Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza Pinwheels

Crescent roll pinwheels stuffed with cheeseburger toppings are one of those recipes that just makes sense once you try them. I threw these together one night when my kids were having friends over and I needed something quick that would feed a bunch of hungry teenagers. You roll out crescent dough, pile on cheese, cooked ground beef, bacon, and pizza sauce, then roll the whole thing up and slice it like cinnamon rolls. Twenty minutes in the oven and you've got these golden, cheesy spirals that taste like a bacon cheeseburger and a pizza had a baby. The kids demolished the entire pan in about ten minutes, barely stopping to breathe between bites. Now my daughter asks me to make them at least once a month, and her friends have started requesting them too.

My neighbor brought her kids over for a playdate once and I made these as a snack. Her son, who apparently "doesn't eat anything," ate three of them and then asked his mom why she never made food this good. She gave me this look that was half grateful her kid actually ate something and half annoyed that I'd made her look bad. She texted me later asking for the recipe, and now she makes them for her family too. She told me her son still talks about "those roll things" every time he sees me.

What You'll Need

• Crescent roll dough: One can of Pillsbury crescent rolls from the refrigerated section. The seamless sheet kind makes this even easier, but the regular perforated ones work fine if you pinch the seams together well.
• Cheddar cheese: Shredded cheddar adds that sharp, tangy flavor you expect from a cheeseburger. I buy the pre-shredded kind for this recipe since it's quick and convenience is the whole point.
• Mozzarella cheese: Gives you that melty, stretchy quality and adds some creaminess to balance the sharper cheddar. Again, pre-shredded is totally fine here.
• Lean ground beef: Half a pound is enough for eight pinwheels. Cook it ahead of time and drain off the grease so your pinwheels aren't soggy and greasy when they bake.
• Bacon: Eight slices cooked until crispy and then crumbled into small pieces. I usually make bacon in the oven on a sheet pan because it's less messy than doing it on the stovetop.
• Pizza sauce: Just a few tablespoons drizzled over everything before you roll it up. Don't use too much or the pinwheels will be wet and hard to slice.

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Making the Pinwheels

Getting everything ready:

Turn your oven to 375 degrees and let it heat up while you prep everything else. Take a pie pan or a 9-inch square baking dish and spray it lightly with cooking spray or rub a little butter around the inside so the pinwheels won't stick when they're done.

Preparing the dough:

Pop open your can of crescent rolls and unroll the dough onto a clean cutting board or your counter. If you have the perforated kind with individual triangles, press all those seams together really well so they disappear and you have one solid rectangle of dough. Use your fingers to pinch and smooth the seams until they're completely sealed, otherwise your filling will leak out through the gaps when you're rolling everything up. If you got the seamless sheet dough, you can skip this step since it's already one piece.

Layering the fillings:

Sprinkle your shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the entire surface of the dough, leaving maybe half an inch along the edges bare. Add your mozzarella cheese on top of the cheddar, spreading it around so you've got cheese covering everything. Take your cooked and drained ground beef and crumble it over the cheese layer, trying to distribute it evenly so every pinwheel will get some meat. Scatter your crumbled bacon pieces over the ground beef, again spreading them out so they're not all clumped in one spot. Take your pizza sauce and drizzle it in thin lines back and forth across the entire surface. Don't dump it all in one spot or pour too much on—you want just enough to add flavor without making everything wet and messy.

Rolling it up:

Starting from one of the long sides, begin rolling the dough up tightly like you're making cinnamon rolls. Keep the roll as tight as you can without squashing everything out the sides. Roll slowly and carefully, tucking any filling that tries to escape back into the roll as you go. When you get to the end, pinch that final edge of dough into the roll to seal it closed. You should now have one long log of filled dough that looks kind of like a big sausage.

Slicing into pieces:

Use a sharp knife to cut your rolled dough into 8 equal pieces. I usually eyeball it and cut the log in half first, then cut each half in half again, then cut those pieces in half one more time to get eight relatively even slices. If your knife is dragging and smooshing the dough instead of cutting cleanly, try wetting the blade or using a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion. Some filling will probably squeeze out while you're cutting, and that's completely normal—just try to keep most of it inside.

Baking until golden:

Arrange your eight pinwheel slices in your prepared baking dish, placing them cut side up so you can see the spiral pattern. They can sit right next to each other touching, or you can space them out slightly if you prefer. Slide the dish into your preheated oven and set a timer for 18 minutes. Check them at 18 minutes to see if they're golden brown on top and cooked through. If they still look pale or doughy, give them another 2 minutes and check again. When the crescent dough is golden brown and puffed up and everything looks hot and bubbly, they're done. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for just a couple minutes before serving so nobody burns their mouth on molten cheese.

