Easy Vegan Quesadillas

Why We Love This Recipe

• Filling: Sure, you could just make a plain cheese quesadilla, but albeit incredibly delicious, it probably won't be very filling. Our easy vegan quesadillas have some vegetables as well as some black beans for a heartier option that will actually fill you up!
• Vegan Tex-Mex: It can be hard to put a vegan spin on Tex-Mex dishes, since a lot of them are packed with meat or cheese. We used black beans in the place of meat in these quesadillas, and they add a fiber-rich meatiness to this dish, which makes these vegan quesadillas just as filling as the real thing.
• Easy meal: With just around 30 minutes of cook time, and minimal prep, these vegan quesadillas are super easy to whip together. Better yet, you can make them in one pan, saving time washing and drying dishes.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these vegan quesadillas:

Ingredient Notes

• Black beans: We used black beans from a can in this recipe, since soaking and cooking black beans from dry takes a lot of time. If you're feeling ambitious, you can try our Vegan Cuban Black Beans in this recipe.
• Mushrooms: We used button mushrooms, but you can use whatever mushrooms you prefer, including shiitake, maitake, or portobello.
• Spinach: We used fresh spinach, but we're also fans of frozen. If you're using frozen, use about 1 ¼ cups of spinach instead of 2 cups of fresh, since it will shrink less during cooking.
• Nondairy cheese: We opted for a nondairy cheddar cheese. We find that brands like Violife and Miyoko's both melt really well. You can also use a nondairy cheddar jack/Mexican-style cheese replacement.
• Corn: Fresh or frozen corn are both fine, but frozen is definitely a lot less hassle.
• Choice of oil: Feel free to use either olive or avocado oil.
• Tortillas: We used 8-inch flour/corn mixture tortillas, but feel free to use flour or corn tortillas. We opted to stack 2 full size tortillas to make our quesadilla, but you can also just fill ½ of one tortilla and fold the tortilla over.

Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Add oil to a large non stick pan over medium heat, then add scallions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add mushrooms and lime juice and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Next, stir in spinach, corn, black beans, chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes. 

(2) Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside. Add a tortilla to the pan and sprinkle some cheese on top.

Then top with vegetable filling, more cheese, and another tortilla.

Press down gently with a spatula. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes. Once the cheese is melty and the tortilla is lightly browned, the quesadilla is ready.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Toppings: Here are a few of our favorite pairings to serve with these easy vegan quesadillas:
  • Avocado or guacamole
  • Homemade vegan sour cream
  • Store-bought or homemade salsa (or easy tomato relish)
  • Avocado cilantro crema
  • Homemade vegan queso dip
  • Quick pickled red onions or cabbage
  • Pickled jalapeños
  • Vegan cheese sauce
  • Taco sauce
  • And of course, don't forget to serve these with a margarita – try our spicy mango margs or if you're not drinking, this margarita mocktail!
• Panini press: Instead of using a skillet on the stovetop, try a panini press. For easier clean up, place a sheet of parchment paper below and above the quesadilla. A panini press is a super easy way to make a vegan quesadilla, especially if you'd like it really compressed and cheesy!
• Vegan cheese not melting? Some vegan cheeses are easier to melt than others (see our brand recommendations in the "ingredients" section). If you're having trouble, try adding 1-2 tablespoon of water to the pan and then quickly cover it with a lid. The moisture may help the cheese melt, and it will evaporate quickly so it doesn't make the quesadilla soggy.
• Make ahead: You can easily make the filling up to several days ahead of time for even quicker prep.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Reheating: My favorite way to reheat is to start with 30-45 seconds in the microwave to make sure the inside is reheated. Then, I transfer to a warmed nonstick skillet and cook for a few minutes on each side to make sure the exterior is nice and crispy!

More Easy Vegan Dinners to Try

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!