Fiesta roll ups, or Mexican fiesta pinwheels, are easy party foods, easy snack ideas for kids and simple bite-sized appetizers for any occasion — including football party foods / game day appetizers, birthday party food, or even for Mexican food night. Easy make ahead recipe, too!
Best Pinwheels Fiesta Roll Ups Recipe
My mom has been making these fiesta pinwheel rollups (aka: Mexican tortilla pinwheels) for as long as I can remember!
Now they’re a family favorite for my husband and daughter, too.
I’ve adapted this easy recipe over the years and the recipe you see here makes the best fiesta roll ups after many years of testing!
Simple Ingredients For Mexican Pinwheels Rollups Recipe
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Salsa or picante sauce
- Taco seasoning or Hidden Valley Ranch Fiesta Seasoning Dip*
- Shredded cheddar cheese or mix of Mexican cheese
- Flour tortillas
- Dipping sauces (optional)
Get the free printable recipe card for fiesta roll ups below.
Recipe Tips On How To Make Fiesta Roll-Ups Step-By-Step
After years and years of making this recipe, follow these recipe tips for the best Mexican cream cheese pinwheels!
BEST RECIPE TIP: Start With The Best Flour Tortillas For Fiesta Pinwheel Roll Ups
It seems like a minor part of this recipe, but it really does start with the tortillas for your wraps.
The type of tortillas you use for fiesta roll ups makes a huge difference.
- DO NOT use the soft tortillas — skip the ones that say “Super Soft” or “Fluffy” soft flour tortillas for different brands.
In all the years I’ve made these, I’ve experimented with different types of flour tortillas and the regular, 10-inch tortillas (or larger) are the best.
The softer tortillas will result in soggy pinwheel roll ups and are harder to cut into the bite-sized pieces without the ingredients spilling out.
I don’t use a specific brand. Instead I do a very scientific (LOL) touch test: I push on the tortillas and if they feel super soft I don’t get them.
About Fiesta Roll-Up Ingredients
This is definitely an easy recipe to play around with ingredients and adjust to your taste and liking.
If you like spicy pinwheel rollups, use a hot picante sauce or hot salsa.
Different Ingredients To Try In The Rollup Recipe
More simple and delicious ideas for fiesta roll-ups as easy appetizer recipes, snacks, or easy meals:
- Ground beef / taco meat (for taco pinwheel appetizers)
- Shredded chicken (for chicken pinwheels / chicken taco roll-ups) – great idea for how to use up leftover rotisserie chicken!
- Chopped green onions
- Black beans
- Green chilis
- Black olives
- Bell peppers (red bell peppers and/or green bell peppers)
- Refried beans
- Chili powder
- Garlic or garlic powder
What else do you put in your pinwheel appetizer recipe? Let us know and we’ll add it to the easy fiesta pinwheels ingredients list!
MORE PINWHEEL RECIPE ROLL-UPS TO TRY: HOT HAM & CHEESE PINWHEELS
How Do You Assemble Pinwheel Sandwiches?
- Spread softened cream cheese mixture. evenly over each tortilla, leaving a small border around the edges. (Don’t go all the way to the edges!)
- Starting at the edge with the most filling on it, carefully roll up each tortilla tightly (like a jelly roll). Roll it as tightly as possible without squeezing out the filling. The cream cheese will help seal the edge of the tortilla. You can also roll them in plastic wrap and secure them with toothpicks before refrigerating, which is what I do if I’m making them for a party and letting them refrigerate overnight.
- Chill! Place the rolled-up tortillas in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. Chilling makes them easier to slice and helps the flavors meld together.
- Slice into pinwheels. Once chilled, use a sharp knife to slice the rolled tortillas into pinwheel-sized pieces, around 1/2 to 1 inch thick, and serve immediately with dipping sauce or place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Arrange the pinwheel sandwiches on a serving platter and serve immediately. You can garnish with chopped green onions and additional salsa or sour cream for dipping sauces.
How Do You Roll A Perfect Pinwheel?
To roll flour pinwheels:
- Start with the edge where you spread the ingredients all the way to the edge.
- Roll as tightly as you can.
- Create a tight roll without squeezing out the filling!
Free Printable Recipe Card for Fiesta Roll Ups
Mexican tortilla roll ups really are the perfect party appetizer and perfect finger foods!
With minutes of prep time, this is an easy make-ahead recipe.
I roll them, wrap them, and put them in the refrigerator overnight. Then, at party time, I cut and serve fiesta pinwheels chilled.
This is the base fiesta pinwheels recipe. We make it this way because we like to serve them with different dipping sauces. Feel free to add in any ingredients (onions, peppers, etc.) that you like!
- Don’t miss more helpful recipe tips after the printable recipe card, especially about serving and storing roll-ups.
Easy Fiesta Roll Ups (Mexican Pinwheels)
BE SURE TO GET THE RECIPE TIPS IN THE BODY OF THE POST AND SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE INGREDIENTS FOR PINWHEEL RECIPES!
Ingredients
- 8- ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup salsa or picante sauce
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning or Hidden Valley Ranch Fiesta Seasoning Dip*
- 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese or mix of Mexican cheese
- 8 10- inch flour tortillas
- Dipping sauces optional, like extra salsa or sour cream
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Add in seasoning and mix until combined and smooth. The mixture should be thick and creamy and not thin and runny. If it's too thin, add more cream cheese.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup of cream cheese mixture onto one tortilla. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to smooth mixture to almost the edge of the tortilla all the way around.
- Sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese.
- Starting on the end of the tortilla with the most cream cheese mixture, tightly roll the tortilla, taking care not to squish the ingredients out of the ends of the tortilla.**
- Repeat until all mixture and tortillas have been used.
- DO NOT CUT YET! Roll tortilla rolls in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. I always refrigerate them overnight.
- Using a sharp or serrated knife, gently cut into 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch slices. The amount you get will vary based on your slice sizes.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauces like salsas, guacamole, and/or sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Note
Nutrition calculations are approximate. If you're following a special diet, please calculate your own nutrition values.
Fiesta Tortilla Roll-Ups Recipe FAQs
How do I keep my pinwheels from getting soggy?
To keep your fiesta rollup pinwheels from getting soggy do two things:
- use regular flour tortillas (not soft)
- make your filling spreadable and not runny
Can I prepare tortilla roll-ups the night before?
Yes, you can make your fiesta pinwheels the night before if you haven’t made your filling mixture too thin and runny.
If your cream cheese and salsa filling is too runny then it will make your tortillas in your fiesta roll ups soggy.
Otherwise, we prefer to make our fiesta rollups ahead of time and chill them until ready to serve so that they’re more flavorful.
Serving and Storing Mexican Pinwheels
Serve your fiesta Mexican pinwheel roll ups chilled.
Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
(They may get soggy before then and need to be thrown away.)
TRY THIS GREAT DIPPING SAUCE FOR TORTILLA ROLL-UPS: HOMEMADE SALSA VERDE
I hope you enjoy our family recipe for fiesta roll ups!
LOOKING FOR FUN COOKING PRINTABLES FOR KIDS?
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. What brand of tortillas do you like to use? Thanks for your help!
Hi Camille,
I have a very “scientific” method I use (LOL): I press on the tortillas at the store and the ones that feel soft, I don’t buy those. I don’t really go by brand, so touch them and make sure you get the ones that feel more firm.