Easy Cheese Taco Pinwheels are the perfect appetizer for game day! With your favorite taco flavors and flaky puff pastry, these will be a huge hit!

Easy Taco Rolls

If you’re looking for easy recipes with simple ingredients that are perfect party appetizers and will heat up well as leftovers, look no further than my Easy Cheesy Taco Pinwheels!

These tasty taco pinwheel appetizers are cheesy beef handhelds that use puff pastry, so they’re much flakier than using pizza dough, flour tortillas, or corn tortillas. 

One of the best things about these easy pinwheels is that they’re a great option to make ahead and heat up later. Save yourself time making an afternoon snack, putting together school lunches, or coming up with ideas for last-minute guests. You’ll get rave reviews across the board!

Recipe Notes:

• You can use regular tomatoes instead of Roma tomatoes if you deseed them first.
• Mexican blend cheese will work for this recipe if you’d prefer it to cheddar. 
• If you have enough leftover taco meat from a previous meal, this is a great way to use it. 
• It’s important to have the puff pastry chilled while working and baking. You will want to work fairly quickly while rolling, stuffing, and getting the rolls into the oven. If the pastry warms too much, after cutting the rolls, put them in the fridge again to chill the dough, then bake.
• As you roll out your puff pastry dough, you want to end up with a shape that is right around 9×12 inches, which is just a little bit larger than a standard piece of notebook paper. 
• When cutting the rolls into pinwheels, use a serrated knife and lightly cut the rolls using a sawing motion, only placing slight pressure onto the rolls so that you don’t squish them.

How To Make Taco Pinwheels

Taco Pinwheels Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 box puff pastry, thawed (contains 2 blocks)
Optional garnish: cilantro, salsa, guacamole, taco sauce, sour cream

Supplies Needed:

Large cutting board
Sharp knife
Baking sheet
Nonstick cooking spray
Large skillet
Flexible spatula or wooden spoon
Rolling pin
Serrated knife

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. 

Step 2: In a large pan, brown the ground beef and drain any excess grease. Add the taco seasoning to the beef and stir to combine it well.

Step 3: Add 1/4 cup of water to the beef and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Remove your pan from the heat. 

Step 4: Lightly flour a flat surface or your countertop and roll out one of the pastry blocks into a rectangle, approximately 9×12 inches. 

Step 5: Sprinkle half of the meat mixture evenly over the rolled-out pastry dough. Top that with half of the chopped tomatoes. 

Step 6: Using clean hands, roll up the pastry – starting at the small end of the pastry sheet – as tightly as possible. Once fully rolled up, position the roll with the seam side down.

Step 7: Using a serrated knife, slice the roll into about 8 wheels, being careful not to squish the roll as you slice. 

Step 8: Repeat all of these steps with the second pastry block, the other half of the cooked ground beef, and the rest of the tomatoes. 

Step 9: Place the taco roll ups in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. You may need two baking sheets if you want to bake them all at the same time. 

Step 10: Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once ready, remove the pan from the oven, leaving the oven on.

Step 11: Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the rolls. Place your baking tray back into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are golden brown.

Step 12: Remove them from the oven and allow the pinwheels to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

How To Store Leftover Taco Pinwheels

You can store any leftovers on a plate covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Can I Freeze These Easy Taco Pinwheels?

Yes! These are best frozen before baking. If you do reheat them from baked and frozen, the puff pastry may lose some of its crispiness. 

For best results, once you cut the large roll into pinwheels, place them on a room temperature sheet pan and cover it with parchment paper. Place them into the freezer until they have completely frozen. Transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

How Do I Reheat Taco Pinwheels?

If you are reheating these easy appetizers from frozen, move them into the refrigerator from the freezer the night before. 

You can reheat these in the oven or the air fryer. Heat to 375 degrees, place the pinwheels on a parchment paper lined baking pan, and bake until they are cooked through, somewhere between 8-15 minutes.

Can I Make Taco Pinwheels Ahead Of Time? 

Yes! These are a great make-ahead appetizer. Make and bake your rollups and then freeze or refrigerate them in the options listed above. 

Can I Use Chicken Instead Of Beef In My Taco Pinwheels? 

