Let me share the secret to making the best air fryer quesadilla ever. First off the crunch is WAY better than on the stovetop with Oooey gooey cheddar cheese inside but inside a buttered tortilla with salsa is a lunch you have to try.
Why bother making a quesadilla in air freyr when you can just pop it in the microwave you might ask? OH MY because it’s so much better! The outside gets crispy like from a restaurant and adding chicken can take this air fryer recipe to a whole new level.
We went on a run making our favorite lunches in our Ninja Foodi last week. Cheese and more cheese of all kinds are top on our list of favorite foods so we went with that and a holder of sorts.
After we made air fryer grilled cheese this was next! We fiddled around with adding different bold flavors inside to give it a kick and found the perfect amount to share with all of you here. All you need are 3 ingredients + add ins of your choice.
What cheese is best for quesadillas?
I personally like using a combination of a few. If I happen to have Brie, or think about getting some at the store for this it is probably my favorite but a bit pricey.
- If you haven’t tried Brie it’s pretty amazing
- I usually buy this Mexican blend here but shredded Colby and cheddar cheese is a good duo
- Gruyère is the really ooey gooey stringy type
- Havarti and Manchego are more unusual but yummy
- Monterey Jack
- Mozzarella
- Provolone
You’ll will also need some room temperature butter for the outside. This will keep the tortilla from drying out and allow it to crisp up nicely too. I prefer salted Kerrygold myself. I have made this with dairy free plant based sticks for my husband by Country Crock that tastes pretty good too.
If you really want to go all out, make homemade air fryer tortillas or buy a few at the store. They should be flour to bend well and have the best taste. Large burrito style tortillas are more of a husband size and if your basket is large I would go with these for adults.
If you wanted a fun tweak to things follow the same directions but only use shredded mozzarella with slices of pepperoni and spaghetti sauce instead of salsa.
Ninja Foodi Quesadillas
You can use any brand of machine you have the only difference will be the size of the basket = how large of a tortilla you can use. Small street taco sizes are fun if you have little kids. With this machine you will use the lid that is attached and the air crisp button on the front.
Can you add chicken?
Yes, If you wanted to add meat you could do that with anything you had on hand, it just needs to be precooked. Many times I will dice up leftover chicken breast and sprinkle in the middle with everything else.
How to Make Spicy
It is really fun if you give them dips to use too. You can dip into a spicy sauce like we did with our birria quesadillas. Use little Dixie cups I fill them with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. You’ll be a mom hero too if you go this route.
Tips for Success
Check after minute 1 to ensure the top half hasn’t shifted. Sometimes using large tortillas it opens and you need to close again after a minute a push down on melted cheese so it stays the rest of the time. Do not overlap them if you are making more than one or you won’t get the crisp you desire.
What else can you put inside quesadillas?
A basic version can come together rather quickly and only requires a few ingredients like tortillas and cheese. You CAN add a variety of vegetables too though like: diced onions and tomatoes, thinly sliced bell peppers, sautéed mushrooms or add some type of protein such as cooked and diced chicken or steak for a heartier version.
How do you make quesadillas extra crispy?
The first thing you already have going which is to use your air fryer vs. just a pan. From there you can spray the top with a bit of olive oil to really get crunchy but since there is already some butter on the outside you should be good to go.
Air Fryer Quesadilla Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 large tortilla, or use 2 small ones for each quesadilla
- 3/4 cup cheese, shredded, cheddar and jack mixture
- 2 tbsp salsa, optional
- 1 tbsp butter, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Butter one side of your large tortilla, or 1 side of each of 2 small tortillas.
- Once preheated place 1 tortilla in and hold one end while you fill half of the large tortilla with your shredded cheese and salsa.
- Fold other half over (or put 1 small tortilla on bottom with buttered side down, fill with cheese and place 2nd small tortilla on top with buttered side facing up)
- Close air fryer lid and cook for 4 minutes or until it is as crispy as you'd like on the outside. Check after minute 1 to ensure the top half hasn't shifted, sometimes using large tortillas it opens and you need to close again after a minute a push down on melted cheese so it stays the rest of the time.
- Use a pizza cutter to slice into 3 – 4 pieces and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to reheat leftovers
THIS is a game changer and WAY better than in the microwave for sure y’all. You can get it crispy again on the outside and melt the inside all at the same time. 400 F for about 3 minutes should do it.
Of course we still love making Instant Pot recipes, and continue creating new ones each week, but this is my new favorite appliance! After you enjoy this, try a few more like our Air fryer frozen mozzarella sticks are a fun snack too for the kiddos.
If you have a large family you can make larger batches of food and more than one you would want to purchase a rather large machine.
Just did this with cheese & tortilla only no more microwave ones for me!
SO much better huh?