Cream Cheese Ranch Rollups are the easiest and most popular appetizer you could ever make. Rich cream cheese, ranch dressing mix and veggies all rolled into tortillas – these will disappear in a flash at any party!
Cream Cheese Ranch Rollups are a true Midwestern gift.
The recipe originates from my grandmother. When she gave the recipe to my mother, she said, “This is an appetizer that everyone loves. Men, women, kids…everyone adores these.”
And she was right.
I have lost count of how many times I have made these over the years. Any time there is a gathering that we need to take food to, I almost always end up making a batch of these. Sometimes I really go whole-hog and make a double batch.
Why make twice as many ranch rollups? Because one batch will disappear almost as fast as you can slice them. I promise you that I am not exaggerating.
If you are from the Midwest, you are probably already familiar with the “pinwheel” concept. Pinwheels – tortillas rolled around some kind of filling, usually of the meat and cheese variety – are a party staple in this part of the country. You can’t throw a proper party around here without pinwheels making an appearance.
Cream Cheese Ranch Rollups are like pinwheels taken to a whole other level.
As the name would suggest, the base is cream cheese mixed with ranch dressing mix and finely chopped green onions, red bell pepper and black olives, all spread on a large flour tortilla, then rolled up (to achieve the iconic pinwheel shape) and sliced.
(Pro-tip: The ends of the tortillas are not very pretty when sliced – since they don’t make a full pinwheel – but are totally delicious nonetheless. Consider them the “chef’s snack.”)
If you’re anything like me, the words “black olives” gave you pause. But I promise you, even if you are squarely in the anti-olive camp like myself, you will want to add them in here. They add a slightly salty tang, without actually making everything taste like black olives.
That said, I have been known to swap out the black olives for bacon in my Bacon Ranch Cream Cheese Rollups. That is absolutely a move I can get on board with.
If you would like to use a Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix instead of the packaged stuff (although I must admit to using the packets more often than not), you will want to use 3 tablespoons to equal one of the store-bought packets.
Go forth with your Cream Cheese Ranch Rollups and conquer all of the parties – from holiday parties to barbecues to movie nights with your best friends, I can promise that you’ll be the most popular person at the party for bringing these along.
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 package ranch dressing mix
- generous ½ cup finely chopped red peppers
- scant ½ cup finely chopped green onions
- 1 small (2.25-ounce) can chopped black olives
- 4 12-inch flour tortillas
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for tortillas. Lay out tortillas; evenly distribute cream cheese mixture among tortillas and spread just shy of the edges.
- Roll up tortillas; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Slice into ¼-inch slices before serving.
Jen @ Juanita's Cocina says
YUM!!! I ADORE these things. It makes me long for a cold drink in hand!
Stephie says
Right? They totally will do that.
Russell at Chasing Delicious says
These look scrumptious! My kind of roll-up.
Stephie says
Thanks!
Jen @ The Scrumptious Pumpkin says
You’re right – these are perfect for when you need to ‘bring something’ to a get-together. Simple and they look delicious too! 🙂
Stephie says
People will ask you, “How are you so awesome?” and you can smile smugly in your knowledge that being awesome came so easily.
DessertForTwo says
I’ve got a serious weakness for Ranch. I think it’s part of being from Texas. It tastes good in anything! I would probably eat the whole tray of these.
Wow, you have some nice things to say about couples who are getting married soon. I, however, do not, haha. After the most disastrous wedding in history 3 weekends ago, I’ve decided to start therapy. I need to convince myself that my wedding will not be like that. It will not be a disaster. It just won’t! haha
Stephie says
Oh no! I’m sure your wedding will NOT be like that! Look at it this way, you’ve already learned what NOT to do, so you’re on the right track! 😉
Kristina says
O man.. I would eat all those little roll ups all by myself, I have a serious weakness for ranch 🙂 Those look awesome!
Kathleen says
I love these! I will definitely be making them with Will in the near future. You are so talented, and I absolutely cannot wait to cook some original Swope recipes as I start this new chapter of my life. 🙂 Love you!!
Stephie says
Aw, thank you darling! I love you, too. I so enjoyed putting together your cookbook and trying to put together a nice variety of recipes that you might like. I definitely want some pictures of any of your creations! =)
sharanda says
what is the name of the other dish in this picture? it looks good. Post the recipe please.
Stephie says
That’s my vegetable pizza! Always a big hit with my family at Christmas Eve. You can find the recipe here:
https://www.stephiecooks.com/2012/05/03/vegetable-pizza/
Connie Krapek says
I bet adding bacon would be good too! Another variance!
Stephie says
Shut the front door. I can’t even wrap my mind around how good that sounds.
brian thomas says
i like the bacon idea….what do you think about adding canned corned beef to the mixture?
Stephie says
Well…I can’t say that I personally would do it, but you could absolutely give it a try!
