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Italian Pinwheels

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A deliciously fun appetizer for your game day, holiday or party needs, these Italian Pinwheels are tasty, fast and a fun addition to your meal!

pinwheels on plate rolled up showing cut side and layered at angle

Who doesn’t love pinwheels? I know that I can’t resist them, but I’m a complete appetizer freak! So there is really some reason why I cant resist.

These Italian Pinwheels are a seriously easy and tasty appetizer recipe that you can never go wrong with. One of the recipes that I get asked over and over again to bring to all the gatherings!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

  • The flavors and ingredients in this recipe mimic a traditional Italian sub, so they work together very well along with being a little easier to eat.
  • They make a bunch, which is the best because when you go to a party or gathering, you don’t want to bring something that won’t feed enough people.
  • These can be made ahead of time with no issues, so you won’t be scrambling the day of thinking of what fun appetizer recipe you will make.

pinwheels layered at angle on plate all cut ready to serve

I’ve had so many people make these for holiday’s, baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties et. They are one of those recipe that just go together well.

Do you want to know what the secret is with this Pinwheel recipe? They are a copycat recipe from some pinwheels I had at Walmart from their deli section a while back.

HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN PINWHEELS, STEP BY STEP:

In bowl add your cream cheese, red pepper, banana pepper, italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese , mix together until blended and everything is combined nicely (Photos 1 & 2).

Spread your mixture on your tortillas until it just about reaches the edges, you can leave a little bit so it doesn’t seep out. Then layer 3 slices of your provolone cheese down the center of your tortilla (Photos 3 & 4).

in process photos of italian pinwheels being made

Next layer on your Genoa salami slices until it covers your tortilla then top with about 10 of  your pepperoni slices (Photos 5 & 6).

Lastly add your romaine lettuce down the center and then roll up tightly and refrigerate before you are ready to chill (Photos 7 & 8).

in process photos of italian pinwheels being made

Nothing really beats a good old pinwheel recipe. They are handheld which are perfect for grab and go. They are fresh, crisp and flavorful and absolutely feeds a crowd. 

This recipe makes 24-36 pinwheels depending on how large you slices them, we do about an 1″ thickness, so they aren’t too big but not too small either, who wants a chincy pinwheel, amiright? 

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on the amount of people you are serving, we have made both double and tripe batches before with no issues. 

Another great thing about this Pinwheel recipe is that they make amazing lunch box additions. We have sent our kids to school many times with these in their bags and they always gobble them up without hesitation.

three pinwheels stacked on plate at an angle

TIPS AND TRICKS:

  • We use the large burrito sized tortillas, you can use smaller if you like, but this is what we recommend.
  • We use the regular sized pepperoni slices, but also have used the large sized ones when we are able to find them and it works amazing.
  • These need time to chill or they won’t hold together well, so at least chill them an hour before slicing and serving.
  • Slicing with a serrated knife we have found works the best, it produces cleaner cuts that if you were to use a regular knife.
  • To get a smaller chop on your peppers, place them in a food processor, works like a charm.

These are perfect for any age group, the peppers only give it a hint of spice where it won’t be too overwhelming for those who have sensitivity to things spicy.

Also, this recipe is amazing with different cuts of meat as well ham, turkey, etc. It is really a sandwich made in handheld form which everyone seems to enjoy!

So if you’re looking for a fabulously fun appetizer to bring anywhere you go, then you have to whip up a batch or two of these addicting Italian Pinwheels!

pinwheels stacked in a pyramid on plate ready to serve

If you like this pinwheel recipe you might also like:

If you’ve tried these ITALIAN PINWHEELS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Sliced pinwheel showing the inside

Italian Pinwheels

A deliciously fun appetizer for your game day, holiday or party needs, these Italian Pinwheels are tasty, fast and a fun addition to your meal!
4.91 from 21 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Cool: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 176kcal
Author: Tornadough Alli

Ingredients

  • 3 flour tortillas burrito size
  • 1 8 oz pkg genoa salami
  • 30 small Pepperoni slices
  • 9 slices Provolone cheese
  • Romaine lettuce

Pepper Spread:

  • 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2/3 cup roasted or sweet red peppers we used jarred, chopped small
  • 2/3 cup banana peppers we used jarred, chopped small

Instructions

  • Mix all your pepper spread ingredients in bowl until well comined.
  • Spread 1/3 of the mix onto tortilla.
  • In center of tortilla place 3 slices of cheese next to one another.
  • Next layer enough salami tocover tortilla.
  • After that layer pepperoni covering the salami.
  • Then lastly add your romaine lettuce on top of that.
  • Roll up tightly and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
  • Slice into pinwheels and enjoy!

