These super tasty Black Bean Quesadillas have been a runaway Budget Bytes hit since they were first posted in 2012. The spicy mix of cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, and onion makes and incredibly flavorful quesadilla that’s perfect for dipping in some cool sour cream or salsa. Make up an entire batch and freeze some for later!
Why I’m In Love with These Quesadillas ❤️
I love these quesadillas for three reasons:
- they’re bursting with flavor
- incredibly EASY to make
- perfect for the freezer!
Students and other busy people take note: this recipe is perfect for you!
I called them “hearty” black bean quesadillas because they are surprisingly filling. I hastily ate two and then promptly felt like my belly was not just full, but full-full. This is one of those vegetarian recipes that meat-eaters won’t feel deprived when eating. Promise.
How to Freeze Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas
These quesadillas are perfect for freezing and will last two to three months in the freezer. Just fill and fold your quesadillas, but before you cook them, stack them with parchment paper in between each quesadilla. Place the stacked quesadillas in a gallon-sized freezer bag (or two) and pop them into the freezer. When you want to eat one, take a quesadilla out of the freezer and reheat it slowly over medium-low heat until the outside is crispy and the inside has melted. Using a lower heat gives the black bean quesadilla time to thaw and heat on the inside before the outside overcooks or burns.
Or, for a faster method, microwave from frozen for 30-60 seconds, or until the inside is thawed, then finish in a skillet to crisp up the outside and melt the cheese on the inside.
What Kind of Taco Seasoning to Use
To make these black bean quesadillas super fast and easy, you can use a packet of store-bought taco seasoning. Or, if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet, you can use my homemade taco seasoning recipe
What to Serve with Quesadillas
I love to have something like Cumin Lime Coleslaw on the side for an extra dose of vegetable freshness. Warm Corn and Avocado Salad or Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad are also great choices. And don’t forget a little salsa or sour cream for dipping. :)
Make it Meaty
These black bean quesadillas are incredible on their own, but if you DO decide you want to add some meat, try adding some Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, ground beef, Carnitas, or something as simple as chicken breast cooked in a skillet, then diced. They’d all be delish!
Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas
Servings 10 quesadillasIngredients
- 1 15oz.can black beans ($0.49)
- 1 cup frozen corn ($0.20)
- 1/2 cup red onion ($0.22)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (about ½ cup chopped) ($0.20)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ($1.69)
- 1 batch taco seasoning* ($0.67)
- 10 flour tortillas (7-inch diameter) ($2.00)
Instructions
- Drain the black beans and add them to a bowl along with the frozen corn (no need to thaw)
- Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the cilantro.
- Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, shredded cheddar, and taco seasoning to the bowl with the beans and corn. Stir until everything is evenly combined and coated in seasoning.
- Place a half cup of the filling on one side of each tortilla and fold over. Cook the quesadillas in a skillet over medium heat on each side until brown and crispy and the cheesy filling has melted. Slice into triangles then serve.
- To freeze the quesadillas, stack the filled and uncooked quesadillas with a piece of parchment paper between each quesadilla. Place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. To reheat either microwave (for a soft quesadilla) or cook in a skillet on low heat (make sure to use low heat so that the filling has time to thaw and melt before the outside burns).
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Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos
How to Make Black Bean Quesadillas – Step By Step Photos
Add 1 cup frozen corn (no need to thaw) and one 15oz. can of black beans (drained) to a large bowl.
Next, finely dice about ½ cup red onion, mince one clove of garlic, and roughly chop about ¼ bunch fresh cilantro. These ingredients are super flexible, so you don’t need to be exact on the measurements.
You can use either one packet of store-bought taco seasoning, or make your own using my Homemade Taco Seasoning recipe.
Add the taco seasoning and 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese to the bowl. The cheese is the “glue” that holds the quesadillas together.
Stir the ingredients until everything is mixed.
Now it’s time to stuff the quesadillas. You’ll need about 10 7-inch diameter flour tortillas for these quesadillas (the tortillas I had today were slightly larger so my quesadillas ended up being a bit thinner). Place a half cup of filling in each tortilla and fold it over. You can either cook them or freeze them at this point (see instructions for freezing in the post above the recipe).
To cook the black bean quesadillas, place the quesadilla in a skillet over medium heat and cook on both sides until golden brown, crispy, and the filling has melted. I don’t use any sort of oil or butter, but you certainly can if you want more of a fried finish to the quesadillas.
Slice then serve! You can slice each quesadilla into two or three pieces. I find that if I cut starting on the outside edge going in toward the center fold, I get less of the filling oozing out. A pizza cutter also works great!
Anyone have tips for reheating? I made these and loved them! But when I went to reheat them after freezing, I often ended up with a burnt tortilla and still frozen center.