Linda Crowe says
I make these & use cream cheese & ranch seasoning, but lay thin slices of good ham on top…..roll up & chill before slicing…..rather tasty …..Always a big hit….
Stephie says
Ooo, ham sounds like a great addition!
Barb says
I love these too and make variations … always using cream cheese as the base … I put roasted red peepers cut up from a jar , bean sprouts , spring onions , and ham .
Debbie says
Add thin slice of ham as well. I make it with the ham and always a hit. Usually forst thing gone.
Debbie says
I also add shredded cheddar cheese with the ham slices.
Michele says
I make mine with green chiles, cilantro, black olives and pimentos. Delicious!
Stephie says
Yum! Love that little Tex-Mex twist!
allene says
these are so addictive. a plate full disappeared in minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mercedes says
I would add finely chopped jalapeno peppers to the mix…
Annette says
I love these, and yes it is hard not to eat them all, they’re really good if you dip them in salsa or picante sauce, so yummy
Pam Moses says
Made these Christmas Day but used bacon instead of olives. Fantastic
Trine @ Creative Pink Butterfly says
I am loving the look of these! Pinning!
Aimee W says
I love these! I have a recipe that is very similar, but instead of 2 packages of cream cheese, I use one and 1/2 cup of mayo. I also add 4 oz of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. They are yummy and my younger boys love them too! 🙂
Stephie says
Seriously, they’re such a dude appetizer!
Jenny says
How much servings does this make?
Stephie says
Depends generally on how thick you slice them and how many each person eats – You can certainly count on at least 4 dozen pieces.
Krystal says
These will definitely be on the menu for my husband’s birthday party. How do you think these would freeze if I end up with leftovers?
Stephie says
I promise – you won’t end up with leftovers. 🙂 (Which is my way of saying that I have never, ever, not once made these and had any left over. In fact, I’ve never had them last longer than about an hour.)
Catherine says
Making these for a football tailgate this weekend!! So many variations to choose from, I may make several different kinds…great recipe!
Stephie says
Oh, you should make ALL of the kinds! I hope you love them as much as we do!
tia says
Can I make the filling. A couple days ahead of time. Thank u.
Stephie says
You certainly could. You’d need to let it come to room temp a bit before spreading on the tortillas (just to make it more spreadable), but it should be fine. You could also make the whole rolls up to a couple of days ahead and wait to cut them until just before serving.
AMoritzky says
My mother in law makes these and adds canned green chiles. It is delicious. They always run out of these especially when she makes a double batch.
Liz says
So easy and yummy. They look amazing!!
Caroline says
I love roll ups like this! Super easy and yummy for entertaining!
Heather says
Yum to the tum!
Cindy says
These are really great! We have made something with the basically the same recipe but substitute a small can of diced green chilies for the onions and add 2 cups of chopped chicken (I like to use the rotisserie chickens from the deli). Like your recipe, you will want to double it if you want any leftovers. Great recipe. Easy and no heating the house up cooking on those hot summer days.
Pam says
Yep sounds good. When my mother-in-law bought stuff for me to make her some she only bought 1 cream cheese brick, so i added 3/4 c shredded cheddar to the mix. It worked fine.
Christie says
These look SO addictive!
Sabrina says
I love a simple party appetizer. This one looks so fun!
Sarah p says
What type of red pepper, is it like a red bell pepper? I bought everything but that because I wasn’t sure. But I’m very excited to make them!
Pam says
Yes and you can add green bell and/or cilantro. My favorite is to use the “fiesta” hidden valley ranch packet, it has more flavor than “original” and not as much heat as “spicy”.
Abby says
I’m going to make this soon! Do you think I could freeze half of the roll ups before slicing? Thank You!
Christy says
I use cream cheese green Chilis chopped black olives and pimentos with the ranch pack just make sure you drain everything really good
Hannah says
I made these for a party last weekend and nobody could stop eating them!! I added some chopped bacon for flavor and they turned out wonderfully. Plus, they were super easy. Thanks!
Kelsey says
Made these and instead of red and green peppers and olives, I used grape tomatoes and spinach. Will see how they turn out tomorrow when we cut them up!
Anita McCrimmon says
These are delicious! ! Quick idea for a last minute party. Everyone raved and asked for the recipe. I used the smaller tortillas, so the rounds were a bit dainty. Only sat in frig for about 4 hours. Very pretty addition to the table.My platter was cleaned, no leftovers.
edith schnupp says
I would guess crab meat would be good with theses, too. Will definitely not use olives. Hope that won’t matter.
Hannah says
If you fry both sides of each sliced roll up in a little bit of butter, they become even better! Crispy cheese on the outside with warm, gooey insides!! I also serve with salsa
Hannah says
And I added some diced jalepenos in the mixture for a little bite!
Stephie says
Ooooo! I love that twist!!
david says
THESE ARE EXCELLENT! I’M TRYING TO GAIN WEIGHT, THESE WILL HELP. GREAT MUNCHIES!! DAVID