Easy Low-Carb Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites (Video)

Easy Low-Carb Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites, are a tasty nibble that have been showing up at parties and holiday dinners in my family for years now! And if you want something healthy to nibble on while they turkey cooks, these low-carb appetizer bites are also Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, and can be South Beach Diet friendly. Use Thanksgiving Recipes for more holiday appetizer ideas.

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It was my sister Pam who introduced our family to these Easy Low-Carb Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites and since then they’ve made an appearance at nearly every family holiday celebration and have become a popular recipe on Kalyn’s Kitchen, thanks Pam! And these tasty appetizer bites with ham, cream cheese, and pickles are also a tasty option if you’re looking for something that’s a bit lighter for game-day fare. My sister Pam first had ham and dill pickle bites as a store sample, and now in my family even the non dieters will chow down on them for Super Bowl party food or an appetizer before a holiday meal.

If you’d like to make these dairy-free and even lower in calories, you can skip the cream cheese.  Through the years lots of other variations have popped into my head, so check after the main recipe for more options  And apparently there are endless ideas for similar little appetizer bites like this; check the comments to see what other readers have suggested. And if your family has a fun version of this, please share that in a comment as well!

Start by cutting the dill pickles lengthwise into fourths or sixths, depending on how big the pickles are. I had baby dills, so I bought smaller slices of ham so match the size of the pickles. If I was using my favorite dill pickles, I’d just cut them in crosswise slices. The only part of this recipe that’s remotely labor-intensive is spreading the cream cheese on the ham, and if you let it sit out and get soft it’s pretty easy. Spread lightly or the extra will seep out when you cut the ham!

Put a dill pickle spear on each ham slice, preparing to roll them up. (If the ham was a lot wider than the pickle spear, I’d trim it before I rolled it up.) Roll the ham slice around the pickle spear. Then put toothpicks in each roll, aligning them where you want to cut the ham. (With bigger ham slices you can get up to 5 of these from a piece of ham, but with the smaller ham I only cut 3.)

Cut the rolls so each piece has a toothpick in it, arrange on a plate, and serve. You can also make them without cream cheese if you have guests who can’t do dairy or you want to reduce the calories even more.

Find More Low-Carb Appetizer Recipes:

50+ Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Super Bowl Appetizer Recipes
25+ Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes, Appetizers, and Salads
My Favorite Recipes for Deviled Eggs
The BEST Low-Carb Meatball Recipes

Print Recipe

Easy Low-Carb Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites

Yield: Make as many as you'd like!

Total Time: 45 minutes

Prep Time: 45 minutes (including time for cream cheese to soften.)

These Easy Low-Carb Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites are made with ham slices spread with cream cheese and then wrapped around a sliver of dill pickle! And the variations are endless!

Ingredients:

• dill pickles
• thin deli ham slices
• cream cheese (or use whipped cream cheese if you prefer)

Directions:

1. Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you make these.
2. Cut dill pickles lengthwise into fourths or sixths, depending on how thick the pickles are.  You need as many cut pickle spears as you have ham slices.
3. Spread each slice of ham with a very thin layer of cream cheese.  (I used about 1 tsp. cream cheese on each ham slice. The ham doesn’t need to be completely covered with cream cheese.)
4. Put a dill pickle on the edge of each ham slice and trim the ham if it’s very much bigger than the dill pickle spear.  Roll up the ham around the dill pickle, then place toothpicks where you want each piece to be cut.  Cut into pieces so that each piece has a toothpick.
5. Arrange on plate and serve.

Notes:

Other Ideas That Might be Fun:
-You can make dairy-free Ham and Dill Pickle Bites by omitting the cream cheese.
-For a spicier appetizer, mix some Green Tabasco Sauce into the cream cheese.
-For a sweeter flavor combination, try some Sugar Free Apricot Preserves or cranberry sauce mixed into the cream cheese.
-Try a flavored cream cheese (like pineapple) for a different twist.
-If you like mustard, try a very thin swipe of mustard on top of the cream cheese.
-Serve the Ham and Dill Pickle bites with a mayo-mustard dipping sauce.

This recipe came from my sister Pam, who first tasted these as a store sample.Check the comments for many more great ideas for these! I love the way this recipe seems to have inspired creative cooks.

All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
When made with lean ham and reduced-fat cream cheese, Easy Low-Carb Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites are great for any phase of the  South Beach Diet.  With higher-fat dairy, these are suitable for most other low-carb eating plans, including Keto.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Nutritional Information?
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