These bite-sized savory Turkey Pinwheels are wrapped in burrito tortillas and stuffed with sliced turkey, lettuce, and a flavorful cheddar ranch cream cheese spread.
This turkey and cheese pinwheel recipe makes the quickest and most delicious appetizer, finger food and party snack! Roll-up’s are perfect for holiday parties, potlucks, game day, or anytime you are entertaining a crowd.
If you are looking for more quick and easy holiday favorites, be sure to also check out my Crab Rangoon Dip, Bacon Wrapped Dates with Pineapple, Spinach Pinwheels and Cranberry Meatballs.
Easy Turkey and Cheese Pinwheels
These little turkey pinwheels bites are not only delicious, but also incredibly easy to make. You do not need to turn on the stove or oven – no baking or cooking is required.
All you have to do is mix up that delicious flavor loaded cream cheese spread, spread it onto a piece of tortilla, top with sliced turkey and leafy lettuce, roll it up, and cut it into bite size pieces.
Not only do I make these ranch turkey pinwheels for parties and holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are super handy for kids’ lunch boxes, back-pocket lunches or dinners when you are in a hurry, or for a quick snack.
The ranch cream cheese spread really elevates the flavors of these turkey pinwheels. It is a combination of cream cheese, ranch seasoning mix, cheddar cheese and chives. The mixture is flavorful, creamy, and incredibly tasty.
These turkey pinwheels is probably best eaten within a few hours of making them, but they can also be made ahead if you are looking to meal prep and make a bunch ahead of time. I highly recommend consuming turkey roll-up’s within 2 days for the best taste.
Ingredients
To make these delicious turkey cream cheese pinwheels, here are the ingredients you will need:
- tortilla wraps – I like to use burrito size flour tortillas (~10 inch in diameter). Whole wheat tortilla is also a great healthier option.
- cream cheese – softened cream cheese works best because it is easily spreadable, so make sure to let it sit in room temperature for an hour or so before mixing. You can also soften it in the microwave using a lower power level or the defrost setting.
- cheddar cheese – shredded cheddar shredded cheese is mixed into the cream cheese spread for extra flavor
- ranch seasoning mix– this is one of my favorite short cut ingredients. It has a combination of spices that brings a lot of flavors with little effort. My favorite one is Ranch seasoning by Hidden Valley. I’ve found that each ranch packet has slightly different taste, so if you want a consistent result, use the same type of ranch seasoning everytime.
- chives – this is another spice seasoning that adds great flavors and garnish to the cream cheese spread. Fresh or freeze dried chives both work great.
- turkey slices – use your favorite deli turkey breast. You can substitute with chicken or ham slices as well. Turkey should be thinly sliced to make it easily to be rolled into the tortillas. You can use leftover turkey but make sure you slice them into thin slices.
- lettuce – use crisp leafy green lettuce…it doesn’t have to be a specific kind. This adds some crunchy texture to the turkey pinwheels.
How to make it
These turkey pinwheels make the best quick and easy party snacks and lunches. Let me show you how EASY it is to make them.
Step 1: Make Cheddar Ranch Cream Cheese Spread
First, let’s make the delicious ranch cream cheese spread.
In a small bowl, bring together softened cream cheese, ranch seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese and chives.
Use a big spoon or spatula and mix everything together.
This creamy spread is packed with delicious flavors thanks to the ranch seasoning. Do taste the mixture and add more salt and black pepper if needed.
Step 2: Wrap the roll
Turkey pinwheels is essentially creamy turkey roll-up’s that are cut into bite-size pieces.
To make the pinwheel rolls, start by laying out a piece of 10-inch tortilla wrap on a large surface. It’s a lot easier to do all the turkey and cheese roll-up wrapping if you have enough space to do this.
Spread the cream cheese mixture onto the flour tortilla, then add a layer of leafy green lettuce, leaving some space on the top so the cream cheese ranch spread will act as a seal for the rolled tortillas.
Add a layer of turkey slices, avoid overlapping too much so create a thin layer. Leave the tops of the tortilla without any turkey as well.
Next, roll the tortillas. Make sure they are rolled up as tightly as possible so that it’s wrapped up neatly.
Using a serrated knife, slice tortilla roll ups into approximately ~1 inch thick slices.
