Pinwheel Sandwiches are easy, fast-finger food filled with ranch flavored cream cheese and a layer of cucumbers, all rolled inside large flour tortillas.

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Cucumber Pinwheel Sandwiches

Our Pinwheel Sandwich recipe is a vegetarian version of the versatile sandwich roll-ups, made in 10 minutes with a ranch-seasoned cream cheese spread and sliced cucumbers, all tightly wrapped in tortillas.

Often called cucumber pinwheels or cucumber and cream cheese sandwich rolls, these vegetarian pinwheel sandwiches are so easy to make: spread the cream mixture over the surface of each tortilla, cover with cucumbers, roll, slice, and serve. 

No need to limit yourself to my ingredient list for your little rolled sandwiches – pinwheel sandwich fillings can be customized with your favorite deli meat, cheese, veggie, and spread combinations. 

Prepare your pinwheel sandwich platter by placing the wraps on their sides so that the inside layers are visible and make a pretty presentation for your party!

Why We Love Pinwheel Sandwiches

  • Quick and easy to make.
  • Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
  • Fillings for pinwheel sandwiches are endless and can accommodate almost any dietary restriction.
  • Portable, individually portioned pieces when rolled up and cut into rounds.
  • Perfect finger food for picnics, potlucks, BBQs, afternoon tea, lunchboxes, snacks, light meals, or serve them as appetizers for football games and Super Bowl parties.
Pinwheel Sandwiches  ingredients

Pinwheel Sandwiches Ingredients

  • Cream cheese: Feel free to use dairy free cream cheese for a vegan version.
  • Ranch seasoning mix
  • English cucumbers
  • Extra large flour tortillas (burrito-sized): You can use gluten free tortillas if you follow a gluten free diet.

Substitutions and Additions

  • Roll With A Wrap: You can swap out the extra large burrito-sized tortillas for any large wrap. You can use whole wheat, spinach, or herbed wrap for these simple and delicious pinwheel sandwich roll-ups.
  • Fill With Your Favorites: Customize your pinwheel snacks with your favorite fillings. Some ideas include:
    • Cheeses: Cheddar cheese, provolone cheese, mozzarella, American, or any cheese that is sliced thin  
    • Deli Meats: Ham, turkey, roast beef, chicken, bacon, prosciutto, either store-bought or homemade
    • Spreads: Cream cheese spreads, ranch dressing, mustard, mayonnaise, hummus
    • Veggies: Carrots, bell peppers, thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash
    • Greens: Green leaf lettuce leaves, spinach, kale, arugula
handholding a Pinwheel Sandwiches
  • Mixing bowl
  • Handheld mixer or spoon
  • Plastic wrap

How to Make Pinwheel Sandwiches

  1. Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: Mix the cream cheese and ranch seasoning mix until well blended.
  2. Cut The Cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers into thin slices (no more than ⅛ inch thick).
  3. Assemble: Spread the cream cheese mixture over the surface of each tortilla, cover with a layer of cucumbers, roll tightly, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1-2 hours.
  4. Slice And Serve: Remove the plastic wrap and slice into 1-inch thick pinwheel rolls. Serve and enjoy!
    Pro Tip: You may need to trim off the edges of each rolled tortilla to get nice, even pieces.
Pinwheel Sandwiches collage

How To Slice An English Cucumber

When slicing your English cucumber, you can use a mandolin, or a very sharp knife, to get very thin evenly-sized slices. If you can get your slices slightly thinner than ⅛ inch, that works great when rolling your pinwheels up. Depending on the size of your cucumbers will depend on the number of slices you get. I don’t always use up every slice, so I save the extra slices in the refrigerator to snack on later.

Tips For Making Pinwheel Sandwiches

  • These pinwheel sandwiches should be served chilled.
  • For the best flavor and texture, the roll ups should be made and eaten within a few hours after removing from the fridge.
  • You can place a toothpick through the center of each pinwheel if serving these as an appetizer to make for easy handling.
  • I do not recommend using a liquid ranch dressing as it moistens the cream cheese mixture, making the tortillas soggy much faster.
  • I mixed my cream cheese with ranch seasoning, but you could use an already flavored cream cheese.

How to Store Pinwheel Sandwiches

  • To Store: You can store your pinwheel sandwiches in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 
a couple Pinwheel Sandwiches on a white table

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I prepare my pinwheel sandwiches in advance?

You can make these 2-4 hours before you plan to serve them. You should keep them wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator, until ready to slice and serve. Note that the longer these pinwheel sandwiches are assembled, they will start to make the tortillas soggy as they sit from the moisture in the cream cheese and cucumbers.

You can make your cream cheese mixture ahead of time (up to 2 days) and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You will need to let it come back to room temperature before spreading it onto the tortillas for easy assembly.

What are English cucumbers?

English cucumbers are also known as seedless or hot house cucumbers. They are long and slender and come individually wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. Their skin is very thin and easily digestible, making them a great choice for this recipe as you do not need to de-seed or peel them.

Pinwheel Sandwiches on a white plate

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5 from 2 votes
Pinwheel Sandwiches featured image

Pinwheel Sandwiches

Serves — 32
Pinwheel Sandwiches are the perfect finger food for parties, snacks, and light meals.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces block of cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning mix
  • 2 English cucumbers cut into ⅛-inch slices
  • 4 extra large (burrito-sized) tortillas

Instructions
 

  • Mix the softened cream cheese and dry ranch seasoning mix in a mixing bowl until well blended. You can do this with a handheld mixer on low or just a small spoon. Set aside.
  • Remove the plastic wrapper from the English cucumbers and make very thin slices (no more than ⅛ inch thick). Set aside.
  • Lay out one extra large burrito-sized tortilla onto a clean surface. Evenly spread ¼ of the cream cheese mixture over the entire surface of the tortilla. Your cream cheese layer should not be too thick.
  • Next, cover the entire surface of your tortilla with a single layer of thinly sliced cucumbers. You do not want any of the cucumbers to overlap.
  • Start at one end and roll up the tortilla, being sure to get a tight roll while making sure to tuck in the cucumbers if they start to shift when rolling until you have a nice tightly rolled tortilla. Set aside, seam side down, and repeat with the remaining tortillas, cream cheese, and cucumber slices.
  • Once you have rolled up all your tortillas, tightly wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  • Remove the plastic wrap and slice your tortillas into 1-inch thick pinwheel rolls. You may need to trim off the edges of each rolled tortilla to get nice, even pieces.
  • Place your pinwheel sandwiches onto a serving platter on their sides so that the inside layers are visible.

Jenn’s Notes

Storage:
  • To Store: You can store your pinwheel sandwiches in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Tips:
  • These pinwheel sandwiches should be served chilled.
  • For the best flavor and texture, the roll ups should be made and eaten within a few hours after removing from the fridge.
  • You can place a toothpick through the center of each pinwheel if serving these as an appetizer to make for easy handling.
  • I do not recommend using a liquid ranch dressing as it makes the cream cheese mixture too moist, making the tortillas get soggy much faster.
  • I mixed my cream cheese with ranch seasoning but you could use an already flavored cream cheese if you prefer.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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