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Home » Appetizers » Prosciutto and Melon Appetizers

Prosciutto and Melon Appetizers

Published: Aug 14, 2020 · Modified: Mar 2, 2021 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

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8 small melon appetizers with a prosciutto rose and mint leaves on top, in front of a lace tablecloth.

These prosciutto and melon appetizers make a refreshing Italian classic extra pretty and feminine! With just 4 ingredients and a tiny cookie cutter, you can create these elegant honeydew and cantaloupe hors d’oeuvres in a snap. Just try not to eat them all before your guests arrive!

8 small melon appetizers with a prosciutto rose and mint leaves on top, in front of a lace tablecloth.
Contents hide
1 How to Make These Appetizers – Step by Step
2 Common Questions
3 A Few Tips
4 A Little More Rosy Inspiration
5 Prosciutto and Melon Appetizers

Since March, my husband and I have been staying in for Sunday brunch more and more, since our favorite restaurants have been closed. I’ve been thinking of ways to make our own home brunches special, without breaking the bank, and these melon appetizers add so much color to our Sunday mornings! Certainly, these make wonderful appetizers for a party, too… but why not just make them for yourself?

I love to pair these precious melon appetizers with my beet napoleons, which also have adorable prosciutto roses on top. They look so pretty together! Guests think it’s funny how they both look like tiny cakes, even though they’re made from fruits and vegetables.

If you really want to make a stunningly rosy brunch menu, try my gorgeous goat cheese quiche, covered in pearl onion roses, and why not make a bouquet of bacon roses on the side! And for a delightfully rosy brunch cocktail, try my “Distract-a-Bee.”

It’s a honied ginger, St. Germain and gin cocktail, spritzed with rose water! In fact, I have lots of floral cocktail recipes that would be perfect for any elegant brunch!

How to Make These Appetizers – Step by Step

A collage of 2 images showing how to make a prosciutto rose.

1. Use kitchen scissors to cut a piece of prosciutto that’s about 5 inches long, and ½ an inch thick.

2. Carefully roll prosciutto slice into a pretty rose. Make 15 roses, and set them aside.

A collage of 4 images showing how to cut rounds out of melon.

1. Slice 1 pound cantaloupe (about half a melon) into 1 inch thick slices. Use a small cookie cutter to cut them into rounds.

2. Slice the rounds in half to make them more precise and about ½ an inch thick.

3. Slice 1 pound honeydew (about half a melon) into 1 inch thick slices. Use a small cookie cutter to cut them into rounds.

4. Slice in half like the cantaloupe.

2 images showing how to stack melon slices and add prosciutto roses.

5. Simply stack alternated melon rounds. It looks pretty when some are topped with honeydew and some are topped with cantaloupe.

6. Find the tiniest mint leaves in the bunch and place them beside a prosciutto rose on top. You can also pierce them with a cocktail pin or toothpick to make them easier to pick up.

Fingers holding a prosciutto melon appetizer.

Common Questions

1. How long will they last?

If you assemble them and put them in the fridge, they’ll look perfectly nice for up to an hour. The roses may start to undo themselves a little bit after that.

2. How much time do they take to make?

Depending how quick your prosciutto rose-rolling skills are, they can take about 10-15 minutes to make 15 roses, and the melon stacks take just about 8-10 minutes to slice, cut and assemble.

3. What do I need to make this recipe?

sharp knife and cutting board
small cookie cutter – about an inch in diameter
cocktail pins or tooth picks – optional

A Few Tips

1. To make them EXTRA fancy (and tasty), here are a few ingredients you can add:

  • thin layers of mozzarella
  • thin layers of goat cheese
  • layers of basil
  • drizzles of honey
  • drizzles of balsamic reduction
  • sprinkles of fresh thyme around them
  • sprinkles of flake salt
  • sprinkles of fresh pepper

2. Make them nice and bite-size with a small cookie cutter.

The cookie cutter I used is just over an inch in diameter, making these appetizers easy to pick up and perfectly bite-size.

