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A crispy, flavorful cheeseburger quesadilla recipe served hot and fresh from the skillet! Made with juicy seasoned burger meat, onions, pickles, and melted cheese folded up inside a warm flour tortilla. Serve with homemade burger sauce for dipping.

Today’s dinner idea reinvents two fast food favorites in the form of a melty, crunchy cheeseburger quesadilla. I love mashing up recipes into something new and delicious, like this pizza quesadilla and cheeseburger pizza. These cheeseburger quesadillas are bursting with juicy ground beef, crisp onions, ripe tomatoes, and pickles (obviously), folded into tortillas and pan-fried. With long strings of melted cheese and a side of homemade burger sauce, the whole family loves this spin on a classic cheese quesadilla!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Cheeseburger Quesadilla Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make a Cheeseburger Quesadilla
- Tips and Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Topping Ideas
- What to Serve With Cheeseburger Quesadillas
- Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Can I Freeze Cheeseburger Quesadillas?
- More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Cheeseburger Quesadilla Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Cheeseburger Quesadilla Recipe
- Classic flavor. This quesadilla has all of the flavors of a classic American cheeseburger (or cheeseburger dip), complete with homemade burger sauce. I’m talking onions, pickles, cheese, and seasoned ground beef tucked inside a warm, crispy tortilla.
- Quick to make. With just a bit of prep, these cheeseburger quesadillas are on the table in 25 minutes. It’s a fun weeknight meal that you won’t get enough of.
- Easy to customize. Adapt this quesadilla recipe with your favorite seasonings and toppings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Check out the short list of ingredients you’ll need to make the quesadillas and burger sauce below. Scroll to the recipe card for the full amounts and recipe instructions.
- Ground Beef – Lean ground beef, or you can make these quesadillas with ground chicken or turkey.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce), salt, and pepper.
- Tortillas – You’ll need large burrito-sized flour tortillas. You can also use homemade flour tortillas.
- Cheese – Thinly sliced cheddar cheese, or American cheese slices.
- Onion
- Pickles – Because every cheeseburger needs dill pickles!
- Olive Oil
For the Burger Sauce
- Mayonnaise – You can replace the mayo with plain Greek yogurt if needed.
- Onion – Finely grated white or yellow onion.
- Ketchup
- Relish – Pickle relish is the classic choice.
- Mustard – You can use yellow mustard or hot mustard for a bit of kick.
- Vinegar – White vinegar or another kind, like white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Paprika – You can use sweet or smoked paprika.
How to Make a Cheeseburger Quesadilla
Ready to put a fun spin on your next Mexican night? Here’s how to make a cheeseburger quesadilla filled with beef, veggies, and gooey melty cheese:
- Make the burger sauce. First, whisk together the burger sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate the sauce until you’re ready to use it.
- Prepare the ground beef. Next, brown the ground meat in a skillet, then stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Assemble the quesadillas. Lay out your tortillas. Top one half of a tortilla with a couple of slices of cheese, followed by the beef mixture, onions, pickles, and additional cheese, and then fold it over. Repeat with the other tortillas.
- Cook the quesadillas. Lastly, lightly fry the assembled quesadillas in a hot skillet with some oil. Toast them in batches, until all of the quesadillas are browned on both sides.
- Serve! Slice your warm cheeseburger quesadillas into triangles, get your burger sauce out of the fridge, and enjoy.
Are Quesadillas Usually Fried?
Traditional Mexican quesadillas are cooked on a comal, a type of large, flat pan or griddle (the same pan used to make tortillas). Technically, quesadillas fried in oil are called quesadillas fritas, like the ones in this recipe.
Tips and Variations
You’ll get the hang of making homemade quesadillas in no time. But in case you need a few extra pointers, keep the below in mind:
- Layer the cheese first and last. You want to have cheese as the top and bottom layer inside the tortilla, with the cheeseburger filling in between. The melted cheese is what keeps the folded tortilla closed so that the quesadilla sticks together.
