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These Pinwheel Sandwiches are a crowd favorite! They’re made with your choice of wrap rolled up with whatever meats, cheese, and veggies your heart desires, then sliced into perfect, bite-sized pinwheels. They’re so easy and so customizable!

lunch pinwheels on a platter.


Easy Pinwheel Recipes

I’m always on the hunt for a great on-the-go lunch or snack…and these pinwheel sandwiches are the perfect option! They’re quick and easy to make, taste delicious and can be customized with so many different spreads, meats, cheeses, veggies, etc.

If I’m not taking these on-the-go, another way I love to serve them is to lay all of the ingredients out on the table and let the whole family create their own. It’s a crowd-pleaser and a great way to get everyone involved in meal prep.

Whip up a BLT pinwheel with turkey, add mozzarella and basil or pesto for a Caprese pinwheel, or load it up with veggies for a veggie lover’s pinwheel…the options are endless!

Ingredients Needed for Pinwheel Sandwiches

One of the best parts of these pinwheel sandwiches is that they are so customizable! Pick your favorite wrap, spread, meat, veggies, and add-ins, and make your dream pinwheel!

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Wraps: Choose between gluten-free tortillas, romaine lettuce or collard greens, flour tortillas, or homemade tortillas. See below for my favorite gluten-free wraps.
  • Spreads: Try it with your favorite hummus, pesto, mayo or mustard. If you’re looking for a homemade hummus recipe, check out my classic hummus recipe or my cauliflower hummus.
  • Meat: Layer on turkey breast, sliced pepperoni, salami, rotisserie chicken, or cooked and sliced chicken breasts. Even Pesto Chicken Salad or Apple Dill Chicken Salad would be great. If you’re cooking your own chicken, make it in quickly in the air fryer using my air fryer chicken breast recipe.
  • Veggies: Use any combination of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, spinach, avocado, red onion, or cooked eggplant or zucchini or yellow squash.
  • Other Add-Ins: Other delicious additions include cooked and crumbled bacon, cheese, pickled jalapeños, pickled pepperoncini, black beans or refried beans, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, you name it.
pinwheel ingredients on the counter.

Looking for a vegetarian version?

Easy! Simply leave out the meat or swap it out for a plant-based deli meat.

How to Make Pinwheel Sandwiches

This quick and easy pinwheel recipe is ready in just 20 minutes!

  1. Assemble: Place the wrap of your choice on a clean work surface, then spoon on 1-2 tablespoons of a spread of your choosing. Layer on a few slices of meat as well as your veggies and toppings.
  2. Roll: Starting with the side of the wrap closest to you, lift up, then roll. Use your fingers to keep the filling in as you roll. Just before closing the wrap, add a teaspoon of spread to the edge of the wrap. This helps keep it closed.
  3. Cut and serve: Use a sharp knife to cut the wrap into 1-inch pieces to form your pinwheels. Chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve!

How Do You Roll a Perfect Pinwheel?

You can do a couple of things to ensure that serving and eating your pinwheels is simple and mess-free! Here are some tips to rolling the perfect pinwheel sandwiches:

  • The wrap. Depending on the type of wrap, especially gluten-free wraps, you may want to heat it slightly.
  • Tuck in the filling as you go. As you roll up the pinwheel, use your fingers to ensure all the filling stays in the roll. This keeps everything more secure.
  • Roll it as tightly as possible. The tighter the pinwheel, the better it will hold its shape, and the better the filling will stay inside.
  • Secure with a spread or a toothpick. Before finishing the roll-up, place a small dollop of your chosen spread on the edge of the wrap. This helps the tortilla stick to itself so the pinwheel stays rolled. If you’re struggling to make this work, you can use toothpicks to secure the pinwheels; just make sure you remove the toothpicks before eating them!

Why Are My Pinwheels Soggy?

Pinwheel sandwiches will naturally get a little bit soggier as they sit. Fortunately, there are a couple of things you can do to extend their freshness as much as possible.

