Baked Ham and Cheese Roll Ups are the ultimate quick-and-easy party bite—warm, melty, and packed with savory flavor. With just a handful of simple ingredients, they come together fast and make a perfect Super Bowl appetizer that disappears the moment they hit the table.
If you’re craving cozy, family‑friendly comfort food, be sure to try my Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and my Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole. They are two easy, satisfying recipes that always hit the spot.
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Why My Baked Ham And Cheese Roll Ups Are a Keeper
I love this party appetizer recipe because it’s a quick and easy one pan meal that also happens to be super delicious. This recipe is perfect to add to an easy dinner recipe stash.
- The “Glaze” Factor: Most “keeper” versions involve a Dijon-poppy seed butter glaze that caramelizes in the oven, elevating leftover ham lunch meat to gourmet status.
- Kid & Adult Friendly: They are simple enough for picky eaters but flavorful enough for a New Year’s Eve or game-day appetizer.
- Customizable: You can scale this recipe from a snack for two to a party platter for twenty with almost no extra effort. Everyone likes ham and cheese filling in a crispy roll.
How Do I Prevent the Bottom of the Roll-Ups from Getting Soggy?
The easiest way to prevent soggy bottoms is to roll them up and place them in the pan right before you bake them. Slide your pie or tart onto a preheated baking sheet, pizza stone, or steel. This gives the bottom crust an instant blast of heat so it sets before moisture can seep in.
What Reader’s Are Saying…
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“I was looking for an easy and delicious appetizer to bring to a get together and this couldn’t have been more perfect. My kids liked them so much they asked to have them for dinner a couple of days later!”
~ Dana
Ingredient Notes To Make Ham And Cheese Appetizer
You only need a few simple ingredients and most are pantry staples to make my ham roll ups.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Tube of Dough: Use a tube of crescent dough or puff pastry.
- Deli Ham: Any thin slices of ham will work perfect for this recipe, but smoked ham slices brings a layer of smoky flavor.
- Cheese: I prefer to shred my own mozzarella for maximum melty goodness.
Variations and Substitutions Make Tortilla Roll Ups
This easy super bowl party recipe is super easy to customize. I like to take it to the next level by using different ingredients or trying different flavors of melty cheese.
- The Dough: While crescent roll dough is traditional, you can use pizza dough for a chewier texture or puff pastry for a flaky, elegant croissant-like finish. Or to be super quick try making with tortillas.
- The Meat Instead of Ham: Swap ham for roast beef (use horseradish in the glaze) or turkey (use cranberry mustard).
- Shredded Cheese: Swiss cheese is classic, but pepper Jack adds a nice kick, and Provolone offers a superior “cheese pull”. Really you could even use a cheddar cheese or cream cheese mixture.
- The Topping: If you hate poppy seeds, use Everything Bagel Seasoning or dried Italian herbs for this easy recipe.
Special Equipment Needed Ham And Cheese Roll-Ups
A few specific items are helpful when making these crescent ham and cheese roll ups.
- Pastry Brush: Essential for evenly coating the rolls with the egg wash without drenching them.
- Serrated Knife: Using a gentle sawing motion with a serrated knife helps you cut the rolls without squishing the dough flat.
- Parchment Paper or Silpat: These are high-sugar/high-fat rolls; they will stick to a bare cookie sheet.
How to Make Crescent Ham And Cheese Roll Ups
This ham & cheese roll ups recipe comes together in just 4 quick and easy steps. This easy appetizer is so good, I make it whenever I need a snack for hosting.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Preheat Oven and Grease Pan: Preheat the oven and grease a pan by spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Oil Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian Seasoning. Roll the dough out onto a cutting board, and brush the seasoned oil evenly on one side.
- Layer, Roll & Slice: Spread half of the cheese on, followed by a layer of ham, and topped with the rest of the cheese. Start at the bottom edge and tightly roll the dough into a log. Then, use a sharp knife to slice 12 discs.
- Egg Wash and Bake: Place the discs on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a little water and brush over the pinwheels. Bake until golden brown and bubbly.
Prep Ahead Suggestions For Ham Pinwheels Recipe
Preparing ingredients ahead of time can help to save me time and kitchen space when it comes to making the recipe.