Important Details

• Seams: Pinching those crescent roll seams together really well before adding your fillings prevents everything from leaking out while the pinwheels bake
• Grease: Draining the cooked ground beef thoroughly is crucial because excess grease will make your pinwheels soggy instead of golden and flaky
• Sauce: Using just a drizzle of pizza sauce instead of slathering it on thick keeps the dough from getting too wet and falling apart when you try to roll it up
• Bacon: Cooking your bacon until it's really crispy before crumbling ensures it stays crunchy in the finished pinwheels instead of getting soft and chewy

The first time I made these, I didn't pinch the seams together well enough. As they baked, cheese and meat kept oozing out through those gaps and burning on the bottom of the pan. The pinwheels still tasted fine but they looked kind of messy and I lost a lot of the filling. Now I'm obsessive about pressing those seams together until they basically disappear, and my pinwheels come out much cleaner and prettier.

I've learned that the amount of pizza sauce really matters. Too much and the dough gets soggy and won't crisp up properly. Too little and you lose that pizza flavor that ties everything together. Three tablespoons drizzled in thin lines is the sweet spot where you get the flavor without compromising the texture.

The type of ground beef you use makes a difference. I tried making these with regular 80/20 ground beef once and even after draining it, there was still so much grease that the pinwheels were kind of gross. Now I always buy the lean 90/10 or even 93/7, which has way less fat and makes for much better pinwheels that aren't swimming in grease.

Letting them cool for a minute or two before serving is important because that cheese is absolutely scorching hot right out of the oven. My son bit into one immediately after I took them out once and burned his mouth so bad he couldn't taste anything for like two days. Now I make everyone wait at least a couple minutes even though they're standing around the pan looking impatient.

The pie pan size matters. I used a bigger baking dish once and spread the pinwheels out more, and they ended up kind of dry because there was too much space around them. When they're closer together in a smaller pan, they stay moister and the edges don't overcook.

Serving These Rolls

Put the whole pan on the table with some napkins and let people grab pinwheels straight from the dish while they're still warm. These work great as a main dish for casual dinners, especially with kids who think regular meals are boring. Serve them with a simple side salad or some raw veggies and ranch dip to add something fresh and crunchy to the meal. They're perfect for game day gatherings where you want food that people can eat with their hands while watching TV. For parties, arrange them on a platter and put out some extra pizza sauce, ketchup, and mustard for dipping if people want more flavor. These also make really good after-school snacks when kids come home starving and need something substantial that's ready quickly. I've brought them to potlucks and watched them disappear faster than almost anything else on the table.

Different Ways to Make Them

Add some diced pickles before rolling for that classic burger-and-pickles combination. Mix some ranch dressing or burger sauce with the pizza sauce for extra tang and creaminess. Use pepper jack cheese instead of regular cheddar if your family likes spice. Throw in some diced onions with the ground beef for more flavor and texture. Add sliced jalapeños for heat that cuts through all the richness. Try using ground turkey instead of beef for a lighter version that still tastes great. Mix in some diced tomatoes or use marinara sauce instead of pizza sauce for a slightly different flavor profile. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top before baking to make them look more like burger buns. Add a layer of cream cheese spread on the dough before adding the other ingredients for extra richness.

Keeping Them Fresh

Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container, though the crescent roll dough gets a little softer and less flaky after being refrigerated. Reheat them in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes until they're warmed through and the cheese gets melty again. You can microwave individual pinwheels for about 30 seconds if you're in a hurry, but the dough won't be as crispy as it is when you reheat them in the oven. Don't leave these sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours since they've got meat in them. I haven't tried freezing these because I suspect the crescent roll dough would get weird and soggy when thawed, so I'd stick to making only what you'll eat within a few days.

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I've made these bacon cheeseburger pizza pinwheels so many times I could probably do it in my sleep at this point. They've become one of those recipes I pull out whenever I need something quick that I know everyone will actually eat without complaining. There's something about the combination of all those familiar flavors—beef, bacon, cheese, pizza sauce—that just works and makes people happy. Kids especially go crazy for these because they look fun and taste like their favorite foods all mixed together. The fact that they're relatively easy and don't require any fancy ingredients or techniques makes them even better. I can throw these together on a random Tuesday when I'm tired and don't feel like cooking anything complicated, and my family acts like I've made something special. They freeze the rolled log before slicing if you want to prep ahead, though I've never actually done that because they're so quick to make fresh. These have earned their place in my regular dinner rotation, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Easy, delicious, crowd-pleasing—that's basically the trifecta of weeknight cooking!

Frequently Asked Questions

→ Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes! You can assemble them and keep them covered in the fridge for a few hours before baking. They're also great reheated in the oven or microwave.

→ What can I serve these with?

They're great with extra pizza sauce, ranch dressing, ketchup, or even mustard for dipping. Some people like barbecue sauce too.

→ Can I use turkey bacon instead?

Absolutely! Turkey bacon works just fine. You can also use ground turkey instead of beef if you want to lighten them up.

→ Why do I need to pinch the seams together?

Crescent roll dough comes perforated into triangles. Pinching the seams creates one solid rectangle so the filling doesn't leak out when you roll it up.

→ Can I add other toppings?

Sure! Diced pickles, onions, tomatoes, or jalapeños would all be great additions. Just don't overfill or they'll be hard to roll.

→ How do I store leftovers?

Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or microwave until warm.