Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (2024)

The Recipe Rebel / Dinner

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 12 servings

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Last updated on June 3, 2020

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These Easy Pizza Pinwheels are so quick to make and easy to customize! They’re freezer friendly and perfect for lunches, an appetizer or game day.

Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (2)

Happy Friday!

Excuse me while I jump in here with a non-pumpkin, non-apple, non-cranberry recipe in the midst of all the holiday recipes. My friends from The Slow Roasted Italian just came out with their new (first!) cookbook, The Simple Kitchen, and I just have to share.

You guys, if you are like me and love easy, flavorful, home-cooked meals then you will love this book just as much as I do. It’s full of one pot dinners, slow cooker recipes, easy desserts, homemade spice mixes and sauces, and all things comfort food. Basically, it completes me.

Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (3)

It was so hard to pick something to make and share with you from the book, but with baby’s arrival quickly approaching (baby is due mid November, but since this is #3 and we are just now full-term, there are no guarantees we’ll get a few more weeks!), I really loved the idea of these Pizza Pinwheels because they’re freezer friendly, kid friendly, and are perfect for the school lunches that won’t cease even once we have a newborn running the house. 😉

I made a quick batch of 12 for lunch one day when it was just the 2 year old and myself at home, and we polished off more than half of them! Our oldest had a taste once she got home and said she’d be really sad if there weren’t some left for her lunches the next week, so another batch was definitely in order.

Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (4)

I just want to thank Donna and Chad for coming up with the brilliant idea to add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to pizza dough, because it is life.changing. Seriously SO good and no rise time, which means you can have these on the table in no time.

Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (5)

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Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 2 votes

These Easy Pizza Pinwheels are so quick to make and easy to customize! They’re freezer friendly and perfect for lunches, an appetizer or game day.

Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (7)

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Course Appetizer

Servings 12 servings

Calories 326cal

Ingredients

PIZZA DOUGH

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 9g
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water 100-115 degrees F
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3-3 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon Tuscan-Style Seasoning Blend from The Simple Kitchen, or Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

PINWHEELS

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
  • 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 40 slices pepperoni
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

PIZZA DOUGH:

  • In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Let rest until mixture becomes foamy, about 3 minutes.

  • Add the oil, 3 cups of flour, salt, garlic powder, seasoning and Parmesan cheese to the bowl. Mix on medium speed until dough comes together in one ball, and then knead for another 3 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be just a little sticky.

  • Add the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. The sticky dough is important to help the crust get a little lift as it cooks!

  • Lightly flour your countertop. Place the ball of dough on the counter, cover with a clean dish towel and let rest 5 minutes.

PINWHEELS:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and brush a baking sheet with some of the melted better. Reserve remaining butter.

  • Roll the dough out to a 12×18″ rectangle. Spread 1/2-1 cup of marinara sauce, leaving a 1″ border around the edge. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce and cover with pepperoni.

  • Starting at the long edge, tightly roll up the dough, pinching the pepperoni slices into the roll if they try to escape as you go. Use the last 1″ of clean dough to pinch and seal the dough. Cut evenly into 12 slices.

  • Arrange the pinwheels cut side up on the baking sheet and spread them out so they aren’t touching. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

  • Meanwhile, stir together the remaining butter, parsley and salt in a small bowl. Brush the tops and sides of the baked pinwheels with butter mixture and serve with additional marinara or Alfredo sauce, if desired.

Notes

TO FREEZE: Cool pinwheels to room temperature and store in a large freezer bag. When ready to eat, thaw and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until warmed through.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1pizza bun | Calories: 326cal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 456mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g

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Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (8)

Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

Read More

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle Fraas says

    Question on flour- is it 3 C with yeast… and 3¹/²cup at end with dough or just a 1/2cup at end ? Not reading it well. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      It is 3 to 3.5 cups of flour total. You add 3 cups of flour initially, and then add a bit more until the dough is still soft but not sticky

      Reply

  2. Vidhi says

    Love this recipe. I bake some and freeze. So easy to warm and pack for lunch for the kids to take to school. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Thanks! We love it too!

      Reply

  3. Magy says

    Hi, will be Trying this recipe for my sons birthday.
    I want to make it ahead so I can save time. For the freezing part of the recipe do you bake them or I can keep them unbake and then bake them the date of the party what do you think?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      I think you can likely do either, but I usually bake them first and warm up in a low oven, maybe 200-250. I hope that helps!

