Vegan Quesadilla

This vegan quesadilla recipe is quick and easy to make, but also so filling, flavorful, and cheesy. Besides, it only requires 10 ingredients!

One thing I love about this vegan quesadilla recipe is that it is 100% customizable with whatever veggies, spices, or any source of plant-based protein you have on hand (like chickpeas, seitan, or tempeh), and it's also perfect to use up leftovers!

If you're looking for quick and easy dinner ideas, this recipe is for you! In addition, it's quite inexpensive, as it's made with veggies, black beans, and vegan cheese, among other basic ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

I went for store-bought vegan cheese this time, but if you prefer to make it at home, my shreddable vegan mozzarella is also a good choice, and for a more affordable alternative, try my vegan cheese recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients and substitutions

• Extra virgin olive oil: I’m Spanish, so I use extra virgin olive oil to cook most of my dishes. However, any type of oil is okay. I always use extra virgin oils when possible because they’re healthier. 
• Veggies: I used red onion, and red bell pepper, but please feel free to use whatever vegetables you want. This recipe is perfect to empty out your refrigerator of any leftover veggies.
• Black beans: use store-bought or cook them from scratch. Any other sources of plant-based protein are also okay, like other legumes, tofu, seitan, tempeh, or even textured vegetable protein.
• Chili powder: this recipe calls for traditional American chili powder, not cayenne. Cayenne and international chili powders are usually incredibly spicy. So if you live outside of the United States, please keep that in mind. If you can only find cayenne, add it to taste until the sauce is okay for you, but not too spicy.
• Salt: I used ionized salt, but any salt will do.
• Ground cumin.
• Ground black pepper: fresh ground black pepper tastes amazing. However, I find store-bought more convenient and also easier to measure with a teaspoon.
• Tortillas: I used large flour tortillas, but you could also use corn tortillas or any other size of flour tortillas, just keep in mind you'll need to add less cheese and filling to each tortilla, and you'll also need more tortillas.
• Vegan shredded cheese: I used Violife, but any brand will do. My shreddable vegan mozzarella is also great, and for a more affordable alternative, try my vegan cheese recipe.

Dietary variations

• Make it gluten-free: use corn tortillas or tortillas made with any gluten-free flour.
• Make it oil-free: you could cook the filling with some water or oil-free vegetable stock, and don't brush the tortillas with oil.

How to make vegan quesadilla

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Cook the onion until softened, then add the red bell pepper, and cook until the veggies are golden brown. 
2. Add the beans, and spices, stir and cook for 2-3 more minutes. 
3. Place each tortilla on a work surface and sprinkle with ½ cup vegan shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Add ¼ of the bean mixture, and fold in half. Brush the outside of each tortilla with some oil.
4. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, lightly brown each quesadilla for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
5. Cut each quesadilla into 3 pieces and serve immediately.

How to store

• Fridge: store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and cooked quesadillas for 1-2 days.
• Freezer: allow your quesadillas to cool completely at room temperature before freezing, cut each one into 3 pieces, place the quesadillas side-by-side on a lined sheet, transfer to the freezer for a couple of hours until they’re frozen solid, remove the tray from the freezer, and finally transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• Reheat: ​​reheat the quesadillas in the oven at 375°F (or 190ºC) for about 10 minutes or on medium-low in a non-stick skillet. Reheating quesadillas in the microwave can make them go soggy.

Looking for more vegan Mexican-inspired recipes?

• Vegan Tacos
• Vegan Burrito
• Tofu Tacos
• Jackfruit Tacos
• Vegan Enchiladas

Did you make this vegan quesadilla recipe?

Please leave a comment below, share it, or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!

Vegan Quesadilla

This vegan quesadilla recipe is quick and easy to make, but also so filling, flavorful, and cheesy. Besides, it only requires 10 ingredients!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 quesadillas

Author: Iosune

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Ingredients 

½x1x2x

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion, diced, I used red onion
• ▢ 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (1 and ½ cups or 260 g)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 flour tortillas
• ▢ 2 cups vegan shredded cheese, I used Violife

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Instructions

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet.
• Cook the onion until softened, stirring occasionally.
• Add the red bell pepper, and cook until the veggies are golden brown, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the beans, chili powder, salt, cumin, and black pepper, stir and cook 2-3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Place each tortilla on a work surface and sprinkle with ½ cup vegan shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Add ¼ of the bean mixture, and fold in half. Brush the outside of each tortilla with some oil.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat (you can also use a griddle), lightly brown each quesadilla for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and the vegan cheese is melted.
• Remove from skillet, cool for 2-3 minutes, and cut each quesadilla into 3 pieces.
• Serve immediately just by themselves or with your favorite sauce (I love salsa and vegan sour cream). Store leftover filling in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and cooked quesadillas for 1-2 days. Both the filling and quesadillas are freezer friendly. 

Notes

• Use any type of oil, veggies, and salt you have on hand.
• Use corn tortillas or tortillas made with any gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version of the recipe.
• If you're oil-free, cook the filling with some water or oil-free vegetable stock, and don't brush the tortillas with oil.
• Use store-bought black beans or cook them from scratch. Any other sources of plant-based protein are also okay, like other legumes, tofu, seitan, tempeh, or even textured vegetable protein.
• This recipe calls for traditional American chili powder, not cayenne. Cayenne and international chili powders are usually incredibly spicy. So if you live outside of the United States, please keep that in mind. If you can only find cayenne, add it to taste until the sauce is okay for you, but not too spicy.
• I used large flour tortillas, but you could also use corn tortillas or any other size of flour tortillas, just keep in mind you'll need to add less cheese and filling to each tortilla, and you'll also need more tortillas.
• I used Violife vegan shredded cheese, but any brand will do. My shreddable vegan mozzarella is also great, and for a more affordable alternative, try my vegan cheese recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 55.5g | Protein: 10.5g | Fat: 17.8g | Saturated Fat: 7.9g | Sodium: 1182mg | Fiber: 7.9g | Sugar: 3.7g