These delicious pickle roll ups are the perfect appetizer for any gathering! Only 3 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time and guests will be raving! These pop in your mouth so easily and will be gone in no time.
Original post: March 2020 | Updated: October 2023
Why This Recipe Works
During my first year in college, my roomie and I had a few foods that we ate all the time: vanilla ice cream, grilled cheese sandwiches made with Texas toast and these totally delicious pickle rollups (aka Midwest Sushi or Minnesota Sushi).
Here’s why you will love them, too:
- These tasty little bites require only 3 simple ingredients and 10 minutes of your time. That’s it!
- When these are served, guests rave every single time. It’s one of the best appetizers you’ll make all year.
- The salty-sweet combination is so simple yet so tasty.
- Cream cheese pickle roll ups are easy, guest-pleasing appetizers that are great for family get-togethers, football games or literally any type of gathering.
- It’s the perfect make ahead appetizer! Prepare as directed and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Recipe Ingredients
Corned beef – Use thinly sliced lunch meat to create this recipe.
Thinly sliced deli ham slices can be used in place of corned beef to create a ham roll up. Or use salami to create salami pickle roll ups. Sliced roast beef can be used, as well.
Literally any thinly sliced deli meat tastes delicious! Avoid thick slices of meat when possible.
Cream cheese – Use full fat spread cream cheese spread or brick cream cheese.
Allow the cream cheese to sit at room temperature prior to preparing your roll-ups up to an hour ahead for easier spreading.
If you don’t remember to do this, simply soften it in the microwave for just a few seconds before spreading.
Dill pickles – Either use small or medium whole pickles or large dill pickle spears.
How To Make Pickle Roll Ups
Step 1
Lay four stacks of corned beef slices (2 per stack) on a flat work surface or cutting board. Using a butter knife, top each slice with a thick layer of cream cheese (it does not have to be pretty).
Step 2
Now place a dill pickle in the center of each stack.
Roll the corned beef slices around the pickles, wrapping as tightly as possible. The cream cheese will act as the delicious glue that holds everything together.
Step 3
Using a sharp knife, cut each pickle cream cheese roll into four equal slices and place on a serving plate.
Recipe Notes
- Cream cheese roll-ups are the perfect gluten-free appetizer to serve at parties.
- Pat each pickle dry with a paper towel before rolling to avoid it slipping around.
- Once you have sliced your pickles into roll-ups, place them back in the fridge right on the serving tray. This will allow the cream cheese to firms up around pickles, creating perfect bite-sized appetizers.
- Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and snack on them the following day!
- If you want to increase indulgence points, serve alongside a small bowl of ranch dressing to act as a dipping sauce.
- Dress up the cream cheese roll ups by sprinkling bagel seasoning or ranch seasoning over the cream cheese mixture before rolling.
What Kind of Pickles For Pickle Roll Ups
Use small or medium whole dill pickles or large dill pickle spears to create corned beef pickle roll ups. If the pickles are too big, the sliced meat won’t be able to wrap around it the whole way.
Best Pickle Recipes
- Create a bloody mary with food! Add pickles, cheese and salami to the savory drink.
- Pickle de Gallo
- Combine cream cheese, sour cream, fresh dill weed and chopped pickles to create a delicious pickle dip. Serve with veggies and crackers or spread onto flour tortillas to create a savory tortilla roll (aka pinwheels).
- Pickle pizza
- Save time by making quick sweet refrigerator pickles!
- Pickle relish
- Dill pickle pasta salad
How Long Do Pickles Last Unrefrigerated
If you have a jar of pickles staring at you and you are wondering whether to toss or eat, read this post about how long pickles can be left out of the fridge. You will learn everything you need to know about diving into a batch of pickled cucumbers safely.
Are Pickles Vegetables
Pickles can be considered both a fruit and a vegetable. Since they are made by bathing cucumbers in a brine liquid, they are a vegetable. However, technically speaking cucumbers are considered to be a fruit because of their seeds.
