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Taco Pinwheels

Do you know the difference between a roll and a pinwheel? Neither do I, but these taco pinwheels will make you forget about all the minutiae in life. 

They’re cheesy, beefy, spicy but not too spicy, and rolled up in a crispy crust.

Each pinwheel has just 260 calories, making them perfect appetizers or doubled up for main courses. And thanks to the 22 grams of protein in each, you’ll have to bring a serious appetite to finish more than than two. 

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How to Make These Taco Pinwheels

These pinwheels use a variation of 2-ingredient dough. My obsession with this Greek yogurt and all purpose flour dough started with low calorie pizza crust and buffalo chicken empanadas, and it’s evolved into biscuit pizza and skillet monkey bread

It’s super easy to make, and I doughn’t think you’ll have many questions. 

The recipe calls for a food processor to quickly mix the dough, but you’re more than welcome to mix by hand. I use a fork to mix the dough in my air fryer pepperoni pizza

A quick tip I’ll give on rolling the dough is to use a mini rolling pin so you can use your other hand to stretch the opposite end of the dough while rolling. You can find the mini roller I use on my Amazon tools list

Once you have your dough situation rectangled away, it’s on to the beef mixture. If you’re familiar with my recipes, you know my love for southwest flavors runs strong. That said, I’ve turned down the heat a bit for these taco pinwheels. 

If you wanted a spicier version, check out the chipotle beef from my sweet potato nachos or my Instant Pot ground turkey taco meat.

One difference you might notice in this recipe is the addition of cheddar powder to the seasoning blend. It’s only two tablespoons, so you’re more than welcome to skip it and replace with a bit more shredded cheese. And if you have no clue what cheddar powder is, it’s essentially dehydrated cheese (think: powdered peanut butter). I’ve used to make everything from cheeseburger soup to air fryer cheese bread.

And that’s it for the dough and filling. Time to get your roll and slice on. 

This dough is on the sturdier side. So you shouldn’t have any issues cutting it. However, you can spray your knife with a bit of cooking spray to prevent sticking and tearing while slicing. 

Oh, one important note: make sure your taco filling isn’t piping hot or it will make the dough more susceptible to tearing when rolled.

Once sliced, your taco pinwheels are ready to bake! Well done, chef. 

Final Recipe Notes

In case you’re wondering about ingredient substitutions, the addition of refried beans and Greek yogurt to the taco mixture is entirely optional. If you omit one or the other, however, you may find your crust to taco filling ratio is a bit lackluster. That’s just a guess, though! 

If you run into this, you might be able to cut the dough in half and make smaller taco pinwheels.

a taco pinwheel cut in half

Okie doke, that’s it! When you make these taco pinwheels, I want to see them! Take a photo of your creation and tag me on Instagram @mason_woodruff. Or you can join my free Facebook group and share it with the Proton Party.

one taco pinwheel on a white plate in front of a baking sheet with more pinwheels

Taco Pinwheels

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Cheesy beef and refried beans rolled up in crispy 2-ingredient dough. 

Ingredients

Taco Pinwheel Crust

  • 1 3/4 C (210g) All Purpose Flour
  • 1 C (227g) Fat Free Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 Tbsp (8g) Olive Oil

Taco Filling

  • 1 lb Ground Beef, nutrition facts with 96/4
  • 1 C (248g) Fat Free Refried Beans
  • 1/2 C (113g) Fat Free Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 C (56g) Shredded Cheddar , or your choice of cheese

Beef Seasoning (can sub for taco seasoning)

  • 2 Tbsp Cheddar Powder, optional
  • 2 Tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Cook the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Add the seasoning blend 3/4 way through cooking.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and add the Greek yogurt and beans, stirring well. Heat until warm throughout before allowing the mixture to cool while you prepare the crust. 
  4. Add the flour and 1 C yogurt to a food processor (you can also mix by hand). Pulse until a rough dough forms. greek yogurt and all purpose flour in a food processor
  5. Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper or baking mat and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 15x10). You may want to spray the surface with nonstick spray or lightly flour to prevent sticking.  2 ingredient dough on a baking mat
  6. Add the beef mixture on top of the rolled dough and top with the shredded cheese. Leave about an inch on the sides to prevent overflow when rolling. (Make sure the beef mixture isn't too warm before adding to the dough.) 2 ingredient dough topped with beef and cheese
  7. Roll the dough, tucking the sides in once rolled.  rolled taco pinwheels before slicing
  8. Use a knife to slice the roll into 8 pieces, placing each slice on its side. Brush the olive oil around the edges of each slice. 
  9. Slice the parchment paper or baking mat onto a large baking sheet and bake for 28-32 minutes. The outer crust should be crisp and golden brown and the inner layers should be cooked through. (If the outside starts to burn before the inner layers bake, cover them with aluminum foil to finish baking.)

Notes

  • Each serving has 6 Smart Points.
  • Feel free to add fillings like onion, fresh garlic, jalapeño peppers, etc.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 pinwheels Serving Size: 1 pinwheel
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 260Total Fat: 7gCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 22g

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More Taco Recipes You Might Like

My easy taco pasta bake is one of the most re-created recipes on the blog. It’s too easy not to try! 

easy taco pasta bake

And since part of the greatness of tacos are their handheld nature, I’d highly recommend my low carb taco bites or oven baked beef tacos.

holding a taco bite over a plate of 3 more taco bites

Theresa

Saturday 27th of February 2021

I can’t do refried beans so I swapped that for some cooked riced cauliflower and added a little tomato paste to cover the flavor from my kids. All three of us loved them, which is saying a lot because they usually riot when I put taco meat on or in anything.

Mallory

Tuesday 21st of July 2020

This meal was SO yummy!! I loved how easy it was to make the dough, though I reallllllyyyyy had to stretch it to make it fit. I didn't even care that the pinwheel kind of exploded on me, because it was a delicious mess nonetheless! The filling is clutch too. Nice recipe!

Stepheney

Saturday 18th of April 2020

Picky husband approved. We love this recipe. It is super filling and taste is amazing. We love the base for the dough for this recipe. Flour and yogurt are something we always have on hand. I try a lot of healthy recipes and they are not always a hit but Masons recipes are a family pleaser.

Olivia

Wednesday 15th of April 2020

Have made this for dinner as well as for football game parties and is always a hit! Everyone is shocked when I tell them the crust is home made and it’s lower in calories!

Dakota Stewart

Thursday 30th of January 2020

I love two ingredient dough, so you can imagine how happy I was when I found this recipe! It was a great alternative to taco night and inexpensive to make.

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