A leftover quesadilla makes for a great snack, lunch, or dinner, especially if you’re not in the mood to cook an entire meal, so knowing how to reheat a quesadilla is a must. Whether you picked upsome quesadillas from your favorite Mexican restaurant or you made them from scratch, you’re going to want them to taste just as amazing as when they were first prepared — warm and gooey on the inside with a crunchy texture on the outside.
Here are the best methods for reheating a quesadilla, plus some tips to keep it crispy and prevent any sogginess.
Can you warm up quesadillas in the microwave?
Microwaves are convenient for heating up food in a hurry and work fine for reheating a burrito or saucy buffalo chicken wings —but the same can’t be said for warming up a quesadilla.
Any food that has a crispy exterior, like a quesadilla or leftover slice of pizza, won’t have the same texture if you reheat it this way. Microwaves don’t circulate heat as well, so they won’t maintain that crunchiness. The end result will be a soggy, limp quesadilla, which isn’t the ideal way to eat any leftover food.
To avoid this, your best bet is to reheat quesadillas in a skillet on the stove or in the oven. Sure, it might take a few extra minutes, but you’ll end up with a quesadilla that’s heated all the way through and super crunchy.
How do you reheat a quesadilla in the oven?
If you can put your hunger on pause for 10 minutes, then this oven method for reheating quesadillas is right up your alley. Carl Hanson, senior editor at Allrecipes, shares his quick technique for reheating a quesadilla in the oven — and it couldn’t be any easier.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the quesadilla on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the tortilla is crisp and the cheese is melted throughout.
- Serve with a side of salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole for dipping.
How do you reheat a quesadilla on the stove?
Jaron from the Foods Guy has an easy trick for reheating a quesadilla on the stove: Flip it a few times on each side with a spatula as it cooks rather than just once or twice. This allows for it to heat evenly all the way through and prevents it from burning on one side. Once you learn how to reheat a quesadilla on the stove, it just might become your go-to method!
- Place a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add a thin layer of vegetable or olive oil.
- Heat the oil in the skillet for a few minutes.
- Add the quesadilla to the pan and heat each side for no longer than one minute at a time. If one side looks like its browning too fast, flip it, and reduce the heat.
- Tip: If the quesadilla is filled with a lot of ingredients, cover the skillet with a lid to create an oven-like setting that helps it reheat faster. Still make sure you flip it once every 60 seconds.
- After flipping it a few times, your quesadilla will be reheated in a matter of minutes and ready to enjoy.
How do you keep quesadillas from getting soggy?
Warming quesadillas in the microwave isn’t the only way they can end up soggy. According to chef Michael Schlow, one of the most common mistakes that we make when cooking and reheating quesadillas is simply not eating them right away. The cheese starts to harden and the tortilla loses its crispy texture the longer it sits on a plate at room temperature — ruining all the work you put into reheating it perfectly.
You can prevent this by giving it just a couple of minutes to cool down slightly after it comes out of the oven or skillet and then digging in. This ensures that you can enjoy your quesadilla while it’s a little hot and crunchy without it burning the roof of your mouth. Plus, you don’t have to worry about it losing its prized texture before you devour it.
How do you keep quesadillas warm and crispy?
Of course, there are those times when you can’t eat your reheated quesadillas immediately. Maybe you’re feeding the whole family and don’t want the food to get cold and soggy by the time they get to the table.
A tip from Martha Stewart can help. If you already used the oven to reheat your quesadillas, you can leave them there (or pop them back in) and turn the heat down to 300 degrees Fahrenheit until everyone’s ready to eat.
This temperature is gentle enough to keep the quesadillas crunchy and heated throughout without causing them to burn. You can do the same thing if you reheated them in a skillet by transferring each one to a baking sheet and into the oven as soon as they’re finished cooking in the pan.
Want to add to your repertoire of leftovers that are just as delicious to enjoy the next day? Check out our guides for how to reheat crab legs, how to reheat lasagna, and how to reheat ribs!
FAQs
Preheat your oven to around 350°F (175°C). If the quesadilla is large, you can cut it into smaller wedges for even heating. Place the quesadilla on a baking sheet or an oven-safe dish. Reheat the quesadilla in the oven for about 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the tortilla is crispy.
