Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels (vegan)

I love crispy pinwheels as appetizers for parties or any get-together. They’re such a satisfying, handheld snack that’s quick to pick up and not too messy. And you can add whatever fillings you like to pinwheels, like the veggie filling in my spinach pinwheels, spiced lentils in my kachori pinwheels, or spiced potatoes in my samosa pinwheels.

And today, we are making jalapeño popper pinwheels, which have a mix of pickled and fresh jalapeños along with non-dairy cream cheese, rolled into puff pastry sheets and topped with crispy breadcrumb and cheese mixture. This amazing appetizer is basically jalapeño popper dip rolled up in a crispy puff pastry sheet!! It’s spicy, creamy, cheesy, crispy and just addictive. They need few ingredients, and are also easy to make ahead.

Delicious, crispy-creamy-spicy jalapeño poppers pinwheels are perfect for a crowd! Serve them at your next dinner party, Diwali dinner or holiday party when you have vegetarian and vegan guests. They’re delicious on their own or with a dip, like vegan ranch, celery ranch, or garlic dressing.

Why You’ll Love Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels

• hand-held roll-ups are perfect for parties and holiday gatherings. No individual plates needed!
• creamy jalapeño popper dip rolled up in crisp puff pastry
• easy and fun to make! Can be made ahead.
• soy-free and nut-free with easy gluten-free option

More Jalapeno Poppers

• Jalapeno Popper Skillet
• Baked Jalapeno Poppers
• Vegan Jalapeno Popper Dip
• Jalapeño Popper Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Ingredients and Substitutions

• puff pastry sheets – For the roll-ups. For gluten-free, use gluten-free puff pastry or gluten-free pizza dough instead. Also check to be sure your puff pastry is soy-free, if needed.
• vegan cream cheese – The base for the creamy jalapeño popper filling. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed. If you don’t want to use vegan cream cheese, you can replace the filling with my jalapeño popper dip.
• non-dairy yogurt – To thin the cream cheese out and add a little more tang. You can use non-dairy milk, instead, if you prefer. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed.
• pickled jalapeños – You’re using the jalapeños themselves and brine from the jar in this recipe.
• herbs and spices – Dried parsley and dill as well as onion flakes or onion powder season the cream cheese. You’ll also use minced, fresh garlic.
• vegan cheese – We are using a mix of vegan cheddar and parmesan. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed.
• jalapeños – A mix of fresh and pickled jalapeños give these such an incredible flavor!
• topping – It’s optional, but you can up the texture and flavor even more by topping with a mix of breadcrumbs (choose gluten-free, if needed), vegan cheddar, and fresh jalapeño.

💡 Tips

• Make sure to leave 1/2″ of the dough uncovered, so you can seal the pinwheel roll-ups closed.
• Make sure you spread the fillings out evenly for the best results.

How to Make Jalapeño Popper Roll-Ups

Thaw the puff pastry, if you haven’t already. Just take it out of the freezer, and let it sit while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Add the cream cheese to a bowl, then add the yogurt and jalapeño brine and mix. If the cream cheese is still hard, you can microwave it for a few seconds, and then mix all of that up. Add in the salt, herbs, onion flakes, and minced garlic, mixing well to make a creamy spread. Taste and adjust flavor(salt, tang, herbs)

Roll out the thawed puff pastry sheets using a little bit of flour. Roll it out to at least 1” to 2” bigger than what it originally was. This helps the puff pastry sheets get nicely, evenly puffed.

Then, spread your jalapeño popper dip all over the puff pastry sheets, leaving 1/2” from just one side of the puff pastry sheet, because that’s where we will stick it closed.

Spread it evenly, then sprinkle the cheeses and the pickled and fresh jalapeños evenly all over the puff pastry sheets.

Brush the 1/2” uncovered side of the puff pastry sheet with a little water, so it sticks when we close it, then start rolling from the other side towards that 1/2” uncovered side. Keep rolling it a bit tightly, and once you’ve rolled it up, then stick the open edge to the rolled puff pastry sheet by pressing with your fingers or by pressing with a fork.

Wrap this up in parchment paper, and put it in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes, so that it hardens a little bit and is easy to slice up. Repeat for the other puff pastry sheet, as well.

Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).Remove them from the freezer, slice into 1/2” thick slices, and place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. At this point, you can brush them with a little bit of oil or maple syrup to help them brown even more, though this is optional.

The topping is also optional, but I really love this topping on these pinwheels. It gives it even more crispiness and cheesiness! In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, cheddar and jalapeños.

Sprinkle the mixture over each of the pinwheels.

Bake for 25 minutes, then check if they are browning evenly. Turn the baking sheet around, and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or longer, until all of the pinwheels are golden.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and serve these pinwheels as-is or with a dip of choice.

What to Serve along with Jalapeno Poppers Pinwheels

These are delicious as part of a party spread! Serve them with other vegan finger foods, like baked pakora, cashew nacho cheese and tortilla chips, savory scones, and a vegan cheese ball!

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can these pinwheels be made ahead ?

Jalapeño popper pinwheels are perfect when they’re right out of the oven, and they’ll stay crisp for a couple of hours, so you can make them a little bit ahead. If you have leftovers, you can reheat them in the oven so they’ll crisp back up and the cheese will be a little warm and melty when you serve them. 

To make them further ahead, assemble, slice, and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake from frozen, put them on a baking sheet, top with the breadcrumb mixture (if using), then bake. They may need some additional baking time to bake from frozen, so just keep an eye on them in the oven.

Is this recipe allergy friendly?

This recipe can be soy-free and nut-free, as long as your puff pastry, vegan cream cheese, yogurt, and cheeses are soy-free and/or nut-free.

To make these gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs and puff pastry sheets, if you can find them, or use gluten-free pizza dough instead of the puff pastry. It won’t be as flaky, but it will still turn out like a great pinwheel.