Pizza rolls are a simple crowd-pleasing appetizer, snack, and party food that only require a few ingredients! By making the pizza pinwheels, you can choose between different toppings such as tomato or spinach!
Quick and Easy Pizza Rolls Recipe: Multiple Ways
If you’re a pizza lover, get ready to fall in love with the simplest of low-effort homemade pizza treats – pizza rolls, aka Pizza pinwheels. They’re made with pre-made dough, sauce, cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings, rolled into a swirl for a touch of elegance. Perfect as a game day appetizer, party snack (like upcoming New Year’s Eve parties), and lunchbox treat.
Below, I’ve shared two recipes for my favorite vegan/vegetarian pizza rolls (a simple margarita-style tomato version and creamy spinach and cheese rolls) with even more inspiration in the FAQs.
I created the recipe together with my dear friend Bianca. Making such a simple and quick finger food snack with your best friend is just perfect and super fun! Once baked, serve them up as is or with your favorite dipping sauce – like marinara, vegan ranch, or garlic butter – and get ready for lots of happy bellies.
They meal prep and freeze well, too, for fuss-free entertaining. Looking for more simple vegan party food? Check out these 32+ vegan Super Bowl snacks.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
Base Pizza Rolls
- Pizza dough: Save time and effort by using your favorite store-bought pizza dough, though you can use homemade pizza dough if preferred.
- Cheese: For dairy-free pizza rolls, use meltable shredded cheese. I’ve tried it with homemade vegan cheese, too, though it isn’t super melty. Combine cheeses for different flavors (e.g., dairy-free cheddar, mozzarella cheese, smoked cheese, etc.)
- Cream: Combine dairy-free cream (like soy/oat cream) and a pinch of turmeric to brush over the pizza buns and provide a golden color, instead of an egg wash. Melted butter should work, too.
Tomato pizza rolls
- Tomato sauce: Use a good quality tomato sauce, like pizza sauce, pasta sauce, or marinara sauce.
- Oregano: Dried oregano or Italian seasoning enhances the ‘pizza flavor.’ Fresh basil would be another delicious addition.
Spinach Pizza Rolls
- Olive oil: Or another neutral cooking oil.
- Aromatics: I use onion (yellow or white) and garlic for heaps of flavor.
- Cream cheese: I use dairy-free cream cheese, of course – plain.
- Spinach: Use regular or baby spinach. Frozen spinach may work, too, but you’d need to thaw it and squeeze out all excess liquid.
- Sea salt & black pepper
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How to Make Pizza Rolls
Tomato Pizza Pinwheels
- First, if it isn’t already, thaw the pizza dough and prepare it according to its package instructions (usually bringing it to room temperature).
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C (top/bottom heat) or 390°F/200°C (fan oven) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. At the same time, measure/weigh and prepare all the remaining ingredients. In two separate small bowls, mix the tomato sauce and oregano (to taste), and the cream and turmeric, and set aside.
- Carefully unroll the dough and use a rolling pin/bottle to make it a little thinner/larger.
- To assemble the pizza pinwheels, first spread the herby tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 1 cm border, then sprinkle it with the grated cheese.
- Starting from the short side, carefully roll up the dough, then place it seam-side down and use a sharp knife to cut it into 10-11 pieces about 1 ½-2 inches (4-5 cm) wide.
If it looks like it will be tricky to slice, chill it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes first.
- Transfer the homemade pizza rolls to the baking tray and brush with the cream-turmeric mixture. Then bake them in the oven for 18-20 minutes, brushing them with the cream mixture once more or using cooking spray at around 10-12 minutes. When ready, they should be golden brown and crispy.
- Finally, leave them to cool for at least 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Cheese and Spinach Pizza Pinwheels
While many of the steps are similar to the above, spinach and cheese rolls add a few more steps:
- First, thaw the pizza dough and leave it to come to room temperature if needed.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion, mince the garlic, and measure/weigh the remaining ingredients.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes (until translucent), then add the garlic and sauté for a further minute.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C (top/bottom heat) or 390°F/200°C (fan oven) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Carefully unroll the dough, then use a rolling pin/bottle to slightly widen/flatten it.
- Then, first spread the cream cheese over the dough (leave a 1 cm border), followed by the onion-garlic mixture, then the spinach. Then season it with some salt and pepper and sprinkle over the grated cheese.
- Carefully roll it up from the shortest side, then cut it into 10-11 pieces about 1 ½-2 inches (4-5 cm) wide.
- Transfer the cheese and spinach rolls to the lined baking tray, then brush with the cream-turmeric mixture and bake for 18-20 minutes, brushing them once more (or using some cooking spray) 10-12 minutes into the baking time.
- Leave them to cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
How to Store?
Store: Leave the veggie pizza rolls to fully cool, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, separated by layers of parchment paper (to avoid sticking).
Freeze: Allow them to cool, then spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, not touching, to flash freeze until solid (2-3 hours). Then, transfer them to a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Enjoy the pizza buns cold or reheat them from the fridge or directly from the freezer at 350F/175C until warmed through and crispy on the outside one more. That should take 10-15 minutes from chilled or 15-20 minutes from frozen.
FAQs
Can I prepare pizza pinwheels in advance?
