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Home » Appetizers » Mexican Tortilla Pinwheels

Published: May 12, 2016 Last Modified: May 20, 2019 By Sara 18 Comments

Mexican Tortilla Pinwheels

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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!

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.

Mexican Tortilla Pinwheels | Mexican Pinwheels #pinwheels #sandwiches #tortilla #snack #dinneratthezoo

Mexican tortilla pinwheels with cheese, beans, bell peppers and cilantro.

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.

Tortilla pinwheels with a filling of cream cheese, black beans, bell peppers and seasonings.

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.

Mexican pinwheel sandwiches with cheese, beans, colored bell peppers and seasonings.

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.

A board full of Mexican tortilla pinwheels garnished with peppers and black beans.

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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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!
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4.94 from 15 votes

Mexican Tortilla Pinwheels

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!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 290kcal
Author Sara Welch

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 438mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g
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Filed Under: Appetizers, Lunch, Snacks

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    Comments

    1. Jennifer says

      August 2, 2021 at 12:49 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    2. Laura says

      September 23, 2019 at 12:57 pm

      5 stars
      How many does this serve? It says 6 But that cannot be right if they are cut up into pinwheels.Otherwise it looks good.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        September 23, 2019 at 2:27 pm

        It’s 6 because the assumption is that one person would eat 3-4 pinwheels.

        Reply
    3. Anna says

      June 14, 2017 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      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?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        June 14, 2017 at 10:04 pm

        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?

        Reply
    4. Dan says

      February 18, 2017 at 9:00 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    5. Barbara says

      January 13, 2017 at 4:27 am

      What a great idea. I love it.

      Reply
    6. Igor @ Cooking The Globe says

      June 23, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      5 stars
      So colorful! A perfect appetizer every guest will love. Thanks!

      Reply
    7. Rahul @samosastreet.com says

      May 16, 2016 at 12:07 pm

      Loved the idea Sara, they look seriously delicious and addictive. Gonna have to try this one soon 🙂

      Reply
    8. Karen (Back Road Journal) says

      May 14, 2016 at 11:41 am

      How pretty…perfect party food.

      Reply
    9. Marissa says

      May 13, 2016 at 6:29 pm

      5 stars
      This looks fantastic! And love to see you with the Foodgawker top spot!

      Reply
    10. Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says

      May 13, 2016 at 3:08 pm

      5 stars
      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 🙂

      Reply
    11. Beatrice says

      May 13, 2016 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful summer easy dish!

      Reply
    12. Chris Scheuer says

      May 13, 2016 at 11:42 am

      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!

      Reply
    13. Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says

      May 13, 2016 at 10:52 am

      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.

      Reply
    14. sue|theviewfromgreatisland says

      May 13, 2016 at 9:50 am

      These are so fun and colorful — I love anything rolled or pinwheeled !

      Reply
    15. Mike Hultquist says

      May 13, 2016 at 9:35 am

      5 stars
      What an excellent idea! These look great. I’ll bet they’d go over HUGE at a party.

      Reply
    16. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

      May 13, 2016 at 7:45 am

      These are fabulous. I would love to have some in my fridge at all times, just for some great snacking!

      Reply

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