These easy cheeseburger quesadillas with smoky burger sauce are what I like to call lazy cheeseburgers. They're just as delicious, but with all the melty comfort of a quesadilla (without needing to toast any buns or fry up the patties just right).
We're definitely a couple of burger nerds, but sometimes, especially if we're cooking for guests, this quick quesadilla is the only way to go. Add some crispy bacon to make it a bacon-cheeseburger quesadilla. You can even meal prep it to have extra on hand for easy weeknight meals (frozen or refrigerated).
I created this recipe for one of my kids' cooking classes in Chengdu, where high-quality pork is plentiful, and good beef is not as much. These were a hit because both quesadillas and cheeseburgers, I've found, are universally loved.
Jump to:
- The Secret to Making the Best Cheeseburger Quesadillas
- Why Add Worcestershire Sauce?
- Cheeseburger Quesadillas Ingredients
- How to Make Cheeseburger Quesadillas at Home
- Cheeseburger Quesadillas Step-By-Step Recipe Photos
- Alternative Way to Build Quesadillas
- What to Serve With Cheeseburger Quesadillas
- More Tex-Mex and Mexican Recipes
- Let's get started!
- 📖 Recipe
The Secret to Making the Best Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Fatty ground meat. I love using fatty ground pork here (the same kind I use for homemade potstickers or soup dumplings) because the higher fat content gives you a juicier, more flavorful filling. That said, I used ground beef in this batch because that's what we had on hand, and it was still incredible. Use what's in your fridge.
The right beef-to-fat ratio. If you go the beef route, 80/20 or 85/15 will give you the best texture and flavor. 90/10 works too, just add a glug of olive oil to the pan as it cooks so the meat doesn't dry out.
A quick smoky burger sauce. Worcestershire, onion powder, and garlic powder season the meat itself, then a homemade smoky burger sauce ties everything together inside the tortilla. This is the part most cheeseburger quesadilla recipes skip, and it's the difference between "fine" and "make-this-every-week."
Why Add Worcestershire Sauce?
Worcestershire amplifies the meaty, savory depth of ground beef and pork, which is exactly what pushes these quesadillas from "tasty ground meat in a tortilla" into actual cheeseburger territory. Without it, you've got a good quesadilla. With it, you've got a cheeseburger you can fold in half.
From there, it's all about the toppings. Pick your favorites, pile them in, and cook the quesadillas low and slow until the tortilla turns deep golden and shatteringly crisp.
Cheeseburger Quesadillas Ingredients
With just a handful of ingredients, you can have a better-than-average, inexpensive burger night in. Make it vegetarian by substituting Beyond "meat' (which has a delicious, almost charbroiled flavor) or other plant-based meat alternatives.
For the smoky burger sauce, feel free to play around with the amounts of each condiment and also the spices, depending on your preferences.
Cheeseburger Quesadilla Ingredients
- Flour tortillas
- Fatty ground pork, or ground beef, or Beyond "meat"
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Lawry's Seasoning Salt (or regular salt)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Onions (some sliced for sautéeing, some finely diced raw)
- Grated cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or provolone
- Tomato (or a handful of sweet grape tomatoes)
- Shredded lettuce or purple cabbage
- Dill pickles
- Butter (for the pan)
Smoky Burger Sauce
- Yellow mustard
- Real mayonnaise (or homemade)
- Ketchup
- Smoked paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cayenne pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cheeseburger Quesadillas at Home
We love making homemade quesadillas because they're easy and make a quick dinner any night of the week.
Step 1. Season and cook the meat.
Step 2. Caramelize the onion.
Step 3. Make the smoky burger sauce.
Step 4. Assemble the quesadillas.
Step 5. Cook the quesadillas.
Find detailed instructions in the recipe card.
Cheeseburger Quesadillas Step-By-Step Recipe Photos
Alternative Way to Build Quesadillas
Building a quesadilla like this definitely makes it harder to eat because there's no edge to hold in all the ingredients. Nonetheless, it's an option.
