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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Ham Pickle Roll Ups (Minnesota Sushi)

    Published: Sep 25, 2022 by Cara Lanz · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    white platter with ham and pickle roll ups
    small white plate with three ham and pickle roll ups

    Ham Pickle Roll Ups, aka Minnesota sushi, is a simple appetizer made from deli ham smeared with cream cheese wrapped around a pickle. To make these pickle rolls even tastier, try seasoning the cream cheese with ranch dressing or everything bagel seasoning!

    white platter with ham and pickle roll ups

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    Jump to:
    • Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-step Instructions
    • Make Ahead
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Easy Appetizer Recipes
    • 💌Let's Stay in Touch
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ready for an easy appetizer recipe that takes minutes to make?

    Ham and pickle roll-ups are ridiculously simple, insanely delicious, and the perfect appetizer for pretty much anywhere you're going.

    Maybe it's a Midwest thing, but if there's a gathering of any sort and there aren't tortilla pinwheels, buffalo chicken dip, and ham and pickle rollups, aka Minnesota sushi, you really can't call it a party.

    The basic recipe involves smearing cream cheese over a slice of ham, rolling the ham around a pickle, then cutting the roll into bite-sized appetizers.

    If you have an extra minute, stir dry ranch mix or everything bagel seasoning into the cream cheese, skewer the rolls on toothpicks, and add an olive, pickle slice or both.

    The best thing about making these pickle wraps is cutting off the uneven ends and eating them while everyone thinks you're toiling away in the kitchen ;).

    Why You're Going to Love This Recipe

    Tasty snack everyone will go bonkers for

    Perfect make ahead appetizer for baby showers, holidays, family get-togethers, and game day

    Pickle lovers will adore you for bringing these to parties

    Easy recipe for after-school snacks kids can make themselves

    Ingredients

    Simple ingredients you might already have at home

    ham pickle roll up ingredients

    Ham slices. Thin slices of deli ham are the classic choice for these Minnesota sushi rolls. If the slices of ham are really thin, you can stack two slices together. Use whatever kind of ham you like -- honey ham, black forest ham, smoked ham. You can also make these cream cheese roll ups with turkey, pastrami, roast beef, or any thin sliced deli meat.

    Cream cheese. Use one 8 ounce block of cream cheese softened to room temperature for easier spreading. You can use full fat or reduced-fat cream cheese.

    Whole dill pickles. Use your favorite store-bought or homemade dill pickles. I use kosher dills.

    Optional seasonings. A few teaspoons of dry ranch seasoning or a couple of tablespoons of everything bagel seasoning stirred into the cream cheese add tons of flavor to these already-delicious pickle appetizers.

    If you're not familiar with everything bagel seasoning, it's a spice mixture made from sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and salt.

    Optional garnishes. Olives and pickle slices make these little roll ups even cuter and tastier.

    Step-by-step Instructions

    Optional step: For flavored cream cheese, stir 4 teaspoons of dry ranch mix or 2 tablespoons of everything bagel seasoning into a brick of softened cream cheese. Or leave the cream cheese plain.

    Stack together two thin slices of ham (or use one slice if your ham is thicker). Use a paper towel to pat the ham dry.

    With a butter knife or offset spatula, evenly spread a layer of cream cheese across the piece of ham. I use two tablespoons of cream cheese per roll.

    cream cheese spread on a slice of ham
    Plain cream cheese
    cream cheese spread on a slice of ham
    Cream cheese with ranch
    cream cheese spread on a slice of ham
    Cream cheese with everything bagel seasoning

    Pat one pickle dry with a paper towel. Lay the pickle on one end of the ham. Roll the pickle up in the ham.

    cream cheese spread on a slice of ham with a pickle

    Lay the rolls seam side down on a plate. Cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, up to overnight, to allow the cream cheese to firm up.