      Reply

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Easy Pizza Pinwheels Recipe - Freezer Friendly! (2024)

FAQs

Can you cook pinwheels from frozen? ›

Reheat directly from frozen on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375 degrees F until warmed through. You could also try freezing the pinwheels unbaked, but be careful of the grated cheese coming loose. Baking the pinwheels first, then freezing, is the easiest route.

Can you freeze homemade pizza rolls? ›

Freeze for a quick snack!

Simply roll them up and place on a baking sheet. Place the entire baking sheet in your freezer and allow to freeze for 24 hours. After they are completely frozen, remove them from the pan and store the rolls in a zip top freezer bag. Keep them in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

How do you defrost pizza pinwheels? ›

TO FREEZE: Cool pinwheels to room temperature and store in a large freezer bag. When ready to eat, thaw and bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until warmed through.

Can you freeze homemade uncooked pizza? ›

Homemade pizza

If you're baking pizza to be eaten at a later date, there's no need to fully cook it before freezing. Instead, try part-baking the crust so it holds its shape, then cooking the pizza fresh when you take it out of the freezer.

How long does it take to defrost pinwheels? ›

Remove it from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before using. You can also microwave the pastry wrapped in paper towel for 15 seconds on each side to speed up the thawing process. You can make a homemade puff pastry recipe, use store-bought, or even use pie dough to make pinwheels.

How do you keep pinwheels from getting soggy? ›

Pack The Dressing Separately

The biggest tip I have to keep your wrap from getting soggy is to pack your dip or dressing on the side. The largest culprit of a soggy sandwich is the sauce, which although tasty, can make your wrap soggy just minutes after making it.

How long does pizza rolls last in the freezer? ›

If you made homemade or frozen pizza rolls, they are best eaten within 1-2 days if stored in the refrigerator, or up to 6 months if kept in the freezer. How do you tell if Pizza Roll is bad? The first sign that pizza rolls have gone bad is a change in their smell.

Do pizza rolls go in the freezer? ›

Baked pizza rolls freeze well, up to 3 months. Bake frozen rolls at 350°F (177°C) for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. See the pizza crust recipe for how to freeze and thaw the pizza dough.

Can you warm up pinwheels? ›

Pinwheels are such a great make & bake ahead food, because they reheat so well!

What knife is best for cutting pinwheels? ›

A serrated knife works the best in cutting through all the layers. We first cut off the ends of the roll (if they are uneven) then slice roll into 12 equal pieces. I find the easiest way to do this is to slice the roll in half, then in half again so you have 4 equal pieces.

Is it better to freeze pizza cooked or uncooked? ›

Key Steps to Better Frozen Pizza at Home

Par-baking really just means you partially bake the crust before topping and freezing it. This ensures an extra-crisp crust and zero sogginess upon final baking.

Why would a fresh pizza not be suitable for freezing? ›

Usually they only say don't freeze if it will affect the texture. I imagine it's that one/some of the toppings don't freeze well so the texture or flavour might be altered. The other option is that it was made with an ingredient that had already been frozen once, therefore can't be refrozen.

Can you freeze uncooked pizza with toppings? ›

You can also freeze uncooked pizza! Make the dough ahead of time and freeze that by itself for up to 2 months. Or you can par-bake the dough and add your toppings to create a frozen meal, just like you'd find in a store. Pop your pre-made pizza in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can you cook pinwheels in the microwave? ›

Step 1: Take a medium/large microwave safe bowl and a measuring cup. Step 2: Measure 2/3 of a cup of uncooked pinwheels and pour them into the microwave safe bowl. Step 3: Take the bowl and place it in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Step 4: After a minute in the microwave, check on the pinwheels.

Can you freeze puff pastry once cooked? ›

Yes, but it may affect the quality. You can refreeze both cooked and uncooked puff pastry, but not more than once. Refrozen raw puff pastry may have less rise, crispness and colour.

Can you freeze tortilla pinwheel sandwiches? ›

I freeze up to 1 month. Let them thaw in the fridge before serving. I love making these ahead of game day and then they're ready to go when we want to celebrate.

How long does it take to reheat pinwheels? ›

You can absolutely enjoy these cold, but if you want to reheat them I recommend using an oven or an airfryer, rather than a microwave. To ensure they stay nice and crispy rather than getting soggy. In the oven, try 5-10 minutes at 160C.

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