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Holiday Cream Cheese Pinwheels

*Updated* Nov 27, 2024 Published: / By: 60 Comments

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Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels are perfect for holiday parties. Cranberries and cream cheese with pistachios and a hint of orange.

It wouldn’t be the holidays without all the wonderful flavours of the season. Festive Holiday Croissants, Lentil Tourtiere, Mini Cream Cheese Balls , Cranberry White Chocolate Rolls and this Goat Cheese Log are a few of our favourites.

Holiday cream cheese pinwheels with cranberries and pistachios.

Are you holiday ready? Shopping, baking, wrapping, and entertaining seem to keep us busy. We all need some easy recipes to get us through the festive season.

I know when it comes to entertaining, I like to spend time with my guests, not time in the kitchen. Appetizers are easy to prepare. This ricotta cheese dip is always a hit.

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With lots of pinwheel recipes out there, some are better suited for Christmas than others. These easy cream cheese holiday appetizers are just what you need. Tortilla roll ups are always a hit.

Festive party cream cheese pinwheels.

RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for these pinwheel appetizers can be found at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients Needed For These Party Pinwheels

Ingredients to make pinwheel appetizers.
  • Tortilla Wraps – I used 10-inch wraps for this recipe.
  • Cream Cheese – softened to room temperature.
  • Roasted Pistachios – no shells.
  • Dried Cranberries – fresh cranberries will not work in this recipe.
  • Orange Extract – always a great combination with cranberries.

How To Make Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Super easy, no-fuss recipe for your holiday entertaining. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.

Cream cheese, cranberries and pistachios for the party appetizer.
  • Mix the extract into the softened cream cheese.
  • Chop the nuts and cranberries.
Easy to make party rollups.
  • Spread the flavoured cheese onto the tortillas.
  • Sprinkle on the nuts and cranberries.
  • Roll and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
  • Chill for at least an hour.
  • Cut and serve.
A tray of festive pinwheel appetizers with cream cheese, cranberries and nuts.

Suggestions/Recipe Tips

Cream Cheese – I like to use full-fat but the light variety is a good option. You can also use a berry flavoured if you prefer.

Orange Extract – Feel free to adjust the amount. You can also use fresh orange zest.

Tortillas – I like the 10-inch size. For this recipe, I used regular and spinach flavoured wraps.

Nuts – I chose honey-roasted pistachios, but any flavour will work. You can also use other varieties of nuts if you prefer. Pistachios always remind me of Christmas since they are green.

Holiday pinwheel appetizer ready to eat.

FAQ’s

Can you make tortilla pinwheels in advance?

Absolutely. These can be made a day ahead of time. Makes for easy party prep during the holidays.

How do you store tortilla pinwheels?

They will last for several days kept in the fridge. Be sure to wrap them with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out.

How do you get them to stick together?

The key is to tightly wrap them in plastic, and chill them before slicing. This allows the cream cheese to harden and helps hold them together.

You might also like to try these other delicious tortilla wrap recipes:

You might also like to try these tortilla wrap recipes:
Pin image for Holiday Cream Cheese Pinwheel AppetizersPin
Holiday cream cheese pinwheels with cranberries and pistachios.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

These holiday pinwheels are party perfect. Filled with flavoured cream cheese, cranberries and pistachios. Festive and fun.
5 from 56 votes
Pin Recipe Print Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Canadian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 14 servings
Calories: 45kcal
Author: Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

Ingredients

  • 2 tortillas 10 inch
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 ½ ounces roasted pistachios chopped
  • 1 ounce dried cranberries chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon orange extract
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Mix the extract into the softened cream cheese. Set aside.
    4 ounces cream cheese, ¼ teaspoon orange extract
  • Chop the nuts and cranberries. Set aside.
    1 ½ ounces roasted pistachios, 1 ounce dried cranberries
  • Spread the cream cheese onto the tortillas.
    2 tortillas
  • Sprinkle on the nuts and cranberries.
  • Roll tortillas into a log.
  • Wrap tightly, and place in fridge to chill for an hour or so.
  • Unwrap chilled rollups, slice and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Notes

You can use any flavour of tortilla wrap you like.
I used honey roasted pistachios. You can also use any other type of nut you like.
Increase or decrease the amount of extract. You can also use fresh orange zest.
These can be made ahead of time, they will last several days in the fridge.
Servings will be dependent on how large you cut the chilled logs.
Tried this recipe?Take a picture and tag @homemadeandyummy
Nutritional information on this site is generated via a plugin. I am not responsible for the accuracy of the plugin information.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mindy

    Made it for our holiday party this weekend and it was a big hit! Thank you so much! I love how simple it is to make

    Reply

  2. Cara

    Love this festive flavor combo! I’ll be making these to pack with us in the cooler when we drive to visit family. Sounds like a yummy road trip snack

    Reply

  3. Sandhya Ramakrishnan

    I love making pinwheels and these cream cheese pinwheels with cranberry is such a great idea for holidays. Looks so festive and they are so easy to make as well.

    Reply

  4. Jersey Girl Cooks

    So festive and a great holiday appetizer! I love apps with cream cheese.

    Reply

  5. Rob

    These looks so easy and delicious! They will make a perfect appetizer for our holiday gatherings.

    Reply

  6. Mary

    These taste as good as they look. Always the first to run out of. The cranberries are the star!

    Reply

  7. Jere Cassidy

    What a great idea for the orange extract, it added the perfect extra flavor to these pinwheels. Making again for Christmas brunch.

    Reply

  8. Elizabeth

    Love a good pinwheel – perfect for the holiday. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  9. Dee Broughton

    What a fun appetizer. I’m looking forward to making these for New Year’s eve.

    Reply

  10. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

    Absolutely delicious version of a classic party appetizer!! These are easy to make and taste wonderful. My guests raved!

    Reply

  11. Charles

    Your Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels are gonna be great on Super Bowl Sunday! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  12. Kathryn

    These are so fun, festive, and we all loved them! Love how easily customizable they are too. Thanks for the recipe idea!

    Reply

  13. Toni

    I love how fun and festive this appetizer is!! Seriously amazing!

    Reply

  14. Ned

    This is perfect for my next family holiday party!

    Reply

  15. Tayler

    I made these pinwheels yesterday and I will definitely be making them again for Christmas! I love the blend of flavors!

    Reply
5 from 56 votes (30 ratings without comment)

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