Yes, you can chill or freeze the rolled but unbaked vegan pizza roll (unsliced) by wrapping it in plastic wrap and storing it in the fridge for up to a day or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Then thaw (if needed), slice, and bake – adding extra time if needed.
Can I replace the pizza dough?
You could use pre-made puff pastry and bake them for 15-18 minutes.
What are other pizza roll filling options?
There are plenty of options, including:
- Chili or red pepper flakes (for heat)
- Olives
- Red onion
- Vegan ham/pepperoni (thin slices) or sausage
- Pineapple
- Sauteed vegetables (and excess liquid squeezed out to prevent soggy dough)
- Mushrooms
- Bell pepper
- Sweet corn
- Zucchini
- Broccoli (shredded)
Add more flavor by seasoning the tops (pre-baked) with garlic powder, Italian herbs, nutritional yeast/ vegan Parmesan cheese, garlic butter, etc.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make the dough thinner: Rolling the pre-made dough a little thinner/wider will create the best dough-to-filling ratio.
- Use a sharp knife: To slice the rolled dough into individual pizza rolls without squashing them. A sharp pizza cutter should also work.
- Don’t overcrowd the tray: Leave space for the air to flow and make them crispy.
- Leave them to cool: The fillings will be SUPER hot straight from the oven. Leave the pizza party buns at least 5-10 minutes to cool. This time also allows the filling to slightly set, making them easier to handle.
- Experiment with fillings: Once you’ve got the method sorted, feel free to experiment with flavor variations (sauces, cheeses, and toppings).
More Vegan Pizza Recipes
- Eggplant Pizza Recipe
- Keto Zucchini Crust
- Vegan Calzone
- Vegan Deep-Dish Pizza
- Spinach Pizza Ring
- Low Calorie Potato Pizza Crust
- Mexican Pizza
- Sweet Potato Pizza Crust
- Avocado Chickpea Pizza
- Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
If you try one of these easy vegan pizza rolls recipes, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan—I love seeing them.
Tomato Pizza Rolls
Video
Ingredients
- 1 x 550 g (19.5 oz) store-bought pizza dough
- 200 g (⅞ cup) tomato sauce (e.g. marinara sauce)
- Oregano or Italian herbs to taste
- 125 g (1½ cups) grated vegan cheese
- 2 Tbsp soy cream or dairy-free cream of choice
- 1 Pinch of turmeric powder
Instructions
- You can watch the video for visual instructions.First, if it isn’t already, thaw the pizza dough and prepare it according to its package instructions (usually bringing it to room temperature).
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C (top/bottom heat) or 390°F/200°C (fan oven) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. At the same time, measure/weigh and prepare all the remaining ingredients. In two separate small bowls, mix the tomato sauce and oregano (to taste), and the cream and turmeric, and set aside.
- Carefully unroll the dough and use a rolling pin/bottle to make it a little thinner/larger.
- To assemble the pizza pinwheels, first spread the herby tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 1 cm border, then sprinkle it with the grated cheese.
- Starting from the short side, carefully roll up the dough, then place it seam-side down and use a sharp knife to cut it into 10-11 pieces about 1 ½-2 inches (4-5 cm) wide.If it looks like it will be tricky to slice, chill it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes first.
- Transfer the homemade pizza rolls to the baking tray and brush with the cream-turmeric mixture. Then bake them in the oven for 18-20 minutes, brushing them with the cream mixture once more or using cooking spray at around 10-12 minutes. When ready, they should be golden brown and crispy.
- Finally, leave them to cool for at least 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Check the recipe below to make spinach & cheese pizza rolls.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Cheese and Spinach Pizza Rolls
Video
Ingredients
- 1 x 550 g (19.5 oz) store-bought pizza dough
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan cream cheese
- 60 g (2.1 oz) fresh spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 125 g (1½ cups) grated vegan cheese
- 2 Tbsp soy cream or dairy-free cream of choice
- 1 Pinch of turmeric powder
Instructions
- You can watch the video for visual instructions.First, thaw the pizza dough and leave it to come to room temperature if needed.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion, mince the garlic, and measure/weigh the remaining ingredients.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes (until translucent), then add the garlic and sauté for a further minute.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C (top/bottom heat) or 390°F/200°C (fan oven) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Carefully unroll the dough, then use a rolling pin/bottle to slightly widen/flatten it.
- Then, first spread the cream cheese over the dough (leave a 1 cm border), followed by the onion-garlic mixture, then the spinach. Then season it with some salt and pepper and sprinkle over the grated cheese.
- Carefully roll it up from the shortest side, then cut it into 10-11 pieces about 1 ½-2 inches (4-5 cm) wide.
- Transfer the cheese and spinach rolls to the lined baking tray, then brush with the cream-turmeric mixture and bake for 18-20 minutes, brushing them once more (or using some cooking spray) 10-12 minutes into the baking time.
- Leave them to cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
I am confused, the serving size indicates 11 rolls as 1 serving yet the nutrition facts indicate 1 roll as a serving. Which is it for those of us who need to account for nutrients like sodium and potassium? Thank you. I’d like to include these in my meal plan this week.
Hi, the recipe makes 11 rolls. And the nutrition facts indicate 1 roll as a serving.