Pinwheel appetizers are strike a balance between easy and fanciful - and are often the hot ticket item at group gatherings. These Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Pinwheels offer a Tex-Mex twist that everyone is sure to love.
I have yet to meet a pinwheel I didn’t like. Cream cheese has magical, flavor-transforming powers. I mean, what can’t you make better by adding cream cheese? And tortillas are the perfect delivery mechanism for whatever cream cheese concoction you want to devour.
Plus, bonus points for a pleasing presentation with minimal effort. And minimal cost! You can make a whole bunch of these Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Pinwheels for $15-$20 bucks or less.
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What are Pinwheels?
Pinwheels (also called roll-ups) are a snack/appetizer that consists of a cream cheese-based filling that is rolled up in a large flour tortilla. The rolled-up tortilla reveals a pinwheel shape as they are cut into "coins" and served as bite-sized snacks.
At a minimum, a pinwheel should consist of:
- A large flour tortilla
- Cream cheese
- Seasonings or sauces
- Extras, like shredded cheese, pickled goods, finely chopped vegetables, etc.
As a lover of all things pinwheel, taco seasoned, and coated in ranch dressing, these Fiesta Ranch Pinwheels check a lot of flavor boxes for me. They are incredibly addictive, the savory snack you didn’t know you needed until you take your first bite.
If your pantry and refrigerator look anything like mine, you likely have all of the necessary ingredients to make these Fiesta Ranch Pinwheels on hand - tortillas, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salsa, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and black olives (optional, but highly recommended). In the case of a flash flood/blizzard/zombie hoard, I want to make sure I have what I need to make Mexican(ish) food regardless of what’s going on outside.
How do you make Fiesta Ranch Pinwheels?
To make these Fiesta Ranch Pinwheels, all you have to do is whip up the filling, spread it on a tortilla, sprinkle some extra cheese on top, then roll it up and refrigerate. Playing the waiting game until the filling has firmed up enough to cut into pinwheels is the most challenging part.
INGREDIENTS
- cream cheese
- sour cream
- salsa (use a chunkier salsa, for texture - I used Pace salsa)
- Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
- taco seasoning (or use this homemade taco seasoning)
- shredded cheddar cheese
- large black olives roughly chopped
- large tortillas
INSTRUCTIONS
Soften cream cheese. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch and taco seasonings together with an electric mixer.
Add salsa, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, and black olives. Stir until just combined.
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).
Sprinkle a quarter of the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top. 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.
One of the best things about making Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Pinwheels is being the person who makes them. Because when it comes time to slice and serve, well, you can’t serve the wonky ends can you? Nope, your guests deserve the prettiest ones. But they can’t go to waste so.... you get to sample each roll x 2, in the guise of quality control. Lucky you.
Substitutions
This pinwheel recipe is amenable to substitutions if you'd like!
- Salsa - Use whatever salsa you'd like here, but I recommend choosing a chunky one like Pace. A chunky salsa adds great texture. You could even opt for a corn or bean salsa.
- Taco and/or ranch seasoning - I like to use both, but you might choose to use just Taco seasoning or just Ranch seasoning (taste and adjust to suit your tastes). You might also have another you'd like to try here, like a Cajun seasoning.
- Cheese - Pepper jack, Monterey, or whatever shredded cheese you like works.
- Olives - Black olives keep it Tex-Mex, but you can also use green olives.
- Tortillas - I used plain flour tortillas but if you check out the tortilla section you'll see a whole host of options; green spinach ones are a good choice if you want to mix it up!
Add-ins
If you want to keep it Tex-Mex, consider adding these to your Fiesta Ranch Pinwheels.
- Diced onion or shallot
- Diced pepper (bell, jalapeno, poblano, etc.)
- Pickled jalapeno
- Pickled banana pepper
- Avocado
How long do Pinwheels last?
For best results, eat within 3 days. Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator. If you need to layer the pinwheels, put a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper in between.
If you like this pinwheel appetizer, check out these other awesome apps:
Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup Pace salsa (use a chunkier salsa, for texture - I used Pace)
- 2 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
- 2 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 15-20 large black olives, roughly chopped
- 4 large tortillas
Instructions
- Soften cream cheese. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch and taco seasonings together with an electric mixer.
- Add salsa, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, and black olives. Stir until just combined.
- 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).
- Sprinkle a quarter of the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top. 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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