Breakfast Quesadillas
on Jan 30, 2019, Updated Aug 01, 2024
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This fun twist on quesadillas is very flexible and customizable and a great way to start your day! It's a vegetarian-friendly breakfast, too.
Starting the day with a breakfast quesadilla can only mean good things are coming. All you need are flour tortillas, eggs, and shredded or crumbled cheese, and you will have an easy, satisfying breakfast in minutes. And then the variations begin — you can add in so many different ingredients to make them your own, a choose-your-own-adventure breakfast.
We love these kinds of customizable recipes in my family — everyone gets their own personalized version of a dish; sometimes inspired by someone else’s choices (“Hey, I want salsa on mine, too!”), sometimes being a little intentionally controversial (“What’s wrong with hummus in a quesadilla?”).
Table of Contents
Breakfast Quesadillas: This fun twist on quesadillas is very flexible and customizable and a great way to start your day! Vegetarian friendly.
Breakfast Quesadilla Ingredients
With just a few base ingredients, this breakfast quesadilla recipe is easy and infinitely customizable.
- Unsalted butter – Used first to cook the eggs, then to toast the tortillas.
- Eggs – The fluffy scrambled eggs in this recipe make these quesadillas filling and perfect for breakfast.
- Tortillas – Do take a stroll down the tortilla aisle. So many types are available today (tomato, spinach, whole grain, gluten-free) — a great way to provide additional variety in this recipe, not to mention fun splashes of color. You’ll warm these in the skillet before filling them to make them softer and more pliable, as well as bring up the flavor.
- Shredded cheese – Use any cheese you like. Some examples: cheddar, Monterey jack, Pepper jack, provolone, Mexican blend, or crumbled feta.
Recipe Variations
Start with scrambled eggs when thinking about the filling — then the sky is the limit in terms of what you might add. Think about cheese, all kinds of vegetables, maybe herbs or spices, perhaps some bacon or sausage (try some of the leaner turkey or chicken varieties). Those so inclined have many vegetarian options for breakfast meats at their disposal.
- Diced avocados or guacamole
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Sliced olives
- Crumbled cooked bacon or sausage
- Black or kidney beans; drained and rinsed
- Minced onions; raw or sautéed
- Raw or sautéed spinach
- Chopped scallions
- Minced bell peppers raw or sautéed
- Roasted bell peppers
Leftovers in the fridge? Oh my yes, add those right in — some sautéed greens, some cooked beans, roasted squash, or shredded pulled pork. Everything can find its way into a breakfast quesadilla. These might be easy enough to pull together on a weekday, but they are surely festive enough for a weekend.
How to Make Breakfast Quesadillas
- Scramble the eggs.
- Assemble the quesadillas: Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in a pan with one of the tortillas. Add some scrambled eggs, whatever add-ins you might be using, and then sprinkle shredded cheese over top. Fold the quesadilla closed.
- Cook: Cook until the bottom of the tortilla is golden brown, then flip. Cook until the other side is also browned. Repeat the assembly and cooking with the rest of the tortillas and filling. Cut into wedges and serve hot.
Get more tips on making perfect quesadillas!
FAQs
No matter what the filling is, I like my quesadillas stuffed to the maximum but not so full they fall apart. For breakfast quesadillas, each one gets 2 eggs worth of scrambled eggs, plus about ¼ cup of adding, plus about ¼ cup of cheese. With too much filling, your quesadillas may be difficult to flip. With a little trial and error, you will find the perfect balance for you.
You can cook any quesadilla in the oven. Just bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, flip, and bake another 5 minutes. For breakfast quesadillas, baking may cause the eggs to overcook, so just cook them a little bit less at the beginning. Scramble them just until set, but still runny. Then top the tortillas as usual and bake. The eggs will firm up more in the oven.
Because the eggs are so mild in flavor, the cheese is where you can really make your quesadillas shine. The usual quesadilla favorites like Monterey Jack, a Mexican blend, or cheddar all work great. You can also mix in a more flavorful cheese like provolone, blue cheese, or feta.
What to Serve With Breakfast Quesadillas
More Eggy Breakfast Recipes
- Matzoh Brei
- Fried Egg and Cheese Tostadas
- Baleadas
- Denver Omelet
- Feta and Spinach Omelet
- Huevos Rancheros
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Breakfast Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 6 teaspoon unsalted butter (approximately)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 8 large eggs
- 4 (8-inch) tortillas (any flavor/type)
- ½ cup shredded cheese (such as cheddar, Monterey jack, Pepper jack, provolone, a Mexican blend, or crumbled feta)
Optional Additions
- Diced avocados or guacamole
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa
- Sliced olives
- Crumbled cooked bacon or sausage
- Black or kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- Minced onions (raw or sautéed)
- Raw or sautéed spinach
- Chopped scallions
- Minced bell peppers (raw or sautéed)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs, and scramble them, stirring occasionally but letting the bottom set a bit in between stirs. Stop just barely before they are done to your liking, as they will continue to cook in the quesadilla, and scoop them into a plate.
- Wipe out the skillet, and then heat it again over medium-high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in the skillet, then place one of the flour tortillas in the skillet. Place 1/4 of the scrambled eggs one half of the tortilla, and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of shredded or crumbled cheese over the eggs. You can either call it a day and fold the bare half of the tortilla over the filling or sprinkle over any of the suggested toppings. Use a spatula to fold the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottom of the quesadilla is golden brown. Use the spatula to flip the quesadilla over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the other side is golden brown. Slide from the pan onto a plate, and cut into thirds. Repeat with the remaining butter, tortillas, eggs, and desired fillings, and serve each one hot.
Notes
las Do take a stroll down the tortilla aisle. So many types are available today (tomato, spinach, whole grain, gluten-free) — a great way to provide additional variety in this recipe, not to mention fun splashes of color. You’ll warm these in the skillet before filling them to make them softer and more pliable, as well as bring up the flavor.
