Ham And Cheese Roll Ups
Aug 25, 2020, Updated Apr 23, 2025
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When I need a quick and easy snack or lunch, these ham and cheese roll ups are always a hit. They are perfect to pack for lunch, a party appetizer, or a quick snack. Tortillas are spread with an herbed cream cheese and layered with ham, cheese, and then rolled up for the perfect bite. So simple and delicious!
Roll ups make such fun appetizers. Be sure to try these vegetable pinwheels, crack chicken pinwheels, and Italian pinwheels.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Fast and easy to prepare. Just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes to prepare.
- Kid favorite. These-bite sized pinwheels are always a winner, even with picky eaters.
- Great for parties. A make ahead appetizer that can be served at a party, picnic, potluck, and more.
- Easy to customize. Switch out the meat or cheese to customize to your taste.
If you have ever found yourself needing something to pack for lunch or serve at a party, these tortilla ham and cheese roll ups will be your new best friend. A no-fuss, no-bake appetizer that always disappears fast.
I love that they can be made in minutes and are easy to make ahead. Lately, I have been prepping a batch Sunday evening to pop in my kids lunchboxes for the week. This has helped our busy mornings easier.
Ingredients
Only five ingredients needed to make these ham and cheese pinwheels. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cream cheese – Use full fat or 1/3 fat cream cheese. Make sure that it’s softened to make it easy to spread.
- Ranch seasoning – Use a seasoning pack or you can use homemade ranch seasoning.
- Deli ham – I like using honey ham but feel free to use your favorite deli ham.
- Sliced American cheese – Yellow or white American cheese works great.
- Tortillas – Use flour tortillas for this recipe. I am using taco size tortillas but you could substitute with burrito size.
Variations and substitutions
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s easy to customize. Here are a few swaps to try:
- Different meats – Try substituting the ham with turkey, roast beef, pepperoni, or salami.
- Change the cheese – You can substitute with cheese like Swiss, provolone, pepper jack, or Havarti.
- Tortilla options – Substitute with low-carb tortillas, tomato wraps, or spinach wraps.
- Seasoning – Replace the ranch seasoning with fresh herbs like dill or chives.
- Mix-ins – Stir in diced green onion, banana peppers, cucumbers, or bell peppers.
How to make ham and cheese roll ups
Follow these steps to make these easy cold ham and cheese roll ups.
Step one: Mix the cream cheese and ranch seasoning together. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on top of the whole tortilla.
Step two: Top with sliced cheese.
Step three: Top with sliced deli ham. Start on one side of the tortilla and roll tightly. Once rolled, cover in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill.
Step four: Remove the plastic wrap and cut the ends off. Cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Serve cold.
Heather’s recipe tips
- Soften the cream cheese. This helps to make it easier to spread on the tortilla. I like to whip mine with a mixer to really make it soft and creamy
- Place the ingredients down the middle. When you add the ingredients, put them in the middle of the tortilla to get an even roll.
- Don’t overfill. Keep a thin layer to make it easy to roll.
- Chill before slicing. It’s important to refrigerate the roll-ups for at least an hour so that they stay together when slicing.
- Use a serrated knife. I have found that using a serrated knife helps to keep the rolls together.
Storage instructions
Store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Make-ahead: These ham roll ups are great to make ahead. Just be sure to store them in the refrigerator.
Don’t freeze: I don’t recommend freezing these roll ups. They don’t thaw very well.
Recipe FAQ’s
I recommend using thin deli ham. Feel free to use your favorite like honey hame, Black Forest ham, or smoked ham.
Don’t use too much cream cheese spread and try not to overfill.
More cold appetizer recipes
- Dill pickle pinwheels – Easy roll ups make with dill pickles.
- Turkey roll ups – Flavorful pinwheels made with turkey and sun dried tomatoes.
- Crescent roll veggie pizza – A classic appetizer recipe.
- Crack dip – The most popular dip on this site.
- Chipped beef cheese ball – A simple cheese ball recipe.
Ham and cheese roll ups
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese
- 1 ranch seasoning packet
- 10 American cheese slices
- 5-10 deli ham slices
- 5 tortillas (taco size)
Instructions
- Stir ranch seasoning into softened cream cheese. (For extra creamy cream cheese, beat with a mixer for 2-3 minutes.)
- Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture over top of the tortilla. Layer 1-2 pieces of ham and 2 slices of cheese down the middle of the tortilla.
- Roll up as tightly as possible and then wrap in plastic wrap. Continue making rolls until ingredients are finished. Store in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Once the rolls have chilled, remove plastic wrap and use a knife to cut off the ends. Slice roll into 1/2 inch rounds and serve.
Video
Notes
- Soften the cream cheese. This helps to make it easier to spread on the tortilla. I like to whip mine with a mixer to really make it soft and creamy
- Place the ingredients down the middle. When you add the ingredients, put them in the middle of the tortilla to get an even roll.
- Don’t overfill. Keep a thin layer to make it easy to roll.
- Chill before slicing. It’s important to refrigerate the roll-ups for at least an hour so that they stay together when slicing.
- Use a serrated knife. I have found that using a serrated knife helps to keep the rolls together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use tinfoil to chill them before slicing???
Yes foil would work fine. Hope you enjoy!
Just curious…the nutrition info; is that for one pinwheel? Trying to calculate. Thank you!
Have you added green onions and green Chili’s before? I was thinking of trying this.
I haven’t but I think that would be delicious 🙂
Thank you, I will let you know if they are a hit or not. 😊
These look fabulous! Will be making them for post Christmas/New Year family get together. Everyone will love them as the ingredients are already favorites.
How many individual pinwheels does this make? What size tortilla did you use? Thank you
I use the fajita (medium size) tortillas and can get about 6-8 roll-ups. You could use the larger burrito style tortillas to get a larger amount of roll-ups.
Sorry, I’m a little confused about the servings. The recipe shows it makes 10 servings. So, if you are using 5 tortillas for the recipe times 6-8 cuttings per tortilla, that would 30 to 40 pieces. Does that mean each person gets 3 to 4 pieces?