Where Did Ham and Pickle Rollups Come From
I’ve always known corned beef or ham and pickle roll-ups to be a Midwestern “thing.” It is believed that this delicious little finger food may have originated from an old German recipe, according to this article in the Des Moines Register.
Easy Holiday Appetizers
These pickle wraps are one of my favorite party foods ever, but if you need other ideas check out these yummy party food ideas:
- Air fryer fries with seasoned sour cream
- Hot ham and cheese sandwiches
- Veggie sheese stromboli
- Easy peanut butter cookies
- Slow cooker mac and cheese
- Best ever chili
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Pickle Roll Ups Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 slices corned beef lunch meat
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 dill pickles small to medium in size
Instructions
- Lay corned beef in stacks of two on a hard surface.
- Spread 1 ounce of cream cheese onto each stack. Place a pickle directly in the center of each. Roll corned beef around the pickles and cut each roll into four equal parts.
Video
Notes
- Cream cheese roll-ups are the perfect gluten-free appetizer to serve at parties.
- Pat each pickle dry with a paper towel before rolling to avoid it slipping around.
- Once you have sliced your pickles into roll-ups, place them back in the fridge right on the serving tray. This will allow the cream cheese to firms up around pickles, creating perfect bite-sized appetizers.
- Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and snack on them the following day!
- If you want to increase indulgence points, serve alongside a small bowl of ranch dressing to act as a dipping sauce.
- Dress up the cream cheese roll ups by sprinkling bagel seasoning or ranch seasoning over the cream cheese mixture before rolling.
Ham, cream cheese and sweet gherkin pickles are REQUIRED for Christmas eve at my house! Either chop up and sprinkle before rolling – or if in a hurry, just a slice on top of the already rolled & cut ham and cheese.
May try the Hidden Valley next time too! Love the "sushi" description!
we do this with the long vidalia onions and roll them up in ham
My cousin made these but she used ham and mixed the cream cheese with Hidden Valley Seasoning packet…they were delicious!!
Here in NC, we do these with ham, cream cheese & pickled okra. I'm definitely going to try yours…. the corned beef & pickles look like they'd be great together! I'm thinking these would be great with salami also. Thanks for sharing your version!
Here in NC, we do these with ham, cream cheese & pickled okra. I'm definitely going to try yours…. the corned beef & pickles look like they'd be great together! I'm thinking these would be great with salami also. Thanks for the idea!
Anne – Why not use a veggie sandwich "meat" product like Smart Deli or Tofurkey?
I do something similar, but use ham instead of the corned beef. Another variation is to use ham and sliced pickles, and roll them up in a vegetable tortilla wrap.
My mom made these since I was little and I too introduced them to my college roommate. We use the beef, but mold the cream cheese around the pickle & then wrap in the beef. I could eat them everyday! Although, my fingers would be forever swollen from the salt. Every time I have a party, these are requested.
Lettuce would be a good option! I have to say, though, that the corned beef really does give it its punch.
Megan
Does anyone have an idea of what to replace the meat with so that a vegetarian could eat them?
We used to have these every Christmas. My mom would roll them in dried beef.
Does anyone roll them in lefsa?
Awesome! I didn't know anyone else made these. We have a family friend that has been bringing them to Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. A little weird at first glance, but awesome! Lovely photo – never seen them look so appetizing 🙂 Might have to get stuff on the next grocery run!
Yummy – we used to make them with ham and okra pickles.
You know, I did not think I would like these, but the more I looked at your photos and the ingredients and how fast they were to make, I figured why not give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised – these are great! Even my hubby liked them and he is not a real fan of pickles. I will definitely be making these again!
sry i put the wrong info in the first box 😉 stupid migraines…
omgoodness, i love these!! 🙂
I thought my family was the only one that ate these snacks. We make them with Black Forest Ham and sweet pickles, but it's also great with salami and sweet pickles!
I have made this recipie but with salami instead of corned beef. It is by far one of my favorite snacks!
These sound wonderful! I make them using thin ham slices, cream cheese and seedless cucumber strips. YUMMY and low carb!