Ham and Pickle Rolls are a vintage three ingredient appetizer! Ham, cream cheese and dill pickles combine into a simple, old school, crowd pleasing bite.
Ham and Pickle Rolls:
Ham and pickle rolls are an old school appetizer that has a retro appeal, yet never goes out of style! Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing? It’s an easy three ingredient appetizer that young and old alike will enjoy. If you’ve never heard of these rolls, they may sound strange, but trust me, you have to give them a try. The saltiness from the ham, creaminess from the cream cheese, and the tang and crunch from the dill pickle make a delicious, well balanced bite.
It’s nice to have a few easy, three ingredient appetizers in your back pocket for unexpected guests, or as an easy starter when everyone is starving and dinner isn’t ready yet. It’s possible you already have these three ingredients waiting for you in your fridge!
The Ingredients:
As the name suggests, you’ll need ham and pickles for the rolls. Make sure to get the crunchy dill pickles in the refrigerated section. The shelf stable pickles usually aren’t very crisp, and can be a really weird color. For the ham, I used black forest ham from the deli and had them slice it like they would for sandwiches. The only other ingredient you’ll need is some delicious cream cheese to hold everything together. Use whatever cream cheese you like, I used plain, but you could definitely get a flavored cream cheese too.
The Preparation:
Make sure the cream cheese is soft before you try to spread it on the ham slices. Believe me, it will make your life a lot easier! Spread the cream cheese to cover the ham, but not too thick of a layer.
Next roll a pickle up in each piece of ham, and then slice the roll into rounds. That’s it! As the person who is slicing the rolls, you’ll get the benefit of eating the end pieces. The cook deserves a little bonus.
I like to arrange the slices on a platter with toothpicks. The toothpicks make them really easy to eat, maybe too easy….
The Payoff:
These little ham and pickle rolls are addicting! Sometimes I’ll even make these for a quick, easy and tasty lunch.
The next time you’re entertaining, make an appetizer board with these rolls, another three ingredient appetizer like Salami Pesto Bruschetta, olives and nuts. You’ll have a delicious feast to impress your friends and family in no time!
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Ham and Pickle Rolls
Description
Ham, cream cheese and dill pickles combine into a simple, retro, crowd pleasing bite.
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound Black Forest deli ham, sliced thin
- Whole kosher dill pickles from the refrigerator section
- 8 oz cream cheese, plain or flavored, softened to room temperature, 1-2 tablespoons for each roll
Instructions
- Lay your ham slices out on a cutting board. Carefully spread a layer of softened cream cheese onto the ham, being careful not to tear it.
- Lay a whole pickle on one end and roll up.
- Cut 1/2 inch rounds from each pickle roll. Serve on a platter with toothpicks!
I’ve been making these for years, always a big hit! I actually had a caterer at a get together come up and ask for the recipe. I found if you make a day ahead the pickle flavor permeates the cream cheese.
Hi Pam! I love this, and I’m going to try your trick of making them the day before they’re served to get the extra pickle flavor. These are old school at it’s finest!