Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix (dry powder)
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional but recommended)
- 8-12 slices thin-cut deli ham (about ½-¾ pound)
- 4-6 medium whole dill pickles
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese and ranch seasoning mix. Stir with a spatula until completely smooth and well-combined. If using fresh dill or chives, fold them in now. The mixture should be creamy and easily spreadable. If it’s too stiff, let it sit at room temperature a bit longer.
- Prepare Pickles: Remove pickles from the jar and pat them very dry with paper towels. This step is crucial—excess moisture will make the roll ups soggy and prevent them from staying together. Roll pickles in paper towels and squeeze gently to remove as much liquid as possible. Cut each pickle lengthwise into quarters, creating long spears. For very thick pickles, cut into 6 pieces instead of 4.
- Spread Cream Cheese: Lay one slice of ham flat on a cutting board or clean work surface. Using a butter knife or offset spatula, spread about 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the entire surface of the ham slice, leaving just a small margin at the edges. The layer should be thin but complete—you want cream cheese in every bite.
- Add Pickle and Roll: Place one pickle spear at one end of the ham slice, positioning it about ½ inch from the edge. Starting from the pickle end, tightly roll the ham around the pickle, keeping the roll as tight as possible while rolling. The cream cheese will act as “glue” to seal the roll closed. Place the roll seam-side down.
- Repeat: Continue spreading cream cheese, adding pickles, and rolling until you’ve used all ham slices and pickles. You should have 8-12 rolls depending on how many ham slices you used.
- Chill: Wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap, or place all rolls seam-side down in a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. This chilling time is essential—it allows the cream cheese to firm up and the rolls to set properly, making slicing much easier and cleaner.
- Slice and Serve: Remove rolls from refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, trim off the uneven ends of each roll (cook’s treat!), then slice each roll into ¾-inch to 1-inch thick pinwheels. You should get 3-4 pinwheels per roll. Arrange pinwheels on a serving platter, spiral-side up, and serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
- The cream cheese MUST be softened to room temperature. Cold cream cheese is impossible to spread smoothly and will tear the ham.
- Thoroughly drying pickles is crucial. Wet pickles make soggy, falling-apart roll ups that won’t stay together.
- Use thin-sliced deli ham for easiest rolling. Thick ham is difficult to roll tightly and creates bulky pinwheels.
- For cleaner slices, wipe your knife clean between cuts.
- These are best served cold, straight from the refrigerator.
- If roll ups won’t stay together before chilling, secure each with a toothpick until the cream cheese firms up.
- Leftover cream cheese mixture can be used as a dip or spread for crackers.
- For a party, make these the night before for zero day-of stress.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling)
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 pinwheels
- Calories: 148
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 685mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 42mg