Mini Deli Rolls Recipe + Loads of Flavor Ideas!

These mini deli rolls are so easy to make and display beautifully! They are a favorite to include in my Shabbat dinner menus and are fabulous for Shabbat lunch too! This post contains affiliate links.

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I’m not gonna lie – whenever I share a recipe, I feel like an imposter. I’m not a professional chef, I’m just a creative mom who likes to try new things.

That’s why my favorite recipes aren’t really recipes – they’re more like crafts – like these mini deli rolls! So this is more of a formula than a recipe!

This is such a fun and pretty thing to serve and one of my favorite Shabbat lunch ideas – especially in the winter. It freezes nicely, can be made Thursday night, and looks like it took much more effort than it actually does.

The basics of making mini deli rolls

The idea came ages ago when I was making deli roll and got so frustrated with the overly inflated outside and raw inside. I also found it awkward and cumbersome and found that we were only using about half a roll each time. It was hard to roll up with all the fllings.

And the most frustrating part: my kids liked it totally plain and my husband and I like it interesting! Think fried onions (yum for us, ew for the kids), a little kick of heat, different spices.

I realized that this recipe needs to be made in mini and started doing it that way. It’s so easy. You’re not mixing things up – most of what you use is components you already have. It’s so much easier to roll up in mini.

And it is so presentable!

Mix and Match Flavor Ideas

The idea is to really be able to make different flavor profiles with the same bases. So for example, I made:

For us – loaded with flavor and a little sharp kick: Turkey and Pastrami, fried onions (from the freezer – always have this ready and prepped), Dijon mustard, topped with Everything Bagel.

For the kids, a bit sweet and salty – I did just turkey + duck sauce + sesame seeds.

For us – very savory – I did barbecue sauce, just Pastrami, sauteed onions, and 21 seasoning salute topping.

And again just for the grown-ups, I did sweet chili with both meats and onion flake topping.

The mini rolls slice into small pieces that are just the perfect size, giving you a large assortment with only about 15 minutes of prep time. The inside cooks more in-sync with the outside, and you get a little “taster” of each, making it much more of a statement dish!

More things you can try

There are so many ways you can do it, and I’ll include a list of topping ideas in the actual recipe card at the end of this post, but meanwhile, here are some ideas.

There are a few basic components of a deli roll and you can mix and match this as you’d like.

• Meats – Any sliced deli meat works – salami, pastrami, corned beef, turkey. Make some meatier, some less meaty.
• Spreads – This goes under the meat on the deli roll and is the “seasoning”. I also use these as a glaze (sweeter ones work better) I used sweet chili sauce, BBQ sauce, duck sauce, and dijon mustard. More ideas: honey mustard, garlic mayo (my family doesn’t touch mayo but it’s a great option), horseradish honey, cranberry sauce (great with Turkey for Thanksgiving!), pesto…
• Fillings – Not all deli rolls need this but you can add it if you’d like! My go-to is ready sauteed onions that I prep in batches and freeze. Other options: sour pickles (for a deli-sandwich flavor), sweetened/caramelized onions, sauerkraut, herbs, French’s (crispy) fried onions, garlic confit
• Toppings – The topping really completes the mini deli roll, and the flavor sits on the tongue, making it very influential in the final flavor. I used Everything Bagel seasoning, onion flakes, sesame seeds, and my favorite spice mix – 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s. More ideas: French’s crispy fried onions (crush it smaller), sea salt, poppy seeds, minced black garlic

Tips for this mini deli roll recipe

This mini deli rolls recipe is so easy and hard to get wrong, and once you master how to make it, you’ll be getting creative yourself!

How to reheat it

Since many people make deli roll for Shabbat lunch, it’s likely going to be reheated. Always heat it uncovered so it doesn’t get soggy! I recommend having each roll as a single layer in a log.

It’s easier to slice cold, so you may want to do that. If you do, keep the pieces connected on the bottom and heat it as a log so it doesn’t dry out.

Can you freeze mini deli rolls?

This recipe freezes so beautifully! If you have a smaller family and need to serve less at a time, or are just mass-prepping you can totally freeze these. They keep their shape well – especially if you freeze them in a single layer.

I freeze these as a log (not sliced) wrapped in foil, and then in a Ziploc bag. I recommend wrapping each roll individually, but you can totally group them in a bag.

How to Serve Mini Deli Rolls

There are so many ways you can serve mini deli rolls – again, it’s just a fun food that you can do a lot with.

Making a board

If you’re hosting, this is such a cool crowd-pleaser and so presentable. You can line them up and provide a good, sharp knife for slicing (note: your board will get sliced into, so serve it on a pretty cutting board, not your favorite Charcuterie).

You can also slice it and line it up – it’ll fill a bigger board more generously that way but won’t stay as fresh.

Dips & Condiments

You can also add dipping sauces and condiments to the mix! You can offer more of the sauce you used as a spread, or throw new ones into the mix. Ketchup, horseradish sauce, hot sauce… Whatever would work in a deli sandwich would work here too!

How to Make Mini Deli Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 Package / 2 sheets flakey dough
• 8 oz each sliced deli Turkey and Pastrami
• Spreads: sweet chili, bbq sauce, dijon mustard, duck sauce
• Toppings: sesame, everything bagel, onion flakes, 21 seasoning spice mix
• Optional: sauteed onions

Equipment:

• Basting brush
• Sharp Knife (this one is my lifelong favorite knife)
• Rolling pin
• Sheet pan

Process

1. On a floured surface, roll out your defrosted flaky dough. You should be able to spread it a few extra inches in each direction.

2. Cut it into four squares – once horizontally and once vertically. It doesn’t have to be even or perfect.

3. Smear each square GENEROUSLY with your sauce. More sauce = more flavor (do even more than I did if you want it to burst with flavor). Avoid the top inch while filling your deli roll.

4. Add your meat! If using round slices, first cut one in four, and place one in each corner, with the right angle matching the right angle of your dough.

Then, add a circle in the center to get even and full coverage.

5. Layer on your meat as you’d like, and pile on some other fillings like sauteed onions, if you want.

6. The trickiest part of making mini deli rolls is rolling it up. Start by FOLDING over the bottom inch (don’t try rolling from the end). Make sure you grab the roll with all its fillings. The fillings will scootch a little closer to the back end – that’s okay.

7. Keep rolling till you reach the end. You should still have a little exposed dough at the end. Use a touch of water to attach it to the main roll.

8. Use a bit extra of your filling to glaze your deli roll – just brush some on. You can, of course, also use an egg wash.

9. Apply your topping generously. This very important external marker will show which roll it is.

10. Bake according to package directions. Usually that’s about 400 for 20-25 minutes or until it’s golden brown and fully baked.

Serve on a board or tray and enjoy!