These flaky Vegan Puff Pesto Pastry Pinwheels are filled with vibrant pesto for a quick & tasty appetiser. Impress your guests (and yourself) with this simple yet stunning recipe. Made with only 4 ingredients they are perfect for parties, picnics, or a quick weeknight snack.
Get ready for a snack upgrade with something seriously delicious, seriously easy, and completely vegan: vegan puff pastry pesto pinwheels.
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Pinwheels make a really tasty snack and are loved by kids everywhere (including mine), but most pinwheels are filled with cheese and we all know cheese=dairy. I could have added vegan cheese, but if I'm totally honest, I have still yet to find one that hits the cheese spot, so I use them sparingly.
My kids love my homemade vegan pesto on their pasta,so I decided to experiment and these simple yet delicious pesto pinwheels were born.
Don't feel pressured to make your own pesto if you are short on time, as you can find decent vegan pesto in most major supermarkets, but if you can, I highly recommend making your own for that unbeatable fresh taste.
I've also used shop-bought ready-rolled puff pastry, like I have in these cheese turnovers with bacon & brie & cranberry bites, as I think they are great and so much quicker than making your own pastry, but here is a recipe for vegan puff pastry from the comfort of my bowl if you are up for the challenge.
If you love puff pastry as much as me, why not make these vegetable curry pies, gluten-free apple turnovers & puff pastry pizzas, that all use shop-bought puff pastry too!
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make these vegan pesto pinwheels. To find out how to make them allergy-friendly, simply scroll down to the section below this one.
- Puff Pastry Sheet - I love using the ready-rolled puff pastry sheets from Jus Rol as they are so quick and easy. Most pre-made pastry is dairy-free (so is vegan) as they use margarine instead of butter, but always double check the ingredients. I have linked a recipe in the intro paragraph above for a homemade vegan puff pastry if you fancy making your own.
- Vegan Pesto - There are a variety of shop-bought vegan pestos in the supermarkets. Sacla do a pretty good one, but be aware that some of them do contain nuts. You can also use a sun-dried tomato pesto for a different flavour. I have a super quick and delicious homemade vegan basil pesto recipe if you would like to make your own. Use any leftovers in this chicken & pesto orzo.
- Roasted Red Peppers - For ease, you can buy these ready-roasted in a jar, any leftovers can be kept in the fridge or used to make this chorizo & roasted red pepper pasta salad.
- Dairy-Free Milk - This is used to coat the pastry in place of an egg wash to give the pinwheels that crispy brown finish. Unsweetened soya milk works well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🤔 How Can I Make This Allergy Friendly?
- ✔️ Make It Gluten Free: Jus Rol do a great gluten-free version of their regular puff pastry, so use this instead.
- ✔️ Make It Nut Free: Be sure to double-check the packaging on the vegan pesto, as some contain cashew nuts, make my vegan basil pesto instead which is totally nut-free.
✏️ How to Make - Step-By-Step Instructions
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: If you are using shop bought pesto and roasted red peppers you can skip straight to step 4.
Step 2: Whip up some of my delicious homemade vegan pesto using this recipe.
Step 3: Prep the peppers by de-seeding them and then slicing them into 4 pieces, then place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until soft.
Step 4: Spread the pesto across the entire puff pastry sheet, leaving a thin border around the edges, Then finely chop the roasted peppers & sprinkle them evenly over the pesto-coated pastry.
Step 5: Starting from one of the longer sides, tightly roll the puff pastry into a log, tucking the seam side down.
If you have time, pop the log in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill. This will make slicing it a lot easier.
Step 6: Once the log is ready, take it out of the fridge and give it a light brushing with some dairy-free milk using a pastry brush.
Step 7: Grab your sharpest knife and slice the log into roughly ½-inch thick pinwheels - you should end up with around 20. Arrange them on a baking tray on the parchment paper from the pastry. Make sure you leave some space between them so they can puff up without sticking together. If they need more room, don't hesitate to use two trays.
Step 8: Place them into the preheated oven and let them bake for 18-20 minutes until they become golden brown & puffed up.
Once they're ready, give them a few minutes to cool down before diving in. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature.
💡 Lauren's Tricks
- ✔️ Chill In The Fridge Before Slicing: If you have time, I would recommend chilling the pastry log in the fridge before slicing. This helps to firm it up a little, making it easier to slice.
- ✔️ Sharp Knife for Clean Slices:Use a sharp knife when slicing the pinwheels for clean, neat edges.
