I love making Ham and Cheese Pinwheels for meals, as an appetizer, or as a snack! Kids and adults enjoy them, so you can’t go wrong. Make them for a crowd or to enjoy at home after a busy day.
The melted cheese and savory ham add just the right amount of flavor to the soft pizza dough. Adding the garlic butter on top adds color and makes the finished pinwheels even tastier.
If you like hot and easy appetizers for a crowd, you will love these cheesy Pepperoni Rolls, Baked Honey Mustard Ham and Cheesy Potato Bites.
If you're looking for ways to use your leftover ham, try our delicious Ham and Bean Soup (Crock Pot) recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Pinwheels Recipe
- Serve them for any meal: These hot ham pinwheels are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
- Customizable recipe: Use any deli meat or cheese you like to make this recipe your own.
- Ready in 30 minutes: It only takes a half hour to make these rolls from start to finish — including prep.
Ingredients
Only 5 ingredients are used to make this ham and cheese pinwheel snack. They are affordable items and found easily at any grocery store.
- Pizza dough: I use a tube of refrigerated pizza dough typically found in the dairy department of the grocery store to make this recipe easy! You may use fresh dough if you prefer.
- Ham: I chose Black Forest ham for its salty and smoky flavor. It pairs so well with the cheese and garlic butter. Honey ham is great, too.
- Cheese: Use your favorite! Swiss, cheddar, American, and provolone are my top choices to pair with deli ham.
- Garlic butter: Feel free to make your own with fresh garlic or purchase it already prepared. I’ve found it in both the deli and dairy department.
- Mustard: This is an optional dip for serving. Any kind of mustard is great or you can use a different condiment, or none!
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- BBQ pineapple: Add pineapple chunks and finish the pinwheels with a generous slather of your favorite BBQ sauce for a smoky, tropical twist.
- Sweet and spicy: Use pepper jack cheese and add a drizzle of honey for some sweet heat.
- Tomato pesto: Add sundried tomatoes and a smear of basil pesto before rolling the pinwheels for a savory and herbaceous version.
- Puff pastry ham and cheese pinwheels: Swap the pizza dough for puff pastry for extra flaky pinwheels.
- Ham and cheese pinwheels with crescent rolls: Try this recipe with crescent rolls for a buttery flavor.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
Be sure to preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray before you get started. I would also melt the garlic butter so it’s ready as well!
Step 1: Roll out and brush the dough. Open and roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle. Then, brush it generously with the garlic butter.
Step 2: Layer the meat and cheese. Starting at one of the corners, layer the slices of ham on the pizza dough. Then, layer the slices of cheese or sprinkle the shredded if that is what you choose.
⭐️ PRO TIP: The refrigerated dough should be the correct thickness and shape when you unroll it so there’s no need to get a rolling pin.
Step 3: Roll it tight. Roll the dough starting at the narrow end until it is a tight tube shape. Do this carefully so it doesn’t tear and the filling stays in place.
Step 4: Slice the pinwheels. Cut the rolled dough into slices that are about 1 ½ - 2 inches thick. You will have 6 ham rolls.
Step 5: Bake. Place one pinwheel into each of the cups of the muffin pan. Brush each one with some of the remaining melted garlic butter. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Step 6: Cool and serve. Allow the ham pinwheels to cool slightly before you remove them, then enjoy!
⭐️ Hint: If you don’t have a muffin pan, you may use a baking sheet lined with parchment. Ensure there is at least 1 inch in between each pinwheel.
If you love easy recipes like this one, you may also enjoy these Ham Salad Pinwheels and our Bourbon Glazed Ham recipes.
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Store extra pinwheels in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: Once the pinwheels are cooled, place them into a freezer-safe bag (all together or individually) and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before reheating them.
- Reheating: To reheat, place the pinwheels on a lined pan in a 350-degree F oven for 8-10 minutes or until warm. You may also use the microwave. It will take 60-90 seconds at high heat.
- Make Ahead of Time: You may layer, roll, and slice the ham rolls and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before you bake them.
Serving Suggestions
- Some options for tasty condiments to dip the ham pinwheels are Honey Mustard Mayo and Spicy Harissa Aioli Sauce.
- For a sweet and spicy twist, try it with Raspberry Jalapeno Jam or Easy Homemade Horseradish Pickles.
- Serve them with Mashed Potato Fries for a quick and easy lunch or dinner option.
Recipe Tips
- Use a sharp knife: Ensure the blade is sharp enough to make clean and even slices. This will also prevent squishing the pinwheels while cutting.
- Layer the ingredients evenly: Ensure the ham and cheese are layered evenly so each pinwheel has the same amount of filling.
- Use room temperature dough: Cold dough is harder to roll and rips easier. Let it sit out for 30 minutes before you make the pinwheels.
Recipe FAQs
Sure. Feel free to use plain butter instead of garlic butter on these ham rolls.
Do your best to pinch the tears closed after it’s completely rolled. If there are small rips, it is just fine.
Yes. Use a gluten-free variety of refrigerated pizza dough. If you make your own, use a gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour.
How to Make Video
More Delicious Appetizers
Do you like pinwheels? Here are some appetizer recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Easy Cheese and Ham Pinwheels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
- ¾ pound Black Forest ham thinly sliced, between 12 and 16 slices
- 8 slices cheese your favorite variety or shredded
- ¼ cup garlic butter melted
- mustard your favorite variety, if needed for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 6 hole muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Roll out your refrigerated pizza dough into a rectangle. Using a brush, coat dough in melted garlic butter.
- Top with slices of ham and shredded or sliced cheese, starting at a corner. Lay slices of ham and cheese until the dough is totally covered.
- Starting at the narrow end, roll the dough up as tightly as possible.
- Slice roll 5 times so you have 6 pieces, between 1 ½ and 2 inches thick.
- Place your slices in your prepared muffin pan and brush remaining melted butter across the top of each pinwheel.
- Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until a golden brown color. Serve and enjoy! These are delicious as a snack or a small meal or even dipped in over easy egg yolks!
Notes
- Use a sharp knife: Ensure the blade is sharp enough to make clean and even slices. This will also prevent squishing them while cutting.
- Layer the ingredients evenly: Ensure the ham and cheese are layered evenly so each pinwheel has the same amount of filling.
- Use room temperature dough: Cold dough is harder to roll and rips easier. Let it sit out for 30 minutes before you make the pinwheels.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in January 2018. It has been updated with new content and new images.
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