    Use a very sharp knife to slice rolls into half-inch thick slices. If desired, skewer each slice with a toothpick and garnish with an olive, pickle slice, or both.

    hand holding a ham pickle roll with an olive on top
    small white plate with three ham and pickle roll ups

    Make Ahead

    Ham pickle roll ups can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

    Expert Tips

    Pat the slices of ham and whole pickles dry with paper towels so the cream cheese will adhere to them. This will also help keep the rolls nice and tight.

    Let the rolls chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight, to let the cream cheese firm up for easier slicing.

    Season the cream cheese with dry ranch dip mix or everything bagel seasoning to make these ham roll ups even tastier.

    Use a very sharp knife to help you make a clean cut through the ham rolls.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is a Minnesota sushi roll?

    Minnesota sushi is made from deli ham smeared with cream cheese wrapped around a pickle and cut into slices.

    What kind of pickle should I use for ham and pickle roll ups?

    Use any kind of pickle you love. The most important thing is that the size of the pickles matches the size of the slice of ham. So baby dills might be out, unless you lay two end-to-end.

    You can use dill pickles, kosher dills, sour dill pickles, sweet pickles -- you can even wrap a dill pickle spear in ham. Whatever pickle you choose, pat it dry with a paper towel to keep it nestled in the cream cheese.

    What is everything bagel seasoning?

    Everything bagel seasoning is a seasoning blend made with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and salt.

    small white plate with three ham and pickle roll ups

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    📖 Recipe

    white platter with ham and pickle roll ups

    Ham Pickle Roll Ups

    Cara Lanz
    Ham Pickle Roll Ups are a simple appetizer made from a deli ham smeared with cream cheese wrapped around a pickle. Try seasoning the cream cheese with ranch dressing or everything bagel seasoning. These little pickle rolls ups are affectionately known as Minnesota sushi around here, and it just isn't a party without them.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Chilling Time 2 hours hrs
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 32
    Calories 61 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 16 thin slices deli ham or 8 thicker slices
    • 8 pickles
    • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

    Optional Cream Cheese Stir-Ins (choose one)

    • 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
    • 4 teaspoons dry ranch mix

    Garnishes, optional

    • olives and pickle slices
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Optional step:
      For flavored cream cheese, stir one of the following into the softened cream cheese:
      • 4 teaspoons of dry ranch mix
      • 2 tablespoons of everything bagel seasoning
    • Stack together two thin slices of ham (or use one slice if your ham is thicker). Pat the ham dry with a paper towel.
    • Evenly spread two tablespoons of cream cheese onto the ham.
    • Pat one pickle dry with a paper towel. Lay the pickle on one end of the ham. Roll the pickle up in the ham. Repeat, you'll end up with 8 ham and pickle rolls.
    • Lay the rolls seam side down on a plate. Cover them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, up to overnight, to allow the cream cheese to firm up.
    • With a sharp knife, cut the uneven ends off of each roll (and eat them :)), then cut the roll into ½ inch slices.
    • If desired, skewer the slices with a toothpick and garnish with an olive, pickle slice, or both.

    Make Ahead

    • Ham pickle roll ups can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

    Video

    Notes

    Pat the slices of ham and whole pickles dry with paper towels so the cream cheese will adhere to them. This will also help keep the rolls nice and tight.
    Let the rolls chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight, to let the cream cheese firm up for easier slicing.
    Season the cream cheese with dry ranch dip mix or everything bagel seasoning to make these ham roll ups even tastier.
    Use a very sharp knife to help you make a clean cut through the ham rolls.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 320mgPotassium: 68mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.5gVitamin A: 125IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.2mg
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    Comments

    1. Sheila says

      November 23, 2023 at 5:11 pm

      4 stars
      I love this recipe! To make the cream cheese easier to spread I mix it with a little milk. Using a little Ranch instead is super tasty.

      Reply
      • Cara Lanz says

        November 23, 2023 at 6:37 pm

        Great tips, thanks Sheila! So glad you enjoyed it :). Cara

        Reply
    4.50 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Cara!

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