Crispy quesadillas – step by step directions, along with pictures, for how to put this flavorful meal together in 30 minutes. loaded with black beans, peppers, onion, corn, spices and lots of cheese! This easy recipe for Black Bean Quesadillas is perfect for weeknights, game day parties, and makes a delightful school lunches. A super easy weeknight meal!

If you are looking for a filling vegetarian meal that tastes AMAZING and can be prepared in 20-30 mins, then these bean & veggie loaded quesadillas are the perfect and ideal meal you are looking for.

This simple recipe is my kids favorite. Making them is as simple as sautéing all the ingredients in a pan at the same time for just a few minutes, then stuff them in a tortilla or chapati, toast until crisp and serve them as is or with guacamole or sour cream or sriracha or hot sauce.

I pan-fry the quesadillas. To make this recipe a one pot meal, use a non-stick pan to make veggies, then transfer the veggies into a bowl, wipe out the pan and then you can use the same pan for frying quesadillas.

Tortillas: I use flour tortillas but you can use whole wheat tortillas for a healthy choice. I wouldn’t recommend corn tortillas since they have a different texture and taste. If the tortillas are not available in your area, just use chapathis. With chapathi also they taste as good as tortillas.
Black Beans: I use canned black beans for week nights or for a quick meal, but when I have time to plan ahead, I soak the dried black beans for atleast 5-6 hrs or overnight, then cook in an instant pot or pressure cooker. You may also use refried beans.
Corn: Can use frozen or fresh corn. I used frozen corn in this recipe.
Peppers & Onions: I used white onion and rainbow peppers. They’re a bit sweeter naturally and add a wonderful flavor. Other options would be red onion and green pepper.
Cilantro: Chopped cilantro adds a nice flavor to this recipe.
Spices: I use chili powder, paprika, cumin, dried oregano and salt. You can also use Taco Seasoning. For this quantity, use 2 -3 tbsp of taco seasoning.

More Mexican Food Recipes:

How to make Veggie Bean Quesadillas

PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOK TIME: 15 MINS TOTAL TIME: 25 MINS COURSE: MAIN COURSE CUISINE: MEXICAN SERVINGS : 4-5

Ingredients

tortillas – 10	red chilly powder – 1 tsp (adjust to your spice level)
onion – 1 large or 1 cup	cumin (jeera) powder – 1.5 tsp
yellow or green bell pepper(capsicum) – 1	salt – 1 tsp or to taste
orange or red capsicum – 1	dried herbs – 1 tsp
black beans – cooked or canned – 1 cup	crushed red pepper – 1 tsp
corn – fresh or frozen – 3/4 cup	lemon juice – 1tbsp
zucchini – 1/2 – 1 cup (opt)	paprika – 1/2 tsp (opt)
jalapeno – 1 (optional)	oil – 1 tbsp
cilantro(coriander leaves)	cheddar or mexican cheese blend

Instructions

Prep: Finely chop onions and peppers. Rinse and chop cilantro and roughly chop it. Drain and rinse canned black beans.

Prepare the Filling

Heat a wide pan on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add black beans, onions, peppers, jalapeno, zucchini and corn, and sauté on high for 2 minutes.
Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, dried herbs, and salt, sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in cilantro and Turn off the heat.

Assemble Quesadillas

Spread about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on one-half of a tortilla. Adjust the quantity of cheese based on your liking.
Using a spoon, spread about 1/4 cup of the bean and corn filling on top of that.
Top with another 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (adjust to taste) to help “glue” both sides together. .
Fold the plain half of tortilla over filling.

Cooking the Quesadillas

Heat the nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil.
Place two quesadillas in the pan and brush some olive oil on top. Cook for about a minute or until golden and crisp.
Using tongs or a spatula, flip the tortillas over. Cook for another minute or so, until it reaches the desired crispness.

Cook the Quesadillas in Air Fryer

Set the temperature to 370F. Lightly grease the quesadillas with cooking spray or brush some olive oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
This time may vary depending on your air fryer, and how crisp you like your quesadillas. If you like them medium crisp, check at 3 mins.
Note: Insert a couple of toothpicks in the quesadillas to prevent the tortilla from flipping open. Alternatively, you can place an oven-safe trivet on top.
Pull out the basket. Grease the quesadillas on top. Using tongs flip them and set another 4-5 minutes (or less), depending on how crisp you like them.
I have an XL size Air Fryer so I can make 2 quesadillas at a time. Repeat this process based on your air fryer size.

Cook the Quesadillas in Oven

Place the baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400F for 8 mins. By pre-heating the baking sheet, quesadillas crisp evenly.
Bake for 8 mins, or until you reach your desired crispness.

Finish and Serve

Remove quesadillas and rest on a cutting board. Cut in 2 or 3 slices. Serve with your favorite condiment, like Guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream or Sriracha.

Tips

Possible variations and customizations:
- Tortillas: Use Flour, Whole-Wheat, Spinach, Tomato or any flavored tortillas you like or chapatis. Corn Tortillas don’t work well in this recipe.
- Filling: You can skip the beans and make a veggie quesadillas as well. Sauté assorted vegetables like chopped zucchini, peppers, onion, corn etc. for 2 minutes and follow remaining instructions.
To make this recipe VEGAN, substitute dairy-free or vegan cheese, OR, use refried beans so the quesadilla can stick together.
May substitute chilly powder with Taco Seasoning.
Filling can be prepared ahead of time (can make a day ahead). If making for Parties: An hour before the party, assemble quesadillas. 30 minutes before the party prepare them in the oven at 400F for 8 mins.
Chop all the veggies using chopper or processor for saving time.
Pro Tip for Oven Baked Quesadillas: When preheating the oven, place the baking sheet in. The quesadillas crisp evenly when cooked on a hot baking sheet. (learned from another blogger).

Step by step photo instructions

Prep: Finely chop onions and peppers. Rinse and chop cilantro and roughly chop it. Drain and rinse canned black beans.

Prepare the Filling

Heat a wide pan on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add black beans, onions, peppers, jalapeno, zucchini and corn, and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, dried herbs, and salt, sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in cilantro and Turn off the heat.

Assemble Quesadillas

Spread about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on one-half of a tortilla. Adjust the quantity of cheese based on your liking.
Using a spoon, spread about 1/4 cup of the bean and corn filling on top of that.
Top with another 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (adjust to taste) to help “glue” both sides together. .
Fold the plain half of tortilla over filling.

Cooking the Quesadillas

Heat the nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil.
Place two quesadillas in the pan and brush some olive oil on top. Cook for about a minute or until golden and crisp.
Using tongs or a spatula, flip the tortillas over. Cook for another minute or so, until it reaches the desired crispness.

Cook the Quesadillas in Air Fryer

Set the temperature to 370F. Lightly grease the quesadillas with cooking spray or brush some olive oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
This time may vary depending on your air fryer, and how crisp you like your quesadillas. If you like them medium crisp, check at 3 mins.
Note: Insert a couple of toothpicks in the quesadillas to prevent the tortilla from flipping open. Alternatively, you can place an oven-safe trivet on top.
Pull out the basket. Grease the quesadillas on top. Using tongs flip them and set another 4-5 minutes (or less), depending on how crisp you like them.
I have an XL size Air Fryer so I can make 2 quesadillas at a time. Repeat this process based on your air fryer size.

Cook the Quesadillas in Oven

Place the baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400F for 8 mins. By pre-heating the baking sheet, quesadillas crisp evenly.
Bake for 8 mins, or until you reach your desired crispness.