- Use two tortillas. I use the half-moon method for this quesadilla recipe, which uses a single tortilla folded in half over the filling. Feel free to layer the cheeseburger ingredients over a full tortilla and place a second tortilla on top for the sandwich version. It’s great for sharing!
- Make air fryer quesadillas. Cook these cheeseburger quesadillas in the air fryer instead. It’s quick and easy!
Frequently Asked Questions
These cheeseburger quesadillas aren’t soft like a taco, but they shouldn’t be overly dry and crunchy, either. Once fried, the outside of the tortillas should be crisp and the cheese inside should be melted.
I recommend frying quesadillas in oil as it helps the outside get brown and crispy, whereas butter tends to burn at higher temperatures.
Frying over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side is the key to getting these quesadillas crispy and golden. Try not to have the pan too hot, as tortillas burn easily. Also, be careful that you don’t overcrowd the pan, as this causes the quesadillas to steam instead of fry.
Topping Ideas
There are so many delicious toppings that you can add to a toasty cheeseburger quesadilla. Here are some of our favorites:
- Tomatoes
- Crispy bacon
- Avocado (or guacamole)
- Crumbled blue cheese or feta
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Queso dip
- Hot sauce
What to Serve With Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Is this recipe a burger disguised as a quesadilla? Or a quesadilla dressed up as a burger? You decide when it comes to sides! Serve your cheeseburger quesadillas burger-style with a side of crispy French fries and a chocolate milkshake for dessert. Or, go the Tex-Mex route and pair them with cheesy tochos (tater tot nachos!) or homemade tortilla chips and restaurant-style salsa. For a lighter meal, enjoy these cheesy beef quesadillas with a side of tossed salad.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Fridge. Wait until the cheeseburger quesadillas are completely cool, and then store your leftovers in an airtight container or wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. Keep the quesadillas in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The burger sauce also keeps well in the fridge.
- Reheat. I recommend reheating quesadillas on the stovetop or in the oven. You can also use the microwave, but the tortilla won’t get as crispy.
Can I Freeze Cheeseburger Quesadillas?
Yes! These quesadillas can be double-wrapped in plastic wrap and kept airtight in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost them in the fridge if you’re reheating them on the stovetop, or you can reheat them from frozen in a 350ºF oven.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Cheeseburger Quesadilla
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Burger Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 Tablespoons grated onion
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon pickle relish
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Add all of the burger sauce ingredients together, and whisk until smooth. Store covered in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the wraps.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, making sure to break it apart into small pieces. When the beef is cooked, drain away the excess grease.
- Season the beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined. Remove from heat once cooked.
- To assemble the quesadillas, arrange the tortillas in front of you. Top half of each one with 2 slices of cheese, and then divide the beef mixture between the 4 halves. Top with onions, pickles, and 2 more slices of cheese. Fold over to close the quesadilla.
- Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Once hot, add the quesadillas and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the skillet, slice into triangles, and serve with the burger sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is one delicious quesadilla! It’s the perfect mashup of two of my favorite foods, and being so incredibly cheesy is a HUGE bonus for this cheese lover.
It was so yummy! I’m definitely making this again!
This cheeseburger quesadilla is my family’s new favorite meal! I lost count on how many times I made it last week! So good!
The Cheeseburger Quesadilla was fantastic! It had the perfect blend of juicy burger flavors and melty cheese, all wrapped up in a crispy tortilla. A delicious twist on classic favorites!
My kids absolutely devoured these. Though a couple of them didn’t want the pickles. Tasty!
What a great idea for dinner! This was so tasty!
Wow, the Cheeseburger Quesadilla was a hit at my house! It was like having the best of both worlds – a cheesy, juicy burger and a crispy quesadilla all in one!
I try and make the Cheeseburger Quesadilla this Saturday night for dinner. I love them and they tasted great.