Learn how to make Air Fryer Quesadillas to hot, crispy perfection with this recipe. Gooey stretchy cheese and delicious insides are perfect for enjoying plain or dunking in some guacamole or salsa.
Why This Recipe is the Best
We love that this recipe is a hit all 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.
For more quick air fryer meals, try our Air Fryer Chicken Tacos, Air Fryer Salmon Bites, Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs, and Air Fryer Taquitos.
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Key Ingredients
These are made with just a few simple ingredients. See out tips on each ingredient below.
- Tortillas - our favorite tortillas are the raw Tortillaland, but you do have the extra step of cooking them. We found through recipe testing that we and all of our taste testers preferred raw tortillas over pre-made. 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- Optional, but delicious! We used canned or homemade if I have them on hand.
- Toppings- Guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, green salsa, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and limes.
How to Make Quesadillas in the Air Fryer
Use these process shots to help get the results you want. The pictures can help with texture and be a visual guide for the best results.
- If you love using raw tortillas like we do, start by cooking your tortillas. Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Place a 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.
- Place refried beans on top of the 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.
- Fold the plain tortilla in half over the half with the cheese and beans. Place in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 45 seconds, then open the 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 the air fryer basket in avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke point (see food safety recommendations at the bottom of the post)
Top tips
Make sure to open the air fryer at 45 seconds and push down the top half of the quesadilla! If you don't, you'll have an open quesadilla with melted cheese on one side.
Use whatever you have on hand. Make these with different types of cheese, beans, and meat.
During recipe testing, all of our taste testers preferred them made with raw tortillas. You can use whatever tortillas you want; we just found that raw tortillas made the biggest taste difference.
Recipe
Air Fryer Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 flour tortillas see notes below
- 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.
- You can freeze these. Thaw in the refrigerator then reheat in the air fryer according to directions above.
- You can use any tortilla for these quesadillas, we even tested the recipe with tostadas! During testing we found that all of our taste testers preferred raw tortillas over any other kind of tortilla. It made the biggest difference in taste compared to any other change.
- Make sure to close the tortilla around 45 seconds or you'll end up with an open tortilla with cheese on one side, and it'll be crispy so you'll be unable to close it.
Nutrition
Substitutions and Variations
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- 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.
- Spicy - add jalapeños or other spicy peppers 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 of shredded chicken and ¼ teaspoon of fajita mix seasoning per quesadilla for a fun and delicious easy variation. You can also make a 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.
How to Serve
Serve these with all the fixings! We recommend guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, hot sauce, and anything else you can think of. These are a great, simple meal or snack that can be turned into something much more by the toppings you add.
Storing Air Fryer Quesadillas
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.
FAQ
Not really. To make them better for you, 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 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 it over. It will now stay closed! Cook another 1-2 minutes until the desired crispness is achieved.
Nicole says
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 says
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.