This post may contain affiliate links.
Goat Cheese Pinwheels are the 3 ingredient appetizer that looks like you fussed, flaky crescent dough spiraled around sweet roasted garlic and tangy goat cheese, and when I set a platter out before Thanksgiving dinner last year they vanished before the turkey ever hit the table. If you love a creamy garlic dip situation, our roasted garlic cream cheese dip is built from the same flavor DNA.
One can of dough, one log of cheese, a few cloves of roasted garlic, and 13 minutes in the oven, that is the entire program.
Goat Cheese Pinwheels Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 13 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 23 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 159kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet roasted garlic and tangy goat cheese wrapped in buttery, flaky dough
- ✋ Difficulty: Very easy, in the same lane as our crostini
Quick Answer
Lay a sheet of crescent roll dough flat, spread it with roasted garlic, then spread softened goat cheese evenly over the top. Roll the dough into a tight spiral log, slice it into 1 inch sections, and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375F for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Roasted garlic, not raw. Raw garlic would scorch and turn bitter in a 13 minute bake. Roasted cloves are already sweet and mellow, so they just warm through and perfume every layer.
- Softened goat cheese spreads clean. Room temperature goat cheese glides over the delicate dough without tearing it. Cold cheese drags, rips, and leaves bare patches.
- A tight roll makes the spiral. Rolling snugly presses the layers together so the pinwheels hold their shape when sliced instead of unraveling into ribbons on the pan.
- One inch slices are the sweet spot. Thinner slices dry out before the center bakes, thicker ones stay doughy in the middle. One inch bakes through exactly when the outside goes golden.
- An ungreased pan is intentional. The crescent dough carries plenty of butter already. A dry pan lets the bottoms grip slightly and brown instead of frying.
- Crescent dough over puff pastry. Crescent dough bakes faster and softer than puff pastry, which keeps the goat cheese creamy instead of overbaked and grainy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a 3 ingredient appetizer that reads as fancy, roasted garlic and goat cheese sound like a wine bar menu, not a can of crescent dough.
- They are done in about 23 minutes start to finish, faster than our southwest egg rolls and just as snatchable off the tray.
- The spiral does the presenting for you, sliced pinwheels fan out on a platter and instantly look like effort.
Key Ingredients
Three ingredients, and every one of them is pulling serious weight.
- Crescent Roll Dough: One can of the sheet style dough is the shortcut that makes these possible on a weeknight. It bakes up flaky and golden with zero effort, if you can only find the perforated kind, just pinch the seams together.
- Roasted Garlic: Roasting transforms garlic from sharp to sweet, nutty, and spreadable. Six cloves melt right into the dough. Our roasted garlic guide shows you exactly how to make it, and it keeps in the refrigerator all week.
- Goat Cheese: Tangy, creamy, and it softens into an almost frosting-like spread at room temperature. It is the flavor backbone here, so grab a log you would happily eat on a cracker.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
The dough plus spread plus roll formula takes almost any filling you can spread, so riff away.
- Herb it up: Mix chopped rosemary, thyme, or chives into the goat cheese before spreading for a green flecked spiral.
- Sweet and savory: Add a thin layer of fig jam or hot honey under the goat cheese, the sweetness against the garlic is incredible.
- Spicy crowd: Swap in the jalapeno popper filling from our jalapeno popper pinwheels when you want heat instead of garlic.
- Sun dried tomato: Scatter chopped sun dried tomatoes over the cheese before rolling for little bursts of tang in every slice.
- Everything bagel: Brush the rolled log with butter and sprinkle everything bagel seasoning over the tops before baking.
How to Make Goat Cheese Pinwheels
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Open the crescent roll dough and lay it flat on a clean work surface. If your dough has perforations, pinch the seams together to make one solid sheet.
- Spread the roasted garlic over the dough, smashing the soft cloves so they coat evenly.
- Make sure the goat cheese is softened to room temperature, then lay dollops of it all over the dough.
- Spread the goat cheese with the back of a spoon so the dough is evenly coated edge to edge.
- Starting from a long side, roll the dough into a tight spiral log.
- Cut the log into 1 inch sections with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts for clean spirals.
- Place the pinwheels cut side up on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve warm on their own or with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the goat cheese fully before you start, 30 minutes on the counter, or it will tear the delicate crescent dough when you spread it.
- Chill the rolled log for 10 minutes before slicing if your kitchen is warm, firm dough cuts into much cleaner spirals.
