Inside: An easy turkey pinwheels recipe made with flour tortillas, cream cheese, dried cranberries, smoked turkey breast, and shredded lettuce. These make a great appetizer or light lunch/dinner with some salad.
I love serving pinwheels as appetizers because they are so easy to make, and there are almost endless possibilities for filling them.
You can roll them up with flour tortillas, puff pastry, lavash, or crescent roll dough and fill them with meats, vegetables, seafood, or even sweet fillings like apples and ricotta.
These turkey pinwheels with dried cranberries are a delicious classic combo of sweet and savory that is always everyone’s favorite.
Made with just six simple ingredients, they take only 15 minutes to put together, yet they bring a ton of delicious flavors to your meal. Plus, they look so cute and festive with their bright colors of red and green.
Whether you’re prepping ahead for a party or just want something easy and delicious for dinner, these little rolls are a total win!
Check out some of my puff pastry pinwheels recipes:
How to Make These Turkey Pinwheels With Dried Cranberries
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe
- 3 large flour tortillas, 10 inches in size
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 scallion of green onion, chopped
- 6 oz smoked turkey breast slices
- 4–5 lettuce leaves (such as romaine or butter lettuce)
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Start by trimming your flour tortillas by slicing off the sides, then set them aside. See Recipe Notes for more information!
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the room-temperature cream cheese, chopped dried cranberries, and chopped green onions until everything is well combined.
3. Divide the cream cheese mix between the three tortillas and spread it all over each, making sure that the dried cranberries get spaced evenly, too.
Leave about a 1-inch strip at the top of the tortilla free from the cranberries, but make sure it’s covered with some cream cheese.
4. Layer the base with slices of smoked turkey breast, keeping about 1 1/2 inches of the top edge free.
5. Scatter chopped lettuce leaves over the turkey slices.
6. To roll up your pinwheels, first fold up the bottom 1/2 inch of the tortilla, then start rolling up from that dry edge.
This gives you a clean start and keeps your fingers from slipping in the filling. See Recipe Notes for more information!
7. Wrap all tortilla rolls tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to give the cream cheese time to set.
8. Once chilled, slice each roll into 5 pieces using a sharp knife, and serve them arranged on a party platter or cutting board.
Important Recipe Notes
- I always cut off the sides of the flour tortillas because they never get filled with enough filling to turn into a full roll. Instead, you get two messy, useless pieces that you’ll either end up eating dry or throwing away. When you cut off the sides, you don’t waste any filling on the part that can’t be filled, and you get a lot cleaner, more uniform roll that you can slice up more evenly.
- I used to start rolling my pinwheels right from the bottom edge, but that always ended up being a huge mess. A better way is to fold over 1/2 an inch of your tortilla, then start rolling from that dry edge. This gives you a cleaner edge and a little “lip” to hold on to, so your fingers aren’t sliding around in the filling when you start to roll. Plus, it helps you roll up the tortillas more tightly, too.
- Another important thing is to keep the top 1 1/2 inches free from any filling (except for cream cheese, which will help seal the roll) to prevent it from squeezing out as you move up. Leaving the edge clean gives you just enough space for the filling to move up, but not squeeze out.
- These can be made up to 2-3 hours in advance. Any longer than that and the tortillas get too soft and soggy for my taste.
- Don’t slice the rolls into pinwheels until just before serving to keep the edges from drying out.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is made with just six everyday ingredients that come together into a delicious sweet and savory roll.
- You shouldn’t put these together until two to three hours before serving, but you can totally prep the filling up to a day in advance! Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- The classic cranberry-turkey combo makes these pinwheels feel festive, perfect for serving as a fall party appetizer, but they’re light enough for a weekday lunch or dinner too.
Turkey Pinwheels With Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
- 3 large flour tortillas 10 inches in size
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
- 1 scallion green onion chopped
- 6 oz smoked turkey breast slices
- 4-5 lettuce leaves a soft lettuce like butterhead is best here
Instructions
- Trim the sides of your flour tortillas to square them off a little bit, then set aside. See Recipe Notes below for more information!
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese with chopped dried cranberries and chopped green onions until well combined.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over each tortilla, spacing cranberries throughout. Leave a 1-inch strip at the top edge free of cranberries (but still spread with cream cheese).
- Layer slices of smoked turkey breast over the base, stopping 1½ inches from the top.
- Scatter chopped lettuce leaves over the turkey slices.
- To roll them up, fold the bottom ½ inch of the tortilla over the edge, then roll tightly toward the top. See Recipe Notes below for more information!
- Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to give the cream cheese time to set (but 2-3 hours max).
- Using a sharp knife, cut each chilled roll into 5 pinwheels.
- Arrange on a cutting board or serving platter and serve.
Recipe Notes
- I always cut off the sides of the flour tortillas because they never get filled with enough filling to turn into a full roll. Instead, you get two messy, useless pieces that you’ll either end up eating dry or throwing away. When you cut off the sides, you don’t waste any filling on the part that can’t be filled, and you get a lot cleaner, more uniform roll that you can slice up more evenly.
- I used to start rolling my pinwheels right from the bottom edge, but that always ended up being a huge mess. A better way is to fold over 1/2 an inch of your tortilla, then start rolling from that dry edge. This gives you a cleaner edge and a little “lip” to hold on to, so your fingers aren’t sliding around in the filling when you start to roll. Plus, it helps you roll up the tortillas more tightly, too.
- Another important thing is to keep the top 1 1/2 inches free from any filling (except for cream cheese, which will help seal the roll) to prevent it from squeezing out as you move up. Leaving the edge clean gives you just enough space for the filling to move up, but not squeeze out.
- These can be made up to 2-3 hours in advance. Any longer than that and the tortillas get too soft and soggy for my taste.
- Don’t slice the rolls into pinwheels until just before serving to keep the edges from drying out.
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