These pesto puff pastry twists are perfect for lunch boxes or parties. They taste amazing (particularly when still warm from the oven) and are so easy to make. Suitable for vegetarians.
Puff pastry is so versatile.
It's an extremely useful ingredient to have in the fridge for making a quick tea for the kids, after school snacks and lunch box fillers.
It's also a surprisingly great vehicle for getting veggies into reluctant kids as well - check out my other puff pastry recipes below to see how.
You can use puff pastry to make savoury appetisers and sweet treats - there are so many possibilities.
However, I tend to use it for savoury recipes as - let's face it - my kids have no problem eating sweet stuff.
Puff pastry cheese straws and pizza swirls with hidden vegetable sauce both appear fairly regularly in my kids lunchboxes and are always popular.
More vegetarian puff pastry recipes
- Easy puff pastry pizza
- Really easy pizza pinwheels
- Apple and mincemeat swirls
- Puff pastry cheese straws with butternut squash
- Easy spinach puff pastry palmiers
- Beetroot and goats cheese palmiers
- Vegan puff pastry tart
Some of these recipes appear on my vegan food blog, Cook Veggielicious.
Can these pesto and cheese twists be made vegan?
Yes, in fact the ones in the photos are totally suitable for vegans. I made my own kale pesto for these, using nutritional yeast instead of cheese.
Most brands of ready made puff pastry are suitable for vegans - but always check the label - and I used grated Violife vegan cheese.
How to make pesto and cheese puff pastry twists
These puff pastry twists are very simple to make.
In fact all you need to do is:
- spread pesto on to some ready-rolled puff pastry
- sprinkle some grated cheese (or vegan equivalent)
- cut your puff pastry into strips and twist
- bake in a hot oven.
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Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.
Pesto and cheese puff pastry twists
Ingredients
- 320 g sheet of ready rolled puff pastry chilled
- 4 tablespoons pesto - I used homemade kale pesto but ready made works well too.
- 50 g grated cheddar cheese or vegan alternative
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper (or use the paper that the pastry is wrapped in).
- Unroll the pastry. The pastry will be easier to work with if it's cold so don't remove it from the fridge until you're ready to start.
- Spread around 4 tablespoons of pesto over the pastry. Use the back of a spoon or a knife that isn't very sharp to avoid cutting through the pastry.
- Sprinkle over 50g of grated cheese.
- Cut into 10-12 strips and twist each one several times lengthways. If the cheese falls out push it back in.
- Place on the baking tray with a gap between each one - remember that the pastry will puff up while it's cooking.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.
- These are delicious warm or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.
- Suitable for freezing. The puff pastry can go soggy when defrosted so I recommend reheating for a few minutes in a hot oven to prevent this from happening.
Nutrition
Check out my healthy lunch box ideas
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Pin pesto and cheese puff pastry twists for later
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KAye Joyce
Can they be frozen?
Mandy Mazliah
Hi Kaye, yes you can freeze them but they do go a bit soft when defrosted so I recommend that you heat them in the oven for five minutes after defrosting.
Daydreams of a Mum
Oooo my pesto loving son was looking for new lunch ideas I may be a very lovely mum and make him some. Congratulations! Someone loved this post so much they added it to our #blogcrush linky
Mandy Mazliah
Ah thanks so much - that's amazing!
Debbie
These are a great snack idea. I find it so hard to think of quick and easy snacks for the kids to eat. #BlogCrush
Mandy Mazliah
Hope they enjoy them Debbie
Tracy Albiero
How fancy but simple! I will give these a try! #blogcrush
Mandy Mazliah
Hope you enjoy them Tracy!
Rebecca Smith
This is my kind of delicious snack, I miss out on so many savoury snacks and with a couple of tweaks these are easy to make both gluten and dairy free. I will certainly be making these
Mandy Mazliah
Hope you enjoy them Rebecca x
Jennifer
Please can you share your gluten free modifications...?
Mandy Mazliah
Hi Jennifer, I think Rebecca would make these with gluten free puff pastry
Anna | Once Upon A Food Blog
These look yummy and so quick and easy. I think they'd be a great addition to a picnic.
Mandy Mazliah
You're absolutely right Anna - they really would be!