- Use a sharp or serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to slice, pressing straight down squishes the spiral flat.
- Space them an inch apart on the sheet, the pinwheels puff and spread slightly as the dough bakes.
- Watch the bottoms at 11 minutes. Every oven runs different, and crescent dough goes from golden to too dark quickly.
- Make the roasted garlic ahead. A whole roasted head keeps in the refrigerator for a week, our roasted garlic method takes 5 minutes of hands on time.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These pinwheels were born for an appetizer spread, set them next to our Mediterranean dip and a bowl of olives and you have a grazing table.
For game day, pair them with onion petals and something dippable, the pinwheels disappear fastest so make a double batch.
They also play the bread role next to soup or salad, or alongside toasted crostini on a bigger board.
Serve them warm or at room temperature, they hold beautifully for a couple of hours, which makes them a genuinely stress free party food.
Goat Cheese Pinwheels FAQs
Yes, Goat Cheese Pinwheels are great for prepping ahead. Assemble and roll the log, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours, then slice and bake just before serving. You can also bake them earlier in the day and rewarm at 325F for 5 minutes.
Use a plain soft goat cheese log, sometimes labeled chevre, for Goat Cheese Pinwheels. It softens into a spreadable, tangy filling. Pre-crumbled goat cheese is drier and will not spread smoothly. An herbed goat cheese log works beautifully too and adds free flavor.
You can, but adjust the bake. Puff pastry pinwheels need around 400F and a few extra minutes, and they bake up crispier and more shattery than the soft, buttery crescent version. Crescent dough stays tender, which is what makes these Goat Cheese Pinwheels feel so snackable.
Roll the log tightly, finish with the seam side down, and place each slice cut side up on the baking sheet. If the dough has warmed and gotten loose, chill the log for 10 minutes before slicing. The spiral sets as it bakes, so a snug roll going in means intact pinwheels coming out.
Baked Goat Cheese Pinwheels keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Rewarm them in a 325F oven or air fryer for about 5 minutes to bring back the flaky texture. The microwave works in a pinch but softens the spiral.
Goat Cheese Pinwheels are rich, so bright dips work best, think marinara, hot honey, balsamic glaze, or a simple herb oil. Honestly, they are seasoned well enough to serve completely plain, which is exactly how most of the platter tends to disappear.
Want the dip version of this flavor? Our roasted garlic cream cheese dip is the bowl and cracker edition.
Goat Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 can crescent roll dough sheet
- 6 cloves roasted garlic
- 6 ounces goat cheese softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Open the crescent roll dough and lay it flat on a clean work surface.1 can crescent roll dough sheet
- Spread the roasted garlic over the dough.6 cloves roasted garlic
- Make sure the goat cheese is softened to room temperature, and lay dollops of it on the dough.6 ounces goat cheese
- Spread with the back of a spoon so the dough is evenly coated.
- Roll the dough into a tight spiral.
- Cut into 1-inch sections.
- Place on ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve warm by themselves or with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Soften the Goat Cheese: Make sure your goat cheese is at room temperature. It spreads more easily and evenly over the dough.
- Seal the Seams: When unrolling the crescent dough, pinch together the seams to create one even layer. This prevents the filling from leaking out.
- Use a Serrated Knife: For clean cuts, use a serrated bread knife to slice the rolled dough into pinwheels.
- Don’t Overfill: Too much filling can make rolling and slicing difficult. A thin, even layer works best.
- Serve Fresh: These pinwheel slices taste best when served warm right out of the oven.
- Prevent Sogginess: If adding veggies like bell peppers or tomatoes, remove excess moisture by patting them dry.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
I love goat cheese! These look delicious 🙂 Thank you so much for linking this recipe up at Recipe Sharing Monday! The new link party is up and I’d love to see you back. Have a great week. 🙂
Sounds really good. Thank you. Happy New Year to you and your family!
These look to-die for, Dana! I’ll be featuring you at this week’s Clever Chicks Blog Hop!
Happy New Year!
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
These sound so good! The roasted garlic and goat cheese sound wonderful!
Sounds super yummy! Maybe dip into a bowl of soup? Thanks for linking to Snickerdoodle Sunday! Have an awesome Christmas!
Pinned. And can’t wait to make them! Thanks for sharing at Eat. Create. Party! xoxo San
This recipe looks so yummy…and easy. My favorite cooking combination! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Cindy from Superheroes and Teacups