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This easy air fryer quesadilla recipe makes the crispiest quesadilla with a creamy, cheesy filling. They're healthy, family friendly, and great for a busy weeknight dinner. Fill them with the classic combination of gooey cheese and creamy refried beans, or add any of your favorite fillings! The best part? This air fryer cheese quesadilla recipe is a total crowd pleaser and is ready in under 15 minutes!
I love quesadillas - they're quick, easy, and you can customize them in so many different ways. But traditional quesadillas are typically pan fried and are high in fat and calories. Which is why I love these air fryer quesadillas with refried beans and cheese!
Thanks to the air fryer, you can make a quesadilla that has a crispy tortilla and perfectly melted cheese, but is a healthier alternative to traditional fried quesadillas.
You don't have to spend time watching your quesadillas on the stove either - the air fryer will cook these quesadillas perfectly in just a few minutes every time!
Top this quesadilla air fryer recipe with regular salsa, healthy guacamole, and sour cream, or for a fun twist try my roasted chili corn salsa, edamame guacamole, or my pineapple pico de gallo!
These healthy air fryer quesadillas are perfect for busy weeknights. They work as an appetizer, a quick lunch, an afternoon snack, or an easy dinner. You can make them vegan or gluten free too with just a couple of simple swaps to make the whole family happy. Try one of five variation options below to switch it up if you are looking for something a little different.
This will quickly become one of your favorite air fryer recipes!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Fast and easy meal
- Super versatile
- Basic recipe that is easy to customize
- Great for meal prep
- Simple recipe
- Ready in just minutes!
- Family friendly & kid friendly
- Can be made vegan and gluten free
- Best air fryer quesadillas with beans and cheese!
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
This air fryer cheese quesadillas with refried beans recipe requires just 4 simple ingredients! For the full instructions and nutritional information, see the recipe card below. Here's what you need:
- Oil: Use any oil you prefer to make these quesadillas in an air fryer. The healthiest option is olive oil but you can use avocado oil, vegetable oil, or any other oil you have on hand. You can also use olive oil cooking spray to reduce the calories in this recipe slightly.
- Flour Or Corn Tortillas: Use flour tortillas or corn tortillas and any size you prefer. Use smaller taco tortillas for a quick snack or large burrito tortillas for lunch or dinner.
- Refried Beans: You can use canned or homemade refried beans for this air fryer cheese quesadilla. Refried pinto beans or black beans will both work. For extra heat, season your beans with taco seasoning or cayenne pepper before adding to your quesadilla.
- Mexican Blend Of Cheeses: A Mexican cheese mix is the best cheese for the classic quesadilla flavor, but you can use any shredded cheese you want. Try colby jack, pepper jack, cheddar, monterey jack, or any other kind of melty cheese for this quesadilla air fryer recipe.
🔪 Instructions
You can easily make this recipe by following just a few simple steps! They will be ready in just 15 minutes of total time. Here's how to make cheese quesadillas in the air fryer:
Preheat Air Fryer, Prep Tortillas: Preheat the air fryer to 320 degrees F / 160 C. Lay the tortillas on a cutting board or flat surface. Lightly brush one side of the tortillas with oil.
Add Refried Beans: Turn the tortillas over, oil side down, and divide the refried beans between the two tortillas. Spread the refried beans over one half of each tortilla.
Add Cheese: Sprinkle with grated cheese and fold tortilla in half to cover the fillings.
Add Prepared Quesadilla To Air Fryer: Place tortillas, the prepared quesadillas, in a single layer into the basket of the preheated air fryer. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of the air fryer basket.
Cook: Cook for 2 minutes, open the air fryer and check if the top of the quesadilla has opened, if it has gently press it down to reseal. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes until the tortilla is slightly golden brown.
Flip And Continue Cooking: Flip the quesadillas over and continue to cook for another 3 minutes or until the cheese melts and the tortilla is crispy.
