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28 Easy, Cheesy Quesadilla Recipe Ideas the Whole Family Will Love

Quesadillas: They’re doughy, cheesy, comforting and oh so dippable. Plus, they can be stuffed with just about any protein or veggie under the sun. You may think you need to order in from your local cantina to get your fix, but we’re betting you can make a killer quesadilla at home. Read on for 28 simple quesadilla recipe ideas that get their magic from steak, chicken, mushrooms, avocado and everything in between. Whichever recipe you choose, one thing’s for certain: You’ll need guac and sour cream at the ready.

57 Taco Recipe Ideas to Get You Through Every Tuesday of the Year


quesadilla recipe ideas baking sheet quesadilla recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

1. Baking Sheet Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser

Your trusty sheet pan makes preparing dinner for eight a breeze. Head to your supermarket’s deli section for rectangular tortillas or wraps.

quesadilla recipe ideas portobello avocado quesadillas recipe
David Frenkiel/Little Green Kitchen

2. Portobello And Avocado Quesadillas With Magic Green Sauce

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, one pan

Plant-based eaters, rejoice. This protein-rich beauty is loaded with black beans, avocado, mushrooms and alllll the fresh herbs.

quesadilla recipe ideas easy waffle iron quesadilla recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

3. Easy Waffle-iron Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, kid-friendly

The recipe calls for avocado and salsa verde, but you can add all the fixings your heart desires, like pico de gallo, hot sauce and red onion.

quesadilla recipe ideas mini quesadilla recipe
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

4. Mini Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, vegetarian, crowd-pleaser

Neater than nachos, but just as crispy and cheesy. The secret to their compact size is trading tortillas for wonton wrappers.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes pineapple chicken tinga quesadilla tostadas
Half Baked Harvest

5. Pineapple Chicken Tinga Quesadilla Tostadas With Tequila-lime Pickled Jalapeños

  • Time Commitment: 5 hours and 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, high protein, crowd-pleaser

Part quesadilla, part crisp tostada, this chicken tinga dish is the ultimate party food.

quesadilla recipe ideas steak and cheese quesadillas 416 vert
The Mom 100

6. Steak And Cheese Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, make ahead

Prepare the steak in advance so all you need to do before serving is assemble and heat until the cheese melts.

quesadilla recipe ideas veggie quesadilla 63
Feasting at Home

7. Farmers Market Veggie Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, beginner-friendly

Corn, sweet potato, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and bell peppers are all invited to dinner, along with spicy sour cream dip.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes easy baked chicken quesadillas
The Modern Proper

8. Easy Baked Chicken Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, high protein

Want to make a big batch of chicken quesadillas in a hurry? This large-format recipe is just the ticket.

quesadilla recipe ideas cauliflower al pastor quesadillas with lime smashed avocado 1
Half Baked Harvest

9. Cauliflower Al Pastor Quesadillas With Lime Smashed Avocado

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, special occasion-worthy

Our favorite cruciferous vegetable gets the al pastor treatment (pineapple! chipotles in adobo! cilantro!) instead of traditional pork.

quesadilla recipe ideas roasted poblano carnitas quesadillas
The Modern Proper

10. Roasted Poblano And Carnitas Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Prep the slow cooker carnitas separately, then make quesadillas with the succulent leftovers all week long.

quesadilla recipe ideas sweet thai chili salmon quesadillas with spicy mango 1
Half Baked Harvest

11. Sweet Thai Chili Salmon Quesadillas With Spicy Mango

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, pescatarian, high protein

Complete with coconut rice, chopped peanuts and homemade sweet chili sauce.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes italian chicken quesadillas
Yellow Bliss Road

12. Italian Chicken Quesadillas With Greek Yogurt Dip

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, one pan

Italian dressing seasoning mixed with Greek yogurt is the secret to the tangy dip. (Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.)

quesadilla recipe ideas cheesy ground beef quesadillas 430
The Mom 100

13. Easy Ground Beef Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly

Your picky, burger-loving kids will have no complaints about this hearty meal. We’d serve it with guac and salsa, but they can opt for ketchup instead if they insist.

quesadilla recipe ideas healthy mushroom quesadilla
Well Plated by Erin

14. Mushroom And Sundried Tomato Quesadilla

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese hold down the fort for this unconventional twist on quesadillas. Might we suggest dunking them in pesto?