- ✔️ Leave Space On The Baking Tray: Space the pinwheels evenly on the tray, leaving a space between each one, as they will puff up. You may need to use two trays.
- ✔️ Re-Use The Pastry Parchment Paper: If you are using shop-bought pastry, recycle the baking parchment paper it comes rolled in to use on your baking tray when cooking.
- ✔️ Brush the pinwheels with milk before baking:This will help to brown the pastry's outside.
- ✔️ Air Fryer Cooking Times: If cooking the pinwheels in the air fryer, pre-heat the air fryer to 160˚C / 320˚F and bake for 12-13 minutes until golden and crispy.
🍴 How To Serve
There are so many ways to eat these delicious pesto pinwheels!
They make a great finger food party appetiser or as part of a grazing table or buffet spread. Check out these 40+ gluten free and dairy free snack ideas for more options to serve with them!
Pack them up and take them on a picnic, dip them in this butter bean dip, put them in your kid's lunchboxes ( my pesto is nut-free so they are great for this!) or enjoy them as a yummy afternoon or after-school snack.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Preheat the air fryer to 160˚C / 320˚F and bake for 12-13 minutes until golden brown.
To store leftover pesto puff pastry pinwheels, let them cool, then place them in an airtight container in the fridge with baking parchment paper between layers. They'll stay fresh for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the oven or air fryer when ready to enjoy!
Yes! Assemble the pinwheels but don't bake them. Flash freeze them on a baking tray, then transfer them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
Using the parchment paper provided with the puff pastry or adding a light layer of oil to the tray helps prevent sticking.
📖 More Vegan Recipes
Why not check out these other tasty vegan delights!
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Vegan Puff Pastry Pesto Pinwheels
Equipment
- Air Fryer optional
Ingredients
- 1 Sheet puff pastry Jus Rol - use gluten-free pastry to make recipe gluten free
- 80 g ( 2.8 oz) shop bought or homemade vegan pesto
- 30 g ( 1 oz) jarred or homemade roasted red peppers
- splash dairy free milk for coating pastry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C / 356˚F.
- If you are using shop-bought pesto & pre-roasted red peppers, skip straight to step 6.
- If you are making your own pesto, make up a batch as per the recipe link above.
- If you are making your own roasted peppers, prepare the pepper by de-seeding it and slicing it into four pieces.
- Place the pepper on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until soft.
- Take the ready-rolled puff pastry out of the cardboard packaging and gently unroll it, leaving it on the baking parchment it comes in.
- Evenly spread the vegan pesto over the entire surface of the puff pastry sheet, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Finely chop the roasted peppers & sprinkle them evenly over the pesto-covered puff pastry.
- Starting from one of the longer sides, tightly roll the puff pastry into a log. Place the seam side down. (If you have time, chill the log in the fridge for 20 minutes, as this will make it easier to slice)
- Take the chilled puff pastry log out of the fridge and lightly brush the pastry with some dairy-free milk, using a pastry brush, then using a sharp knife, slice it into approximately ½-inch thick pinwheels. This should give you around 20 pinwheels.
- Place the pinwheels on a baking tray, using the baking parchment from the pastry.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the pinwheels are puffed up and golden brown.
- Once ready, let the pinwheels cool for a few minutes before serving. They can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Chill In The Fridge Before Slicing: If you have time, I would recommend chilling the pastry log in the fridge before slicing. This helps to firm it up a little, making it easier to slice.
- Sharp Knife for Clean Slices: Use a sharp knife when slicing the pinwheels for clean, neat edges.
- Leave Space On The Baking Tray: Space the pinwheels evenly on the tray, leaving a space between each one, as they will puff up. You may need to use two trays.
- Re-Use The Pastry Parchment Paper: If you are using shop-bought pastry, recycle the baking parchment paper it comes rolled in to use on your baking tray when cooking.
- Brush the pinwheels with milk before baking: This will help to brown the pastry's outside.
- Air Fryer Cooking Times: If cooking the pinwheels in the air fryer, pre-heat the air fryer to 160˚C / 320˚F and bake for 12-13 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Make It Gluten Free: Jus Rol do a great gluten-free version of their regular puff pastry, so use this instead.
- Make It Nut Free: Be sure to double-check the packaging on the vegan pesto, as some contain cashew nuts, make my vegan basil pesto instead which is totally nut-free.
Jane W says
Absolutely gorgeous soo pleased I found this recipe, I have many intolerences & find it hard to find recipes that cover them all. Thank you so much for sharing
Lauren Woodger says
So glad you liked it! x