These quick and easy club-style pinwheel sandwiches are the best appetizer to bring to parties and BBQs or to take along for lunch.
Why this recipe works
Pinwheel sandwiches are awesome finger food for a kid-friendly lunch option, for taking along to barbeques and potlucks, or enjoyed as a healthy snack. They’re made with tortillas that are rolled together with your choice of ham or turkey, bacon, sliced cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and a cream cheese-ranch-mayo mixture.
These club-style pinwheel sandwiches are so simple and can be made as a last-minute appetizer starting by laying out a tortilla, filling it with delicious toppings, rolling it up, and slicing. Tuck them into a container and you’re ready to go!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
TOPPINGS – As far as meat goes, you can use turkey, ham, chicken, or really any kind of deli meat you prefer. Mix and match the meats or make a few different options to choose from, you could also omit the meat entirely for a vegetarian pinwheel. The tomatoes are optional and are best used if you plan on serving the pinwheels that day as they can sometimes cause the tortilla to be soggy if left for too long.
CHEESE – The cheese used in this recipe is also very versatile. We like to use colby jack or American cheese, but pepperjack or provolone would be tasty as well. For the cream cheese spread, we’re mixing it with ranch seasoning and mayo but you could use an already flavored cream cheese in its place.
TORTILLA – We use flour burrito tortillas, but you can sub them out for colorful or flavored tortillas if desired. We can also show you how to make your own flavored flour tortillas.
How to Make Club-Style Pinwheel Sandwiches
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Cook the bacon if you are not starting with pre-cooked bacon. Chop the bacon into fine bits.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese. Add in the mayonnaise and ranch seasoning. Mix to combine.
- Add the chopped bacon and mix using a rubber spatula.
- Lay out the 10 tortillas and start to assemble. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly onto the tortillas, dividing evenly between the 10 of them.
- Lay three slices of cheese in a line on top of the cream cheese in the center of the tortilla.
- On top of the cheese cover the tortilla with deli meat of your choice. Leave a bit of open room at the top of the tortilla as everything shifts when you start to roll.
- Add the tomato and fresh lettuce in the same fashion as the cheese.
- Roll from the bottom up, tightly.
- Place in a casserole dish or wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator seam side down, until you are ready to slice.
- Each roll is to be sliced about 1 inch in thickness and can make 7-8 pinwheels from one tortilla roll. Secure with toothpicks if needed and for easy dipping.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Sure! You can make these pinwheels ahead of time. Allowing the pinwheels to set in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving helps the pinwheels seal on the ends and makes for a great make-ahead appetizer, however, if you use tomato in the wrap, the longer it sits, the more juice comes out and will make the tortilla soggy on the ends. If you plan on making them further in advance, I would suggest removing the tomatoes from the ingredient list.
You can store your pinwheel sandwiches in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. These little sandwiches are best served the day of making them.
Serving Suggestions
Pinwheel sandwiches are a great appetizer for all sorts of occasions. My favorite way to enjoy them since they’re so easy to make is to have them for lunch or as a snack paired with some fresh veggies. Bring them along to picnics, potlucks, backyard cookouts, or serve them as finger food for football games and afternoon tea with friends. Don’t forget a side of dip like thousand island or ranch dressing!
More Appetizer Recipes
- Cucumber Sandwiches
- Appetizer Veggie Pizza
- Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs
- Dill Pickle Pinwheels
- Mexican Pinwheels
- Pigs in a Blanket
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Club-Style Pinwheel Sandwiches
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- ½ lb bacon about 6 slices, cooked and crumbled
- 8 oz cream cheese softened at room temp
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 packet ranch seasoning
- 10 burrito tortillas 9 inch
- 30 slices American cheese or colby jack, provolone, and cheddar
- 2 lbs sliced turkey or ham
- 3 beefsteak tomatoes optional. or better boy tomatoes, sliced with a madeleine at 1/16th thickness
- 1 head buttercrunch lettuce or kale
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Chop the bacon as small as you can since it will be spread onto the tortillas in a thin layer.
- The use of tomatoes can/will make these soggy. You can omit them, or simply make these fresh. Allowing the pinwheels to set in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving helps the pinwheels seal on the ends and makes for a great make-ahead appetizer, however, if you use tomato in the wrap, the longer it sits, the more juice comes out and will make the tortilla soggy on the ends.
Instructions
- Cook the bacon if you are not starting with pre-cooked bacon. Chop the bacon into fine bacon bits.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese. Add in the mayonnaise and ranch seasoning. Mix to combine. Add the chopped bacon and mix using a rubber spatula.
- Lay out the 10 tortillas and start to assemble. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly onto the tortillas, dividing evenly between the 10 of them.
- Lay three slices of cheese in a line on top of the cream cheese in the center of the tortilla. On top of the cheese cover the tortilla with deli meat of your choice. Leave a bit of open room at the top of the tortilla as everything shifts when you start to roll.
- Add the tomato and fresh lettuce in the same fashion as the cheese.
- Roll from the bottom up, tightly.
- Place in a casserole dish or wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator seam side down, until you are ready to slice.
- Each roll is to be sliced about 1 inch in thickness and can make 7-8 pinwheels from one tortilla roll. Secure with toothpicks if needed and for easy dipping.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Bingo says
What is the dip shown in the recipe photo?
Amanda Formaro says
It’s remoulade. You can serve them with tons of different dips though!
Michelle says
Huge hit at our party! So easy to make and had a lot of leftovers that stayed together and tasted just as good the second day. I looked in the reviews for tips on prepping the tomatoes beforehand to avoid soggy wraps and it worked perfectly!
Molly says
This is great! I’ve never mastered the technique before but your instructions make it so clear. I made them for a high school sports banquet, they were popular.
For the tomatoes, I used a technique I have used for other things, like quiches. I sliced the tomatoes well ahead of time, spread them on paper towels, and sprinkled very lightly with salt. After about 30 minutes, I blotted them with a paper towel. This draws enough water out to keep the tomatoes from making things soggy. I’m having some left over the next day and they are totally fine.
touchedpainter says
Thank you for this refresher recipe. I try to put too much and too much wet dressing; using dry powder and maybe some patted dry relish (I love putting relish on everything) would help the bread hold up better. I don’t get complaints; rather I do get recipe requests. So, I do appreciate your recipe, to pick my brain, and make them more your way. And, thank you for the wonderful cream cheese recipe. There is the potential for so many variations of this entire recipe. Can’t wait…. I don’t need an occasion to take them to; just my own special lunch or supper in front of a great tv show/movie. Have a great summer.
ann lorich says
I will try it on one family or church events.