Tortilla Pinwheels (Fiesta Roll Ups)

Tortilla Pinwheels (fiesta rollups) are easy appetizers made with tortillas filled with cream cheese, spinach, diced tomatoes and black beans. This delicious appetizer is perfect party food for holidays and game day and makes a healthy light lunch or after school snack!

If you’re looking for tortilla pinwheel recipes, you’ll love these easy fiesta rollups! Tortilla pinwheels are easy appetizers with simple ingredients that require only a few minutes of prep time.

I have been making these pinwheel appetizers for years, and my whole family loves them!

They are the perfect finger food for game days and holidays. We love to serve these little cream cheese pinwheels on New Years Eve along with Buffalo chicken roll ups, ham and cheese roll ups, and jalapeño popper wonton cups!

I also love them as a light lunch, and my kids enjoy munching on these little bites for after school snacks!

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for these tortilla roll-ups. You can find them in the grocery store if you don’t already have them at home:

• Large flour tortillas (burrito size)
• Cream cheese
• Spinach leaves — I love using pre-washed baby spinach for convenience
• Rotel — or diced tomatoes with green chiles or pico de gallo
• Black beans — adds protein to this vegetarian appetizer
• Shredded cheese is optional — I usually make a few with and without

How to Make Tortilla Pinwheels

First, you’ll want to let the cream cheese soften up a little. It’s much easier to spread this way.

You also want to drain the rotel, and remove as much liquid as possible. Otherwise, your perfect pinwheels may get too soggy.

You’ll want to rinse and drain the black beans, as well.

Then, place a tortilla on a large plate or flat surface. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese over the tortilla all the way to the ends.

Next, place a layer of spinach leaves over the cream cheese. Make sure your spinach is nice and dry.

Follow that with some black beans and rotel. I usually add a few tablespoons of each.

If you want to add shredded cheese to your roll ups, you can add about a quarter cup.

Now, you can roll the tortilla up. Just start at one end and roll tortillas tightly until it’s completely rolled up.

The cream cheese should act as a glue for the end of the tortilla. You can always add a little dab to help stick if you need to.

The middle of the roll up will probably be a little thicker than the ends. This is totally fine.

In fact, you can always sample the ends if they’re not full enough!

To help the tortillas firm up before cutting, cover them with plastic wrap, and place them in the fridge.

Refrigerate the rollups for about 30 minutes to an hour or until you are ready to serve. Then, remove the plastic wrap.

Use a sharp knife to cut the roll ups into half inch pieces. Start in the middle, and work your way down to the ends.

Then, place the pinwheels on a platter, and you’re ready to serve them!

Make Ahead

So, how far in advance can you make these pinwheels? You can make them up to 24 hours ahead of time and store in your fridge.

Worried about pinwheels getting soggy? These rollups have a layer of spinach to provided a moisture barrier, so they should not get soggy.

Variations

There’s endless variety to be had with these tortilla roll ups–they’re super easy to customize by just using your favorite ingredients!

Some ingredients I like to add to this easy recipe for a bit of extra flavor are shredded cheese (usually Mexican blend or cheddar cheese), green onions, red bell pepper, and homemade taco seasoning.

Of course, I don’t add all this to every roll-up, but I like to assemble a wide range of different pinwheels.

For spicy pinwheels, add red pepper flakes, jalapeño peppers, chili powder, or cayenne pepper. Using shredded pepper jack cheese will also give them a bit of kick!

This pinwheel appetizer recipe is vegetarian, but you can add meat if you wish. Sliced lunch meat, deli ham, and even shredded rotisserie chicken make for a perfect light lunch.

How to Store

Store your leftover pinwheels in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they’ll last for 2 to 3 days. My kids love to take these to school for lunch!

I would not recommend freezing these cream cheese rollups, as spinach does not freeze well.

If you want, you could freeze the roll ups for about 15 to 30 minutes before cutting and serving them.

Recipe first published in 2015 and updated in 2021.

I hope you enjoy these super fun, super easy fiesta pinwheels as much as my family does! They’re a family favorite!

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