Roast Beef Roll Ups are a fun and easy recipe! With a soft cream cheese, roast beef and gherkin filling, they are tasty and satisfying. Get your game day snacks sorted with roast beef pinwheels that will fly off the plate.
Recipes like my Pinwheel Sandwiches and Ham Cream Cheese Roll Ups give us savory options that work as lunch, appetizers or game day snacks!
My Pesto Pinwheels, Cheese and Bacon Pinwheels and Cheese and Tomato Pinwheels will fly off the party table!
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Recipe Highlights
Do you love recipes that work across different occasions? Me too! These are some more reasons why I think you will love this recipe:
- Suitable for a crowd: everyone can have 1 or 2 of these and get a little bit fed without you having to make full sandwiches per person. Each wrap makes about 8 individual roll ups.
- Everyday grocery store ingredients: this recipe uses ingredients that you will be able to easily find. You won't have to go to the ends of the earth to find them and you likely won't have to Google any of the ingredients to find out what they are! Other than maybe horseradish - a delightful condiment I insist you try if you haven't already 🙂
- Quick and easy: these are no bake and super straight forward to bring together, making them a great choice for gatherings.
- Make ahead: be organised and make these the day before your event. Keep them wrapped and cut into portions when ready to serve.
- Fuss Free and effortless: we don't turn on the oven, the air fryer or the slow cooker, these are sweat less, fuss free snacks.
- Lunch Box meal prep: pop a couple of these in kids lunch boxes (omit the horseradish) for flavourful food that is filling and satisfying.
Ingredients
The photo below is a visual guide, handy to help you get everything you need when at the shops. The ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- Tortilla Wraps: I always use the large size of these when making roll ups. It means that you can cut them into about 8 roll ups per tortilla sheet. You can use white, wholegrain or spinach or a combination of a few.
- Roast Beef: you can either choose to purchase deli meat or find it packaged in the fridge section where the salami/pepperoni meats are.
- Horseradish: this condiment is full of flavour. Whilst not hot spicy, it definitely has its own kick to it and you will notice when you are using it. It is great in this recipe as it pairs well an enhances the flavour of the roast beef.
- Cream Cheese: this is a great ingredient to use in roll ups as it helps everything stick together as well as inside the wraps.
- Parmesan Cheese: I like to add 2 different types of cheese to these wraps as I think you notice it in both the taste and the texture. Choose a bold parmesan cheese with a bit of bite to it.
- Gherkins: some people might know these as dill pickles. They are often used in wraps, sandwiches and burgers. They are sold in brine in jars in the supermarket. We need to drain (not rinse) them and use paper towel to pat dry. This ensures we don't take excess moisture into the wraps which can result in soggy roll ups!
- Red Onion: we only need a small amount of this. It brings both great flavour and texture to the roll ups. My preference is always using red onion if it is going to be served raw (uncooked).
- Salt and Pepper: we only need a small amount of each of these. Their purpose is to season the filing. You can also use additional cracked black pepper to serve if you like.
Top Tip 1: Using a mixture of white, wholemeal and or spinach (green) wraps will give a bit if colour and variety to your serving plate.
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the roll ups. You will need a bowl to combine the filling as well as a chopping board to support the wraps as we fill them.
- Combine the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl (Photo 1)
- Stir till consistently combined (Photo 2)
- Spread the filling onto the wrap (Photo 3)
- Roll, wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge (Photo 4)
If the cream cheese is at room temperature, you will find it easier to work with. So as soon as you know you are going to make these, grab it out and sit it on the bench for a little bit.
How to Make Roast Beef Roll Ups
It will take a little bit of elbow grease to ensure the filling is mixed together well. But it is worth it so that every bite has the taste of the combined filling.
Top Tip 2: Dollop the filling onto the wrap with a spoon and use a butter knife to spread across the surface of the wrap, leaving a slight border.
Making the recipe in advance
The reason why we roll the wraps and put cling wrap around them is because it will keep them fresher like this for longer.
If you want to make them in advance, you can actually leave them rolled like this and when ready to serve, simply remove the plastic and cut.
These are so great to serve at parties for finger food as they literally take 2 fingers to grab from the plate!
As the filling is firm, they will stay together well and you won't have any soggy or dripping sauce sandwich rolls!
The texture of the gherkins contrasts very well with the soft chewy roast beef and creamy cheese onion mixture, a match made in heaven!
Serving Suggestions
I enjoy a slight sprinkle of cracked pepper on these as I go to serve.
As much as we have used a little bit in the actual filling, putting a bit on the outside gives additional seasoning to the mix.
Napkins are handy as well as they work as plates at parties!
Substitutions and Variations
As usual, there are many things that you can do to switch in, out, left and right for this recipe. A few popular choices are:
- Adding a layer of fresh spinach leaves on top of the cream cheese layer.
- Combine pastrami with the roast beef for extra meaty roll ups.
- Use sliced layers of cheddar instead of the shredded parmesan for an alternative texture.
