Easy Vegan Fiesta Pinwheels 🌶 Festive & tasty tortilla rolls filled with plant-based cheeses, veggies, peppers & herbs. Celebrate everyday!
I like to entertain and Fiesta Pinwheels are at the top of my list of favorite quick & easy appetizers for parties. They’re so simple to make and can be prepared several hours in advance. Seems like no matter how well I plan, I’m always squeezed for time before guests arrive, so dishes like these make party hosting a breeze.
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How to Make Vegan Fiesta Pinwheels
One of the things I love so much about making these easy cheesy vegan fiesta pinwheels is I can use ingredients I have on hand and create a tasty and satisfying appetizer or snack for myself or for a crowd. All you need is a package of fresh soft tortillas, vegan cream cheese and some seasonings and you’ll have the basics to create pinwheels. From there add chopped fresh veggies, shredded cheese, fresh herbs . . . and have fun!
🥕Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Medium bowl
- Spoon for mixing
- Spreader or broad knife
- Plastic wrap
- Baking sheet (optional)
🥕Ingredients – Basics* and optional add-ins
- Fresh tortillas* – any variety but they need to be soft
- Vegan cream cheese* – Plain, chive, or roasted pepper
- Shredded vegan cheese – Cheddar or pepper jack
- Bell pepper
- Jalapeño peppers
- Olives – Black or green
- Artichoke hearts
- Fresh herbs – Chives, cilantro or scallions
- Dried seasonings* – Garlic powder salt. Other options – red pepper flakes, taco seasoning, Spike or your favorite all purpose seasoning
For the vegan fiesta pinwheels shown in this post, I used:
- Spinach tortillas
- Plain vegan cream cheese
- Artichoke hearts – diced
- Red bell pepper – finely diced
- Fresh chives – minced
- Garlic powder
- Salt
How to roll tortillas for pinwheels
The key to making pinwheels is by using fresh, soft tortillas. Dry or slightly stale tortillas will crack or fall apart when you roll them up. Begin by making the filling. Mix together ingredients in a bowl, thoroughly combining everything. Place a tortilla on a flat clean surface. Using a broad spatula or knife, spread a fairly thick layer of filling on the tortilla, covering the surface all the way around, leaving about 1/4″ exposed on the edges. Gently roll from one end and lightly press down to seal edge with filling. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 – 8 hours.
Pinwheels can be served hot or cold. Personally, I like to broil them briefly in the oven so that the cheese gets melty and the tortillas slightly crisp around the edges.
To serve hot – arrange sliced pinwheels on a non-stick baking sheet or line with foil. Place in broiler for about one minute – watch them carefully or they will burn. Remove from broiler and serve immediately.
To serve chilled – Remove plastic wrap and slice into 1/2″ rounds. Serve.
🥕NOTE: This recipe yields approx. two dozen 1/2″ thick pinwheels, which requires only 2-3 large tortillas.
I pulled these out of the broiler, flipped them over (toasted side down) and plated them with a sprinkle of additional fresh red bell pepper and chopped chives. They were absolutely delish!
If you love this recipe, you might enjoy these fresh & tasty starters!
- Easy Cheesy Vegan Pepper Poppers
- Heavenly Homemade Hummus
- Watermelon Pico de Gallo
- Vegan Veggie Rainbow Wraps
- Best Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
very vegan 🌱 very good
Easy Vegan Fiesta Pinwheels
Equipment
- Knife
- medium bowl
- Spoon for mixing
- Spreader or broad knife
- plastic wrap
- Baking sheet (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 large Flour tortillas any variety – must be fresh & soft
- 8 oz Vegan cream cheese plain, chive or roasted pepper
- 1/3 cup Vegan cheese shredded – cheddar or pepper jack – optional
- 1/3 cup Bell pepper diced – red, orange, yellow or green – optional
- 1 tbsp Jalapeño peppers bottled or canned, chopped – optional
- 1/4 cup Olives sliced black or green – optional
- 1/4 cup Artichoke hearts diced – marinated or packed in water is fine, be sure to thoroughly drain first – optional
- 2 tbsp Herbs fresh, minced – chives, cilantro or scallions
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Dried seasonings optional – red pepper flakes, taco seasoning, Spike or your favorite all purpose seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare veggie ingredients by finely dicing all into small pieces
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, veggies and any herbs or seasonings.
- Place tortilla on a flat, clean surface
- Spread a thick layer of cream cheese mixture over entire tortilla, leaving about 1/4 " exposed on edges.
- Gently roll up tortilla and press down lightly to seal edge with filling.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Wrap rolled tortillas in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 – 8 hours before serving.
- When ready to serve, remove plastic and slice into 1/4" round pinwheels.
- Pinwheels may be served cold, as-is or they can be heated by placing on a non-stick metal baking pan under a broiler for about one minute. Watch carefully while broiling so that they don't burn. Remove from oven and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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These festive & delish pinwheel appetizers are as fun to look at as they are scrumptious to munch on. Quick & easy to prepare and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!