These easy pizza roll ups turn refrigerated crescent roll dough into buttery pepperoni pizza pinwheels that are so perfect for snacking and dipping. They're filled with mozzarella, Parmesan, pepperoni, and garlic-herb butter, then rolled up cinnamon-roll style and baked until golden.
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Pizza Roll Ups: What You Need to Know
If you need an easy snack for football season or your next party, these Pizza Roll Ups are going straight into the craveable bites hall of fame - right alongside my Rotel Cups and Rotel Sausage Balls.
They're quick, they're super simple to throw together, and they're so yummy, with a great buttery cheese & pepperoni filling, light crescent roll dough, and a melty garlic butter brushed right over the top!
Best For: Game Day
Makes 20 Rolls
Difficulty: Beginner
Let's turn some basic store-bought ingredients into something really special today. I hope you love it!
Ingredient Notes
(See recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient measurements.)
- Crescent roll dough - I prefer crescent roll dough over pizza dough for this recipe. It's light and fluffy, and will let the rest of those ingredients really shine. Instead of separating the individual crescents, gently press all of those perforated seams together to form two large rectangles.
- Butter - We'll melt the butter first; part goes into the cheese filling, while the rest is brushed over the baked rolls.
- Italian seasoning - Gives the butter mixture that herby pizza flavor.
- Garlic powder - I'd recommend garlic powder over actual garlic; it adds plenty of flavor without adding extra moisture to the filling.
- Mozzarella cheese - Gives you that classic mild, melty pizza cheese. Go with bagged pre-shredded cheese for this one - you can't tell the difference, and it's a major time-saver!
- Parmesan cheese - This adds a salty bite and gives the filling a little more flavor than just mozzarella.
- Pepperoni - No need to cut these up. Spread it evenly across the dough so you get pepperoni throughout the roll instead of a big pile in one spot.
- Pizza sauce - Use jarred/canned sauce here. This will be on the side for dipping...adding to the actual rolls can make them soggy.
Additions & Substitutions
- Cheese pizza roll ups: Leave out the pepperoni for a cheesy version.
- Spicy pizza roll ups: Add a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper to the cheese mixture or serve with hot honey dip on the side.
- Different cheese: Replace part of the mozzarella with shredded provolone or an Italian cheese blend.
- Turkey pepperoni: Swap regular pepperoni for turkey pepperoni if that's what you have on hand.
- Extra Parmesan: Add a little sprinkle of Parmesan to the tops after brushing with garlic butter.
- Other pizza toppings: Add your favorite pizza toppings! Chopped olives or cooked peppers can work as additions, but keep extras light. Too much filling can make the logs harder to roll and cause the filling to spill out while baking.
How to Make Pizza Roll Ups with Crescent Rolls
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Prepare the crescent roll dough. Roll out both containers of dough onto a flat surface. Don't separate the crescent triangles. Instead, gently press the perforated edges together until you have two large rectangles of dough.
- Make the garlic butter filling. Combine the melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Set half of the butter mixture aside for later. Stir the mozzarella and Parmesan into the remaining half.
- Add the filling. Spread the butter and cheese mixture evenly over both rectangles. Arrange the pepperoni over the top, keeping the filling fairly even from edge to edge.
- Roll and slice. Starting at one long edge, roll each rectangle into a log (like you would for cinnamon rolls). Cut each log into roughly 1½-2" pieces and place the rolls on your prepared baking sheet with the spiral facing up.
- Bake. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crescent dough is puffy and golden brown. Start watching them closely around the 10-minute mark since ovens and roll sizes can vary.
- Brush with garlic butter. As soon as the pizza roll ups come out of the oven, brush the tops with the remaining garlic butter.
- Serve. Enjoy them warm with pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
Quick Tip
Try to keep your slices fairly even in thickness. If some are much thinner than others, they'll brown faster while the thick rolls are still baking.
Why I Serve the Pizza Sauce on the Side
You might want to spread pizza sauce right onto the crescent dough before rolling...trust me, don't.
There's already plenty going on in these rolls. Keeping the sauce out of the filling means the crescent dough isn't sitting against a wet layer of tomato sauce while it bakes. You'll still get plenty of pizza flavor...you just get it in the form of a really good dip.
And dipping is half the fun!
What to Serve with Pizza Roll Ups
Make it an appetizer: I'd keep everything easy and snackable. These would fit right in with buffalo chicken pinwheels, a creamy pickle dip, veggies, or any other warm finger food.
Make it a dinner: add a salad or some roasted vegetables and call it pizza night. These are also an easy option for game day; people can just grab one or two without needing a plate and fork.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftovers: Let leftover roll ups cool, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate. I'd recommend enjoying them within 3-4 days after baking.
Reheating: The microwave is the quickest reheating option, but the crescent dough will be softer. To make them crispier, warm them in an oven or air fryer until hot, keeping an eye on them so the outside doesn't get too dark.
Freezing: I wouldn't freeze these. That crescent dough just never thaws with the correct texture.
Leslie's Helpful Tips & Tricks
- Keep the dough cool. Refrigerated crescent dough gets soft and sticky the longer it sits at room temperature. Keep the tubes refrigerated until you're ready to work with them if your kitchen is warm.
- Really press those seams together. You don't have to flatten the dough a ton - you just don't want the original triangle perforations opening back up when you start rolling.
- Don't pile on the filling. More isn't always better here. An overloaded log is harder to roll, harder to slice, and more likely to spill cheese and pepperoni onto the baking sheet.
- Roll snugly, but don't squeeze. You want it tight enough to create defined spirals without pushing all of the filling out the end.
- Use a sharp knife. Gentle slicing helps preserve the round pinwheel shape instead of squishing the log flat.
- Brush the final butter on while they're hot. The warm crescent rolls will soak up that garlic butter right after baking. It's also helpful to go in with a second round of butter just before serving if you have some left!
FAQs & Troubleshooting
More Great Appetizers
I hope this one finds a spot on your next game day spread! 🍕 If you give the Pizza Roll Ups a try, make sure to rate/review them in the comments. And, if you're loving my recipes, add me as a preferred source on Google!
Pizza Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 16 oz crescent roll dough (2 tubes)
- 1 stick butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 6 oz pepperoni
- 1 cup pizza sauce
Instructions
- Roll out 2 whole containers of crescent roll dough on a flat surface. Gently press together the perforated edges so you have 2 large rectangles of dough.
- Combine melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder; set half of this mixture aside. Mix the remaining half of the butter mixture with the cheeses.
- Spread the butter/cheese mixture on the crescent roll rectangles evenly. Top this mixture with pepperoni.
- Roll rectangles of dough into 2 logs (like cinnamon rolls). Cut the log into 1.5-2" pieces. Place these rolls on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake pizza rolls for 14-17 minutes, until dough is golden brown. Immediately after taking rolls out of the oven, brush with the remaining garlic butter mixture.
- Serve rolls with pizza sauce for dipping.
Nutrition Facts
Leslie Lambert is a lifestyle writer and content creator specializing in home organization, family recipes, and intentional living. With 17 years of experience in blogging and digital storytelling, she helps busy women create calm, purposeful homes they love.
