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Vegetarian Taco Pinwheels

Taco pinwheels are made with refried beans, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and sour cream. A delicious, make-ahead cold vegetarian appetizer!

taco pinwheels pin

Bite-size appetizers are great for parties of all kinds. Tailgating, holidays, birthdays, and more! These vegetarian taco pinwheels are not only yummy; they are also super easy to make. I thought about adding meat but since I suggest chilling them before cutting into bite-size slices, I chose to leave out the meat. 

I don’t dislike cold ground beef or chicken – in fact, cold ground beef is one of the main ingredient in my layered taco dip. But, I know several people that are grossed out by cold beef. 

An easy solution to the cold meat problem? No meat and refried beans instead! Refried beans are tasty either cold or hot and are perfect for this easy appetizer. 

taco pinwheel tortilla wrap

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How to Make Taco Pinwheels

First, make the cream cheese mixture. I use a food processor for speed but you can also combine the cream cheese, taco seasoning, and sour cream by hand. 

Then it is time to assemble the taco pinwheels. Start with the largest tortilla you can find. I always use the burrito size. 

Using a spatula or butter knife, spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture followed by a layer of refried beans. Avoid the edges of the tortilla because you are going to chop off the ends anyway – no use wasting your fillings. 

white plate filled with taco pinwheels

Next, sprinkle some shredded cheese, in a row and off-center. Top that with lettuce leaves, followed by tomato slices. For extra flavor, scatter some diced green chiles on top of the tomatoes and give your tortilla a roll.

It’s important to roll the tortillas tight so make sure you use both hands – one to do the rolling and the other to secure all of your fillings. Wrap the rolled tortilla in plastic wrap and then in a plastic storage bag. Chill it for at least 1 hour before you cut your pinwheels.

Looking for more bite-size appetizers?

closeup photo of taco pinwheel
pile of taco pinwheels

Taco Pinwheels

Yield: 32 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Taco pinwheels are made with refried beans, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and sour cream. A delicious, make-ahead cold vegetarian appetizer!

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 4 burrito-size tortillas
  • ¼ cup refried beans
  • ¼ cup shredded cheese
  • 4 large romaine lettuce leaves
  • 4 tomato slices, cut in half
  • 2 teaspoons diced green chiles

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, pulse the cream cheese, taco seasoning and sour cream together until smooth and well combined.
  2. Assemble your pinwheels: Smooth 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on a tortilla. Next, spread 1 tablespoon refried beans. Off -center, sprinkle 1 tablespoon shredded cheese in an even line, cover it with a lettuce leaf and 2 tomato halves.
  3. Scatter ½ teaspoon diced green chiles over the tomato. Then roll the tortilla, using your hands to secure all of your ingredients. Wrap the rolled tortilla in plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
  4. Refrigerate tortilla wraps for at least 1 hour. Use a sharp knife to slice the rolls into 1-inch pinwheels.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 92Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

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Jean | DelightfulRepast.com

Thursday 8th of October 2015

Jenny, it's been far too long since I made these pinwheels! I'm tempted to make these and a batch of margaritas for dinner tomorrow evening!

Jenny B

Friday 9th of October 2015

Jean, that sounds like the best Friday dinner ever. :)

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