Tortilla Roll Ups are filled with cream cheese, ham, cheese, and ranch seasoning. It’s one of my easiest and quickest appetizers for game day, Easter, or any party or occasion. It’s always delicious, and has become a favorite of my family. It only takes about 10 minutes to prep this ham and cheese pinwheels recipe, no cooking required! My kind of recipe.
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What’s in Tortilla Roll Ups
The best thing about this easy pinwheel recipe is that I only need a handful of ingredients (6 to be exact) and about 10 minutes to to put it all together! As a busy mom, it’s so important to have favorite recipes to make that are also simple. This recipe always brings in a ton of compliments.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas work best for this recipe. 8-10 inch tortillas are the ideal size, but you can follow the steps with any size–you’ll just need to adjust how much filling goes in each if they’re smaller.
- Cream Cheese: This creates a creamy base for the filling. Let blocks of cream cheese soften and come to room temperature before using. Low-fat and fat-free versions work too.
- Ham: Use finely chopped pieces of ham to mix into the filling. This could be substituted with chopped chicken or turkey.
- Cheese: Use shredded cheese. Sharp cheddar is my favorite for these pinwheels, but use whatever you like.
- Ranch Seasoning: Mix a packet of this into the cream cheese for a nice savory flavor. You can make your own dry ranch seasoning if you like.
- Green Onion: Chopped green onion adds a nice bit of texture and crunch into this snack.
This is such a versatile appetizer recipe. It’s easy to swap out ingredients to make your own variations, so get creative!
Ham and Cheese Pinwheel Recipe Variations
- Spicy: When I want to make these roll ups spicy, I add a bit of chili seasoning, red pepper flakes, or a spicy ranch mix.
- Mexican: I’ve swapped out the ranch mix for taco seasoning, used a Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese blend, and sprinkled in cilantro. I find them so delicious dipped in taco sauce! I also have this Mexican pinwheel recipe takes it up a notch with chorizo sausage.
- Vegetarian: I’ve skipped the ham, and these still taste amazing. I sprinkle in some veggies like bell peppers and cauliflower for some texture.
- Jalapeño Popper: These jalapeño cream cheese roll ups are filled with bacon, jalapeños, and a bit of spice. It’s a variation that my husband loves.
- Skip the Tortilla: When I don’t have tortillas on hand, I make these ham roll ups. It’s a great option for keto and gluten-free eaters.
How to Store
I store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days (although I find they are best if eaten within 2 days). When I haven’t sliced the tortilla rolls yet, I keep them whole and wrap in plastic wrap.
How to Freeze
When freezing, I wrap rolls tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and place in a freezer-safe resealable bag. I freeze up to 1 month. Let them thaw in the fridge before serving. I love making these ahead of game day and then they’re ready to go when we want to celebrate.
I have found that these easy ham and cheese tortilla roll ups are the perfect party appetizer for any occasion. Bring them to a potluck, Super Bowl party, Easter lunch, or serve them for New Year’s Eve or game day.
5-Star Review
“This recipe is a keeper forever! Made this for our family gathering yesterday (12.23.19) and it didn’t last at all. Next time I’ll have to double or maybe triple the recipe, lol. Thanks for sharing!!” – Jacqueline Watley
Ham and Cheese Tortilla Roll Ups
Equipment
- Glad® Press’n Seal® for prep
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature (2 bricks)
- 1.5 ounces Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Seasoning Mix (1 packet)
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 5 flour tortillas
- ½ cup finely chopped ham
- ½ cup chopped green onion
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, ranch mix, and shredded cheese together.16 ounces cream cheese, 1.5 ounces Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Seasoning Mix, ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Spread ⅕ of the cream cheese mixture onto each tortilla in a ¼-inch layer.5 flour tortillas
- Sprinkle each tortilla with ham and onion. Roll each tortilla tight to make sure the cream cheese binds the tortilla together.½ cup finely chopped ham, ½ cup chopped green onion
- Place in the refrigerator until fully chilled, about 1-2 hours.
- Cut each tortilla into ½-inch wheels and serve.
