Ham and Pickle Roll Ups
It was my sister Pam who introduced our family to these easy Ham and Pickle Roll Ups, and I’ve been making them ever since! And this is a tasty appetizer that’s low in carbs, but even kids will gobble them up. And check the comments for some fun variations suggested by readers!
PIN Ham and Pickle Roll Ups to make them later!
It was my sister Pam who introduced our family to these easy and low-carb Ham and Pickle Roll Ups 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 perfect option if you’re looking for something that’s low in carbs for game-day fare.
My sister Pam first had the tasty 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.
What ingredients do you need?
- dill pickles
- deli ham slices
- cream cheese
Can you make dairy-free Ham and Pickle Roll Ups?
If you’d like to make a version of this recipe that’s dairy-free and even lower in calories, you can skip the cream cheese.
Want more variations for this ham and pickle appetizer?
Through the years lots of other variations have popped into my head, so check after the main recipe for more options for this recipe. 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!
Want more low-carb appetizer recipes?
Check out 50+ Low-Carb and Keto Appetizer Recipes or 25+ Low-Carb Holiday Side Dishes, Appetizers, and Salads for more tasty ideas for appetizers that are low in carbs!
How to make Ham and Pickle Roll Ups:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- 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 carbs and calories even more.
More Low-Carb Appetizer Options:
Deviled Eggs with Green Olives
Ham and Pickle Roll Ups
Easy Ham and Pickle Roll Ups are made with ham slices spread with cream cheese and then wrapped around a sliver of dill pickle, and the variations are endless!
Ingredients
- 2 large dill pickles
- 8 thin deli ham slices
- 3 T cream cheese
Instructions
- Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you make these. (Or buy whipped cream to make this.)
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
Nutritional information is based on a serving size of four pieces.
This recipe came from my sister Pam, who first tasted these as a store sample.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 53Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 700mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Ham and Pickle Roll Ups are suitable for most low-carb eating plans, including Keto. When they’re made with lean ham and reduced-fat cream cheese, they would be great for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers for more appetizer ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find 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.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
My family discovered these tasty ham and pickle appetizers in 2011 and we’ve been making them ever since! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2021.
119 Comments on “Ham and Pickle Roll Ups”
Started making something similar when i lived in Texas where salsa goes with/in everything. Mix up either red or green salsa with some softened cream cheese, and then spread the mixture on slices of ham, beef, turkey, whatever. I'm not "hardcore" when it comes to "heat", but you can drop some pieces of jalapeno or habanero into the mix or put them down the center where the pickle would go if you want. If cream cheese is used, most of the time you don't need toothpicks to hold the spirals together after they're cut.
Crystal, I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight because I didn't want to have to calculate carbs, calories, points, or fat grams, and I already spend 4-5 hours on every recipes, so I'm probably never going to start including that information. However you can easily calculate it yourself by entering the recipe and number of servings into this site.
Horseradish mixed into the cream cheese. I've also used the creamed horseradish by itself but as I don't have any here right now I'm not sure of the sugar content. Plain, ground horseradish with the cream cheese would be the SB way to go for sure. It has a nice bite!
Oh my!! Adding a bit of horseradish would just take it over the top for me. (I love horseradish!) Thanks for sharing that great idea.
Horseradish! Â Yes! Â Fantastic idea. Â I am making them tomorrow for New Years Eve. Â Thx for the recipe and added suggestion!!
So glad people are still liking this recipe. I love hearing the different names and how to adapt them.
I'm definitely making these tomorrow! But I'm a vegetarian so I'll try both Tofurky peppered deli slices and Smart Deli bologna! I was also thinking Laughing Cow garlic & herb could be delicious low call option. I spread laughing cow on my tofurky slices as little "sandwiches" every day at work haha.
These went on every party menu by my mom when I was growing up. Love them!!
Teri, that's great, and thanks for letting me know.
Kalyn, there is a Somersize group on Facebook that I belong to. A member had asked for meal suggestions that could be eaten while she's driving. I suggested these (and all these combinations!). I added a link back to your site and wanted to let you know.
Teri
I have made them using asparagus, not a dill pickle. They go over as a huge success.
We make them with corned beef or salami with multiple slices overlapped, spread with cream cheese, roll whole Claussens and sliced like thick coins.
Kind of off topic but we also put a slice of salami on top of our bagels with cream cheese. I always need a pickle on the side b/c then I get all the flavors of the pickle rolls, as we call them 🙂
I can eat peanut butter on anything, so I'm sure I'd like it!
Try with peanut butter…YUM!
Deborah, we love them in my family too.
My mom has been making these for years and they are AWESOME!! We've also done them with green onions – they are a great party snack!
Luci, that sounds good to me!
I've done something similar with turkey, cream cheee, and green chiles. Yuuuummmmmyyyy!
Vera you need to be sure to use Dill pickles (not sweet pickles.) Check the label for the amount of carbs (or sugars, but the one I have doesn't even have sugars listed on the label.) My pickles have sugar listed (way down the list as an ingredient in the brine,) but the amount of carbs in the pickles is 0 gr.
Don't pickles have added sugar usually? This would make them a "no" for the phase one. Vera
Thanks Misti. That type of "imitation cream cheese" is sold near the real cream cheese in most store, it's called something like Neufschatel (sic?) The South Beach Diet Good Fats Good Carbs guide (tiny little book) lists fat free and low fat cream cheese both as "Good" so I am going by that. I don't eat a lot of it, so I'm not worried.
love your site..just have a question about all the recipes with cream cheese-the South Beach site says cream cheese substitute, dairy-free….WHAT is that?? and do you stick to that part??