3. Make those prosciutto roses first.

If you’re not used to making teeny, tiny prosciutto roses like I am, it might take you a little while to get the hang of it. Be sure to make the roses before you cut and slice your fruit, because if it takes you more time than you were expecting, the melon may start to look less pretty while it sits out.

4. Make sure to buy prosciutto that has slices separated with either wax paper or plastic.

If the slices are not separated by plastic or wax paper sheets, they really stick together, making it pretty impossible to make perfect roses.

4 small melon appetizers with prosciutto roses and mint leaves on top.

Serve your pretty prosciutto and melon appetizers on an appetizer plate, and watch your guest’s eyes simply light up when they see them!

A Little More Rosy Inspiration

  • Deviled Eggs with Bacon Roses
  • 5 Pretty Rose Garnishes for Cocktails, Appetizers & Entrees
  • White Rosemary Rose Coconut Cocktail
  • Pesto Zucchini Rosettes

For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!

A book cover with a title that says “Elegant Appetizers,” beside a title that says “Don’t forget your free ebook! Subscribe.”
A small melon appetizer with a prosciutto rose and mint leaf on top.

Prosciutto and Melon Appetizers

These prosciutto and melon appetizers make a refreshing Italian classic extra pretty and feminine!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 15 appetizers
Calories: 29kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison
Cost: $20

Equipment

  • sharp knife and cutting board
  • small cookie cutter – about an inch in diameter
  • cocktail pins or tooth picks – optional

Ingredients

  • 1 pound cantaloupe melon – about half a cantaloupe
  • 1 pound honeydew melon – about half a honeydew
  • 3 slices prosciutto 
  • 15  mint leaves – small

Instructions

Make Prosciutto Roses

  • Use kitchen scissors to cut a piece of prosciutto that’s about 5 inches long, and ½ an inch thick. Carefully roll prosciutto slice into a pretty rose. Make 15 roses, and set them aside. 

Make Melon Stacks

  • Slice 1 pound cantaloupe melon into 1 inch thick slices. Use a small cookie cutter to cut them into rounds.
  • Slice 1 pound honeydew melon into 1 inch thick slices. Use a small cookie cutter to cut them into rounds.
  • Slice the rounds into half-inch think slices to make them thinner and more precise.
  • Simply stack alternated melon rounds. It looks pretty when some are topped with honeydew and some are topped with cantaloupe.
  • Find the tiniest mint leaves in the bunch and place them beside a prosciutto rose on top. You can also pierce them with a cocktail pin or toothpick to make them easier to pick up.

Notes

Make sure to buy prosciutto that has slices separated with either wax paper or plastic. If the slices are not separated by plastic or wax paper sheets, they really stick together, making it pretty impossible to make perfect roses.
 
To make them EXTRA fancy (and tasty), here are a few ingredients you can add:
  • thin layers of mozzarella
  • thin layers of goat cheese
  • layers of basil
  • drizzles of honey
  • drizzles of balsamic reduction
  • sprinkles of fresh thyme around them
  • sprinkles of flake salt
  • sprinkles of fresh pepper
 
Nutrition Information is an estimate, since you’re not using entire pounds of melon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1081IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
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Comments

  1. Irene Li

    June 16, 2021 at 8:54 pm

    Hi Genevieve, this appetizer is really pretty. Please advise what is the white inside the rose and your recommendation to stabilize the rose on melon if there is 30 mins travel time to friend’s home. Thanks

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      June 16, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      Hello Irene!
      The white is just a little bit of fat that’s a part of the prosciutto. If you’re transporting these, I would honestly keep the roses separate in a container, then pop them on top once I got to my location. They’re so delicate and you wouldn’t want them to get dinged or banged if your car were to hit a bump in the road. That would be my suggestion 😉 Good luck, and enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Michelle

    May 27, 2021 at 11:11 am

    Absolutely delicious and so simple. The melon stacks make a beautiful presentation. I will use this recipe over and over again.

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      May 27, 2021 at 2:13 pm

      Aww, thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed them!

      Reply

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