilla shells do you use? Burrito size?
Sorry! The 8 inch size.
Gail Prue says
How much cream cheese and cheese and garlic powder and relish do you use to make these please let me know as I want to make these for a family Christmas party next weekend
If you click “jump to the recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you right to the ingredients and the amounts.
Sherie says
I love this recipe! So easy and delicious! I skip the garlic powder and put in diced green onions instead.
I’m so glad that you liked it!
Cathy Hebert says
Could you bake these?
I wouldn’t recommend baking these. They are really meant to be a cold appetizer.
LISAFERRIER says
Hi Lisa,
My name is Lisa as well.
Love Pinterest! Love pinwheels! I am going to try your recipe excited about the pickle relish.
I have made pinwheels including ham, cream cheese,
With chopped black olives, scallions, mixed with dry Italian seasoning and or dry ranch dressing season, also a dollop of sour cream and a dollop of mayonnaise! (Garlic powder, minced jalapeño, and another cheese for example… shredded cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack. The options are endless! ENJOY
Thanks Lisa!
Rose says
What are tortilla shells?
These are the shells I use: https://amzn.to/3VModJT