Yes! You can easily make these into chicken pinwheels. Instead of cooking the lean ground beef, cook and shred some chicken breasts or use some leftover rotisserie chicken. Spread the shreds over the rolled-out puff pastry and follow the rest of the recipe as is. Easy chicken taco pinwheels!

Can I Make This Taco Pinwheel Recipe Vegetarian?

Yes! You can easily replace the ground beef with cooked soy crumbles. Spread them out on the rolled-out puff pastry and follow the rest of the steps to bake them and enjoy.

Is There Anything Else I Can Add To My Taco Pinwheels? 

Yes! There are different ways to make these Mexican pinwheels, so it really comes down to using your favorite taco toppings. Just be careful not to use too many items or you won’t be able to wrap the pinwheel sandwiches tightly before baking. 

A few easy options to add are black olives, diced bell pepper, chopped green onion, or black beans. If you do use some of these options, cut back on the number of tomatoes you use so that you can make a little more room. 

Are You Looking For Another Tasty Snack Recipe? Here Are Some Of My Favorites:

• Honey Roasted Chickpeas With Ginger
• Avocado Cilantro Garlic Hummus
• Baked Za’atar Pita Chips
• Homemade Pretzel Dogs With Cheese

Plastic Cutting Board, Set of 3 Small to Large Cutting Board Set Dishwasher Safe with Juice Grooves, Easy Grip Handle, Non-Slip, with Grinding Area for Grinding Garlic and Ginger Cutting BoardsMcCook® Knife Sets,German Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife Block Set with Built-in SharpenerRachael Ray Nonstick Bakeware Set with Grips, Nonstick Cookie Sheets / Baking Sheets – 3 Piece, Gray with Sea Salt Gray GripsT-fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan Set 10, 12 Inch Oven Safe 400F Cookware, Pots and Pans, Dishwasher Safe GreyHelferX 17.6 inch Wooden Rolling Pin for Baking – Long Dough Roller for All Baking NeedsOXO Good Grips Nylon Flexible Turner – Black

Yield: 16 Taco Pinwheels

Easy Cheesy Taco Pinwheels

Print

Easy Cheese Taco Pinwheels are the perfect appetizer for game day! With your favorite taco flavors and flaky puff pastry, these will be a huge hit!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 box puff pastry, thawed (contains 2 blocks)
• Optional garnish: cilantro, salsa, guacamole, sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. 
2. In a large pan, brown the ground beef and drain any excess grease. Add the taco seasoning to the beef and stir to combine it well.
3. Add 1/4 cup of water to the beef and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Remove your pan from the heat. 
4. Lightly flour a flat surface or your countertop and roll out one of the pastry blocks into a rectangle, approximately 9x12 inches. 
5. Sprinkle half of the taco meat evenly over the rolled-out pastry dough. Top that with half of the chopped tomatoes. 
6. Using clean hands, roll up the pastry - starting at the small end of the pastry sheet - as tightly as possible. Once fully rolled up, position the roll with the seam side down.
7. Using a serrated knife, slice the roll into about 8 wheels, being careful not to squish the roll as you slice.
8. Repeat all of these steps with the second pastry block, the other half of the ground beef, and the rest of the tomatoes. 
9. Place the wheels in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once ready, remove the pan from the oven, leaving the oven on.
11. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the rolls. Place your baking tray back into the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are golden brown.
12. Remove them from the oven and allow the pinwheels to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Recommended Products

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• 
  Rolling Pin and Silicone Baking Pastry Mat Set, Stainless Steel Dough Roller with Adjustable Thickness Rings, for Pizza, Pie, Pastries, Pasta, Cookies
• 
  Farberware 5152497 15-Piece High-Carbon Stamped Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife Set with Wood Block, Steak Knives, Razor-Sharp, Black
• 
  Baking Sheet Tray Cooling Rack with Silicone Mat Set, Stainless Steel Cookie Pan For Oven, Set of 9 (3 Sheets + 3 Racks Mats), Warp Resistant & Heavy Duty Easy Clean

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 312Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 547mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 23g

This calculation is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor or dietitian. This calculator is a guide, but makes no guarantee of being exact or fully accurate.