Pantry Plan Share a recipe Sign in Menu

Tortilla Pinwheels · Rainbow Veggie

Rainbow Veggie Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Colorful shredded carrot, bell pepper, cucumber and spinach rolled in garlicky cream cheese. A crunchy, no-cook vegetarian lunch that looks great on a plate.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
20 min
Cook
0 min
Total
1 hr 20 min
Serves
about 32 pinwheels
Level
Easy
Start cook modeAdd to planSave
Print
Full pageOne page, ingredients and steps4×6 cardIngredients on the front, steps on the back3×5 cardIngredients on the front, steps on the back
Jump to recipe

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
    Swaps for cream cheese

    Instead of cream cheese

    • Neufchâtel: The same amount. Lower in fat and a little softer.
    • Mascarpone: The same amount. Richer, milder and softer, with less tang.
    • Ricotta or cottage cheese, blended: The same amount, blended smooth. Lighter and a little grainy; not firm enough for cheesecake or frosting.

    All 4 swaps for cream cheese

  • 2 tbsp sour cream
    Swaps for sour cream

    Instead of sour cream

    • Plain Greek yogurt: The same amount (full-fat for baking). Tangier and a little less rich.
    • Crème fraîche: The same amount. Richer and milder, and it doesn't curdle in hot sauces.
    • Cottage cheese, blended: The same amount, blended smooth with a squeeze of lemon. Milder and less rich, with more protein.

    All 4 swaps for sour cream

  • ½ tsp garlic powder
    Swaps for garlic powder

    Instead of garlic

    • Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
    • Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.

    More for garlic

  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
    Swaps for kosher salt

    Instead of salt

    • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
    • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

    More for salt

  • 4 flour tortillas, 10-inch
  • 1 medium carrots, peeled and finely shredded
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips
  • ½ medium cucumber, seeded and cut into thin matchsticks
  • 1 cup baby spinach ≈ 30 g
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded (optional) ≈ 57 g
    Swaps for cheddar cheese

    Instead of cheddar

    • Colby or Colby Jack: The same amount. Milder and softer, and melts very smoothly.
    • Monterey Jack: The same amount. Mild and buttery, one of the best melting cheeses.
    • Gouda or Gruyère: The same amount. Nuttier and richer; melts beautifully.

    All 4 swaps for cheddar

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

Kid helper. A child can do steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use a knife. Cooking with kids

  1. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder and salt in a bowl until smooth.
    Kid step
  2. Pat the shredded carrot, pepper strips and cucumber dry with paper towels.
    Kid step
  3. Spread a quarter of the cream cheese mixture over a tortilla, all the way to the edges.
    Kid step
  4. Line up the vegetables in rows across the bottom two-thirds of the tortilla: spinach, then carrot, pepper and cucumber. Sprinkle on some cheddar, if using.
    Kid step
  5. Roll the tortilla up tightly from the bottom, keeping the rows of vegetables straight.
    Kid step
  6. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
    Kid step
  7. Chill until firm.
    ⏱ Chill: 1 hrKid step
  8. Trim the ends and
    slice (how to slice) Slice Cut food into flat pieces of the same thickness. 1. Give round food a flat side to sit on.2. Hold it with your fingertips curled under.3. Cut with long strokes, pushing the knife forward and down rather than straight down.4. Move your guiding hand back the same distance each time so every slice matches. Done when: The slices are even. For meat, slicing across the grain (across the lines of muscle) gives the tenderest bite. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide. Slice hot roasts on a board with a groove for the juices.How to slice evenly: mistakes to avoid
    each roll into 8 pinwheels.
    Grown-up: knife

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

  • Rows of vegetables make the spirals look like a rainbow when you slice them.
  • Spinach tortillas or tomato tortillas add even more color.

Storage

Refrigerate sliced pinwheels in a sealed container up to 2 days.

Make ahead

Roll and wrap up to 1 day ahead; slice just before serving.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: cucumbers (June to September), bell peppers (July to October).

Quick answers

Can I make it ahead?

Roll and wrap up to 1 day ahead. Slice just before serving.

What can I swap?
  • Instead of cream cheese: Neufchâtel, the same amount.
  • Instead of sour cream: Plain Greek yogurt, the same amount (full-fat for baking).

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
300
Protein
7 g
Carbohydrates
29 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugars
5 g
Fat
18 g
Saturated fat
10 g
Sodium
560 mg

Whole recipe, 6 servings: about 1,810 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 6 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: cheddar cheese (optional).

Estimated cost

About $1.00 a serving

About $6.10 for the recipe as written (6 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 7 of 9 ingredients, 100% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • cream cheese $2.35 ERS
  • flour tortillas $1.80 ERS
  • cucumber $0.65 ERS
  • red bell pepper $0.55 ERS
  • baby spinach $0.35 ERS
  • carrots $0.25 ERS
  • sour cream $0.15 ERS

Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): garlic powder, kosher salt.

Not counted: cheddar cheese (optional, or to taste).

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

Keep this one

Sign in to save recipes into your own collections, log the days you cook them and keep private notes, like "use less sugar next time". Only you see them.

Sign in to saveNo password: we email you a code.

Gear for this recipe

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Brands are suggestions; any similar item works.

Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, mixing bowl, box grater.

More kitchen gear and our gear guides

Reviews (0)

No reviews yet. Made it? Tell us how it went.

simmerbee.com/r/tortilla-pinwheels-veggieSimmerbee