How to keep quesadillas warm and crispy? ›
Preheat the oven to 300°F which is just enough to keep them warm without cooking them more. I once accidentally preheated the oven to 350°F and it made the quesadillas slightly puffy and extra crispy. My girls actually loved them this way, too.
Can I make quesadillas ahead of time and reheat? ›
Enjoy hot, or allow to cool for a few minutes, cut into wedges and place in a container before refrigerating. These hearty quesadillas are good cold and can be reheated.
How do you fix a soggy quesadilla? ›
Place a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add a thin layer of vegetable or olive oil. Heat the oil in the skillet for a few minutes. Add the quesadilla to the pan and heat each side for no longer than one minute at a time.
How do you keep quesadillas from getting soggy for lunch? ›
Packing crispy food like chicken nuggets, fries, or quesadillas? Make sure to put a paper towel in the bottom to absorb moisture and avoid soggy nuggets!
How to make leftover quesadillas crispy? ›
Preheat your oven to around 350°F (175°C). If the quesadilla is large, you can cut it into smaller wedges for even heating. Place the quesadilla on a baking sheet or an oven-safe dish. Reheat the quesadilla in the oven for about 5-8 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the tortilla is crispy.
Are quesadillas good the next day? ›
Have you ever made quesadillas, let them cool, then put them into the fridge or freezer for another day? You should do this. They are perfect for your Make-Ahead Lunch Box.
How do you reheat tortillas like restaurants? ›
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Wrap your tortillas in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until fully heated through. We find that stacks of 6-8 tortillas or fewer works best. If you have more tortillas than this, you can do multiple packs at the same time.
How do you reheat quesadillas in foil? ›
Oven or Toaster oven: Put the quesadilla on the tray and bake at about 325 to 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. If you cover with aluminum foil, keep it loose so the tortillas stay crispy.
Do quesadillas make good leftovers? ›
Quesadillas are a quick and easy way to make leftovers tasty. You can make these in a sandwich press, oven, or a frying pan.
Too much fat will make your quesadilla soggy instead of crispy. Use just enough to coat the bottom of your skillet — about 1/2 teaspoon of butter or oil. Warm it in the skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the tortilla and top with cheese.
How do you crisp a soggy tortilla? ›
To make tortillas crispy on the stove, you can either fry them in a skillet or bake them in the oven. For frying, preheat a skillet with a small amount of oil, cook the tortillas until blistering but still soft, flip and fold to form taco shells or continue cooking for flat tostadas until golden and crisp.
Should a quesadilla be crunchy or soft? ›
The quesadilla is crispy on the outside without being hard, and it's moist on the inside, the melted cheese providing a contrast. You need really good melting cheese and good tortillas. Aside from the flavors, you've got to pay attention to the mouthfeel: it's crispy then creamy then soft then crispy-crunchy.
How to send a quesadilla for lunch? ›
Grill the quesadilla for 3 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt, flip and grill for another 3 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Remove the quesadilla from heat, and allow it to cool down to room temperature before cutting into 3 triangles and packing it into a lunch container.
Should you use oil or butter for quesadillas? ›
The third rule is to cook your quesadillas in oil instead of butter. I opt for butter over oil whenever possible, but this is one case where oil is better: Butter contains water, which means that your quesadillas will turn out damp and floppy.
How do you keep crispy food warm for a party? ›
Oven-warming for long-lasting crunch: To keep crispy dishes warm in the oven without compromising texture, place them on a wire rack and bake at 170 to 200 degrees. This method preserves the crunch for about 15 to 20 minutes, ensuring no crispness is lost when served.
How to keep a quesadilla hot? ›
PRO TIP – HOW TO KEEP FOOD WARM WHEN IT DOESN'T FIT IN A THERMOS: If you want to pack hot lunches that don't fit in a thermos, like taquitos, grilled cheese, burgers, pizza, bean burritos, or quesadillas, warm the food in the microwave, stove-top, or oven, then wrap the food in aluminum foil.
How do you keep quesadillas together? ›
And make sure there is cheese swathing your add-ons on both sides. Cheese is the glue holding your quesadilla together, and if you fail to sprinkle some beneath and on top of your other ingredients, your quesadilla will fall apart.
How to keep quesadillas from burning? ›
Avoid using too high heat; it will only make your quesadilla burn instead of cooking faster. Put the tortilla on the grill. Make sure that the grill is clean, so that the charcoal doesn't transfer to the tortilla.
