This holiday season, I’m serving up these delightful Cheesy Bacon Pinwheels. Think pillow-like, fluffy crescent rolls that are stuffed with flavorful bacon, onion, cheddar and cream cheese. Bacon and Cheese Pinwheels are light enough for an appetizer or can be added to, to complete a meal.

Cheesy Bacon Pinwheels - A dreamy holiday appetizer! Fluffy crescent rolls stuffed with bacon, onion, and two cheeses for a snack that's enough for a meal.

They are quick to whip up for unexpected guests or when you need something fast and are typically gone before you can say “Cheese” for the camera.

If you’re a huge bacon fan, like many people are, you might also like these Stuffed Bacon Rolls – another quick and easy appetizer!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe

Versatile, think appetizer, snack, light lunch, etc
Easily customizable
Quick, ready in 30 minutes and only 4 simple steps to follow
A “Shortcut” recipe to make things SUPER easy
Perfect for brunch

Ingredients

Cream Cheese
Pepper
Cooked Bacon
Onion
Cheddar Cheese
Crescent Rolls

How To Make Cheesy Bacon Pinwheels

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step Two: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, pepper, bacon, onion, and cheddar cheese.
Step Three: Separate the crescent roll dough into two rectangles. Spread the cream cheese mixture over crescent roll dough and roll up starting at the longest side. Seal the edge with your fingers. Cut each roll into 8 slices. Place on a baking sheet.
Step Four: Bake your bacon and cheese pinwheels for 20 minutes. Serve them while they’re still hot.

Equipment Needed

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What To Serve With Cheesy Bacon Pinwheels

Since this can be served as an appetizer or light meal, here are some sides to serve with it:

Helpful Tips and Tricks

They are best served hot and fresh from the oven. That way everyone can experience all that gooey cheesy goodness.
You can use a pizza cutter to cut the pinwheels, or you can use kitchen shears or simply, a sharp knife. I find that the pizza wheel goes through very easily and is the easiest for me to control.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

I used Grands refrigerated crescent rolls, but you can’t use whatever brand your grocery store has. I like to keep extra on hand for other recipes or when I need to make a larger or double batch of pinwheels.
Add protein- think cooked shrimp or chicken. I would use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken from another meal.
Add other things like ranch dressing or caesar dressing to the mixture. Feel free to omit the cream cheese if it’s too much and you want to add one of these flavors.
You can swap the cheddar cheese out for a different cheese, whatever you prefer. Mozzarella would be great with the bacon, but you can use anything you desire.
Instead of crescent rolls, you could use tortillas like traditional pinwheels. They won’t bake as well though, but if you try to do that, lower your baking time and check on them as the time goes on. Depending on the type of tortilla and the amount of bacon and cheese mixture you use will change up the amount of time needed to bake these if you used tortilla wraps instead.
Want to add another bit of texture to your pinwheels? Try adding some minced chives to the cream cheese, cheese, bacon mixture for another fantastic texture to enjoy in every bite.

Leftover Storage

If you have leftovers- how?!? Ha, just kidding, we rarely have leftovers because my family and friends always scoop up these pinwheels, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have leftovers, especially if you make a large batch!

Any leftover Cheddar and Bacon Pinwheels should be transferred to an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Since these have dairy in them, they need to be kept in the refrigerator when not serving them.

Can I Freeze These?

Yes, if you have leftover pinwheels with cheddar and bacon, you can freeze them for later. I only suggest freezing them once you’ve baked them.

If you want to freeze them for later, here is what I suggest you do. Transfer the pinwheels to a freezer safe bag or freezer safe container and freeze them for up to 2 months. If you need to layer them, place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper in between them.
The cheese may slightly change texture when thawing. Remove them from the freezer and place them in the fridge overnight to thaw.

To reheat them, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat the oven to 350F. Place the thawed Cheesy Bacon Pinwheels on the prepared baking sheet and place them in the oven for just a few minutes to warm them up all the way through again. You do not want to bake them any longer or burn them.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the mixture and assemble them ahead of time. Then you can place them on a plate and wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them.

If you plan to serve these easy pinwheels with crescent rolls at a party, celebration, get together, or even on game day, I totally recommend making them ahead of time and then waiting to bake them until it’s closer to serving time. You won’t feel as rushed for time and it will be one more thing checked off your to do list.

Can I serve these pinwheels cold?

Sure, I guess you can, but serving them hot is best. When they’re hot, the cheeses are nice and gooey and everything mixes well.

More Easy Appetizer Recipes

What appetizers are you serving this season?

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