A quick and easy appetizer, snack, or on-the-go dinner, these no-bake Pepperoni Pinwheels are the perfect meal for kids and adults! With 7 simple ingredients and nearly no work, you will have the whole house fed and happy!
Pepperoni Pinwheels – The EASY Way!
Pinwheels, or tortilla roll ups are a classic snack. Soccer game – bring pinwheels. Barbecue – bring pepperoni pinwheels. Kids after school – make pinwheels! They are quick, easy, and keep in the fridge or cooler for whenever you want to enjoy them.
These pepperoni pinwheels are quick and easy, and don’t even require cooking! With juicy tomatoes, flavor-filled pepperoni, and delicious Italian seasoning these Italian pinwheels are like delicious mini pizza bites that everyone loves! Pizza pinwheels only take 10 minutes to put together and can be served as an appetizer, snack, or as dinner on the go.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Easy – Pinwheels only require mixing ingredients together and rolling. That’s it!
- Quick – Pepperoni pinwheels take 10 minutes to put together and then they just have to sit in the fridge until you are ready to eat them. You can also use ingredients that are already chopped and diced so they require no prep work!
- Flavor-packed – Pepperoni and Italian seasoning, ya that’s flavor paced and delicious!
- Crowd Pleaser – This pizza pinwheel recipe has all the great flavors of pizza that everyone enjoys plus they are bite-size for a grab and go appetizer, snack or meal.
What to Serve with Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels
Since this dish has the classic flavors of pepperoni pizza, it will pair well with many of your favorite pizza pairings. These Pepperoni Pinwheels make a great lunch, light, or on-the-go dinner option, and most frequently I make it as an appetizer.
Side dish ideas
- Side salad with Ranch Dressing– Do this homemade ranch for a real treat! It is SO GOOD and only takes 5 minutes to make!
- Pesto Caesar Tortellini Salad
- Bacon Ranch Broccoli Salad– Fun twist on a traditional broccoli salad
- Antipasto Salad
- Rotini Pasta Salad
- Roasted Vegetables– A light and healthy go-to side!
- Slow Cooker Tomato Soup – Pizza sandwiches and tomato soup are so good and perfect for after school!
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well-rounded dinner.
Recipe Notes
This easy pinwheel recipe is as simple as promised! Just 10 minutes of prep for a family-friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card for how to make pinwheel sandwiches.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Cream Cheese – Pinwheels aren’t pinwheels without cream cheese! I like to use regular cream cheese but you could also use light. I do not recommend using fat-free cream cheese because it does not melt enough to be spreadable.
- Diced Tomatoes – Diced tomatoes are great because they add a bright element without any more work. I use plain but you could use fire roasted or Italian seasoned.
- Black Olives – Feel free to use pre-sliced black olives or slice whole ones yourself. This is the salty element but you can leave these out if you and your family do not like olives.
- Italian Dressing Mix – This is where the flavor comes from! I used an Italian seasoning packet mix but you can also make your own with this Italian seasoning recipe.
- Mozzarella Cheese – I use pre-shredded mozzarella but feel free to shred your own. You could also use an Italian blend cheese.
- Pepperoni Slices – Any of your favorite types of pepperoni will work.
- Tortillas – I prefer to use burrito-size tortillas to get as many cream cheese pinwheels as I can out of one tortilla. You can use any size tortillas but it will make more or less tortilla pinwheels depending on the size.
Recipe Tips
- Roll with plastic wrap – If you are wondering how to roll tortilla pinwheels, plastic wrap is the answer! If you make the pinwheel sandwich on plastic wrap and roll with the wrap, everything will stay tight and together.
- Chill– These pinwheel appetizers need to set in the fridge for 30 minutes before you cut them so they can set. Otherwise, the filling can squish out as you slice them.
- Use a serrated knife – A serrated knife is a must for cutting these make ahead pizza pinwheels. This ensures you will get crisp and clean edges.
- Mix with an electric mixer – Using a hand mixer will make these the creamiest. The cream cheese mixture will combine most easily when using a mixer. If not you may need a lot of elbow grease to really get the cheese and tomatoes combined.
- Use softened cream cheese – If the cream cheese is not softened, it also will not combine as well. You could soften it by setting it on the counter for 15 minutes before making these pinwheels or you can microwave it for a few seconds to soften. It is important to note, that when you mix everything with the cream cheese, it will look chunky because of all the fillings. But this will spread out onto the tortilla just fine!
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe for pizza pinwheels but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Use premade and diced fillings – By using store-bought Italian seasoning mix, diced tomatoes, pre-shredded cheese, and pre-sliced olives, all you have to do is mix the filling!
- Make the filling – This filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. This way, you can just spread it when you want to make the pinwheel sandwiches with cream cheese.
- Make the rolls – Even the rolls themselves can be made in advance! This pinwheel sandwich recipe is great because you can make them up to 3 days in advance. Then, just pull them out of the fridge when ready to eat.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Spicy Pinwheels– I love to add pickled jalapenos to these pinwheels instead of olives for a spicy bite!
- Meat Lovers – To mimic my kid’s favorite pizza, I will add crumbled Italian sausage to the mixture.
- BBQ Chicken – To make this version, you can mix cream cheese with cheddar cheese, ranch seasoning, shredded chicken, and barbecue sauce.
- Buffalo Chicken – One of my favorites!
Pinwheel Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making pinwheel sandwiches with cream cheese, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 2-3 days
More Quick Snack Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my appetizer recipes here, or see a few of our reader’s favorite recipes below.
Pepperoni Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, drained (1 can)
- 2.25 ounces sliced black olives, drained (1 small can)
- 1 packet Italian dressing mix
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 4 oz pepperoni slices
- 4 flour tortillas (large), or 8 small
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, diced tomatoes, black olives, Italian dressing mix, and mozzarella cheese until combined.
- Spread 1/4 of the mixture over each of 4 (burrito sized) tortillas. Top with pepperoni slices.
- Roll each tortilla tightly, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes to set.
- Slice the ends off, then cut each tortilla roll into 8 pepperoni pinwheels. Serve immediately.
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