This cheeseburger quesadilla is guaranteed to go over big with all the hungry cheeseburger fans in your house. The tortillas are stuffed with a saucy, seasoned filling that tastes like your favorite fast-food cheeseburger. Because the recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes, it’s a versatile option for dinner, weekend lunches and game-day parties. Don’t skip the recipe’s tangy dipping sauce; it has all the flavor of a classic burger special sauce.
Cheeseburger Quesadilla Ingredients
- Ground beef: When it comes to the best ground beef for burgers, you have plenty of options. Lean ground beef is a good choice for this recipe because it won’t release much grease as it cooks. If you opt for beef with a higher fat percentage, drain it well before adding the sauce ingredients.
- Ketchup: This quesadilla gets its cheeseburger flavor from condiments like ketchup in the ground beef filling. Our Test Kitchen thinks Heinz is one of the best ketchup brands overall, but they have other favorites when it comes the best ketchups for kids and ketchups with more complex flavor.
- Mustard: Use yellow mustard to give these quesadillas a classic fast-food cheeseburger flavor. It’s also fine to use other mustards here, like Dijon or brown mustards.
- Bacon: Bacon adds salt and, if you use smoked bacon, a delectable smoky flavor. Cook the bacon and crumble it before adding it to the ground beef filling.
- Worcestershire sauce: A bit of Worcestershire sauce adds an umami punch to the ground beef filling.
- Mayonnaise: The creamy dipping sauce for the quesadillas begins with mayonnaise.
- Milk: A splash of milk helps thin the dipping sauce to the perfect consistency.
- Dill pickle relish: Relish gives the dipping sauce a tangy vinegar flavor. Sweet relish can also be used, if desired.
- Pepper: Add a pinch of black pepper to the dipping sauce for a little kick.
- Tortillas: Pick up 8-inch flour tortillas for these quesadillas. You can also make the quesadillas with whole wheat tortillas or homemade tortillas—you’ll love how they taste in this recipe.
- Cheddar cheese: The quesadilla’s melty texture comes from a generous helping of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Optional garnishes: Serve the cheeseburger quesadillas with burger toppings like shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes.
Directions
Step 1: Brown the beef
In a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until it’s no longer pink, six to eight minutes, crumbling the beef as it cooks. Drain off the excess grease.
Editor’s Tip: When browning ground beef, be sure to start with a preheated pan.
Step 2: Finish the filling
Stir in the ketchup, mustard, chopped bacon and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer the ground beef filling, uncovered, for five to seven minutes or until it has slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: Make the dipping sauce
While the ground beef filling simmers, stir together the mayonnaise, milk, pickle relish and pepper in a small bowl.
Step 4: Assemble and griddle the quesadillas
Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Sprinkle four tortillas with cheese.
Top each of the four cheese-covered tortillas with the beef mixture.
Top each quesadilla with another tortilla, then place the filled tortillas on the hot griddle.
Cook until the tortillas are golden brown and the cheese is melted, one to two minutes on each side. Serve the quesadillas with sauce and, if desired, lettuce and tomatoes.
Editor’s Tip: You can use a large skillet if you don’t have a griddle. If you can’t cook all the tortillas at once, transfer the cooked quesadillas to a baking sheet and keep them warm inside a 200°F oven.
Cheeseburger Quesadilla Variations
- Add pickles: Omit the relish in the dipping sauce and add sliced or chopped pickles to the quesadillas instead. You can use any type of pickle. Layer dill hamburger slices or chopped dill gherkins in the tortillas alongside the shredded cheese and ground beef filling.
- Try it with ground turkey: Substitute ground turkey for ground beef. If needed, add a little oil to the pan while cooking the ground turkey to help prevent sticking.
- Make a different sauce: Instead of the dipping sauce in this recipe, try copycat In-N-Out sauce or copycat McDonald’s special sauce. The latter has a tangier flavor plus a little spice from cayenne pepper. Add a splash of milk to either sauce recipe to make them a little thinner for easy dipping.
- Use a different cheese: Cheddar adds a lot of flavor to the quesadillas, but other varieties are tasty, too. Try shredded pepper jack, American, Colby or a Mexican cheese blend. All of these options will melt smoothly in the quesadillas.
How to Store Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Once the quesadillas have cooled, transfer them to an airtight storage container and store them in the refrigerator for up to four days. Refrigerate any leftover sauce in a separate container for up to four days. To reheat the quesadillas, preheat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the quesadillas on both sides until they’ve crisped up and warmed through.
Cheeseburger Quesadilla Tips
What can you serve with cheeseburger quesadillas?
Pair the quesadillas with your favorite cheeseburger sides like oven fries, waffle fries, air-fryer sweet potato fries or creamy coleslaw. Green salads are also a nice, light option to pair with this rich, cheesy meal. When in season, ears of fresh corn on the cob make great accompaniments to quesadillas.
Can you make quesadillas in the oven?
You can make quesadillas in the oven on a baking sheet, similar to how you’d make our baked chicken quesadillas. Coat one side of the tortillas with cooking spray and place them, oil side down, on an ungreased baking sheet, then assemble the quesadillas as directed in Step 4. Spritz the tops with cooking spray, then bake the quesadillas at 450°F for 10 minutes or until the tortillas are lightly browned and the cheese is melted.
You can compress the quesadillas if you’d like, which makes them a little thinner with a filling that’s more set. Place a second large baking sheet on top of the quesadillas to flatten them while they bake.
