Ditch the bun for Cheeseburger Quesadillas! This quick, fun, and crispy spin on cheeseburgers goes from fridge to table in just 30 minutes.
“This was AMAZING! I had low expectations because it seemed so simple…but then I took my first bite dipped in the special sauce… and WOW!”
My oldest child’s favorite food on the planet is burgers. He’d eat them every single night if he could but…everyone’s getting a little sick of burgers!
Cheeseburger Quesadillas though? Can’t get enough. They’re crispy, cheesy, and seriously irresistable – especially when dunked into homemade special sauce. Plus they couldn’t be easier to make. A true 30 minute dinner!
Watch How to Make Them
Easy Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Browned ground beef is mixed with ketchup and mustard then layered in a tortilla with shredded cheddar cheese, your favorite burger toppings (I love diced onion and pickles), topped with MORE cheese, then crisped in a hot skillet.
Want to add bacon? You should. Sauteed mushrooms? Go for it!
That said, I’m not including any ingredient measurements in the recipe card. No need! One component I am including specifics for is the Special Sauce you’ll want to smother each bite in. Cannot have burgers – in any form – without special sauce.
Best of all, we always have the ingredients to make Cheeseburger Quesadillas on hand so I can brown a pound of ground beef then quickly make these for lunch, dinner, or hearty snack.
So good, so easy — let’s do this!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Make the ground beef filling.
Start by adding browned ground beef to a bowl with ketchup and mustard. I like using a 2:1 ratio of ketchup to mustard but it’s totally up to you. You’ll want the mixture to be more on the saucy vs dry side.
You can brown the ground beef in a skillet, or use my method for cooking ground beef like a restaurant.
Step 2: Brown the quesadilla.
Heat a large skillet or electric griddle over medium heat then spray with nonstick spray.
Place a tortilla down (I like Mission gluten free tortillas), then add a thin layer of shredded cheddar cheese, followed by the ground beef mixture.
Next add your favorite burger toppings. I typically go with lots of diced white onion and chopped pickles.
Recipe Tip
Add whatever burger toppings you typically like on your burger such as sauteed mushrooms, chopped bacon, etc.
Lastly, add another thin layer of shredded cheddar cheese and top with another tortilla.
Cook until both sides are crisp then slide the quesadilla onto a cooling rack, let it cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a cutting board and slice into wedges.
I like to mix up the Special Sauce (recipe below) while the quesadillas are cooling, though the sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. It just gets better as it sits in the refrigerator.
I hope you love this mouthwatering twist on classic cheeseburgers as much as we do! Enjoy!
More Easy Ground Beef Recipes
- Cheeseburger Bombs
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Homemade Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper
- American Goulash
- Beef and Veggie Enchilada Skillet
- Oven-Baked Burgers
- Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatlaoves
- Skillet Tater Tot Caserole
- Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- ground beef, browned with salt and pepper then drained
- ketchup
- mustard
- large tortillas, Mission gluten free tortillas recommended
- shredded cheddar cheese
For the Toppings:
- chopped onions, chopped pickles, chopped bacon, etc.
For the Special Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons minced dill pickles
- 1 Tablespoon minced white onion
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
Directions
For the Special Sauce:
- Add ingredients to a bowl then stir to combine. Can be made several days ahead of time.
For the Quesadillas:
- Add cooked ground beef to a mixing bowl then add ketchup and mustard to taste (I usually go with 2 parts ketchup to 1 part mustard.) You'll want the mixture to be on the "saucy" side vs dry.
- Heat a large skillet or electric griddle over medium heat then spray with nonstick spray. Place a tortilla in the bottom of the skillet then sprinkle on a thin layer of cheddar cheese followed by the ground beef mixture. Add your desired toppings then sprinkle on another thin layer of cheese and place a tortilla on top.
- Once the tortilla has browned on the bottom, flip the quesadilla then continue to cook until the second side has browned. Transfer the quesadilla to a cooling rack to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cutting board and slice into wedges. Serve with Special Sauce.
Notes
- Estimated nutritional information is for the Special Sauce only.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I made these last night using 1/2 lb. of hamburger. They were delicious! My hubby’s only comment between his “mmmmm…this is so good” was to use more cheese next time.
Have you tried barbequed chicken in quesadillas? Just cut up cooked chicken, add BBQ sauce and mix it together. We usually like some chopped onion and cheese added too. They are awesome!
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas are Ben’s #1 favorite dinner in the entire world! https://iowagirleats.com/2010/06/28/the-secret-ingredient-to-make-anything-taste-better/
Sorry I didn’t know you had this recipe too! Next time, I’m carmelizing the onions! Yum!
(I’m another Iowa girl…in Dubuque!)
Oh gosh, no – nothing to be sorry about! :) Have a great weekend, girl!
I tried these tonight too! They really do taste like cheeseburgers! Delish. Made the pumpkin scones tonight too, and I can’t wait to share them with friends for breakfast. Thanks for sharing!
I tried these tonight and they were delicious! So easy and simple yet totally tasty and comforting. Definitely will be a go-to recipe in the future!
Absolutely love it!! I love mixing ketchup and mustard together– is that weird? My BF and I use it as dipping sauce for fries sometimes! This sounds great and I love that you even added pickles!
Kristin,
I’m a mom of two little ones (2, and soon-to-be 5). Thank you so much for that great recipe of yours, I just cooked it last night for my family, and it was a hit!!
I only used ketchup for the little ones though, and since we live in Paris, France, I used shredded ‘swiss cheese’, and it was perfect! I will do it again.
So for the measure would you say 3 tbsp ketchup 2 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp worcetershire sauce?
That should be a good start, then mix and add more of whatever ingredient you think it needs more of!
YUM, this sounds really good! What a great idea.
Just tried these over the weekend. Holy cow were they good. We cooked our onions with our beef because we prefer grilled onions to raw on our burgers. We also added some crumbled bacon to the mixture. So simple and quick, so satisfying!
Hey these look absolutely tasty amazing!!! BTW if you want to “man up” those quesidillas along the lines of “Ben’s Beefy Mansagna” …you can use pita bread instead of the tortillas which makes a heartier quesidilla to hold and eat! Blessings everyone “Famous Dave”
Great idea, Dave! So great to hear from you again – it’s an honor! :)
I was scared that I will see tons of cilantro inside, but NO! YUM!! They look delicious. Perfect for dinner!
This recipe looks delicious! I have had this thing for quesadillas lately and I always love cheese burgers so this is perfect! When I have made them I use a little vegetable oil, did you not use any oil to crisp them up in the pan?
I’m good at making Chicken Parmesan really well! Plus these Crab-Cheese appetizers some people call Crabbies, when I ask what I can bring they ask for these.
SHUT UP! This might actually convince my husband he likes mexican! Cant wait to try it!
xo Rach
rachiecakes-rachael.blogspot.com
These look AMAZING — and I have to say that it is SO sweet that your husband does that for friends and family. Things like that warm my heart!
You wouldn’t know this just by looking at me, but I am REALLY good at making packaged ramen noodles ;)