Turkey Bacon Ranch Pinwheels – A Quick Snack Or Easy Appetizer

If you are looking for a simple yet tasty after-school snack, appetizer, or light lunch, then you can’t go wrong with these turkey bacon ranch pinwheels! They feature a ranch seasoned cream cheese, shredded cheddar, diced bacon, and deli turkey filling inside rolled-up tortillas that get cut into bite-sized pieces.

I have two teenagers in my home, which means I pretty much always have hungry kids milling around. While I definitely love that fact, sometimes I want to give my kids a bit more than just a pre-packaged bag of chips or crackers when they tell me they are hungry.

That’s where these pinwheels come into play. I can make up a big batch and keep them in the refrigerator. Whenever the kids (or us parents) get hungry, they can grab and go! The turkey bacon ranch pinwheels also make a great appetizer or finger food for your next party or get-together with family and friends.

If you aren’t a huge turkey fan, feel free to play around with the protein by swapping it out for either deli or shredded chicken, ham, or any other protein you like. We have made several different variations, and all have gone over well.

The pinwheels take only a few minutes to make, and you can make them ahead of time for extra convenience. The recipe uses only seven ingredients and makes around 24 servings, give or take depending on how big you make your pinwheels.

How To make Turkey Bacon Ranch Pinwheels

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients  

• Cream Cheese – The cream cheese needs to be softened before use. Otherwise, you will end up shredding your tortillas when you try to spread it on. Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature or nuke it in your microwave to speed up the softening process.
• Dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix – Use the powder mix, not the finished creamy ranch dressing that you dip chicken strips into. You can use a store-bought mix or make your own homemade version like I do.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese – While cheddar cheese is our go-to, any shredded cheese will do.
• Milk – This ingredient is kind of optional. It helps to thin out the cream cheese a little bit if yours is looking a bit too thick and difficult to spread. I usually end up using about one to two tablespoons of milk.
• Chopped Bacon – You can either fry up some bacon and cut it into pieces, or you can cheat and use pre-made bacon bits. This is the kind we usually grab for when we don’t have the extra time to make bacon – Product Link: Hormel Real Bacon Crumble Topping.
• Tortillas – While you can really do this recipe with any tortillas you have on hand, we usually use burrito-sized ones.
• Deli Turkey – Any type of protein works well for the recipe, but we usually use either turkey or chicken.

Instructions For Turkey Bacon Ranch Pinwheels

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese with the dry ranch dressing mix. You want these two ingredients to be well combined. If the mixture is not creamy enough, add one to two tablespoons of milk and stir well.

You want the cream cheese to be soft and spreadable but not runny, so don’t add too much milk. Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, add in the shredded cheddar cheese and chopped bacon.

Stir this until all the ingredients are well distributed. I do not add the chopped deli turkey at this time. This makes it easy to change up the protein in case you want to make some with ham or some with chicken, etc.

On a table or clean countertop, lay out your tortillas. Spread even amounts of the cream cheese mixture on top of each tortilla.

To do this easily, I usually use a spatula or an offset spatula like you would use to spread frosting. Make sure to cover the entire top of the tortilla. Then, sprinkle the chopped deli meat or other protein on top and gently press down so it sticks to the cream cheese mixture slightly.

Roll, Slice & Serve

Next, tightly roll the tortillas into logs. Think of it like a cinnamon roll and how you roll the dough so there is a nice spiral of cinnamon and sugar in the middle. It’s the same process with these pinwheels.

Once the tortilla logs are made, wrap each one in plastic wrap. Pop them into your refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the cream cheese to harden slightly. This makes cutting them easier. (If you are in a rush, you can skip this step but the pinwheels may flatten as you cut them.)

If you are making the pinwheels ahead of time, add the logs to a zip-lock bag to help keep them fresher longer. The edges of the tortillas can dry out after a bit if you wait too long and don’t cover them.

When you are ready to serve, remove the logs from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap. Place the logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the tortillas into one to two-inch-sized coin pieces. The size of cuts you make will dictate how many finished turkey bacon ranch pinwheels you get. We usually get around 24 total, not counting the end pieces.

Speaking of the end pieces, the ends of the tortilla rolls don’t really make the best finished pinwheels. So these are the “scrap pieces” that I get to enjoy while I make them!

Serve the pinwheels immediately or keep them cold until ready for serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within a few days.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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