The links in this post may be affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you buy through these links, at no additional cost to you, which helps me run this blog. Read my disclosure here.
These super easy and fun ham and cheese crescent roll ups are a healthy keto version of the canned biscuit version. They taste great and my kids love them!
Keto ham and cheese crescent roll ups are a perfect kid-friendly dinner, but they also make a great lunch option. They reheat well in a toaster oven so you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge. I also happen to know that they go really well with scrambled eggs for breakfast!
Ham & Cheese Crescent Roll Ups
The dough we use for these crescent roll ups is a variation of my favorite keto dough. It’s similar, but the proportions are changed a bit because we need it to be a little sturdier for this application.
I also make this in a food processor because it’s a lot easier to get everything incorporated this way. This is the food processor I use and recommend.
I still melt the mozzarella and cream cheese together in the microwave, then transfer it to the food processor. You can also melt it carefully on the stove, just make sure to use low heat and stir constantly.
This version uses more almond flour
and baking powder, and has the addition of a little bit of flaxseed meal
.
I also added a little xanthan gum
here because it helps the dough roll up without breaking quite as easily. This dough is still a bit fragile as it contains no gluten, but the xanthan gum helps. You can leave it out if you prefer, just expect more cracking of your dough.
After the dough comes together, it gets rolled out thin between two sheets of parchment paper
and cut into a rectangle. Mine was about 10×14 inches, but it doesn’t have to be exact.
Then I cut it into eight triangles.
Lay a slice of ham and cheese on the wide part of the triangle, then roll up carefully to the tip. Important: for best results, pat your ham dry between two paper towels to get rid of excess moisture.
You may still find that your dough cracks a bit as you roll it. Here are my best tips:
- Use thin slices of ham and cheese. Thick slices will make this much more difficult.
- Very hard cheeses like cheddar will be more difficult here. I used provolone, which worked really well. Any more flexible cheese slice here will work fine.
- If your dough starts to crack as you roll it, you can pinch it back together as needed. It pushes together more easily than a flour-based dough.
The last thing I added to these roll ups is a topping sauce. This is a similar sauce to what is used in those Hawaiian roll sandwich recipes, if that’s something you’re familiar with.
It’s a mixture of butter, dijon mustard
, Worcestershire sauce
, dried minced onion
, and poppy seeds
. It adds some really nice flavor while being kid-friendly.
The sauce only gets added for the last five or so minutes of baking. If you add it at the beginning, there will be too much moisture and the dough won’t bake nicely.
Bake them until they’re golden little pockets of deliciousness with cheese oozing out the sides.
Then dig in!
Keto Ham & Cheese Crescent Roll Ups
Easy ham and cheese crescent roll ups that are low carb!
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 oz (170g) shredded mozzarella
- 2 oz (55g) cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) almond flour
- 2 Tbsp golden flaxseed meal
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp yeast (optional)
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
Filling
- 8 slices ham, patted dry
- 8 slices cheese
Topping
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dijion mustard
- 1 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/4 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Make dough: Melt together mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl for 90 seconds. Stir, microwave for another 30 seconds if necessary.
- Transfer melted cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Add egg and process well until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients to the dough and process until it comes together. Scrape down the sides of the food processor to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Roll dough into a large rectangle about 14x10". Trim off edges to make straight. Cut into 8 triangles.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- Take a triangle of dough, top with one slice ham and one slice cheese at the wide end. Roll up gently to the point and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until crescents are just starting to brown on the edges.
- While the crescents are baking, whisk together all topping ingredients.
- Take crescents out of the oven and spoon topping evenly over each crescent. Then return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until golden.
- Allow to rest on the pan for 5 minutes before removing for best results.
Notes
This works best with thinner slices of ham and cheese. Slightly softer cheese works better than harder cheese. I used provolone.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 crescentAmount Per Serving: Calories: 373Total Fat: 29.9gSaturated Fat: 12.4gSodium: 1035mgCarbohydrates: 7gNet Carbohydrates: 4.4gFiber: 2.6gSugar: 1.8gProtein: 22.6g
