Ham and cheese pinwheels make the perfect easy lunch, dinner or snack. Great as party appetizers and easy to slide into lunch boxes, these ham and cheese pinwheels only need six ingredients for a delicious bite the kids will love.

Close-up view of baked ham and cheese pinwheels topped with everything bagel seasoning baked close together in the pan.

Table of Contents

Why We Love This Baked Ham And Cheese Pinwheel Recipe

Easy To Make – This recipe only needs 6 ingredients total and is simple enough my kid can help make them. You can also make these pinwheels with as few as four ingredients, and you can customize them to your own family’s tastes.
Great For Lunch Boxes – Perfect for meal prep, this easy ham and cheese pinwheels recipe tastes great cold in lunchboxes or warmed up as dinner. They are a great size for kids, I will usually put two in my kid’s lunchbox.
Get Creative Using What You Have – This recipe is simple enough you can use it to help clean out some leftovers in the refrigerator, or simply make it to fit your family’s taste. Kids love this simple recipe!
Great Appetizer – Pinwheels are the perfect savory snack for game day, movie night, or any party. You can make pinwheels the day before and bake them the day of the party.

Ingredients For Ham And Cheese Pinwheels

8 ounces crescent roll dough – you could also use pizza dough homemade or store bought, or the premade crescent roll dough sheets also work.
10 slices ham 10-12 thin slices, I’ve used deli ham.
10 slices provolone cheese thin slices, swiss cheese or cheddar cheese also work great
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard optional
4 tablespoons butter melted, salted
2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning optional

How To Make Ham And Cheese Pinwheels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet with spray cooking oil.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the crescent dough. Pinch and press the dough together to seal the seams to make one large sheet.

Unrolled crescent roll dough on a wooden cutting board dusted with flour.

Spread Dijon mustard in a thin layer over the dough rectangle. This is optional, if you don’t care for mustard it can be left out.

Unrolled crescent roll dough on a wooden cutting board dusted with flour with a thin layer of Dijon mustard spread over the dough.

Layer the ham on top of the dough, overlapping the ham slices as needed. Then add a layer of cheese over top of the ham.

A wooden cutting board with crescent roll dough laid out and layered with ham.

A wooden cutting board with crescent roll dough laid out and layered with provolone cheese and ham.

Starting at the long edge of the dough, roll the dough into a long log. Seal the ends of the dough by pinching it together. Cut each roll of dough into 10 even slices, I like using a large serrated knife. Place the pieces in the prepared baking dish.

A wooden cutting board coated lightly with flour with rolled ham and cheese pinwheel dough right after rolling.

A wooden cutting board with rolled ham and cheese pinwheel dough cut into even pieces.

Brush the melted butter over the tops of the pinwheels with a silicone brush until evenly coated. Sprinkle the everything bagel seasoning over the top of the pinwheels evenly.

A silicone brush adding melted butter to unbaked ham and cheese pinwheels in a baking dish.

Place the pinwheels in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and melty, then serve and enjoy!

A baking dish full of ham and cheese pinwheels baked until golden brown and topped with everything bagel seasoning.

Roll Ups Variation Ideas

Sliced ham and cheese isn’t the only option! Use some of these variation ideas to mix things up and you’ll love this recipe even more!

Skip The Mustard – Ham and mustard go so well together, but not everyone is a fan and it’s totally ok to leave it.

Swap The Everything Bagel Seasoning – Swap the everything bagel seasoning for just sesame seeds, a little Italian seasoning or just leave it off all together. This is pretty easy to adapt to your family’s tastes.

Try Different Meats – Try salami, pepperoni, roast beef, bacon, chicken or turkey as long as they are already cookied in these easy pinwheels. You can also use cubed meat as long as it’s cut small and cooked. Try rotisserie chicken, ham, or whatever else you have as leftovers in the fridge! You can also make them just cheese and skip the meat.

Experiment With Cheese – Provolone or swiss are our favorites but try cheddar, havarti, monterary jack or colby jack cheese.. You can also use shredded cheese instead of sliced cheese.

Can I Make Ham And Cheese Pinwheels Ahead Of Time As A Party Appetizer Recipe?

Yes you can assemble these ham and cheese pinwheels ahead of time and then put them in the refrigerator. I suggest brushing them with butter and sprinkling them with the everything bagel seasoning right before you bake them for a slightly better taste, but they are still delicious if you add the butter and seasoning ahead of time.

I recommend baking these pinwheels within 24 hours of assembling them.

Leftovers after baking these pinwheels are delicious. We often use these pinwheels as meal prep for my kid’s lunchbox.

How Long Will A Ham And Cheese Pinwheel Batch Last?

Expect these ham and cheese pinwheels will last for about 3-4 days if you store pinwheels in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

More Easy Recipes You’ll Love

Close-up of a ham and cheese pinwheel roll with sesame seeds on top, showing layers of ham and melted cheese inside a golden-brown dough.

Baked Ham And Cheese Pinwheels

Author Kristy Richardson

Course Appetizer, Dinners, lunch

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Hot ham and cheese pinwheels with crescent rolls are the perfect melty appetizer or lunch. These roll ups are quick and great for kids!

Ingredients

▢ 8 ounces crescent dough
▢ 10 slices ham 10-12 thin slices, I've used deli ham.
▢ 10 slices provolone cheese thin slices
▢ 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard optional
▢ 4 tablespoons butter melted
▢ 2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet with spray cooking oil.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the crescent dough. Pinch and press the dough together to seal the seams to make one large sheet.
Spread Dijon mustard in a thin layer over the dough. This is optional, if you don't care for mustard it can be left out.
Add a layer of ham to the top of the dough, overlapping the ham as needed. Then add a layer of cheese over top of the ham.
Starting at the long edge of the dough, roll the dough into a long log. Seal the ends of the dough by pinching it together. Cut each roll of dough into 10 even slices. Place the pieces in the prepared baking dish.
Brush the melted butter over the tops of the pinwheels with a silicone brush until evenly coated. Sprinkle the everything bagel seasoning over the top of the pinwheels evenly.
Place the pinwheels in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, then serve and enjoy!