Pizza Pinwheels are so easy to make, and would be a great after school snack or finger food for a party or get together. With just a few ingredients, they come together in just minutes!
When my kids are hungry, they don’t want to wait around for a snack. They want something NOW. They pinwheels not only are ready in 15 minutes, but you can freeze them and pop them in the microwave – so much better than prepackaged pizza snacks!
Of course they’re not just kid-friendly, they’re a perfect appetizer for grown-ups too. Instead of pepperoni, add some shredded chicken, diced peppers, onions, mushrooms or any other specialty ingredients you like.
To make them, you’ll need to first flatten out the dough. I use refrigerated crescents (God bless you Pillsbury for creating these!) and roll them out on a lightly floured surface, pinching the seams together as I go. They don’t have to be perfect, just enough so you won’t lose your filling as you roll them up.
Roll it up lengthwise (or widthwise) – it’s your preference depending on how big you want your pinwheels and how many you need. Slice them into approximately one inch segments and lay them out on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. One tip I got from a reader who tried my Jalapeno Bacon & Cheddar Pinwheels was to freeze the roll for 10-15 minutes before slicing to preserve their shape. I thought that was a great idea if you have the time. They bake for about 12 minutes to golden perfection.
Serve them with yummy dips or eat them on their own. They’re good either way!
Pizza Pinwheels with Homemade Pizza Sauce
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 can Refrigerated Crescents or Pizza Dough
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce or marinara
- 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Pizza toppings of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Lightly flour a large wooden cutting board. Roll out dough onto the floured surface, pressing seems together as you go.
- Spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough, to the edges.
- Top with shredded Mozzarella and your choice of pizza toppings.
- Roll pizza width-wise (the longest side) and seal the and slice into 1 inch pieces.
- Place pinwheels on the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Allow to cool for a couple of minutes then serve with marinara or ranch for dipping.
For more tasty snacks, try these:
Bacon, Cheddar and Jalapeno Pinwheels
Made two batches, one on a cookie sheet (as suggested) and one using muffin tins. Highly recommend using the muffin tins as the rolls kept their shape and look much nicer. Need to really roll the dough out as well. I think my first batch was a bit thick. I think these will be a hit at my DS’s bday party!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Jennifer.
I thought this would be a great finger food, but unfortunately an epic fail making them by this recipe…. the first time around. Crescent rolls becane really soft, really fast while making and were baked the 350 for the 10-12 min and wasn’t long enough for that temperature. I ended up having to turn the heat up and bake 5 more minutes. 375 is the suggested baking on the packaging. So, I tried again. The second time around, the baked a little better but still flimsy. The freezer thing is a good idea if there is time. Tried a 3rd time with pizza dough and it was easier to work with, not as sloppy when cutting.
I’d suggest doing it with the pizza dough. As I was rolling (which is very difficult) the seams were coming apart. Also, cutting them isn’t easy.
Hi im looking at doing this for my wedding since its at 2, and we are just doing finger foods. Well my question is could it be made the day before, without needing to be reheated? Do you know if its still as good the next day and not soggy?
I honestly don’t think they’d taste very good cold. They are definitely a hot appetizer.
Another way to cut them and keep their shape is to use unflavored floss. Lay the floss under the roll along where you want to slice, pick up the ends, and cross them, then pull until they slice and are out, repeat. Works for cinnamon rolls, too.
Hi! Just tried this! Mine don’t look as good, but I live in the NL so probably different dough 😉 do you freeze then before or after baking them?
if you freeze these ahead of time, do you thaw completely before baking?
I haven’t tried freezing them before baking them, but if you do let us know how it turns out!
The idea is a good one but I prefer a pizza dough, maybe Pillsbury pizza dough if I don’t have any homemade. The dough was just to soft, Well like it suppose to be for crescent, just not pizza. The idea was 5 star.
Does the floured surface have to be a wooden cutting board? I don’t have one
Any clean, flat surface in your kitchen should work, like a countertop or other type of cutting board.