Remove, Repeat, Serve: When cooked remove from the air fryer and repeat with remaining quesadilla. Serve these vegetarian air fryer quesadillas with a squeeze of lime and your favorite sides such as guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese or salsa.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use olive oil spray or regular olive oil for crispy quesadillas. Don't skip this step! Oil helps ensure your quesadillas don't stick to the air fryer basket, and it helps them get super crispy on the outside while still staying creamy on the inside.
- When you add fillings like pico or whole beans to your air fryer bean and cheese quesadilla, be sure to drain and liquid and even dry the ingredients with a paper towel. The excess liquid can make your quesadilla air fryer recipe soggy and it will be hard to get it crispy.
- Make sure to preheat your air fryer before adding the quesadillas, otherwise your quesadillas won't get cooked properly and the texture may be off.
- Serve immediately. You want to serve these air fryer bean and cheese quesadillas hot! The longer they sit on a platter before serving, the less crispy they will be. If you need to make a big batch and serve them all at once, store the finished quesadillas in the oven on a wire rack over a baking sheet at 175 degrees F.
- If you use a corn tortilla, you might need to adjust the cooking time slightly.
📖 Variations
- Add Meat: Try making air fryer chicken quesadillas by adding leftover chicken, shredded chicken, or rotisserie chicken to this recipe. You can also make a steak and cheese quesadilla with mozzarella cheese, Philly steak or ground beef, green bell peppers, and onions.
- Gluten Free Air Fryer Quesadilla: All you need to do to make these air fryer cheese quesadillas gluten free, is to use gluten free tortillas.
- Black Bean Quesadillas: Replace the pinto beans with refried black beans or whole black beans!
- Vegan Air Fryer Quesadillas: Just make a couple easy swaps to make these air frying quesadillas vegan. Use vegan cheese and check your refried beans. Many kinds of refried beans contain lard, which is animal fat. You can find vegan refried beans at most grocery stores but if you have trouble finding them you can always make your own.
- Breakfast Quesadilla: Replace the beans with scrambled eggs and follow the same cooking instructions for the air fryer.
- Air Fryer Pizza Quesadilla: Leave out the refried beans, swap the Mexican cheese blend for mozzarella, add your favorite diced veggies, and use marinara for dipping for a pizza quesadilla.
❓Recipe FAQs
HOW DO YOU HEAT UP A QUESADILLA IN THE AIR FRYER?
Heat up leftover quesadillas in the air fryer for the best results. If you put a prepared quesadilla in the microwave, it will get soggy. Using the air fryer basket will crisp up the tortilla again. Here's how you do it: preheat your air fryer for 350 degrees. Once it's preheated, add your quesadilla into the air fryer basket. Air fry for about 3 minutes, or until the tortilla is crispy and warm. Be sure to check it to avoid overcooking or burning it. Remove the quesadilla, cut and serve!
CAN I PUT ALUMINUM FOIL IN AN AIR FRYER?
Yes, you can put aluminum foil in the air fryer. It can make air fryer cooking much easier to clean up. It can, however, disrupt the method of air frying if you don't use it properly. Air frying works by air circulating around the food, top and bottom. So when using aluminum foil in the air fryer, make sure to create a loose-fitting and non-obstructive pouch around the food to allow proper airflow and cooking. Do not cover the entire basket or block the air vents with the foil, as this can lead to uneven cooking or even damage to the air fryer.
HOW TO SERVE AIR FRYER QUESADILLA?
Serve an air fried quesadilla hot with your favorite toppings like sour cream or Greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, diced onions, avocado, jalapenos, cilantro, salsa, and / or a squeeze of lime. You can even drizzle hot sauce on top for extra heat.
For a complete meal, add sides like vegan Mexican rice, vegetarian taco soup, Mexican bean soup, or roasted vegetables like these roasted broccoli and potatoes or roasted cauliflower salad.
HOW TO STORE AIR FRYER QUESADILLA?
Store airfryer quesadilla in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Layer paper towels, plastic wrap, or parchment paper between quesadillas to prevent them from sticking together. Reheat your quesadillas in the air fryer when you're ready to eat them!
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