Pickle wraps (aka pickle roll ups) are a tasty combination of dill pickles, cream cheese & dried beef or ham... A crowd-pleasing party appetizer idea!
Pickle Wraps Appetizer
I'm really not sure where this pickle party appetizer recipe originated, but these dried beef pickle wraps have been a holiday appetizer staple in our family since before I could walk - and probably long before that...
Newcomers to our holiday gatherings always have the same reaction when they first lay eyes on these pickle roll ups - probably the exact reaction many of you are having right now. First they ask, "What in the world ARE those things?" And so someone in the know gives them the quick and dirty "dill pickles wrapped in cream cheese and dried beef or ham" spiel, finishing with a recommendation to try them because they will totally rock their world.
The pickle wrap virgin usually looks a bit skeptical at this point and is about to pass them by. But with a little prodding, they will typically decide to give them a try.
It's always fun to watch their reaction. Wrinkling up their nose, they'll take a tiny bite... And then this look of amazement spreads across their face, and just like that, they're a convert for life. Who knew something so simple and unexpected could taste SO good?!
"Best little appetizer!"
Such an odd combination but once you try these, you will be going back for more!
Pickle Roll Ups Ingredients
And by simple, I mean just three simple ingredients - whole dill pickles, cream cheese, and dried beef (or ham, if you prefer ham pickle roll ups). Did I mention they're pretty darn inexpensive to make, as well?
A fun little aside... When I was pregnant for the first time, I craved pickle wraps. So much that I would make pickle wrap sandwiches: dill pickle chips and dried beef layered on toasted slices of bread smeared with cream cheese. Weird, huh?
Anyhow, I mentioned this craving on a forum I was a member of, and American Baby magazine messaged me asking if they could print it in their magazine. I guess that's my five minutes of fame, LOL!
How To Make Pickle Wraps
Intrigued, yet? I highly recommend trying this easy pickle wrap recipe for your next party. It's the perfect make ahead appetizer - just assemble the pickle roll ups ahead of time, and then slice them shortly before guests arrive.
Ready to learn how to make pickle wraps? You start by slicing a block of cream cheese into eight pieces. Easy enough, right?
Now things are going to get a tad messy... You'll sandwich a whole dill pickle between two slices of the cream cheese, and then press and roll the whole thing between your hands to encase the pickle in the cream cheese.
Once you've covered all of the pickles in cream cheese, it's time to wrap them in dried beef or ham. We've always made dried beef pickle roll ups. The salty dried beef complements the sour dill pickles and tangy cream cheese perfectly (IMO), but I know a lot of people also use ham in this recipe. I'm sure it's delicious, too - so your choice!
Here's how I wrap up my pickle roll ups. Take two slices of dried beef and wrap them around each side of a cream cheese covered pickle. I then use a smear of the extra cream cheese left on the cream cheese wrapper to "glue" the dried beef together where the slices overlap.
After you've assembled all of your pickle wraps, you should refrigerate them for about two hours to firm up the cream cheese before slicing. Then slice them into medallions right before serving. The very ends aren't the prettiest (we called them the "pickle butts" growing up, LOL!), so I serve those to my kids or whomever is lucky enough to be around at the moment.
I find that using an electric knife works best for slicing through the pickle wraps without mangling them. Don't have one? You can use a serrated knife instead - it's just a little more difficult to get a clean cut. Consider picking up an electric knife, though. They come in pretty handy during the holiday season!
Give this pickle appetizer a chance - I really think you'll love them too! Just sayin', these pickle roll ups would make a fantastically easy New Year's Eve appetizer...
Printable Recipe ↓
Dill Pickle Wraps Appetizer
Ingredients
- 8 whole dill pickles
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese
- 3 (2-ounce) packages dried beef
Instructions
- Pat the whole pickles dry with a paper towel. Slice each block of cream cheese into 8 pieces.
- Sandwich a whole pickle between two slices of cream cheese, and then smash and roll the whole thing between your hands to encase the pickle in the cream cheese.
- Wrap two slices of dried beef around the cream cheese-encased pickle, using some of the leftover cream cheese from the cream cheese wrapper to "glue" the seams together where the dried beef overlaps.
- Chill for 2 hours to firm up the cream cheese. Slice into medallions with an electric knife before serving.
More yummy & easy appetizer recipes to try:
- These bacon wrapped pickles (aka bacon pickle fries) are the perfect double-duty, easy appetizer for any gathering... Keto-friendly for your low carb guests, but still tasty enough to appeal to everyone else, AND they're just 2 ingredients!
- This sweet & spicy bacon wrapped dates recipe will really knock your guests' socks off! They sound fancy, look fancy, even taste fancy, but they're seriously easy to make...
- Forget the vegetable tray, these little individual veggie cups are the perfect appetizer for any occasion... Easy clean up and NO double dipping!
I'd love to see how your pickle wraps turn out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Dawn says
It says to refrigerate for 2 hours. Can you make these a day or two ahead and just keep in the frig until ready to cut and serve?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Dawn! They're best made the same day, but you can make them the evening before. I wouldn't recommend more than that, because the juice from the pickles will start to make the cream cheese separate from them.
Laurie says
I've been making these for years! I always use Claussen Pickles! I spread slightly softened cream cheese on the corned beef slices. I use 2-3 slices of meat per pickle, depending on size of pickle. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate. Slice before serving.
Grace says
It originates in Germany! My family makes a dish similar to this I’ve been eating it my whole life!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Oh my gosh — that totally makes sense since my family is mostly Hungarian/German. Thanks for sharing!
Sueann Busam says
I looked through all the comments. Recipe says 8 pickles, 8 slices of cream cheese. Then it says place pickle between 2 slices cream cheese. This would only use 4 pickles. Are you supposed to use
Tara Kuczykowski says
Sorry, not at home to look at it more closely, but each cream cheese block should be sliced into 8 pieces (so 16 total) for 8 pickles and then dried beef or ham as needed to wrap them. Hope that helps!
Janice says
I’ve been Making these for years and my mother made them for years prior to that. We mix horseradish sauce with the cream cheese to give it a big kick and use sweet pickles. So good! I also started using jalapeños instead of pickles and that’s great too for a wallop of flavor.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Love these ideas, Janice — can't wait to try them!
Kristina says
Such an odd combination but once you try these, you will be going back for more! Best little appetizer!
Caroline says
Such a fun idea for a party, and so easy!
Elaine Benoit says
I love, love, love pickles and this looks not only unique but delicious! I can't wait to try this.
Lisa Bynum says
Okay, I am very intrigued. My husband is a dill pickle fiend and I think he would go nuts over this. Wonder what it would taste like with salami??
Tara Kuczykowski says
Oh, I bet it would be amazing with salami, too!
Stephanie says
Wow. I love how easy this looks and I bet so good. I love pickles & cheese together so what a great idea.
Jocelyn says
This is one of our favorite appetizers. We make it for every holiday!
Courtney O'Dell says
My family would LOVE these! So easy!
Stef says
I definitely fall into the skeptical camp on this one. I guess I'm going to have to try them. I'm super curious!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Oh, do try them, please! I know they sound so weird, but they're seriously SO good. I'm making them this weekend!
Rachael Yerkes says
Huge pickle fan here, I can't wait to try these!