Notes

  1. We use the large burrito sized tortillas, you can use smaller if you like, but this is what we recommend.
  2. We use the regular sized pepperoni slices, but also have used the large sized ones when we are able to find them and it works amazing.
  3. These need time to chill or they won't hold together well, so at least chill them an hour before slicing and serving.
  4. Slicing with a serrated knife we have found works the best, it produces cleaner cuts that if you were to use a regular knife.
  5. To get a smaller chop on your peppers, place them in a food processor, works like a charm.

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 490mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 585IU | Vitamin C: 19.6mg | Calcium: 238mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TornadoughAlli or tag #TornadoughAlli!
Nutrition Disclaimer

 

 

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Comments

  1. Kathy

    These sound amazing! Just wondered how many you get out of this, realizing it depends on how thick you slice them. Just a general idea of how many- either pinwheels, or servings.
    Thank you!!

    Reply

  2. Amanda

    I made these yesterday for my son’s birthday party. I made this and a fruit salad for appetizers, and these were gone first! Everyone loved them! Thanks for the yummy recipe!

    Reply

  4. Bre

    I made these for a party and they were a hit! From previous experience I’ve noticed that the cream cheese can make the flour tortilla soft and soggy. When assembling these, I put the salami down first to cover must of the tortilla. After that I spread the cream cheese mixture; this may be a little difficult so you have to use quite a bit of pressure to keep the meat in place. After that I added the pepperoni, provolone and lettuce. Thanks for such a fun recipe!

    Reply

    • Tornadough Alli

      Some of the best methods come from trial and error! I’ll have to try it with the meat down first! I’m so happy everyone liked these Bre!

      Reply

    • Tornadough Alli

      Hi Terri! I haven’t actually made these the day before but I have refrigerated my sliced ones and they were fine the day after. I would roll up tightly in plastic wrap making sure the whole tortilla is covered and they should last over night. Might make them easier to slice as they have had time to cool.

      Reply

  7. Lisa

    These look delicious! I am going to make them for a baby shower this weekend! I’m just curious about the bread crumbs? Can you tell they are in there? Are they for texture? Or maybe to soak up any liquid or what?

    Reply

    • Tornadough Alli

      Hi Lisa! The bread crumbs helps it soak up any liquid that might seep due to temp changes. I use it in a lot of my wraps that call for cream cheese because the texture just blends right in!

      Reply

  10. Marilyn

    What can I say? I love everything about these! Pinned and shared. Thanks for linking up at #overthemoon! I hope you will join me at #thursdayfavoritethings. I have a great announcement for food bloggers this week. Keep an eye out for the news!

    Reply

  11. Beverly

    These look delicious, Alli. They would be great as part of a buffet or appetizer bar. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle Sunday. I’ll be featuring your Italian Pinwheels at tomorrow’s party.

    Reply

  13. Lindsey

    These look absolutely delicious. We had some pinwheels at my fiance’s birthday party, and they were such a hit. I’m pinning, tweeting and stumbling this. Oh and I printed it out for myself. 😉 Happy Thursday. <3

    Reply

    • Tornadough Alli

      Pinwheels= amazing appetizer!! I’m so happy that these look good to you! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

      Reply

  14. Carlee

    Yum! I love making quick and easy appetizers like this when we have people over (which seems to be all the time anymore!) I will have to make these. That pepper spread sounds like it will put them over the top! Happy Throwback Thursday!

    Reply

  15. Janet Vinyard

    Hi Alli, Thanks for sharing this recipe – the pepper spread sounds yummy and I can envision changing out the meats & cheeses for infinite variations! Blessings, Janet

    Reply

  16. Frugal Hausfrau

    Alli, this sounds so good with that pepper spread!! I’m going to steal it and use it on all kinds of things, of course, starting with these pinwheels. Happy Throwback Thursday!!

    Reply

  19. Kim

    These look and sound delicious! Thanks so much for linking up You Link it, We Make it Party! We hope you’ll stop by again!

    Reply

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