This recipe for Mexican tortilla pinwheels is two types of cheese, black beans and colorful veggies all rolled up inside tortillas and cut into rounds. The perfect make-ahead snack or appetizer!
Pinwheel sandwiches are the hit of any party, I often serve taco pinwheels, turkey pinwheels, or these fun and festive Mexican style pinwheels.
A while ago I made these rainbow veggie pinwheels and they’ve turned out to be one of the most popular recipes on this site! They’ve been on tons of websites (most recently Redbook magazine!), been pinned hundreds of thousands of times and have been the featured recipe in kids cooking classes around the country. It’s been really fun to see the outpouring of positive feedback. I decided it was high time I made another pinwheel recipe which is how these Mexican tortilla pinwheels were born.
How do you make tortilla pinwheel sandwiches?
These Mexican tortilla pinwheels start with extra large tortillas. I went with green spinach tortillas simply for the fun color, if you can’t find them, regular tortillas work just as fine. I make a zesty cheese spread with cream cheese, chili powder and cheddar cheese which is spread on top of the tortillas. Next comes black beans and finely diced bell peppers. I used red, orange and yellow bell peppers because of the multi-color factor, I’ve found my kids are more willing to eat their vegetables if they are bright and appealing. You can absolutely use just one color bell pepper, but I would avoid green bell peppers in this recipe because they tend to be a little bitter.
After all of the toppings are on the tortillas, I roll them up tightly and slice them into pinwheels. I like to garnish the top with more chopped bell pepper, black beans and a sprinkling of cilantro. You could also serve these pinwheels with a side of salsa for dipping.
One of the great things about this snack is that it’s easy to put together and can be made ahead of time for stress free entertaining. I even serve these tortilla pinwheels as a light lunch with a side salad. Regardless of how you serve these Mexican tortilla pinwheels, they’re sure to be a crowd pleaser!
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Mexican Tortilla Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 4 large spinach or regular tortillas burrito size
- 8 ounces of cream cheese softened
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder or more to taste
- 1 cup of canned black beans drained and rinsed, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup of finely chopped red orange and/or yellow bell pepper, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and chili powder. You can add additional chili powder to taste if you like more of a kick.
- Spread the cream cheese over the entire surface of each tortilla.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of black beans and 1/4 cup of bell pepper on one end of each tortilla.
- Roll up the tortillas tightly. You can add a dab of cream cheese on the end to hold the rolls together if needed.
- Slice the tortilla rolls crosswise into pinwheels.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 8 hours prior to serving. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and additional black beans and bell pepper if desired.
Jennifer says
I made these a few hours ahead of the get together time then put each piece in a cupcake paper cup. So cute and tasty!
Laura says
How many does this serve? It says 6 But that cannot be right if they are cut up into pinwheels.Otherwise it looks good.
Sara says
It’s 6 because the assumption is that one person would eat 3-4 pinwheels.
Anna says
Delicious! I made them for lunch couple days ago and everybody loved them. I made some more last night for today’s lunch for myself but tortillas were moist and sticky . Is there a way to store them to prevent that?
Sara says
The tortillas tend to soften up in the fridge but I haven’t seen them get sticky. How long were they in the fridge prior to serving?
Dan says
The pinwheels were excellent in flavor, however one needs to spread out the peppers and beans across the entire wrap. Otherwise you end up with all the filling in the middle of the pinwheel which falls out of each bite when cut.
Barbara says
What a great idea. I love it.
Igor @ Cooking The Globe says
So colorful! A perfect appetizer every guest will love. Thanks!
Rahul @samosastreet.com says
Loved the idea Sara, they look seriously delicious and addictive. Gonna have to try this one soon 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
How pretty…perfect party food.
Marissa says
This looks fantastic! And love to see you with the Foodgawker top spot!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
How fun are these! Congrats on the wild success of your first pinwheels, Sara, they look delicious! Everyone loves bite sized treats in the summer so this will be perfect for every day as well as gatherings. Sharing 🙂
Beatrice says
What a wonderful summer easy dish!
Chris Scheuer says
These would be so fun for a picnic! I love the way the green tortillas add so much to the presentation – and they’re healthy too with the spinach. A win-win!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
What a great summer idea – perfect for picnics, traveling, days at the pool – or anytime. I think it’s great your kids like them too. These are very pretty with all the colors – love the spinach wraps! Happy weekend.
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
These are so fun and colorful — I love anything rolled or pinwheeled !
Mike Hultquist says
What an excellent idea! These look great. I’ll bet they’d go over HUGE at a party.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
These are fabulous. I would love to have some in my fridge at all times, just for some great snacking!