Xangos – crispy, creamy and irresistible

Xangos, fried cheesecake chimichangas, is a Mexican dessert prepared with creamy and tangy cream cheese filling that is wrapped in a tortilla and then deep fried until golden.

Finally rolled into cinnamon sugar and served with any fruit or any sweet dip.

Why will you love this Mexican cheesecake – xangos?

1. Ready in minutes.
2. Freezer friendly.
3. Make ahead dessert just like any other cheesecake.
4. Can be stuffed with a variety of cheesecake fillings.
5. Extremely easy to make.
6. Can turn into vegan, sugar-free, or gluten-free.

How to make xangos recipe – overview?

Let’s star with the overview. Don’t worry I have mentioned the detailed step-by-step recipe below.

Sr. No.	Steps
1	Prepare the filling.
2	Assemble an freeze.
3	Fry and serve.

Xangos ingredients

Ingredients for xangos

• Cream cheese – As the name suggests, this is the king of our recipe. Use full-fat cream cheese from any of your favorite brands. Make sure you are buying the one that comes in blocks and not in spreadable form.

• Powdered sugar – Also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar. It requires just 4 tablespoons so I prefer to use my homemade powdered sugar.

• Tortillas – Another important ingredient. Make sure you are using soft and fresh tortillas while preparing. You can easily get them in any grocery store or check them out on amazon.

• Vanilla extract – Use either pure vanilla extract or vanilla imitation, based on what is available in the pantry. This will undoubtedly improve the flavors.

• Salt – Just a pinch is enough.

• Oil – Just for frying. Use any flavorless one.

Ingredients for xangos topping

• Granulated sugar – Also known as caster sugar in some parts of the world. Both are the same. Do not use powdered sugar here as it will ruin the way it looks.

• Cinnamon – Use just a little bit of cinnamon in sugar. This not only gives a delightful taste but also brings a cozy aroma to your kitchen. Feel free to skip if you do not like cinnamon.

Any substitute?

Cream cheese – Regular cream cheese is made from milk. Use almond milk cream cheese or any other vegan cream cheese to make vegan xangos.

Sugar – Use a sugar-free alternative that is replaceable in a 1:1 portion. I won’t recommend using stevia. My personal favorite is Monk fruit sweetener with erythritol or allulose.

Tortilla – Use gluten-free tortillas to make gluten-free xangos.

Tools needed

1. Mixing bowl
2. Rubber spatula
3. Weighing scale
4. Piping bag
5. Toothpicks
6. Serving plate

Xangos (Mexican cheesecake – chimichangas) step-by-step recipe

1. Add the caster sugar and cinnamon into a bowl and keep it aside. We will need this to roll in when our xangos are ready.

2. In a mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese along with icing sugar and vanilla extract.

3. Mix everything until well combined. The filling for xangos is ready. Isn’t it way too fast?

4. Fill in the piping bag with a small round tip and set aside. You can skip piping too if you don’t have it handy. Just cut the tip off.

5. Lay a single tortilla down on a flat surface. Cut it into 4 pieces.

6. Take one piece and add a generous amount of cream cheese filling inside.

7. Fold from the sides and roll it towards the end. Secure it with a tiny drop of filling.

8. Prepare all of the xangos in the same way and freeze them for at least 20 minutes.

9. Now insert a toothpick.

10. Add secured xangos in oil for frying.

11. Shallow fry them on all sides until they turn golden in color.

12. Remove the toothpick and immediately roll them in cinnamon sugar.

13. Serve them right away Enjoy!

Serving suggestions

Here are some of my favorite pairings that I feel go well with xangos.

1. Serve with strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry sauce.

2. Drizzle some chocolate syrup on top

3. Garnish with whipped cream and few sprinkles

4. Serve with Nutella.

If you try with any filling other than the one mentioned above, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to try.

Xangos recipe (video)

Storing and freezing instructions for xangos

To be honest with you, I have made this Mexican cheesecake several times and have never had any leftovers. But if you have, just in case, follow my guidelines for storing.

Storing instructions

Before storing, let them cool down completely and then store them in an airtight container. As this contains perishable cheese, do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. After that, store in the refrigerator.

It stays ok up to 5 days.

Freezing instructions

I would not recommend freezing the end product. The consistency of the filling changes during frying, freezing, and thawing, resulting in unappealing xangos. So, freeze just after assembling them.

As I mentioned in my step-by-step recipe, freeze them in an airtight container right after inserting a toothpick. They stay ok up to 2 months.

In short,

Sr. No.	Storage Type	Storage (hours, days, weeks, months)
1	Room temperature	2 hours
2	Refrigerator	5 days
3	Freezer	2 months

Thawing instructions

You can make the xangos anytime after thawing. Either thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then fry them or fry them directly from the freezer. In later case, make sure to fry them at low temperatures for longer.

Variations

Here are some delicious variations in the filling.

1. Add melted dark chocolate and chopped hazelnuts in the filling. A perfect dessert for chocolate lovers.
2. Mix in chopped berries (5 strawberries) to create the fruit variety. If you use other berries, adjust the quantity accordingly.
3. Combine the filling with 2 teaspoons of crunchy peanut butter. It will add a nice crunch to the bite.
4. Add a pairing made in heaven – melted white chocolate(1 teaspoon) with raspberry sauce (1 teaspoon).
5. Add 2 teaspoons of lemon curd to the filling and enjoy lemony chimichangas.

Secret tips to make the perfect xangos

• Good quality ingredients – This recipe just contains 3 ingredients. Make sure you are using high-quality ingredients, especially tortillas. They should hold up while frying the xangos.

• Room temperature cream cheese – Just like in any other recipe, room temperature cheese mixes well with the rest of the ingredients, but cold cheese won’t. Remove it from the fridge one hour before making the Mexican cheesecakes.

• Use toothpicks – After the tortillas are packed with creamy filling, make sure to use a toothpick to lock them. This will hold everything together and avoid a mess while frying them. Do not forget to remove it once they are fried.

Want to try some other delicious desserts?

If you love this, try out my other desserts as well.

1. Cocoa powder brownies
2. Variety of cheesecake
3. Puddings

let me know if you want to make any specific dessert and I will try my best to add them to the blog as early as possible.

Did you make it?

I love to hear from you. Did you try these delicious Mexican cheesecakes yet? What did you add a filling and what did you use for topping? Drop a comment below.

Also, do not forget to tag your Instagram photos with #dessertkatta or mention @dessertkatta when you post one.

Recipe card (+ FAQ)