Crescent Roll Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

Crescent Roll Ham and Cheese Pinwheels are a fun appetizer or snack made with crescent rolls, ham and Swiss cheese and some great spices.

Unlike Ham and Cheese Pinwheels made with puff pastry, pizza dough or tortillas, these pinwheels are made with refrigerated crescent dough. They’re filled with deli ham, Swiss cheese, Dijon mustard and a few spices. Pinwheels are always a hit at parties since they are a finger food that’s delicious, gooey and flaky with crisp and buttery outside edges and a tasty filling. Everyone loves these. They’re addicting!

Ingredients needed for making ham and cheese pinwheels:

crescent dough: This will be found in your grocery store’s refrigerated section. It’s sold in a tube.
Dijon mustard: Be sure to use Dijon and not regular mustard. Dijon will add an extra tangy flavor that is so good.
deli ham: Ask the person at the deli to give you thinly sliced ham.
deli Swiss cheese: You’ll need thinly sliced cheese as well.
butter: Use salted or unsalted butter- that’s up to you.
parsley: I like to use fresh flat leaf parsley.
garlic powder: Make sure you don’t pick up the garlic salt by accident!
poppy seeds: These can be optional, if you’d like, but poppy seeds do add a nice crunch to these ham and cheese pinwheels!

four photos showing how to make ham and cheese pinwheels

How to make Crescent Roll Ham and Cheese Pinwheels:

Rub some flour onto your work surface. This will help the crescent dough from sticking to the surface. Separate the dough into four rectangles and spread Dijon mustard on top. Layer on ham and cheese. Roll up each rectangle. Slice into thin slices.

three photos sharing how to make ham and cheese pinwheels

Snuggle the pinwheels into an 8×8-inch pan. Brush with a mixture of melted butter, parsley and garlic powder. The poppy seeds are sprinkled on top. Bake until golden brown!

ham and cheese pinwheels just out of the oven

Pinwheel Flavor Variations:

Change up the cheese! Use havarti or gouda in place of Swiss cheese.
Change up the meat! Use turkey or roast beef in place of the ham.
Create Italian pinwheels! Use prosciutto, provolone and basil.
Create Pizza pinwheels! Use pesto, provolone and chopped pepperoni.

Can you prep pinwheels the night before serving?

I’d suggest prepping these to the point of rolling them into logs. Wrap the logs with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, continue with the recipe by slicing the logs into pinwheels etc.

spatula picking up ham and cheese pinwheels

Can you freeze pinwheels?

I suggest freezing these ham and cheese pinwheels before baking. Slice them, add them to a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer. Once frozen, you can add the frozen pinwheels to a large freezer zip baggie. Take them out when ready to cook. Set them on a baking sheet (or in a square pan) and bake as directed in the recipe.

The Best Super Bowl Appetizer Recipes:

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray an 8×8-inch pan with nonstick spray.
On a lightly floured cutting board, unroll the crescent dough, and separate into 4 rectangles. Pinch the perforations to seal into four rectangles. Spread each rectangle with mustard, and top with ham and cheese. Starting from the short side, roll up each rectangle, pinch the edges to seal, and slice into 5 to 6 roll-ups. Place them cut-side-up in the baking pan.
In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter, parsley and garlic powder. Brush this mixture over the pinwheels and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serving: 1pinwheel, Calories: 337kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 701mg, Potassium: 115mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 465IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 265mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.