Mini Pesto Rolls are bite-sized swirls of soft, fluffy dough that melt in your mouth. Each pinwheel roll is filled with basil pesto and rich Gruyère cheese, creating a deliciously savory flavor. Whether served as an appetizer, party snack, brunch bite or side dish, these irresistible little rolls deliver a delicious burst of goodness in every bite. Perfect for sharing—though you may want to keep them all to yourself!
I love mini rolls. Especially for sharing, and especially at brunch potlucks. Sometimes, full-sized sweet or savory rolls are just too big. You want to sample everything, but there's only so much room on your plate. And that’s where mini rolls really shine! They’re the perfect size to fit on your brunch plate while still leaving room to try all the other delicious options. And hey, you can always go back for seconds (or thirds) if there are any left. These cute little mini rolls disappear fast!
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Instructions for rolling and cutting the dough
Because we're making mini rolls, there are some tips that making rolling easier. I highly recommend using a pizza cutter as described below.
Step 1: Roll out the dough into an approximately 12 x 18 rectangle. Top with basil pesto and grated gruyere cheese.
Step 2: With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 long vertical strips and then cut those horizontally across the middle. Roll up each of the 24 pieces.
Step 3: Add the mini rolls to a baking pan or sheet. Bake at 350℉ for 22-25 minutes.
Substitutions
- Cheese - I love using gruyere cheese with pesto. It melts really nicely and doesn't overpower the pesto. However, you can substitute another cheese. If you only have mozzarella at home, use mozzarella.
- Basil pesto - homemade basil pesto is simple the best. But I get it, it can be expensive to make. You can also make pesto with a different herb besides basil or a different nut (or seed!) to make it cheaper or just for a change. You can also buy pre-made basil pesto. Costco's Kirkland Signature brand of Basil Pesto is good and priced well.
Equipment
A hand or stand mixer is needed for making mini pesto pinwheel rolls.
Storage
Store any leftover pesto pinwheels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Next Level Tips
- Make your own simple basil pesto to take these to the next level.
- If you are grating your own parmigiano reggiano cheese, I like the larger grate size. However, if you want it more melted on the top, use a smaller micro grater. You can buy pre-grated parmesan cheese, but grating your own cheese is usually cheaper and almost always tastes better.
- Weigh your flour! Even when a recipe lists flour in cups, I definitely recommend weighing the flour. If you don't already have a kitchen scale, you can find them for under $10 on Amazon. Different brands of flour have different weights, and not everyone measures flour the same. If you don't have a kitchen scale, the next best way to measure flour is the fluff and scoop method. Fluff the flour in its container and then lightly scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon. Lightly level the measuring cup with a knife. I use Kirkland's organic all-purpose flour from Costco, and I always weigh flour even if I don't weigh any other of the ingredients.
- Add-ins! If you love garlic, mix in more minced garlic with the basil pesto filling. Or maybe you have leftover caramelized onions from pizza night. Those are amazing in the filling too.
FAQ
Yes, you will just need to bake them slightly longer. Instead of the 24 mini rolls, bake the 12 full size rolls for 27-32 minutes.
Yes! After you roll up the mini pesto rolls, cover and place them in the refrigerator. The next day, allow them to warm up on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before baking. They may take a few minutes longer to bake if they are still cool when they go in the oven.
Related
Looking for sweet roll recipes? Try these:
Mini Pesto Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 8 tablespoons salted butter room temperature
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour (540 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- ¾ cup basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup gruyere cheese grated
Topping
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano cheese grated
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Dough
- Take out the butter and eggs to bring them to room temperature.
- Heat the milk in microwave until warm 105℉ - 110℉. [It's best to use a kitchen thermometer if you have one.] Add the warm milk, yeast and the white sugar to the mixer bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the flour and salt to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the softened butter and the eggs to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until the eggs are incorporated. The butter will not incorporate at this stage, which is normal.
- Add the flour and salt mixture to the mixing bowl in three different stages. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl after each addition and then mix on a low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Repeat until all flour has been added.
- After the flour has been incorporated, switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
- Spray a large bowl (or reuse the mixing bowl) with cooking spray. The dough is sticky and that's normal. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for a total of one hour. After 30 minutes, knead the dough using the stretch and fold method. If you're familiar with this method, do it in the bowl. If this is your first time, take the dough out of the bowl and set on a floured surface. Take ahold of a large piece of dough at the 12 o'clock position, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it back toward the middle of the dough ball. Rotate the ball ⅛ to ¼ of a turn and repeat the stretch out and fold back motions. Keep repeating until you have gone around 2 times and the dough becomes less stretchy. You DO NOT have to do this, BUT it does make the rolls more fluffy and soft. Put the dough back in the bowl to rise for another 30 minutes. So the total first rise time is one hour with the optional stretch and fold after 30 minutes.
Filling
- Spray a 9x13 pan or a ¼ baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
- After the dough has risen for 60 minutes, put it on a floured surface and roll it out into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. [If the dough is ever resistant, let it rest for 10 minutes. Don't overwork the dough trying to roll it out. It should roll out easily.]
- Spread ¾ cup of basil pesto over the rolled out dough. Then sprinkle 1 cup of grated gruyere cheese over the basil pesto .
- Because these are mini rolls, the easiest cutting method is using a pizza cutter. Using a pizza cutter, cut 12 vertical strips. Then cut those in half horizontally for a total of 24 pieces. Roll them up individually and add them to the baking pan.
- Cover the mini pesto rolls and allow them to rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Bake uncovered for 22-25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown.
Topping
- After removing the rolls from the oven, spread ¼ cup of basil pesto over the warm rolls.
- Top with ½ cup of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.
- Finished with a small amount of cracked black pepper.
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