I ended up thawing in the microwave before cooking in a dry skillet. Does anyone have a better idea?
I find that if I keep the heat pretty low on the skillet, it lets the inside warm up before the outside browns, but thawing in the microwave might be faster! :)
These were delicious! And they are *quite* hearty, true to their name. I wanted to add some more green to this recipe, so I wilted about 6 oz. of spinach in a pan and stirred it into the mixture. The quesadillas were still amazing.
Hi – love this recipe – it’s a ‘go-to’ of mine. If I was doing a large batch of these for a party, do you think I can bake them in the oven instead of in a skillet? Last time I did them on a large skillet, but couldn’t keep up with demand! Thanks
I think I tried that once but the tortillas curled up and didn’t stay flat. :/
I want to thank (or is it blame ;) ) you for getting me hooked on “anything quesadillas”. By that I mean that after I made these, anything I felt like reheating into a toasty, vaguely quesadilla form is fair game. For example, if I’m in the mood for something pizza like for lunch but in a hurry to eat, cheese + a few pepperoni + a spoon of pizza sauce (frozen in small portion now) satisfies the craving.
I’m going to make use of two leftover tonight based on the above. I’m combining the spicy black beans I made awhile ago that need to be used from my freezer with the last of my shredded chicken and the other onion/cilantro combo above. I’m lucky enough to live walking distance from a Carnerceria that sells rounds of quesadilla cheese too, so that makes this and other plays on it easy and very affordable!
Ooooh, you’re so lucky! I seriously keep tortillas in my fridge at ALL times because of “anything quesadillas”. :)
Just wanted to say we LOVE these. We normally make a double batch, freezing about half and eating the rest throughout the week. We go for extra cilantro plus tomatoes if on hand. I also like to make a pot of rice and eat it as a bowl meal. Since we often have baby spinach, I add a handful for an easy well-rounded tupperware lunch. I layer rice, then torn spinach leaves, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper, and then the bean mixture on top. The spinach cooks nicely in the microwave when you heat it up the whole thing. Add a little Crystal hot sauce…mmmmmm
I really enjoyed this recipe. I added a little lime and hot sauce, and sautéed everything before I mixed in cheese and filled. Delicious. Made a bunch of mini quesadillas for lunch and snacking this week.
THANKS!
Hi Beth,
I’m obsessed with these (and your website). I make them all the time, and bring frozen ones to work to reheat for lunch. Thank you. They’re great with lowfat or 0% Greek yogurt in place of sour cream!
Question: Every time I make them using the recommended 1/2 cup of filling, I just barely have enough for 8 servings. The recipe says there are 10, though — not sure what I’m doing wrong!
Maybe it’s because I omit the cilantro..?
Anyway, great work.
Sarah
It could be that or maybe your tortillas are slightly larger than mine were. :) Or, maybe I didn’t pack the filling quite as much into the measuring cup? You can bulk it up with a little extra corn, maybe a bell pepper, or an extra can of beans.
Have you prepared these in the oven rather than on the stovetop? Trying to feed company makes it difficult to do one-by-one in the frying pan.
Thanks, they’re delicious!
If you try them in the oven, the tortillas might curl up as they bake. They won’t get that nice browned exterior, just a little browning around the edges.
Great recipe! Would you be able to provide the nutrition information? Thanks!
I love this recipe! I try to always have them stocked in my freezer.
Last time I added some sweet potato and it stretched out the batch and made them really hearty.
Thanks so much for all your freezer-friendly recipes! They are great for grad students living alone like me :)
I’m not a fan of onions, should I add more cilantro or just use onion powder?
I think onion powder would be a good option. You can always add more cilantro if you like, but it wouldn’t be necessary.
I’ve made these for an annual camping trip/festival for 3 years in a row and thought I should finally show some comment love since I’m about to do it again! I mix up the filling and freeze it in jars, then we just bring the tortillas along and cook up the whole shebang up on the camp stove. I’ve also used your Slow Cooker Chicken Taco recipe in a similar way, but we’re definitely careful to use the chicken jars the first night. Last year I had people coming up to our camp site asking for them – said they were the best things they ate all weekend the year before! :) Thank you for all you do!
i make these almost every week now! If I’m not in a rush i saute the onions and beans with half the spice mix and a couple tablespoons of salsa before mixing it with everything else. I’ve been following your blog for 2 years now, thanks for all the great money saving recipes!
Restaurant quality quesadillas. I made your pico de gallo salsa recipe and topped with a little sour cream. I also froze some for future easy meals.
Thank you!!!
Can a can of corn be substituted instead?
Looking to make this on a camping trip :)
Yes, just make sure to drain it REALLY well.