Learn how to make Air Fryer Quesadillas to hot, crispy perfection with this recipe. Gooey stretchy cheese, delicious insides, perfect for enjoying plain or dunking in some guacamole or salsa.
These are great year round. We love them especially during the summertime. They are quick and easy, and my kids can make them by themselves and it doesn't heat up the house to make them.
This was inspired by our Air Fryer Chicken Tacos and Air Fryer Taquitos. It goes great with our amazing Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries and pairs well with our Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad.
Try it with Smoky Red pepper Crema. Or make a more complex meal with Birria Quesadillas, or Arepa Con Queso recipe. Try these tasty air fryer shrimp fajitas for another fun air fryer recipe.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Kid Friendly- these are very kid friendly to make. Younger kids can make them almost by themselves, supervised and responsible older children can make them. Kids not only like to make them, but also love to eat them.
- Simple - These are made with simple ingredients and simply in the air fryer. Many people already have the ingredients on hand.
- Quick and Easy - there isn't much preparation or time involved in making these. They come together very quickly and are super easy to make.
- Versatile - you can add chicken, beans, steak and more to the inside. Then they can be topped with guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, lime juice, pico de gallo, salsas and more!
- Perfect for picky eaters - since they are so versatile, they are great for picky eaters. Everyone can pick and choose what they want on top or inside of their quesadilla.
Ingredients
- tortillas - our favorite tortillas are the raw Tortillaland, but you do have the extra step of cooking them. Any tortilla works here, including corn
- cheese - we love a good Mexican blend of cheese! Use any kind of cheese you'd like here.
- refried beans- totally optional, but absolutely delicious! We used canned or homemade if I have them on hand.
Optional for serving:
- guacamole - we love our homemade Cilantro Lime Guac, but chopped avocados or store bought guacamole are also great.
- plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- pico de gallo or red salsa - to make homemade pico de gallo, simply chop equal amounts of tomato and onion, then add chopped cilantro, lemon juice and salt to taste!
- green salsa
- beans - use your favorite type of bean here.
- chopped tomatoes - we love the flavor and texture of roma tomatoes, but any kind works great.
- cilantro - fresh is best!
- limes- fresh squeezed
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. If you love using raw tortillas like we do, start by cooking your tortillas. Preheat air fryer to 400*F. Place cooked tortilla on a work surface and top half of it with shredded cheese. If your basket is big enough, feel free to use the entire tortilla. Don't use anything that is too big for your basket.
2. Place refried beans on top of cheese. I like to drop it down in little plops and press it into the cheese. Top with another layer of cheese. Alternatively, you can smear the beans on one side then top with the cheese. We just like the way they taste when the beans are encased in cheese.
3. Fold plain tortilla half over the half with the cheese and beans. Place in the air fryer basket.
4. Cook for 45 seconds then open air fryer. the top of the tortilla likes to come up! Press it into the melting cheese then flip the quesadilla over. Cook for one more minute then enjoy!
Hint: For an easier cleanup, lightly coat air fryer basket in avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke point (see food safety recommendations at the bottom of the post)
Substitutions
- Corn Tortillas/ Gluten Free - instead of flour tortillas, feel free to use corn for gluten free air fryer quesadillas. If using corn, we recommend using 2 corn tortillas, rather than one folded in half.
- Cheese - use whatever cheese you'd like! A Mexican blend, only cheddar, colby jack, it doesn't matter. We also like to add some cotija cheese when we have it on hand.
Variations
- Spicy - add jalapeños or other spicy pepper or just chili pepper flakes in between the beans and cheese for a spicy kick.
- Deluxe - top with guacamole, chopped tomatoes, sour cream and fresh pico de gallo.
- Kid friendly -skip the beans and make them plain cheese! Kids can be picky and often just like plain old quesadillas.
- Chicken Fajita Quesadillas - use about 2 ounces shredded chicken and ¼ teaspoon fajita mix seasoning per quesadilla for a fun and delicious easy variation. You can also make full on fajita mix with peppers and onions etc and use it to replace the beans.
- Ground Beef Quesadillas - use about 2 ounces cooked ground beef and ¼ teaspoon taco mix per fajita. Add on top of (or instead of) the beans.
Looking for a fun flavor try these buffalo chicken bacon ranch quesadillas.
Equipment
- Air Fryer- we use the Ninja Foodi grill and air fryer
Note that all air fryers are a little different, and cook times may vary if you are using a different air fryer.
Storage
We recommend eating them hot and fresh. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 400*F. for about 2 minutes.
You may store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then reheat as directed above.
Top tip
Make sure to open the air fryer at 45 seconds and push down the top half of the quesadilla!
Not really. To make them healthier use corn or whole grain tortillas and less cheese. Top with plain Greek yogurt for some protein and probiotics.
For a good stretchy cheese, use monterrey jack and mozzarella. We like to add a sharp cheddar and/or pepperjack in for flavor.
Guacamole, greek yogurt, salsa, pico de gallo, limes, cilantro, beans of all kinds.
Preheat air fryer to 400° F. Place cheese and beans(if desired) on half of a tortilla. Close and place in the air fryer and let cook for 45 seconds. The tortilla will have opened up and the cheese will be melty. Close the quesadilla and flip over- it will now stay closed! Cook another 1-2 minutes until desired crispness is achieved.
Recipe
Air Fryer Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 flour tortillas
- ½ cup cheese of choice. We like cheddar and monterrey jack
- ⅓ cup refried beans
optional for serving:
- guacamole
- plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- pico de gallo or red salsa
- green salsa
- beans
- chopped tomatoes
- cilantro
- limes
Instructions
- If using raw tortillas, cook first. Preheat air fryer to 400*F. Place tortilla on a work surface and cover half of it in cheese. Place a layer of beans on top, then top with more cheese. Alternatively, smear beans on one side then top with cheese. We like the way they taste with the beans encased in cheese. Close tortilla.
- Cook for 45 seconds then open air fryer. The top layer of tortilla will likely be curled up. Flatten back on top of the rest of the tortilla then flip it over. Cook one more minute and enjoy!! For extra crispy flip again then cook 1-2 more minutes until desired crispness is achieved.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 400*F, flipping every minute until desired crispness and melty-ness is achieved.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
Nicole
Yum, our family loves making these air fryer quesadillas. We just tried the ground beef quesadillas the other day and they were sooo good. Thanks for the recipe and tips!
Jake
Thanks for the easy to follow instructions for these quesadillas in the air fryer! We got an air fryer recently and have been doing all things in the air fryer. We're a little obsessed. Anyway, great recipe, we will use this again and again.