What to Serve With Cheeseburger Quesadillas
The perfect sides to serve alongside these burger quesadillas are homemade restaurant-style guacamole, freshly-fried tortilla chips, and a cold margarita or beer!
More Tex-Mex and Mexican Recipes
Below are a few of our favorite restaurant-style Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican recipes we think you might also enjoy.
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Easy Cheeseburger Quesadillas (+ Bacon Cheeseburger option)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Cheeseburger quesadillas with smoky burger sauce are basically lazy cheeseburgers that can be made without any fuss. They're just as delicious, but with all the melty comfort of a quesadilla (and without toasting any buns and frying up the patties just right). This is an especially great recipe if we're cooking for several people. Add some crispy bacon to make it a bacon-cheeseburger quesadilla, or use Beyond Beef to make it vegetarian -- just be sure to MealPrep it to have extra on hand for easy weeknight meals.
Ingredients
- 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 pound fatty ground pork, or ground beef, or Beyond "meat" (500g)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder (7g)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (.75g)
- ½ teaspoon Lawry's Seasoning Salt, or more to taste (or use regular salt) (2.5g)
- 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (20g)
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 medium onions, (1 sliced for sautéeing and 1 finely diced raw)
- 3 ½ cups grated cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or provolone)
- 1 large tomato (or a handful of sweet grape tomatoes), diced or sliced
- shredded lettuce or purple cabbage, to taste
- dill pickles, sliced or finely chopped, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter (for the pan)
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (15g)
- ¼ cup real mayonnaise (or homemade) (60g)
- ½ cup ketchup (115g)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder, or to taste
- ¼ tsp garlic powder, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the meat. Heat a skillet over medium-high, add the ground meat (or meat alternative), onion powder, garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or regular salt), and black pepper, and cook until the meat is just browned. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir everything to combine, taste, adjust seasonings, and cook a little longer until some of the meat crisps up slightly.
- Caramelize the onion. In a small or medium skillet, add about 2 teaspoons (9g) of olive oil to the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, and add the sliced onions. Add salt to taste and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until they have a nice golden brown and charred color. Set aside.
- Make the smoky burger sauce. Add all of the burger sauce ingredients to a small bowl, combine, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Set aside.
- Assemble the quesadillas. Lay out one flour tortilla and sprinkle cheese over half of it, add some meat, caramelized onions, raw diced onions, pickles, and tomatoes, drizzle it with the smoky burger sauce, and add a little lettuce. Add more cheese and close the tortilla, pressing down on it to flatten it into a half-moon shape. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. *Alternatively, you may assemble the quesadillas by covering the entire bottom with toppings and then placing another tortilla on top, but when you cut the quesadillas, there won't be a closed edge to keep all of the ingredients inside.
- Cook the quesadillas Preheat a skillet to medium heat, add just enough butter to coat the bottom of the skillet and place quesadillas in the pan. Cook over steady heat (not too high or too low) until it's golden brown and crispy, flip the quesadilla over using a spatula, and cook until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Remove quesadillas to a cutting board and slice into 3 wedges and serve, Enjoy!
Notes
- If you use lean beef the quesadillas will still taste great, but won't have the same plump "bite" or flavor as using fatty pork, or a fattier beef.
- Use sliced cheese if that's what you have on hand. It's nearly impossible to find shredded cheddar cheese where we live in Italy, so I just use the slices instead and it actually stays inside the quesadilla a little easier.
- To give your sautéed caramelized onions that signature "restaurant" sizzle and flavor, add a splash of soy sauce to the skillet towards the last few seconds of cooking and give them a stir.
- If you're making a Vegan Beyond "meat" Cheeseburger quesadillas, use alternatives for the butter, cheese, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce in the recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Sandwiches + Panini + Wraps
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 Quesadilla Wedges
Tamela says
Made these for my kids and we (the adults) ended up eating everything that was meant to be leftovers for their next night's dinner! Pure comfort food that's not heavy. Total easy dinner win for us...we'll try it with ground chicken next and see how that tastes! great recipe
James says
Could not have been easier...kids loved them, wife loved them and everyone asked when we could have them again (before we were even finished with dinner).