Delightfully delicious Pizza Pinwheels are everything you love about pizza, rolled up into surprisingly easy finger food!
Pizza Pinwheels are so pretty on a plate that you won’t believe how simple this recipe is! Five ingredients – marinara, mozzarella, green peppers, pepperoni, and parmesan cheese – are turned into the ultimate roll up using a tube of pizza dough as the pastry crust!
The Absolute Best Finger Food Appetizer!
Appetizers are the most fun to eat! They always disappear the fastest from any buffet or party! Cheesy pigs in a blanket, loaded tater tot bites, buffalo chicken meatballs…all fabulous foods for toddler tantrums or the best New Year’s Eve parties!
And Pinwheel Pizzas, with their spiral shape and flaky texture, elevate a basic appetizer into something appealing and appetizing! They’re fast, fabulous, and finger-food-friendly!
Other Recipes to Serve with Pizza Pinwheels
- The Best Ever Pizza Sauce is an easy dipping sauce marinara for this pinwheel recipe!
- These Lunch Box Veggie Pizza Roll Ups are similar to the Pizza Pinwheels and make a healthy meal for your kids!
Ingredients
Crust: A tube of refrigerated pizza crust dough makes easy pinwheels!
Sauce: A jar of your favorite marinara makes a foundational spread and a dipping sauce for the finished pinwheels.
Cheese: Simple, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan are the classic pizza choices, but you can always add a little Monterey Jack or provolone if you prefer!
Fillings: This recipe for Pizza Pinwheels calls for sliced pepperoni and diced green peppers. The flavor combination is perfect!
Garnish: Finish the pizza rolls with a minced parsley sprinkle for extra flavor and color!
How to Make Pizza Pinwheels
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. On a lightly floured surface (I also use parchment for this), roll the pizza dough into a 15-inch x 12-inch rectangle. Spread the marinara sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch strip along one of the longer edges (to seal the pinwheels later).
STEP TWO: Sprinkle the cheese over the surface, followed by the pepperoni and finely diced green pepper. (If the pepper is too chunky, the pinwheels may fall apart).
STEP THREE: Starting on the longest side, tightly roll the dough, ending on the edge with no marinara. Place the roll seam side down and use a serrated knife to cut the roll into 12 even slices.
STEP FOUR: Place the pinwheels cut side down on the baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes until the pinwheels are puffy and lightly golden brown.
STEP FIVE: Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Serve with extra marinara sauce for dipping!
Tips for Success
- Canned crescent roll dough can be substituted for refrigerated pizza crust dough, but the texture will be slightly different.
- A sprinkle of Italian seasoning gives an extra burst of flavor!
- Brush a little melted garlic butter over the top for a taste that will blow you away!
- Refrigerating the rolls in plastic wrap an hour before cutting can help keep the pinwheels intact.
Are Canned Pizza Dough and Crescent Roll Dough the Same?
Though these two refrigerated grocery items can often be used interchangeably in recipes, there is a difference! Pizza dough has more gluten and less moisture than crescent rolls. It is ideal for stretching and rolling into pinwheels or a thin, crispy crust. Canned crescent roll dough is more “elastic” and more flexible, resulting in a thicker, softer bread.
How Do You Make Perfect Pinwheels?
When making pinwheels, there are two problems you want to avoid: 1) A soggy crust and 2) Pinwheels that fall apart. But don’t worry, good pinwheels are easy to make!
To prevent sogginess, keep moist ingredients to a minimum. For example, with Pizza Pinwheels, we want a thin spread of marinara on the pizza dough for cooking. The rest will be used as a dipping sauce!
To keep your pinwheels intact and easy to pick up, wrap the uncooked rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for an hour before cutting them into pinwheel shapes and baking. Easy peasy!
Other Perfectly Scrumptious Pinwheel Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
- Chicken Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels
- Parmesan Puff Pastry Pinwheels
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Pinwheels
- Cheddar Chorizo Pinwheel Bites
- Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12.4 ounces refrigerated pizza dough (1 tube)
- ⅓ cup marinara sauce plus more for dipping
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup pepperoni slices
- ¼ cup green bell pepper finely diced
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough into a 15-inch x 12-inch rectangle. (You can do this right on the parchment paper.)
- Spread the marinara over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch strip along one of the longer edges free of marinara sauce (this will help seal the pinwheel roll later). Sprinkle the pizza dough with cheese, followed by the pepperoni and green peppers.
- Tightly roll the dough up, starting with the sauced longer edge and ending on the side with no marinara. Place the roll seam side down and use a serrated knife to cut into 12 even slices.
- Place the pinwheels on their side on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the pinwheels have puffed up and are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley, then serve with extra marinara sauce for dipping.
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