These Christmas pinwheels are festive AF! Not to forget to mention tasty and easy to prepare🙂. Opting for green tortillas and tinting the cream cheese a lovely red (thanks to roasted red peppers and red food coloring) makes this a lovely holiday-themed appetizer.
You’ll want to make sure to plan on making these a few hours in advance; let’s say the morning of Christmas dinner (or whatever day your holiday get-together lands on). This gives the Cream Cheese Christmas Roll-Ups time to set up so they can be cut into pinwheels more easily. And we like pushing the easy button around here.
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Ingredients Needed for Christmas Pinwheels
To make these Cream Cheese Christmas Pinwheels you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup jarred roasted red pepper strips
- 1 packet Knorr vegetable dip mix
- 4-5 drops of red food coloring (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (or 3 large jalapenos)
- 4 large spinach herb wraps (tortillas)
Instructions
Add cream cheese, roasted red peppers, and vegetable dip mix to a food processor. Process until combined, 15-20 seconds.
Remove lid, scrape down sides, and process again if necessary to completely combine all of the ingredients.
Add a few drops of red food coloring (optional) and process for 5-10 seconds.
Lay out a tortilla and spread the delicious mixture in a thin layer, leaving about a half-inch of the tortilla un-slathered around the edges (to prevent it from squishing out when rolling).
Add several thin strips of bell pepper on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Roll the tortilla up, pressing firmly yet gently as you roll.
Wrap the rolled tortilla securely in plastic wrap to help it keep its shape. Repeat 3 more times, or until you've used up all the filling.
Refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours (or until firm) before cutting into approximately ½ inch pinwheels.
Sample the ends. Serve the pretty ones.
Hint: Divide the pepper strips into 4 even bundles. Also, add the cream cheese mixture to a rectangular container and divide it into 4 even portions. Doing this will ensure that all of your pinwheel rolls will contain the same amount of ingredients.
Suitable Pinwheel Substitutions
If necessary, a few substitutions can be made to suit dietary restrictions or taste preferences.
- Knorr vegetable dip mix - Ranch dip mix works well too!
- Red food coloring - while this is totally optional, I like to add a few drops to saturate cream cheese color a richer hue of red. You could use beet juice or something similar if you’d prefer to not use a food dye.
- Red and green bell pepper - I like to use both for maximum color, but you can use one or the other. Or if you want it spicy, add in some jalapeno (see Spicy Variation below).
- Spinach herb wraps - these also come in Gluten Free or Low Carb. You don’t have to use spinach herb wraps, but I like how festive they are. Regular flour tortillas also work just fine.
Spicy Christmas Pinwheel Variation
Give these Christmas Pinwheels some fire with the following suggestions.
- Add chili pepper flakes or a few dashes of cayenne pepper to the cream cheese mixture.
- Instead of green bell pepper, use jalapenos or another spicy pepper of your choosing.
Other Tasty & Festive Pinwheel Variations
If you’d like to add more variety to the mix (besides bell pepper) here are a few tasty suggestions.
- Sliced green onions (spring onions)
- Sliced celery
- Sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Equipment
Food processor
Plastic wrap
Storage
Once the cream cheese hits those wraps, the clock starts ticking. Christmas Pinwheels (or any cream cheese roll-up for that matter) are best eaten within 24 hours. They are acceptable for up to 48 hours. Any longer than that and they are just soggy and sad. But these are SO GOOD that you probably won’t have to worry about food waste.
These don't stand a chance in the freezer; don’t even go there.
Top Tip
Using plastic wrap to help the Cream Cheese Christmas Roll-Ups maintain shape while they set is key to achieving those perfect little dissected pinwheels when it comes time to cut into bite-sized pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You should plan to make these at least 6 hours in advance of serving. Preparation and assembly take around 20-30 minutes. After that, they need around 4-5 hours to set up before they can be cut into bite-sized pieces for serving.
However. You should not prepare these too far in advance because they are wont to get soggy. I would recommend preparing them the same day you plan on serving them.
You bet! I grew up hearing them referred to as pinwheels or cream cheese pinwheels. I’ve also heard cream cheese pinwheels referred to as roll-ups or tortilla roll-ups (and I often call pinwheels roll-ups as well).
Looking for more appetizers? Try these!
- Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Pinwheels
- Taco Balls
- Baked Goat Cheese Tomato Dip
- Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms
- Chorizo Tarts with Apple and Thyme
Cream Cheese Christmas Pinwheels
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup jarred roasted red pepper strips
- 1 1.4 ounce packet Knorr vegetable dip mix
- 4-5 drops red food coloring (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (or 3 large jalapenos)
- 4 large spinach herb wraps (tortillas)
Instructions
- Add cream cheese, roasted red peppers, vegetable dip mix, and a few drops of red food coloring (optional) to a food processor. Process until combined, 15-20 seconds. Remove lid, scrape down sides, and process again if necessary to completely combine all of the ingredients.2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, ½ cup jarred roasted red pepper strips, 1 1.4 ounce packet Knorr vegetable dip mix
- Add a few drops of red food coloring (optional) and process for 5-10 seconds.4-5 drops red food coloring
- Lay out a tortilla and spread the delicious mixture in a thin layer, leaving about a half-inch of the tortilla un-slathered around the edges (to prevent it from squishing out when rolling).4 large spinach herb wraps (tortillas)
- Add several thin strips of bell pepper on top of the shredded cheddar cheese.1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips, 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
- Roll the tortilla up, pressing firmly yet gently as you roll.
- Wrap the rolled tortilla securely in plastic wrap to help it keep its shape. Repeat 3 more times, or until you've used up all the filling.
- Refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours (or until firm) before cutting into approximately ½ inch pinwheels.
- Sample the ends. Serve the pretty ones.
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