These cheesy spinach artichoke rolls have a fluffy parmesan brioche dough stuffed with a cheesy, spinach, artichoke and red pepper filling, then brushed with garlic herb butter. These savory rolls are rolled up like cinnamon rolls (or pinwheels) and then shaped like a Christmas tree for a fun, festive holiday appetizer!
I like to call these spinach artichoke rolls "savory cinnamon rolls" because that's what they look like, but I promise there's no cinnamon involved!
The filling is essentially a spinach artichoke dip but with added red peppers for more Christmassy color. You can make extra and bake it alone as a dip (with some extra cheese on top) and serve it with chips or veggies!
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Ingredient Notes
These spinach artichoke rolls have several ingredients but they're all easy to find at your local grocery store!
Instant Yeast - The yeast is what helps the dough rise! I like using instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) because you don't need to bloom it first.
Parmesan Cheese - I love adding a little bit of parmesan cheese to the dough for extra flavor, but you can leave it out!
Whole Milk - The whole milk helps keep the brioche dough tender, but you can substitute skim milk or even water if you prefer.
Frozen Spinach - Make sure the spinach is fully thawed and all the excess water is squeezed out. Otherwise you'll end up with a watery filling and the rolls won't cook properly.
Marinated Artichoke Hearts - Marinated artichokes are best because they already have lots of flavor. Make sure to drain any excess liquid and chop them up into smaller pieces before adding to the filling.
Roasted Red Bell Peppers - These are optional, but I like adding some diced roasted red peppers to the filling so that it's red and green (for Christmas duh). Be sure to drain any excess liquid.
Garlic Butter - After baking, these savory rolls are brushed with garlic herb butter!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Christmas Tree Pinwheels
This is a simple yeasted brioche dough that makes a great base for any savory roll! I highly recommend making the dough the day before and letting it rise the fridge overnight. This yields more flavorful dough that's also much easier to work with!
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, parmesan, sugar, instant yeast, salt, eggs, melted butter, and milk) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before you assemble the pinwheels.
For the filling: Thaw the spinach and fully squeeze out any excess water. Drain the artichoke hearts and roasted red pepper and roughly chop so that they aren't any super large chunks. Then in a large bowl, mix together all of the filling ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches. Try to make the edges as even as possible. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you roll it out, cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to help the gluten relax before rolling again.
Spread the spinach artichoke filling in an even layer over the top of dough, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the long end (this helps to seal the log).
Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly and pinch to seal. If desired, trim about ½ inch off of each end so that the log is 11 inches long. Then using a very sharp serrated knife cut the log into 11 1-inch pieces. [If you want to bake the savory rolls in a baking dish instead of a Christmas tree shape, divide into 12 inch pieces.]
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the Christmas tree shape, transfer the pinwheels to your parchment lined baking sheet and arrange in a triangle (4 rolls on the bottom, then 3, then 2, then 1, and then the last roll on the bottom to look like a stump).
Cover and let the rolls proof at room temperature for 30-60 minutes or until the dough puffs up a bit.
During the last 15 minutes of proofing, preheat your oven to 400°F.
Bake the rolls for 18- 25 minutes or until fully puffed up and golden brown.
Mix together the melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley and then brush over the spinach artichoke rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with some flaky sea salt if desired!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Once the rolls are golden brown and the internal temperature of the dough is 190°F on an instant read thermometer.
These savory rolls are best eaten immediately, but will last covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Pop in the microwave for about 30 seconds and they'll taste like they just came out of the oven!
Of course not! Instead of baking on a sheet pan, lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and cut into 12 rolls instead of 11.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Rolls (Christmas Tree Shaped!)
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 10 ounce bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
- ½ cup roasted red bell peppers, drained and finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Garlic Butter
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, parmesan, sugar, instant yeast, salt, eggs, melted butter, and milk) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before you assemble the pinwheels.
Make the Filling
- Thaw the spinach and fully squeeze out any excess water. Drain the artichoke hearts and roasted red pepper and roughly chop so that they aren't any super large chunks.
- Then in a large bowl, mix together all of the filling ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Assembly and Proofing
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches. Try to make the edges as even as possible. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you roll it out, cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes to help the gluten relax before rolling again.
- Spread the spinach artichoke filling in an even layer over the top of dough, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the long end (this helps to seal the log).
- Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly and pinch to seal. If desired, trim about ½ inch off of each end so that the log is 11 inches long. Then using a very sharp serrated knife cut the log into 11 1-inch pieces. [If you want to bake the savory rolls in a baking dish instead of a Christmas tree shape, divide into 12 inch pieces.]
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the Christmas tree shape, transfer the pinwheels to your parchment lined baking sheet and arrange in a triangle (4 rolls on the bottom, then 3, then 2, then 1, and then the last roll on the bottom to look like a stump).
- Cover and let the rolls proof at room temperature for 30-60 minutes or until the dough puffs up a bit.
Bake and Serve
- During the last 15 minutes of proofing, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Bake the rolls for 18- 25 minutes or until fully puffed up and golden brown.
- Mix together the melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley and then brush over the spinach artichoke rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Sprinkle with some flaky sea salt if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Debra says
You had me at spinach + artichoke....but they are so adorable it pushed me over the edge...so glad I tried these. YUM!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
This looks so so good. My husband will love this dish.
Swathi says
This spinach and artichoke pin wheels looks perfect for any get together.
Kay says
Super cute and tasty idea for Christmas buffet.
Christina says
So delish! Can't wait to make for the holidays!
FOODHEAL says
I love everything in this recipe. Surely, making pinwheels make it look luxurious and something to make for holidays
Chloe says
This recipe has me feeling hungry! Love the flavour combination, and who doesn't love a pinwheel!?
Amy says
Oooo I love pinwheels and I love artichokes too so this recipe is perfect for me!
kaka says
I am a sucker for cayenne pepper! This really blew me away with how flavorful it was. Going into my favorite recipe list.
Alexandra says
This is such an impressive festive treat! Love the colours and delicious flavours!