- Make them Ahead (Best Option): Build the roll ups completely; tortillas, ham, cheese, and sauce. Place them seam‑side down in the baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Prep the Components: If you don’t want to assemble early: Mix the sauce ahead and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Slice or portion the ham and cheese.
- Freeze Before Baking: Assemble the roll ups but do not pour the sauce on top. Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag or wrap the dish tightly. Add sauce right before baking.
Alternate Cooking Methods For Ham Roll Ups With Cheese
If you don’t happen to have a crock pot, or it’s dirty, there’s another way to make this classic recipe.
- Air Fryer: Set to 325°F for 8–10 minutes. This makes the exterior incredibly crispy.
- Slow Cooker: Not recommended for the dough version, but if you are doing “deconstructed” roll-ups (meat wrapped around cheese), they can be heated on low for 2 hours.
Store, Reheat and Use Leftovers Pinwheel
- Storing: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: These freeze surprisingly well. Wrap individual rolls in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag. They’ll last for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Bake at 350°F for 5-8 minutes on a parchment-lined tray. If the tops are already quite dark, tent them loosely with foil.
- Use Leftovers: Chop up the cold roll-ups into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a small greased baking dish, pour over 2 whisked eggs with a splash of milk, and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. It’s like a savory bread pudding.
- The “Soup Topper”: Slice them into thin rounds and toast them in a pan until very crunchy. Use them as giant, meaty “croutons” on top of Tomato Soup or Split Pea Soup.
- Salad Sidekick: Cold ham and cheese rolls are actually delicious when sliced and served alongside a crisp green salad with a honey mustard dressing.
Common Questions About This Easy Lunch Recipe
There are all kinds of condiments that go well with these wraps. Try experimenting with your favorites! A few of my favorites are my Tiger Sauce, Pepperoni Dip and my Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce.
Of course, you can use any type of deli ham. Try using virgina ham, black forest ham or tavern ham.
Tips for Making Crescent Roll Ham And Cheese Roll Ups
- The “Cold Dough” Rule: Keep your crescent or pizza dough in the fridge until the very second you are ready to roll. Warm dough becomes sticky and impossible to seal.
- Thin is In: Use ultra-thin “shaved” deli ham. If the slices are too thick, the rolls become bulky and the heat won’t reach the cheese in the center quickly enough.
- The Fold: Fold your cheese slices in half or quarters so they stay inside the meat. This creates a “ham envelope” that keeps the cheese from leaking out onto the pan.
- Serve With: Serve with Baked Ricotta Dip or Charcuterie Skewers.
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Baked Ham and Cheese Roll Ups
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Ingredients
- 1 Crescent sheet dough , or puff pastry
- 1 pound Ham, thinly sliced
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
- 1 Egg
- 2 Tablespoons Water
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 375℉ and oil or spray a baking sheet with with non stick spray.
- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and seasoning together.
- Roll out the dough onto a cutting board and brush the seasoned olive oil across the dough.
- Spread half the cheese over the dough then layer on the ham followed by the remaining cheese.
- Starting from the bottom edge tightly roll the dough to form a log.
- Next, using a sharp serrated knife slice the roll in half. Then slice each half into six slices.
- Place the rolls on pretreated baking sheet.
- Then in a small bowl whisk together one egg and two tablespoons of water. Brush over the top of the pieces as an egg wash.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Christina’s Notes
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: A great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and split it into two baking dishes before baking.
- Add Spinach: Add a little roasted red pepper or spinach to the roll ups.
- Puffed Pastry: Feel free to use puff pastry in place of the canned crescent rolls.
- Variation tip: Use a little dijon mustard to add some zing.
- Alternate cooking method tip: The air fryer is a wonderful way to make this appetizer. Cook in a preheated air fryer at 400°F for 6 minutes or until brown and crispy.
- Topping: Top with fresh chives or green onion of bacon.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
I was looking for an easy and delicious appetizer to bring to a get together and this couldn’t have been more perfect. My kids liked them so much they asked to have them for dinner a couple of days later!
My fam can’t get enough of these baked ham and cheese roll ups! So irresistible and incredibly delicious!
What do you do with the egg and water? There seems to be a step skipped in the instructions above
You whisk them together and brush it on top of the pastry before baking. I’ll fix it. Thanks! 🙂
Just so you know you never fixed it