These air fryer cheese quesadillas will satisfy any hankering for a Mexican-inspired meal or snack. Making your own cheese quesadilla in an air fryer is easy and fast!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
An air fryer is your new kitchen superhero! This convenient, kitchen appliance can make delicious, air fryer cheese quesadillas with far less mess and fuss - not to mention zero added oil.
You can also get creative making these air fryer cheese quesadillas by adding different fillings such as vegetables, meats, seasonings or sauces. You will love how infinitely customizable - so everyone in your family can enjoy their own special flavor experience.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- What's the Best Cheese For Quesadillas
- Best Cheese for Quesadillas
- How to Make Air Fryer Cheese Quesadillas
- Serving Suggestions
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Food Safety
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- Connect with Smells Like Delish!
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients
With just a few simple ingredients, you can create air fryer cheese quesadillas with all their cheesy goodness that will be sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.
- Flour Tortillas - any size you like, just as long as they fit in your air fryer basket or tray. You can also use our Whole Wheat Tortillas recipe if you need yours to be whole grain or even gluten free!
- Cheese - shredded.
- Cilantro - optional, chopped.
- Sour Cream - optional.
- Jalapeno slices - pickled or fresh. We have a great, super easy Quick Pickled Jalapenos recipe also!
- Additional Filling Ideas for Cheese Quesadillas - sliced avocados, Pico De Gallo, 4-Ingredient Guacamole, and our awesome Mexican White Sauce!
- Butter - Optional - melted butter, or olive oil to brush on outside of flour tortilla if you like a more 'fried' exterior.
What's the Best Cheese For Quesadillas
Finding and using the BEST cheese for making air fryer quesadillas (or any cooking method of quesadillas) has been a quest! I love the convenience of pre-shredded cheese, but pre-shredded cheese is coated with cellulose to prevent it from sticking.
When easily available, Oaxaca cheese, hands down is superior to any other cheese for making cheese quesadillas. It's a semi soft, white cheese that 'strings' and melts really well. It has a flavor similar to Monterey Jack.
Best Cheese for Quesadillas
The cheese chart below will help you find the right cheese for your next quesadillas!
Type of Cheese
- Oaxaca →
- Monterey Jack →
- Pepper Jack →
- Mild Cheddar →
- Sharp Cheddar →
- Mexican Blend →
- Mozzarella →
Pros
- Authentic →
- Stretchy →
- Stretchy →
- Easily available →
- Easily available →
- Great flavor →
- Stretchy →
Cons
- Rennet based
- None
- Spicy
- Very mild flavor
- Greasy separation
- Costs more
- Bland, rennet based
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Air Fryer Cheese Quesadillas
Read on for step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) for making a delicious air fryer cheese quesadillas that's perfect for lunch, dinner or snack time.
Prepare Flour Tortillas with Filling
- Spread your flour tortillas out on your work surface.
- Add shredded cheese of choice to each tortilla, spreading it out a little over the surface of one side of the tortilla.
- Add slices of jalapeno, chopped cilantro, or even sour cream, if desired.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare for the Air Fryer
- Set your air fryer temperature to 350 F, and timer for 6 minutes.
- Set in the basket of your air fryer. You can use a piece of parchment paper, an air fryer basket liner, or just lay it on the built-in, removable grill.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Weigh Down the Tortilla Top
- Gently fold your flour tortilla so the cheese side is covered by the blank side of the flour tortilla.
- To prevent the top half of the tortilla from flipping and flopping around with the convection air force, lay a small, round wire trivet or rack on top. This will weigh the top half of the tortilla down while the cheese melts.
PRO TIP: If you like the exterior of your air fryer quesadillas to be more like skillet fried quesadillas, simply brush a little melted butter on both sides of the folded quesadilla. You can use olive oil instead also.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Air Fry Cheese Quesadillas
- Remove when the flour tortilla is golden brown. Slice into three wedges and serve on a platter or plate immediately with your favorite guacamole, salsa, or sour cream.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these air fryer cheese quesadillas any time you are in the mood for a taste of Mexico! They are a natural pairing with our Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, which can be made ahead of time and reheated.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Substitutions
Use any cheese you like, or have on hand. You can substitute the flour tortillas for round vegetable wraps such as green spinach wraps, etc. Watching your carbs? Use the Carb-Balance wraps by Mission, they are fabulous.