- Add some chopped capsicum (peppers) with the seeds removed.
- Switch out the roast beef and in with diced ham or cooked chicken.
- You might like to turn this into a roast beef roll for a larger serving. Some leafy greens will create a good balance for the cream cheese mixture.
How to Guide
How to Store
Store the roll ups in an air tight container for 2 to 3 days.
How to Freeze
I don't recommend freezing this recipe as the cream cheese and wraps can produce varied results.
How to Reheat
These roll ups are best served cold or at room temperature.
If you want to toast them in the sandwich press you can, however, use some baking paper to ensure any cheese that oozes out can be cleaned up easily.
Top Tips
Here are my top tips, tricks and in the know tidbits to help you master this recipe from the get go:
- The cream cheese will soften at room temperature, so grab it out of the fridge as a starting point.
- The roast beef will be in slices. Use kitchen scissors to roughly chop this into smaller, bite sized pieces.
- Ensure that you dry each individual gherkin! We don't want extra moisture in the wraps.
- Wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge until ready to cut and serve.
- Discard the tiny bits from each end of the wrap.
- Cut each roll up into 2 cm ish pieces, flip them open side up for serving.
- Sprinkle with a little bit of cracked black pepper for additional seasoning when serving.
- Don't leave the prepared wraps out of the fridge for too long as we want the cheese mixture to be firm and solid.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make a roast beef roll up?
Some recipes will have roast beef as the bread and roll the ingredients inside.
Other recipes will have a roast beef filling that is rolled into tortilla wraps.
What condiments do you put on roast beef?
Roast Beef is versatile and lends itself to a numbing of pairings that each work well!
A couple of condiments to try as horseradish, relish, mayonnaise, mustard, chilli jam and pesto.
What goes well with roast beef on a sandwich?
Cheese, roast beef, tomatoes, spinach and onion are a great sandwich combination.
When making roll ups some ingredients such as tomatoes can make them soggy. So you can either create a barrier between wet and dry with spinach leaves or cut the seeds out of the tomato and use the fleshy bit instead.
What kind of cheese is good on roast beef?
Lots of cheeses work well with roast beef.
A couple to try are Swiss, edam, gorgonzola, cheddar and old English.
Is roast beef sandwich healthy?
A roast beef sandwich is a healthy option especially when filled with extra vegetables like spinach and or lettuce.
Each of these roll ups has 47kcal Calories.
Related Recipes
If game day snack food is right up your alley, hey me too!! Then here are some more recipes that I think you will love, love:
- Dry Rub Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Mini Sausage Rolls
- Chicken Sausage Rolls
- Pork and Fennel Sausage Rolls
- Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
- Air Fryer Frozen Spring Rolls
Roll up my friends, roll up!
Adrianne xx
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📖 Recipe
Roast Beef Roll Ups
Equipment
- 1 Medium sized mixing bowl
- 1 Soup Spoon Note 1
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Butter Knife Note 2
Ingredients
- 4 large tortilla wraps Note 3
- 200 grams roast beef Note 4
- 250 grams cream cheese
- 1 tbs horseradish
- 8 Gherkins drained, roughly chopped, Note 5
- 2 tbs red onion chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add roughly chopped roast beef, horseradish, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, gherkin pieces, diced onion, salt and pepper to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Use a soup spoon to consistently combine.
- Working 1 at a time, place tortilla wrap onto chopping board. Dollop roast beef cheese mixture onto the wrap and use a butter knife to spread into 1 thick layer.
- Start at one edge of the tortilla and roll tightly into a long wrap.
- Wrap cling flim around filled tortilla and place in the fridge (optional).
- After 30 mins, remove from the fridge, unravel plastic wrap, discard a slight empty piece from either end and cut into portions.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Note 1 As the cream cheese mixture is thick and takes a bit of elbow grease to stir, I recommend using a short handled spoon over a long handled one. This will give you more control of the bowl slipping and sliding over the bench.
- Note 2 A non serrated butter knife is the easiest way to spread the filling over the tortillas. Use the tip and paint brush like strokes to spread the filling. Be gentle so you don't accidently put a hole in or tear the tortilla wraps.
- Note 3 These come in a wide array of colours and flavours. You can use one type be it white, wholegrain or spinach or use a combination. As you see in the photos, I have used a combination of whole grain and spinach flavours for variety.
- Note 4 The roast beef will be sold in thin slices. You can then take kitchen scissors and chop these into rough pieces before adding to the cream cheese mixture.
- Note 5 These are the ingredient most likely to make the wraps soggy. So drain AND use paper towel to individually dry before you chop them as it will ensure there is no excess moisture in the wraps. Moisture leads to soggy wraps!
Dani Wheeler says
We made your chicken ones like these which were awesome so will have to give these a go also, thank-you.
Tamara says
Made these for lunch, perfect in every way!
Maria says
Made these for a morning tea on the weekend, they were very good, thanks
Adrianne says
Thanks Maria! I enjoyed reading your feedback.