Vegan Basil and Cheese Pastry Pinwheels
These cute pinwheels are a great appetiser to take to your next Christmas party. They are super quick and easy to make, and no one will guess they’re vegan.
You can make these pinwheels ahead, and either serve them cold, or heat them up in the oven again for a couple of minutes.
You can either use vegan cream cheese, or half a serve of my Instant Cashew Cheese. I tried both, and I definitely preferred the instant cashew cheese ones, but they do take a little more effort.
To Make Vegan Basil and Cheese Pastry Pinwheels
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Make up a batch of Instant Cashew Cheese if you are using it. You can refrigerate any leftovers.
Separate the pastry sheets with a sharp knife, but keep them in a pile so that they don’t defrost too much.
I found the best way to get these pinwheels to keep their shape is to work with the pastry when it isn’t fully defrosted. Try to add the pesto and cheese while they’re still frozen, and then roll them as soon as you can. If the pastry defrosts fully, it becomes very soft and doesn’t hold the round shape for the pinwheels as well.
Lay one sheet out on a sheet of baking paper. Remove the baking sheet. Spread about 3 Tbs of the cheese over the pastry. Spread 3 Tbs basil pesto over the cheese evenly.
Start rolling the pastry from the edge in front of you, keeping it tight as you go.
Once it is rolled, use a serrated knife to cut the roll at 2cm intervals. Lay each pinwheel carefully on the prepared baking tray. Make sure you leave room between them as they will expand a little while baking.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until pinwheels are golden brown.
Serve hot, or allow to cool and store in a sealed container for up to 1 day.
Easy Vegan Cheese and Basil Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 3 Sheets Vegan Puff Pastry
- 120 g Vegan Basil Pesto
- 120 g Vegan Cream Cheese or ½ Serve Instant Cashew Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Make up a batch of Instant Cashew Cheese if you are using it. You can refrigerate any leftovers.
- Separate the pastry sheets with a sharp knife, but keep them in a pile so that they don’t defrost too much.
- Lay one sheet out on a sheet of baking paper. Remove the baking sheet. Spread about 3 Tbs of the cheese over the pastry. Spread 3 Tbs basil pesto over the cheese evenly.
- Start rolling the pastry from the edge in front of you, keeping it tight as you go.
- Once it is rolled, use a serrated knife to cut the roll at 2cm intervals. Lay each pinwheel carefully on the prepared baking tray. Make sure you leave room between them as they will expand a little while baking.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until pinwheels are golden brown.
- Serve hot, or allow to cool and store in a sealed container for up to 1 day.
Notes
