Refried bean quesadilla: Easy vegan lunch

Refried bean quesadilla with non-dairy cheese makes lunch a breeze. A simple spread of refried beans + a sprinkling of vegan cheese on toasted tortillas = a fast & filling lunch the whole family will love. 

Refried bean quesadillas are one of my favorites whenever I’m trying to think of an easy lunch, dinner, or even breakfast. They’re so simple to make, really fast, and always tasty.

Plus, I’m a fan of any food that lends itself to dipping, splashing on hot sauce, or piling on avocado and jalapeño pepper slices.

The three most important ingredients in a refried bean quesadilla are tortillas, vegan refried beans, and non-dairy cheese.

And while a quesadilla is supposed to have “queso” in it, that’s one part I sometimes skip. In truth, once you’ve loaded a tortilla with flavorful refried beans, toasted it between tortillas, and then covered it in toppings, you can hardly tell if there’s any non-dairy cheese underneath all of that.

So I leave that to you. If you’re feeling like having some non-dairy cheese in your quesadilla, by all means, go for it. But if you want to skip a step, my bet is you’ll hardly notice the difference.

How to make it

Start by slathering a tortilla with refried beans. Pinto or refried black beans work well here. I prefer to use homemade.

And by the way, refried beans freeze well. So I recommend making a double batch. Then freeze half for quick lunches like this one.

But if you have a canned or pre-made refried beans brand that you like, use that instead.

Add a sprinkling of shredded non-dairy cheddar cheese on top, if using. I used Daiya home-style cheddar block that I shredded by hand.

(You can see a picture of the packaging in my post on the best vegan cheese for your every need. They also have pre-shredded cheddar in bags, but I’m not a fan. Their block is a lot better.)

Then top the quesadilla with a second tortilla. Toast in a dry skillet on medium heat until it’s nice and brown on one side. Flip it, and brown the other side.

Remove the tortilla from the skillet. Then cut the quesadilla into triangles with a knife or kitchen shears.

Serve with your choice of guacamole, avocado, salsa, jalapeño pepper slices, and/or hot sauce.

Make it your own

It’s easy to make a refried bean quesadilla your own by swapping out the type of beans you’re using as the filling.

Simply replace the refried pinto beans with any of the following:

• Refried black beans
• Easy hummus recipe with no cheese
• Buffalo hummus with non-dairy blue cheese
• Sun-dried tomato hummus with non-dairy mozzarella or no cheese
• Kalamata olive hummus with non-dairy feta or no cheese (I’m a fan of Violife vegan feta)

In addition, you can add other things to your bean quesadilla, depending on the filling you choose.

Add any of the following fillings:

• Add avocado, salsa, and/or cilantro to refried pinto or black bean quesadillas
• Add grilled artichoke hearts to easy hummus or kalamata olive hummus quesadillas & serve dolmas on the side
• Add sliced green onions to buffalo hummus quesadillas
• Add thin slices of mushrooms or vegan pepperoni to sun-dried tomato hummus quesadillas

Refried bean quesadilla (vegan)

This fast, filling, and easy lunch comes together in minutes. Serve with guacamole or salsa for dipping.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan

Keyword: easy lunch, kid friendly, non-dairy quesadilla

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

Servings: 1 quesadilla

Calories: 268kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tortillas
• ▢ 1/4 cup vegan refried beans
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon grated non-dairy cheddar cheese
• ▢ guacamole avocado, salsa, hot sauce, and/or jalapeno pepper slices (optional)

Instructions

• ▢
  Bring skillet to a medium heat. Slather tortilla with vegan refried beans. Top with a sprinkling of non-dairy cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining tortilla, and place into warm skillet.
• ▢
  Cook quesadilla on one side, until it is nice and toasty brown. This will take about 3 minutes. Then flip it and cook about two minutes more, until toasty brown on the other side.
• ▢
  Remove from skillet and cut into triangles. Serve on its own, or with your choice of guacamole, avocado, salsa, hot sauce, and/or jalapeno pepper slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 904mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Here are more vegan quesadilla recipes you’ll enjoy:

• Pierogi-style vegan quesadilla with ranch
• Vegan breakfast quesadilla
• Veggie quesadilla with apples & caramelized onions