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!
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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!
This was also the first recipe I ever made from your website. I cook mine in the oven for about 10 minutes and serve them with white queso dip. I add canned chicken sometimes. My 8 year old has been eating them for like 5 years.
These look so good and easy! I bet that it would make a great filling for freezer burritos too! Thank you.
These were very tasty ‘dillas, but only made 7 tortillas using a 1/2 cup scoop and even with that reduced number they definitely *did not* only take 10 minutes to cook to golden brown – more like 30.
Amazing! I had one for lunch.
Using your Poor Man’s Burrito Bowls as a model, next time, I am going to see how these ingredients work as a bowl meal: Leave the beans undrained; add corn, garlic, and taco seasoning and warm through. Serve over rice and top with cheese, cilantro, and red onion.
These are great, I make them often – thanks for sharing them! They work fine with canned corn, too IMO (frozen is a bit hard to get where I am). I don’t freeze the whole quesadillas, but I often keep a batch of the filling in the fridge for 2-3 days for super quick dinners or lunches. If I run out of tortillas, I toss the filling into scrambled eggs for a delicious scramble.
This was also my first BudgetBytes recipe over 5 years ago, and it remains one of the few I have memorized. They’re the best!
This was the first of your recipes I ever made, about five years ago or so (needed a good recipe to make when hosting a party with vegetarian guests). Just made it again on Friday. SO YUMMY
This was one of the first recipes I made from this site and years later I still love it. It’s so versatile too. You can add in shredded chicken for more protein, rice to blulk it out, red bell peppers for crunch and flavor. So many options!
Unfortunately I just used up all my frozen corn yesterday. Excuse me while I go and update my grocery shopping list because this is definitely on the menu for next week.
I used your idea – had some leftover black bean mash – not enough to be equal to a can of corn so I quick-cooked some grits and added that instead. Chopped onion, cumin seed, a bit of garbanzo bean flour, some chopped jalapeno – all things I did have available plus some cheddar cheese mixed in. I always have a problem frying half-rounds so this time I put a tortilla flat, filling, top tortilla. Fried on both sides. We thought it needed a little salsa of some kind on top. Your recipe is so versitile and tasty. Thanks for posting it!
We’ve been making something very similar for years – loved it when I first tried it. We use homemade naan bread to make these – fry one side, then put the filling on the cooked side.
We make these all the time and had them for dinner last night. We make them in a sandwich press.
My kids LOVE these!
I ALWAYS look forward to making these bad boys! They’re flavorful and full of goodness. Although I end up making a pico, and I dread the extra chopping, I serve these with it & a good dollop of sour cream and they are a perfect happy blend! Someone else mentioned putting the corn/black bean mix into some Nachos and that was delicious as well! Glad to see it being featured again because it is a staple in my kitchen and family meals.
I’ve been making these for YEARS! I almost always have some in the freezer. I heat mine slowing in a dry, nonstick pan. Easy, cheap, healthy, flavorful, and filling. A perfect recipe!
These were delicious! We ate the whole batch in one sitting (2 adults and 3 kids). I plan on making them again Monday for dinner. To save time we put all the quesadillas in a 350 degree oven for 10 min, flipping halfway through, then broiled them for a couple of minutes to crisp them up. We ended up with 9 quesadillas. We used mission whole wheat soft taco tortillas.