  • Cook the watery veggies. Veggies such as eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash all have a high water content. Pre-cooking these veggies removes their excess water before you add them to the pinwheels. I recommend grilling them for a delicious, smoky flavor depth!
  • Keep them in the fridge. To keep the pinwheels as fresh as possible, store them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.

The Best Gluten-Free Wraps

I love Siete foods tortillas for a super clean option, but Mission gluten-free tortillas hold up the best that I have found!

closeup overhead of pinwheel sandwiches.

Tips and Notes for Pinwheel Sandwiches

  • Slice everything small. The smaller your fillings are, the easier it will be to roll each pinwheel up! Plus, you’ll get a little bit of everything in each bite.
  • Don’t over-stuff the pinwheels. You want plenty of fillings but not so much that it’s all falling out of the pinwheels.
  • Use a serrated knife to cut. A serrated knife makes slicing clean, smooth cuts so much easier.
overhead image of containers with pinwheel sandwiches and berries.

Serving Suggestions

This pinwheel recipe is one of my favorites to make for an easy lunch option! It has all you need in a meal rolled up in whatever tasty wrap your heart desires.

These pinwheel sandwiches also make an excellent addition to an appetizer spread. If you’re looking for other quick and easy appetizers to round out your snack table, here are a few ideas:

Can You Make Pinwheels a Day in Advance?

Totally! You can easily get ahead on prep by assembling the pinwheels and a day in advance and storing them in the fridge.

Pro Make-Ahead Tip

For ultimate freshness, wait to slice the pinwheels until you’re ready to serve them.

How to Store Pinwheel Sandwiches

Fully assembled and sliced pinwheels can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

More Easy Lunch Recipes You’ll Love

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overhead image of containers with pinwheel sandwiches and berries.

DIY Lunch Pinwheels

These DIY Lunch Pinwheels are a crowd favorite! They're made with your choice of wrap rolled up with whatever meats, cheese, and veggies your heart desires, then sliced into perfect, bite-sized pinwheels. They're so easy and so customizable!
Servings 6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

Wraps:

  • 1 package gluten-free tortillas
  • 4 leaves romaine lettuce or collard greens stemmed shaved
  • Flour tortillas
  • Homemade Tortillas

Spread Ideas:

  • 1/2 cup hummus
  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • 1/2 cup Dietz & Watson whole-grain mustard

Meat Ideas:

  • 1 pound organic turkey breast
  • 1 pound sliced pepperoni
  • 1 pound sliced salami
  • 1 pound shredded rotisserie chicken
  • Sliced chicken breasts

Veggie Ideas:

  • Shredded lettuce
  • Tomatoes sliced thin
  • Cucumbers sliced thin
  • Alfalfa sprouts
  • Spinach more as needed
  • 1 avocado thinly sliced
  • 1 red onion sliced thin
  • 1 eggplant sliced into rounds and grilled
  • 1 zucchini or yellow squash sliced into rounds and grilled

Other Add-Ins:

  • Bacon cooked
  • Cheese sliced or shredded
  • Pickled jalapeños
  • Sliced pickled pepperocini
  • Black beans drained and rinsed
  • Roasted red peppers sliced
  • Sundried Tomatoes sliced

Instructions

  • Place lettuce leaves, collard leaves, or tortillas of choice on a flat surface.
  • Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of your spread of choice onto the middle of your wrap.
  • Add a few slices of meat and/or veggies on top of the spread in a straight line along the stem of the lettuce wrap or the long side of the tortilla.
  • Lift the side of the tortilla closest to you and roll, using your fingers to make sure none of the filling falls out. If making a lettuce wrap, the stem should span the length of the whole roll. Before closing the roll, place a teaspoon of spread on the edge of the wrap. This will help the wrap stay together. Roll as tightly as possible for best results.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut the wrap into 1-inch pieces.
  • Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve!

Notes

You can use a toothpick to help the pinwheels stay together if they start to fall apart!
Author: Lexi


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  1. recently i had to go gluten free for medical reasons, i came across your recipes , i made this for lunch and it was really yummy thank you for sharing please make more gluten free recipes 😀