Crispy Baked Quesadillas
It’s no secret that we love quesadillas at our house (who doesn’t?!), but these baked quesadillas are my new favorite easy dinner. The texture is SO good. The tortillas get a little crispy and golden brown, and contrasted by the melty cheese, it’s a great combo. They are also easy, if you’re making more than one or two quesadillas, baking them in the oven is the most efficient way to cook them all at the same time. For this baked chicken quesadilla, we used crockpot salsa chicken as the filling, but you can truly make these your own with whatever filling you like.
If you love quesadillas as much as we do, be sure to try my ground beef quesadillas, steak quesadillas, chicken fajita quesadillas, buffalo chicken quesadillas, shrimp quesadillas, or black bean quesadillas next time. Or use any of these fillings with the baked quesadilla method. Told you we are obsessed. 🙂
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
What You’ll Love About Baked Quesadillas
- Best, crispy texture
- Delicious flavor
- Great option if you’re cooking more than one or two quesadillas
- Made with simple ingredients
- Can use any type of quesadilla filling
- Just 10 minutes prep
Ingredients
- Oil – Use a vegetable oil like avocado or canola oil. This helps the tortillas get a little crispy and golden brown.
- Tortillas – Use high-quality flour tortillas for best flavor. I recently started buying the uncooked tortillas that you need to pan fry for a few minutes to cook and they are SO good. It does add an extra step, but worth it! Otherwise, use your favorite large flour tortillas or your favorite gluten-free tortillas to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Cheese – You’ll want a shredded cheese that melts well. I prefer using a more traditional queso asadero or queso Oaxaca for the best quesadilla, but you could also use a cheddar, Monterey jack, or pepper jack cheese. Buy it shredded or shred your own.
- Chicken – We’re using shredded chicken for these baked chicken quesadillas, but you can really use any of your favorite fillings – steak, shrimp, fajita veggies, black beans. You can make your own crockpot salsa chicken, buy it pre-shredded, use rotisserie chicken (sprinkle with taco seasoning or chili powder if desired) or even use leftover chicken.
- Fresh toppings – Use a variety of your favorite toppings to add extra flavor and color to the dish. Salsa, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos are all standard, but I’ll also share a list of even more topping ideas below.
How to Bake Sheet Pan Quesadillas
This is an overview on how to bake quesadillas, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
Toppings for Oven Baked Quesadillas
What makes this the best oven baked chicken quesadillas?! TOPPINGS! They add great flavor and crunch, choose a few (or all!) to add!
- Corn Salsa (Chipotle Copycat)
- Thinly sliced lettuce
- Sliced grape tomatoes
- Chopped red onion
- Sliced green onion
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Pickled jalapeño peppers
- Creamy Quesadilla Sauce
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Diced avocado
- Guacamole
- Lime juice
FAQs
Can you bake quesadillas?
Yes! You can bake quesadillas and it’s such a delicious way to make them that it just might be my new favorite easy weeknight recipe.
What is the best cheese for quesadillas?
You can use many different cheeses for quesadillas. The most important thing is that you choose a cheese that will melt well. After a trip to Mexico, I started using more authentic Mexican cheeses like queso asadero or queso Oaxaca and I think they add a superior flavor. 🙂 Many grocery stores carry these cheeses, but you can also use a Mexican blend, cheddar cheese, or Monterey jack cheese. I prefer to buy cheese already shredded, but you can also shred your own. Up to you, just make sure to use plenty of cheese!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover quesadillas in the refrigerator for 2-3 minutes. It’s best to make the steak quesadillas fresh, so if you can make just what you need and store the components in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them.
Can you make quesadillas ahead of time?
You can, but quesadillas are best fresh. I would recommend prepping and cooking the components ahead a day or two, but cooking right before serving for the BEST quesadillas.
Can you reheat a quesadilla?
If you’re reheating a quesadilla, I recommend cooking in a nonstick skillet until heated through for best results.
If you microwave it, your quesadilla will end up soggy.
Can you freeze a quesadilla?
Yes, you can freeze quesadillas for 2-3 months. Store in a freezer or stasher bag or wrap in plastic wrap. Let thaw overnight and reheat in a hot pan for best results.
What to Serve with Baked Quesadillas
I like to serve this recipe for baked quesadillas with a simple veggie side:
- Black Bean & Corn Salad
- Refried Beans
- Fajita Bell Peppers & Onions
- Elote in a Cup
- Corn Salsa
- Frozen Corn – Heat in microwave or hot skillet
How to Feed Quesadillas to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I would recommend serving the quesadilla deconstructed if they don’t want the chicken and cheese together, which is a common occurrence at our house. Or let everyone build their own quesadillas and maybe they eat the components separately, but not together – that’s ok! Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t do tortillas.
More Delicious Quesadilla Recipes
If you like this oven baked quesadilla recipe, you might also like some of these other delicious quesadilla recipes:
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Crispy Baked Quesadillas
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Description
These baked quesadillas are our new favorite. The tortillas get golden brown and crispy and with the melty cheese, it’s a great combo.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (like avocado oil)
- 4 flour tortillas (burrito size)
- 12 oz. shredded Mexican cheese (queso asadero or queso Oaxaca)
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (like salsa chicken)
- fresh toppings (salsa, shredded lettuce, sour cream, sliced jalapenos, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the baking sheet into the oven to preheat while the oven is preheating.
- Brush 1 teaspoon of oil on the preheated baking sheet and place a tortilla on the baking sheet. Layer 1/3 cup shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Top with about 3/4 cup shredded chicken and another 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
- Fold over top and repeat with remaining 3 quesadillas. Brush the tops of quesadillas with oil. Bake for 6 minutes, flip over, and bake another 6 minutes until tortillas are golden brown.
- Cut into wedges and serve with fresh toppings.
Notes
- Fillings: You can use whatever protein you want in these baked quesadillas! See ingredient list above for more ideas, but any cooked meat like salsa chicken, shredded beef, ground beef, steak or vegetarian fillings like refried black beans or sautéed peppers and onions would all be delicious.
- See list above for a lot of quesadilla topping ideas
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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