I typically discard the ends since those aren’t full ‘pinwheels’, or eat it as a snack while you roll up your tortillas! 😉
Repeat to make more turkey roll-up’s until the cream cheese spread and turkey is used up.
And that’s it! You’ve got your bite-size turkey and cheese pinwheels ready to go.
No cooking, no heating up the kitchen…so easy and so yummy!
Variations
If you want to change this turkey pinwheel recipe, here are some of my favorite variations to try:
- Pat dry ingredients: Make sure turkey, lettuce are dry before adding to the tortillas – this will prevent sogginess in the pinwheels.
- Use different seasoning mix: instead of using ranch seasoning for the cream cheese mixture, using Italian seasoning or Everything But The Bagel seasoning blend. If the seasoning added is without salt, you will want to add salt to the mixture.
- Use other fresh herbs: I like chives with cream cheese for my turkey pinwheels, but you can substitute with parsley, green onions, dill etc.
- Different meats or omit protein: substituting bacon, ham chicken, or simply leaving the protein out works great. If you like bacon or ham also, just go ahead and pile them onto your turkey pinwheels in addition to turkey! But be careful not to over stuff your roll ups.
- Different cheeses: other shredded cheese such as Colby jack, mozzarella, pepper jack etc works great as well!
- Add more veggies: cucumbers, spinach, bell peppers, shredded carrots…
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead turkey pinwheels up to 2 days in advance. Store in air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you want to make ahead for a longer period of time, omit lettuce, and it can be stored for up to 5 days.
Avoid freezing turkey pinwheels with lettuce in it. If you’d like to freeze pinwheels, omit lettuce.
Tips and Tricks
- Soften cream cheese: Make sure cream cheese is softened before mixing with the other ingredients to make the ranch mixture.
- Avoid overstuffing tortilla: To help with the rolling of the tortillas, layer a thin layer of ranch cream cheese mixture and just one layer of turkey. Also make sure turkey is thinly sliced.
- Roll tortillas tightly: Roll pinwheels tightly so that the filings don’t fall out
- Sealing tortilla: the ranch cream cheese mixture is used to seal the tortilla shut so make sure to apply to the edges where the sealing happens.
- Use a sharp knife: Cut with a sharp serrated knife to maintain clean edges.
- Keep them in place: If turkey pinwheels opens up, use a small toothpick to hold them together.
- Dipping sauces: Serve with a favorite dipping sauce such as ranch dressing or chipotle aioli for added flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Burrito size flour tortillas are ideal due to their size and flexibility. Alternatively, whole wheat, spinach, or sun-dried tomato tortillas can add more flavor and nutrients. If you prefer a gluten-free option, choose gluten-free tortillas.
Yes, you can make turkey pinwheels up to 24-48 hours in advance. Roll them in plastic wrap to keep them fresh and prevent drying out. Slice them just before serving to maintain their appearance and texture
If you are planning to freeze this, I recommend not adding lettuce to the pinwheels because it will wilt over time. Turkey pinwheels freeze just fine, just without the lettuce in it.
To prevent pinwheels from getting soggy, pat dry any wet ingredients like lettuce or turkey before adding them, and use a thin layer of cream cheese spread.
Deli-sliced turkey breast is the most common choice. Opt for high-quality turkey for the best flavor. Make sure they are thinly sliced to make rolling up the tortillas easier. You can also slice leftover turkey into thin slices and use it on these pinwheels.
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More Finger Food Recipes
- Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip
- Pizza Sliders
- Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Chili Cheese Dip
- Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese Tart
- Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Roasted Garlic Bread Dip
Turkey Pinwheel
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning mix
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp chives chopped
- 1 lb turkey meat thinly sliced
- 8 burrito flour tortillas ~10 inch diameter
- 8 pieces leafy lettuce
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, add cream cheese, ranch seasoning mix, cheddar cheese, and chives. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture onto one side of the burrito tortilla. Top with one layer of lettuce, leaving the tops of the tortilla without lettuce so that the cream cheese mixture can act as a glue when tortilla is rolled up. Next, add one layer of turkey slices (avoid overlapping) onto the lettuce layer. Roll up the tortilla and slice into ~1-in slices. Optional: discard the ends (or eat it as a snack while you roll up your tortillas!) and you'll get about 7-8 pinwheels.
- Repeat until you no longer have cream cheese and turkey. This recipe typically uses ~8 10-inch flour tortillas.
- Serve and enjoy!
