Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps

Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps are a ridiculously simple appetizer made with creamy little rounds of cheese wrapped in thin, salty prosciutto.

Using Mini Babybel cheese is the time-saving trick here. There’s no cheese to slice, grate, or portion, and every wrap comes out roughly the same size.

You can have a platter ready in about 10 minutes without turning on the oven.

Serve them as cold finger food, add them to a cheese or charcuterie board, or put them out with drinks at Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and other parties.

Simple ingredients, almost no preparation, and they look surprisingly good arranged on a platter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There really isn’t much work involved. Unwrap the cheese, cut the prosciutto, wrap the two together, and you’re finished.

Using individually portioned Babybel cheese saves even more time because there’s no need to measure or cut a block of cheese. The mild, creamy cheese also provides a good contrast to the salty prosciutto.

Another advantage? You can assemble the wraps several hours before serving and keep them refrigerated. That’s always useful when you’re preparing several appetizers at once.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 12 Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps, serving approximately 4–6 people as an appetizer.

• 12 Mini Babybel Original cheeses
• 6 large, thin slices prosciutto
• Freshly ground black pepper, optional
• Fresh rosemary or thyme, optional, for serving

That’s really all you need.

Remove both the outer packaging and red wax coating from the Babybel cheeses before wrapping them.

Prosciutto slices vary considerably in size. The goal is to have a strip long enough to wrap around the center of each cheese once, rather than completely covering it in several layers of ham.

Choosing the Cheese

Using Mini Babybel Original is mostly about convenience, but it also happens to work very well with prosciutto.

The little rounds have a mild, creamy, slightly tangy flavor and a smooth, semi-firm texture. That means they hold together beautifully when wrapped and picked up, without being hard or crumbly.

More importantly, the mild cheese doesn’t compete with the prosciutto. Cured ham already brings plenty of salt and concentrated savory flavor, so you don’t necessarily want an extremely strong cheese here.

Babybel also eliminates one of the few preparation jobs this recipe would otherwise require: cutting a larger block of cheese into individual portions.

There’s no need to think about melting qualities because these Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps are served cold. Texture and flavor are what matters here.

If you can’t find Babybel, small pieces of Edam, Gouda, Havarti, or mild provolone can be used instead. Just cut them into thick bite-sized pieces before wrapping.

How to Make Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps

1. Prepare the Cheese

Remove the outer wrapper from each Mini Babybel and pull away the red wax coating.

Keep the cheeses refrigerated until shortly before assembling the appetizer. They’re firmer and easier to handle when cold.

You don’t need to cut them. That’s the whole point of using Babybel as the shortcut.

2. Prepare the Prosciutto

Carefully separate the prosciutto slices.

Very thin prosciutto can tear easily, so peel the slices apart gently rather than pulling them quickly.

Cut each of the 6 slices into two strips to give you 12 pieces.

Don’t worry if the edges aren’t perfectly straight. The slightly irregular appearance of thin prosciutto actually looks good wrapped around the cheese.

3. Wrap the Cheese

Place one Mini Babybel toward the end of a strip of prosciutto.

Wrap the prosciutto around the middle of the cheese, leaving the rounded edges of the cheese visible.

You only need a single layer. Too much prosciutto can make these little appetizers overly salty and overwhelm the cheese.

Position the overlapping end underneath the cheese when placing it on the platter. This helps hold the wrap together without needing toothpicks.

Repeat with the remaining cheese and prosciutto.

4. Arrange and Serve

Arrange your Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps on a serving plate, cheese board, or charcuterie platter.

A little freshly ground black pepper is a nice addition, but don’t add salt. Prosciutto brings more than enough.

For a festive platter, tuck small sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme around the wraps rather than piling herbs directly onto them.

And that’s it. Ten minutes, two main ingredients, no cooking.

Cheese Substitutes and Variations

Babybel is the easiest option, but you’re certainly not limited to it.

Edam is probably the closest straightforward substitute. Cut it into small, thick rounds or cubes. It has a similarly mild flavor and firm-but-creamy texture.

Gouda gives the wraps a slightly sweeter and nuttier cheese flavor. Young Gouda works better than a heavily aged variety because it’s softer and less assertive.

Havarti is particularly creamy and makes the wraps feel a little richer.

Mild provolone gives you more tang and a slightly stronger cheese flavor while still pairing naturally with cured ham.

You could even use small mozzarella balls. If you do, drain them thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels before wrapping. Fresh mozzarella carries much more moisture than Babybel.

Simple Variations

These Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps don’t really need extra ingredients, but there are a few easy ways to change them.

Place a small arugula leaf underneath the prosciutto for a peppery bite.

For something sweet, serve the wraps with grapes, fresh figs, pear slices, or dried cranberries.

A tiny drizzle of balsamic glaze also works, especially if you’re adding them to a larger antipasto-style platter. Keep it light or the appetizer quickly becomes messy to pick up.

Want crunch? Serve walnuts, almonds, or pecans alongside rather than trying to stuff them inside the wraps.

What to Serve with Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps

These little wraps are perfect for building out a cheese or charcuterie board.

Surround them with crackers, breadsticks, olives, grapes, sliced pears, figs, nuts, dried fruit, cornichons, and marinated vegetables. The different colors and textures make a very simple appetizer look like part of a much bigger spread.

They’re particularly useful for parties because guests can simply pick them up and eat them in one or two bites.

Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps also work well for Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve. And because they don’t require cooking, they won’t take up valuable oven space when you’re preparing hot appetizers at the same time.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can assemble these wraps about 4–6 hours before serving.

Place them in a single layer on a platter or inside an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Take them from the refrigerator about 10–15 minutes before serving. Cheese has more flavor and a creamier texture when it isn’t refrigerator-cold.

If you’re decorating the platter with fresh herbs, add those closer to serving time so they stay looking fresh.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover Mini Cheese and Prosciutto Wraps in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat them within 2 days.

There’s obviously no reheating required. They’re intended to be served cold or just slightly below room temperature.

Freezing isn’t recommended. The convenience of this appetizer comes from its fresh texture, and freezing can negatively affect both the cheese and delicate prosciutto.

Final Thoughts

With only two main ingredients, proportion becomes surprisingly important. Don’t bury the cheese underneath several layers of prosciutto. One thin strip around the center gives you enough salty cured-ham flavor while allowing the creamy cheese to remain the main part of each bite.

And using individually portioned Babybel cheeses removes almost all of the preparation. When you’re making several party dishes at once, sometimes that little shortcut is exactly what you need.