Pickle Roll Ups with Ham (Pinwheels)

Popular Midwest Appetizer

I’m always happy when I see a platter of pickle roll-ups at parties. You may know them as pickle and ham pinwheels, tortilla roll ups, prairie sushi, or even Lutheran sushi. Apparently, they are a midwest phenomenon in the United States, especially popular in Iowa. I know that they are popular in Michigan!

I recently brought a platter of pickle roll ups to a birthday party for my father-in-law. A seven-year-old cousin came back to the buffet table multiple times, exclaiming the roll ups were the best food he ever had!  I’m not sure why that surprised me–everyone seems to like these bite-sized goodies.

Be sure to check out some of my other roll up recipes. I particularly like  southwestern roll ups with black beans, and pepperoni pizza pinwheels are a hit with the kids. For those with vegetarian tastes, these vegetable cream cheese roll ups are filled with fresh veggies and herbs for a wonderful appetizer or snack.

Pickle Roll Ups

A classic recipe. If you’ve had a roll up/pinwheel appetizer, chances are it was this one with pickles, cream cheese, and ham. It’s a basic recipe that’s been around for a long time. 

Easy to customize. You can substitute different ingredients and get pretty creative with these. This basic recipe has just four ingredients: tortillas, cream cheese, ham, and pickles. Keep reading because I have lots of variations for you to peruse!

Everything you’re looking for in an appetizer. Pickle roll ups are a perfect bite-sized appetizer and you can eat them with your fingers. They can be made ahead, they are easy to transport, look attractive on a serving platter, and taste great. Plus I love that you can personalize them in so many ways. Tortilla pinwheels pretty much appeal to anyone.

Kids love them too! Roll ups/pinwheels  are perfect for lunch boxes. They keep well in the refrigerator and are the perfect size for little hands. With tortilla, cream cheese, and a veggie of some sort,  a roll up is pretty nutritious, not that different from a veggie wrap or turkey wrap.

Ingredient Notes

• Flour tortillas: Look for tortillas that are approximately six inches in diameter. You’ll need ten tortillas. Different sizes are fine but you may have to cut the pickle spears to fit or use more than one pickle for each if you use really large tortillas. Whole wheat tortillas are fine, as are spinach wraps, and so on.
• Cream cheese: You’ll need an 8 ounce block of cream cheese, either full fat or reduced fat. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it’s easier to spread. Cream cheese can safely be left out of the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
• Ham: Thin sliced deli ham works best. Thicker slices of ham may make it more difficult to roll up the tortillas and to slice the roll ups. If you prefer, any type of deli meat can be substituted.
• Dill pickle spears: Choose your favorite brand. Look for cut spears, not whole pickles or sandwich stackers.

How To Make Roll-ups

Spread cream cheese. First, arrange all ten tortillas in a single layer on the counter for an assembly line approach for adding the layers. Spread a thin layer of softened cream cheese on each tortilla, about one tablespoon for each tortilla, going nearly to the edge.

Add ham. Next, layer on the ham. It’s okay if it overlaps a bit.

Add pickle. Place a dill pickle spear on one edge of the tortilla. Go ahead and get all 10 pickles in position. 

Roll up and wrap. Starting on the pickle edge, roll up the tortillas as firmly as you can. As you go, immediately wrap each tortilla roll up in plastic wrap as tightly as you can. You’ll have ten individually wrapped roll ups.

Chill; Refrigerate the pickle roll ups for at least two hours or overnight. It’s essential for them to chill a little while because the tortillas soften and everything holds together better.

Slice. When you’re ready to serve, unwrap each roll up and, using a good sharp knife, slice into one inch pinwheels. Actually, you can make them whatever size you want. If you’re making them for lunchboxes, maybe you won’t want to cut them at all. They are already wrapped; just drop them into your lunchbox and you’re good to go!

Easy Recipe Variations

• Use flavored cream cheese. Another option is to flavor plain cream cheese yourself. Add a teaspoon of horseradish or hot sauce to make it spicy. Add chopped herbs such as parsley or dill to the cream cheese for herbed cream cheese. Go southwestern by adding taco seasoning to the cream cheese, mixing in black beans, and sprinkling Monterey Jack cheese on the cream cheese.
• Try other add-ins. Finely chopped olives or sliced green onion can be mixed into the cream cheese before spreading it. Another option is to sprinkle them on after spreading the cream cheese. Add a thin layer of tender baby spinach leaves to the cream cheese before rolling up the pinwheels.
• Vary the pickle. Instead of making the pinwheels with dill pickles, try sweet pickles, a fresh cucumber spear, or a green onion (scallion). This pickled asparagus is really good, too! I love pinwheels with roasted red peppers or pickled red onions. There’s really no end to what you can try.
• Use a different wrap. Try whole wheat tortillas, or flavored wraps, like spinach or tomato, instead of flour tortillas.
• Or make it gluten-free. Skip the tortilla and make ham pinwheels. Simply spread the cream cheese on ham slices (make sure you buy fairly thick slices so you can roll it), add the pickle and roll it up. Chill and slice. You could also look for a gluten-free wrap.
• Serve the pickle roll ups with a dip. Try this fry sauce, Thousand Island dressing, or homemade ranch dressing. Spicy sweet yum yum sauce or bang bang sauce would be great, too.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate: Pickle roll ups are best eaten within 24 hours but will keep for up to three days in an airtight container. The tortillas will continue to soften the longer they are refrigerated, and may get a bit mushy.

Freeze: To be honest, I’ve never tried freezing pickle roll ups. After doing a little digging around online, it seems that you can. If they are already sliced, freeze them in a single layer on a tray or baking sheet for a couple of hours, then place them in a freezer safe container or bag. They’ll keep for a couple of months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Make ahead: Pickle roll ups are a perfect make ahead appetizer because they really need to chill for a couple of hours at least or overnight.