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.
you helped me score another culinary kitchen victory Kristin! My somewhat fussy husband didn’t just like these quesadillas – he loved them! I made these tonite and couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. These quesadillas were super tasty, so delicious and easy to put together. I used tomato salsa tortillas (about 10″ large ones) and made the recipe and sauce exactly as written. I just took one tiny shortcut making the sauce, I used Bick’s (a Canada pickle producer) dill pickle relish which worked perfectly for the quesadilla special sauce. That dipping sauce took these quesadilla’s over the top. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It will be on the menu at our house from this time forward! PS keep up the good work with recipes that you create – we love them.
These sound yummy. When I make quesadillas, I spread the tortilla with a thin spread of butter, instead of using oil , gives the flavor a buttery crispy flavor. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Sounds amazing, Jacquie!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Delicious! I did add Mexican flare by making the bottom layer: Spread Queso dip over the tortillas, then layered the bottom with with black beans & corn. Added everything else as directed…baked it a little longer to ensure all was baked (& to help give it time to dry & melt together. Special sauce was the best!
Oooo DELICIOUS! Queso is one of my love languages so I fully support this idea!!
I made this tonight without the special sauce. My hubby & son love them!
Thrilled to hear that, Slim!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
We loved this. I cooked the onions with the hamburger. The sauce is great too.
So glad to hear that, Sally!
I made this tonight… What a hit!!! I did add some Worcestershire and diced onions to the meat while cooking. I also tweaked the sauce a bit-extra ketchup and some Worcestershire and paprika. Definitely in the rotation!! Thanks!
Nice!! So glad you loved the recipe, Karen! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I just made this and it’s is amaaaazing! Even my 3 year old likes it! Thanks for this! It’s going to be a staple in our house!
Fabulous!! Love when the kiddos are on board!
Yet another win with an IowaGirlEats recipe! Family loved it!! Sauce and quesadillas for the win!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed it!!
We all loved these! I made half the sauce and it was plenty.
So glad to hear it, Shannon! Thanks for your feedback and recipe rating!!
This is a great recipe. They taste just like fast-food cheeseburgers, and that’s not a bad thing!
I don’t know how I missed the cheeseburger quesadilla! That looks perfect.
If you put the cooked quesadilla onto a wire rack first instead of a cutting board, it stays crisper. This rack trick also works with reheated pizza slices.
I had trouble flipping it…any advice. Otherwise it was delish❤️
So glad to hear that, Nancy! Sometimes I’ll take one tortilla then layer the ingredients on one half, fold it, then cook it that way.