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes mini ranch chicken bean and cheese quesadillas
Yellow Bliss Road

15. Mini Ranch Chicken, Bean And Cheese Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, high protein, kid-friendly

Mini tortillas (and a packet of ranch seasoning) make these two-bite quesadillas extra adorable and fun to eat.

quesadilla recipe ideas short rib quesadillas 5
Dude That Cookz

16. Braised Beef Short Rib Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: make ahead, Instant Pot recipe, high protein, special occasion-worthy

Fall-apart-tender short ribs cook to completion in the Instant Pot after just one hour. Once the meat is shredded, your quesadillas are only minutes away.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes chicken and marinated veggie quesadillas
Wendy Polisi

17. Chicken And Marinated Veggie Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour
  • Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, high protein

Transform your kitchen into a trendy gastropub with these produce-packed quesadillas. (They pair wonderfully with a light Pilsner.)

quesadilla recipe ideas vegan quesadilla
Detoxinista

18. Vegan Quesadilla

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegan, dairy free, <30 minutes

Who needs meat when you can savor spicy black bean filling, guacamole and homemade vegan nacho cheese?

quesadilla recipe ideas parmesan crusted shrimp quesadilla
Gimme Some Oven

19. Parmesan-crusted Shrimp Quesadilla

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: pescatarian, high protein

Since there’s no such thing as too much cheese, the tortillas are baked with a layer of Parmesan on top for a crispy exterior.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes sweet chili chicken quesadillas
Sweet Peas and Saffron

20. Sweet Chili Chicken Quesadillas With Peach Salsa

  • Time Commitment: 20 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, slow cooker recipe

Make a large batch of Crockpot sweet chili chicken and use the leftovers to make these quick quesadillas. Homemade peach salsa pushes them over the top.

quesadilla recipe ideas breakfast quesadilla 1 6
The Almond Eater

21. Breakfast Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

Rise and shine for this protein-packed breakfast starring eggs, black beans and cheddar cheese.

quesadilla recipe ideas spicy pork al pastor quesadilla with roasted tomatillo salsa verde 6
Half Baked Harvest

22. Spicy Pork Al Pastor Quesadillas With Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

  • Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, special occasion-worthy

A duo of citrus juices in the marinade ensures that the pork shoulder turns out impeccably tender.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes chicken spinach ricotta quesadillas
Clean Eating Magazine

23. Chicken, Spinach And Ricotta Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 40 minutes
  • Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein

Ricotta adds an extra layer of creaminess to this freezer-friendly quesadilla recipe.

quesadilla recipe ideas greek quesadillas
Damn Delicious

24. Greek Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 30 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser

Think essentials like kalamata olives, spinach and feta cheese, doused in cucumber-dill tzatziki sauce.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes margarita chicken quesadilla
Half Baked Harvest

25. Margarita Chicken Quesadilla With Margarita Guacamole

  • Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: high protein, special occasion-worthy

All you need is a salt-rimmed glass and a cold marg to complete the meal.

quesadilla recipe ideas shrimp fajita quesadillas 2
Grandbaby Cakes

26. Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, pescatarian, high protein

Everything you love about fajitas, wrapped in a toasty, cheesy tortilla. Store-bought fajita seasoning makes them a cinch to pull off.

quesadilla recipe ideas chicken quesadilla recipes bbq chicken quesadillas
Girl Gone Gourmet

27. Bbq Chicken Quesadillas

  • Time Commitment: 35 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, high protein

Homemade guac and shredded pepper jack are folded into this quesadilla that’s piled high with barbecue chicken.

quesadilla recipe ideas fluffernutter quesadilla recipe cat1
Photo/Styling: Taryn Pire

28. Fluffernutter Quesadilla

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes

Yup, dessert quesadillas are a thing—an ooey, gooey, delicious thing. Here, we zhuzh up the tried-and-true combo of peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff with crunchy Sno-Caps and flaky salt.



taryn pire

Food Editor

  • Contributes to PureWow's food vertical
  • Spearheads PureWow's recipe vertical and newsletter
  • Studied English and writing at Ithaca College