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This easy taco pinwheels recipe is made with ground beef with a creamy cheesy layer rolled up in flour tortillas and cut into pinwheels. Top with sour cream, olives, homemade guacamole, sour cream, or any of your favorite taco toppings!
Take your taco Tuesday (or any day) to the next level with these crispy taco pinwheels! Made with all of your favorite parts of a taco, these bite-sized pinwheels are perfect as an appetizer, snack, or meal.
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Pin It NowWe have something taco-related weekly at our house and these taco pinwheels have become a meal I’ve turned to often. Savory taco meat with melty cheese and creamy cream cheese make these perfection in every bite. They are easy to make and sure to be loved by kids and adults!
How to Make Taco Pinwheels
Here is a brief overview of how these taco pinwheels come together. For the full recipe including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Make the taco meat. Cook the ground beef in a skillet, breaking apart into bite-sized pieces. Add taco seasoning and follow the packet directions to finish the taco meat.
- Make the filling. In a small bowl stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, taco sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and taco seasoning.
- Layer the ingredients. Spread some of the cream cheese mixture evenly over each tortilla. Then spread some of the cooked meat mixture evenly on top.
- Roll the pinwheels. Tightly roll up the tortilla into a log shape. Use the cream cheese spread as glue to seal the tortilla shut. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the rolled-up tortilla into one-inch pieces.
- Fry the pinwheels. Cook the pinwheels in a hot skillet for a few minutes on each side, or until they are crispy.
- Garnish and enjoy! Garnish with all of your favorite taco toppings and enjoy warm.
Making Your Own Taco Seasoning
I love making my own spice blends, including this homemade taco seasoning. By knowing exactly what is in it, I can control the flavor and spice level as well as skip the extra preservatives and additives that can be found in store-bought varieties. It is cost-effective to make your own and keep on hand for all of your favorite taco recipes!
In this Mexican roll-up recipe, you can use a packet of store-bought taco seasoning or three tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning.
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Toppings + How to Serve
These pinwheels can be enjoyed warm as is, or topped with your favorite taco toppings. Here are a few ideas:
- Sour cream
- The Best Guacamole
- Fresh Homemade Salsa or diced tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro
- Diced jalapenos
- Olives
- Lettuce
Tips and Tricks
- Shred the cheese yourself. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself for this recipe rather than buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese. It will melt and taste so much better than pre-shredded cheese which is covered in preservatives. I recommend this for every recipe that calls for shredded cheese. I promise it is worth the extra couple of minutes to shred it yourself.
- Swap the ground beef. Swap the beef for black beans to make vegetarian taco bites. You could also use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
- Use flour tortillas. They are more pliable than corn tortillas so will hold their shape and roll better. I found the burrito-sized tortillas to be a great size because they are larger than other varieties and can hold more of the filling.
- Use room-temperature cream cheese. It will mix and spread better if it is not cold right out of the refrigerator. Let it warm up and come to room temperature.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover pinwheels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat the portion you plan to eat in the microwave or in the air fryer until heated through.
Other Pinwheels Recipes
Other Taco Tuesday Recipes
If you make this taco pinwheels recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Taco Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 taco seasoning packet (1 ounce taco seasoning)
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup taco sauce
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 5 flour tortillas burrito size
- cooking spray or light drizzle of oil
Instructions
- Make taco meat: heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and break apart into bite-sized pieces until browned. Drain grease, then add taco seasoning packet and follow packet directions to finish taco meat.
- In a small bowl combine 8 ounces cream cheese with sour cream, taco sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and 1 packet of taco seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Place a large burrito sized tortilla on a flat surface.
- Spread 1/5 of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the tortilla, leaving a small border along the edge.
- Add 1/5 of the meat and sprinkle it evenly over the tortilla.
- Tightly roll up the tortilla into a log shape, jelly-roll style. Use the cream cheese spread as glue to seal the tortilla shut.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to trim and discard the ends, then slice the rolled-up tortilla into about 8 – 1" pieces.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat then spray with non-stick spray or add a light drizzle of olive oil.
- Add pinwheels to the pan then cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the pinwheels are crispy, then flip and cook on the other side for a few minutes until crispy.
- Remove the pinwheels from the skillet then transfer them to a large serving platter.
- Garnish with all of your favorite taco toppings – homemade guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, olives, lettuce, etc.
- Serve warm.
