Easy Sausage Pinwheels
These Sausage Pinwheels are the ultimate quick and easy appetizer. They’re made with just five simple ingredients and are ready to serve in under 30 minutes. We love them for breakfast or brunch, and they’re always a big hit at holidays, parties, and barbecues! You have to try them!
For more Easy Appetizer Recipes, be sure to check out my Air Fryer Buffalo Wings, Crockpot Spinach and Artichoke Dip, and Easy Italian Sliders.
The busy month of May is right around the corner, and if you’re looking for an amazing appetizer for your next Mother’s Day brunch, graduation party, or baby shower, you need this Sausage Pinwheels Recipe!
They are delicious little grab-and-go bites full of savory breakfast sausage and cream cheese, all wrapped up in buttery crescent roll dough.
If you’ve tried my Bisquick Sausage Balls (another holiday brunch favorite), these have a similar flavor-profile and are just as easy to make.
For breakfast on holidays like Christmas or Easter, I love to load my sausage pinwheels up on a pretty serving platter alongside a big bowl of fruit and let everyone have at it! I promise you won’t hear any complaints!
Ingredients for Sausage Pinwheels
- Breakfast sausage – I like to use country style pork sausage, but you could also use turkey sausage. I also stick with mild for my family’s tastes, but hot sausage would be great too if you like a kick.
- Onion – you will need one small onion, diced. I used a yellow onion, but you could also use a white or sweet onion.
- Cheese – I like to use freshly shredded mild cheddar cheese, but Colby jack would also work well. I recommend shredding it yourself from a block instead of using pre-shredded so that it melts nicely.
- Cream cheese – make sure to use a block of cream cheese, not the kind that comes in a tub. Allow it to soften to room temperature before using.
- Crescent dough – I like to use the sheet-style crescent roll dough for this recipe, not the traditional triangle crescent rolls. You can find them in the same section at your local grocery store (usually with the canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls), the tube just says “crescent roll sheet” instead. You could also use a puff pastry sheet to prep these.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sausage Cream Cheese Pinwheels – Step by Step
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Add the sausage and diced onion to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage and cook until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese and cream cheese until well combined and cheese is melted.
Unroll one sheet of crescent dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet and spread out the dough slightly. Spread half of the sausage mixture evenly over the top using a rubber spatula.
Roll the dough from the long side to form a log.
Cut the log into 1-inch pieces (see notes below for a tip on how to do this!) and place them onto the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with the remaining crescent dough and sausage mixture.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Tips and Notes
- Here’s a little tip for slicing your sausage pinwheels: use unflavored dental floss! It will help you to cut into your pinwheels nice and clean. Just slide the floss underneath the wrapped-up crescent roll log, cross the ends, and pull, and it will cut your pinwheels smoothly and help keep the filling from coming out. You can also use a sharp, flat edged knife to cut your rolls.
- Any leftover sausage pinwheels can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- To freeze: place fully baked and cooled pinwheels in a ziplock freezer bag or other freezer-safe container that has been wrapped with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- To reheat: I like to reheat my sausage pinwheels in the air fryer. It helps bring that crispiness back a bit after storing in the fridge or freezer. I like to reheat mine at 350 degrees for about 3-5 minutes.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Easy Sausage Pinwheels Recipe (with Crescent Roll Dough)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pork breakfast sausage
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces brick style cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 (8 ounce) tubes crescent dough sheets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Add the sausage and diced onion to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage and cook until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese and cream cheese until well combined and cheese is melted.
- Unroll one sheet of crescent dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet and spread out the dough slightly. Spread half of the sausage mixture evenly over the top using a rubber spatula.
- Roll the dough from the long side to form a log.
- Cut the log into 1-inch pieces (see notes below for a tip on how to do this!) and place them onto the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with the remaining crescent dough and sausage mixture.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Notes
- Here’s a little tip for slicing your sausage pinwheels: use unflavored dental floss! It will help you to cut into your pinwheels nice and clean. Just slide the floss underneath the wrapped-up crescent roll log, cross the ends, and pull, and it will cut your pinwheels smoothly and help keep the filling from coming out. You can also use a sharp, flat edged knife to cut your rolls.
- Any leftover sausage pinwheels can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- To freeze: place fully baked and cooled pinwheels in a ziplock freezer bag or other freezer-safe container that has been wrapped with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- To reheat: I like to reheat my sausage pinwheels in the air fryer. It helps bring that crispiness back a bit after storing in the fridge or freezer. I like to reheat mine at 350 degrees for about 3-5 minutes.