Video
Becky’s Tips
- Spicy: Make these roll ups spicy with the addition of chili seasoning, red pepper flakes, or a spicy ranch mix.
- Mexican: Swap out the ranch mix for taco seasoning, use a Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese blend, and sprinkle in cilantro if you like. These would be delicious dipped in taco sauce! This Mexican pinwheel recipe takes it up a notch with chorizo sausage.
- Vegetarian: Skip the ham, and these still taste amazing. You could sprinkle in some veggies if you like: try bell peppers or cauliflower for some texture.
- Jalapeño Popper: These jalapeño cream cheese roll ups are filled with bacon, jalapeños, and a bit of spice.
- Skip the Tortilla: Make these ham roll ups if you want to skip the tortilla and wrap ingredients in slices of ham instead. This is a great option for keto and gluten-free eaters.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
More Party Appetizers We Love
- Deviled Eggs
- Pizza Cupcakes
- Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket
- Enchilada Cups
- Shrimp Summer Rolls
- Lettuce Wraps
- Pizza Pinwheels
- Ham and Cheese Sliders
As long as you eat these within 2-3 days, there shouldn’t be any issues with sogginess. The fresher they are when you serve them, the better.
I recommend refrigerating the roll ups for 1-2 hours before slicing. Chilling helps meld the ingredients together so they don’t fall apart after cutting.
These ham and cheese pinwheels are best served cold.
Yes. These are great to make the night before serving, and can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.
Sooo I agree with everything but the amount of meat used in this recipe and I used slices instead I used an entire pound of ham for the 5 tortillas. I’m also impatient so I just stuck tooth picks I. To hold them together until I take them to a picnic tomorrow!
First attempt at these didn’t go so well. The flavor profile was all right, not great…perhaps too strong on the ranch seasoning? Anyhow, the bigger issue was one of tortilla to filling ratio. Way too much filling to tortilla. Made for a very mushy, unsatisfying feeling. The recipe card just said “5 Flour Tortillas” without mentioning a size, so I used the standard size we usually get, which are more like 6″. I now see that the web site itself suggests 8″-10″, so we’ll try these again. Maybe it will be better. Hoping to serve these as part of a wedding reception if we can get them the right consistency.
Sorry to hear these didn’t turn out as expected, Ryan! We hope you have better luck with the larger tortillas!
We tried it again, using 10″, and it was much improved in terms of texture. Also, we reduced the ranch seasoning to two tablespoons and increased the amount of ham slightly (probably more like 3/4 cup). The consensus definitely was it was a bit improvement, although it was suggested to increase the ham even more! We plan to attempt the Mexican style next…I’m expecting that one to be my personal favorite!
So glad to hear you had a better second attempt!
Love this recipe,been eating it and making it since was a kid.Something that is REALLY good with this ,is to dip them in SALSA! sounds weird but is AMAZING.
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing, Richard!
This is a great recipe, and pretty basic for those of you who can’t seem to handle someone holding your hand with the cream cheese measurements. You’d have to screw up pretty bad to mess this one up.
Thank you for the great recipe!
How much does this recipe make? I know it says serves 10, but if I’m serving children and adults that doesn’t really help me.
Hi Kin, this recipe makes 40-50 tortilla roll-ups!
But the recipe calls for 5 tortilla shells? Obviously a person can always double the recipe or even triple it to get the numbers they need, so not really an issue. I think it’s a tasty and simple recipe!
Hi Tom, sorry for the confusion! This recipe serves 10 people, but it makes about 40-50 roll-ups! You slice the rolled tortillas into equal pieces to create 1/2-inch rolls!
It literally says 16oz…
Tasty roll ups but I would suggest doubling the meat. I felt the recipe amount was really sparse.
Thanks for sharing, Julie!
The recipe states 16 oz of cream cheese/ 2 blocks.
Thank you so much for that clarification, although I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. I will be making these for my family’s Thanksgiving get-together. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Question is it a half of cup of ham on each of each tortilla? Or on all five. Seems like not enough ham?
half a cup for all of them!