Variations
Here are a few scrumptious variations using our air fryer cheese quesadilla recipe as a base:
- Birria Quesadilla - use our delicious recipe for Birria Quesadillas to make this version of slow simmered meat that shreds beautifully in both Birria tacos and Birria Quesadillas.
- Carne Asada Quesadilla - Chili without Beans in your quesadilla! You can use our Instant Pot Chili No Beans recipe to have the perfect Carne Asadas Quesadillas!
- Carnitas Quesadilla - Next time you make our Pork Carnitas recipe, use the leftovers to make these high flavor Carnitas Quesadillas. You can also use a package of store bought Pork Carnitas in the ready to heat meals and meat case!
- Blooming Quesadilla Ring - Make our Blooming Quesadilla Ring recipe for your next party platter! Your guests will be delighted. Any type of quesadillas can be used!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making these air fryer cheese quesadillas.
- Air Fryer Wire Trivet (keeps lightweight food from flapping about in the air fryer).
- 8 Quart Nuwave Air Fryer - perfect basket size for things like quesadillas, small personal pizzas, and even a small whole chicken.
Storage
Wrap any leftover cheese quesadillas up in aluminum foil 'pockets'. You can freeze them also for up to 3 months.
Reheating Quesadilla In Air Fryer
Place the refrigerated or frozen aluminum foil wrapped quesadilla that you want to reheat into the air fryer. Set the heat to 250 F and the time for 8 minutes. The foil will prevent the previously air fried cheese quesadilla from over browning.
Remove the foil and add an extra 1 to 2 minutes to crisp the tortilla up if has not crisped enough in the foil.
Tips for Success
- Don't over fill the tortillas, as they will be folded in half. This will prevent any cheese from oozing when the cheese quesadilla are in air fryer.
- You can use a piece of parchment paper to catch any cheese oils, or cheese dribbles. They make air fryer basket liners also, but parchment paper works great!
- Monterey or Pepper Jack cheeses make a great substitute for Oaxaca cheese!
Frequently Asked Questions
Oaxaca cheese is both traditional and has great flavor! It is similar is texture to fresh balls of Mozzarella, but Mozzarella is not a good replacement. Use Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese if you can't find Oaxaca cheese to grate.
Absolutely! Use any thin sliced, shredded, or diced meat that you like. Chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp are very popular with any cheese.
Yes, and it's a great way to reheat with out over browning something you are reheating.
Use a small round wire cooling rack on top of the stack of tortillas you are warming up, or on top of any small, light items you are cooking in the air fryer.
Because of the convection heating moving all around the items in your air fryer basket, cheese quesadilla in air fryer is cooked evenly on all sides at the same time. It's not like a broiler with a toasting element.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Cheese Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 6 flour tortillas
- 6 oz cheese shredded
- cilantro chopped, optional
- jalapenos sliced, optional
- sour cream optional
Instructions
- Spread your flour tortillas out on your work surface.6 flour tortillas
- Add shredded cheese of choice to each tortilla, spreading it out a little over the surface of one side of the tortilla.6 oz cheese
- Add slices of jalapeno, chopped cilantro, or even sour cream, if desired.cilantro, jalapenos, sour cream
- Set your air fryer temperature to 350 F, and timer for 6 minutes. NOTE: Air Fryers vary a little, so you might need an extra minute or two depending on your air fryer.
- Set loaded flour tortilla in the basket of your air fryer. You can use a piece of parchment paper, an air fryer basket liner, or just lay it on the built-in, removable grill.
- Gently fold your flour tortilla so the cheese side is covered by the blank side of the flour tortilla.PRO TIP: If you like the exterior of your air fryer quesadillas to be more like skillet fried quesadillas, simply brush a little melted butter on both sides of the folded quesadilla. You can use olive oil instead also.
- To prevent the top half of the tortilla from flipping and flopping around with the convection air force, lay a small, round wire trivet or rack on top. This will weigh the top half of the tortilla down while the cheese melts.
- Remove when the flour tortilla is golden brown. Slice into three wedges and serve on a platter or plate immediately with your favorite salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.
Notes
- Don't over fill the tortillas, as they will be folded in half. This will prevent any cheese from oozing into the air fryer.
- You can use a piece of parchment paper to catch any cheese oils, or cheese dribbles. They make air fryer basket liners also, but parchment paper works great!
- Monterey or Pepper Jack cheeses make a great substitute for Oaxaca cheese!
Nutrition
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