Mini Quesadillas with Bacon and Jalapeños

Mini Quesadillas with Bacon and Jalapeños are crispy, cheesy and easy to make. They’re a perfect dinner, appetizer or snack!

The savory flavor of bacon pairs so well with the spicy jalapeños and the melted cheddar and Jack cheese. Make them with mini flour tortillas and they’ll be easy to pick up and eat, or you can cut them to serve as a popular party appetizer.

We fry them in a mixture of vegetable oil and bacon fat, which makes the quesadillas extra crispy, golden brown, and SO tasty. You will LOVE this flavor combination!

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Contents

Want to get right to the good stuff? Click any of these headings to jump ahead:

1. Why You’ll Love This Recipe
2. Ingredients and Substitutions
3. Equipment Needed
4. Instructions – How to Make Quesadillas on the Stove
5. Pro Recipe Tips
6. Recipe Variations
7. How to Store Leftovers
8. How to Reheat Quesadillas
9. How Many Calories in Bacon Cheese Quesadillas?
10. Can Quesadillas Be Baked in the Oven?
11. Can Quesadillas Be Frozen?
12. What Are Good Sides for Quesadillas?
13. More Tasty Bacon Snack Recipes
14. Recipe
15. Save for Later

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These crave-worth quesadillas are crispy, golden brown and so tasty!
• They can be assembled and cooked in minutes, making them the perfect party food, meal or snack.
• You can make them with spicy or mild peppers according to your taste buds.
• The addition of bacon fat with the cooking oil gives these quesadillas extra-good flavor. You’ll go hog wild for the combination of bacon, jalapeños and cheese!
• They freeze well, so you can easily store leftovers and have a hot, tasty quesadilla in minutes! See freezing and reheating directions below.

Ingredients and Substitutions

From top, these are the ingredients you’ll need to prepare these quesadillas. Be sure to check out the recipe for exact directions and quantities.

Mini flour tortillas – Small flour tortillas are best for this recipe. I used Mission 4.5-inch Street Taco tortillas. If you can’t find them, you can use regular 6-inch tortillas and make 4 larger quesadillas.

Shredded cheese – I used a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, but feel free to use your favorite melty cheese.

Bacon fat – A little bacon grease in the skillet adds such good flavor. Here’s how to render and save bacon fat.

Cooked, crumbled bacon – Regular or thick-sliced bacon works well for this recipe. You can either chop the bacon in small pieces after cooking it, or crumble it finely.

Vegetable oil – We like peanut oil for frying, but you can use any neutral vegetable oil.

Jalapeños – For milder flavor, you can use Anaheim chiles. For spicier flavor, you can use Serrano peppers; just be aware that they’re about five times hotter than jalapeños.

Equipment Needed

You won’t need any fancy equipment to cook these easy quesadillas:

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Large skillet
• Pastry brush (we use these silicone pastry brushes in the BENSA test kitchen)
• Spatula – for flipping the quesadillas.

Instructions – How to Make Quesadillas on the Stove

STEP ONE: To begin, sprinkle two small flour tortillas evenly with shredded cheese. I used a Colby-Jack blend for this batch, but you can use your favorite melty cheese.

STEP TWO: Next, sprinkle one tortilla with bacon bits and the other with chopped jalapeños.

STEP THREE: Brush the skillet with half oil and half bacon grease.

Heat over medium-high heat and add the tortillas, plain side down.

STEP FOUR: Cook until golden brown. Flip one tortilla on top of the other.

Remove from skillet, and blot any excess grease with paper towels.

STEP FIVE: Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 6 mini quesadillas. Serve warm.

You can also cut the quesadillas in quarters and serve as an appetizer.

Arrange the cut quesadillas on a serving platter.

Serve warm with salsa and enjoy!

Pro Recipe Tips

Get the freshest tortillas you can, or make your own flour tortillas. The fresher your tortillas are, the tastier your quesadillas will be.

After frying the quesadillas, blot them gently with paper towels to remove any excess grease before serving.

Recipe Variations

Bacon Chicken Ranch Quesadillas – Sprinkle some finely chopped cooked chicken on the flour tortillas along with the bacon and jalapeño. Then sprinkle with a little ranch dip or dressing mix for added flavor. Proceed with the recipe and enjoy!

Mini Quesadillas with Corn Tortillas – Simply substitute your favorite corn tortillas for the mini flour tortillas in this recipe. We love this variation!

How to Store Leftovers

Any uneaten quesadillas can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just make sure they don’t sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Can Quesadillas be Frozen?

Yes! Quesadillas can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months. I like to wrap them in plastic wrap or Press & Seal, and then put them in a zip-lock bag before freezing. To thaw, put the package in the refrigerator overnight and they’ll be ready to reheat in about 8 hours.

How to Reheat Quesadillas

The best methods for reheating quesadillas are on a pan in the oven or in a skillet on the stove. 

In the oven, preheat to 325 degrees F. Arrange the quesadillas on a baking sheet. Reheat until the tortillas are hot and crispy, and the cheese is starting to melt, about 8 to 10 minutes, flipping over once during cooking.

Reheat on the stove in a skillet over medium heat. You can use a nonstick skillet or spray a regular skillet with a little nonstick cooking spray before adding the quesadilla. Cook until hot, flip, and keep cooking until cheese starts to melt, about 5 minutes total.

How Many Calories in Bacon Cheese Quesadillas?

Each cooked mini quesadilla has approximately 250 calories.

Can Quesadillas be Baked in the Oven?

Yes! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and brush a heavy baking sheet with oil and bacon fat. Assemble the tortillas with cheese, bacon and jalapeños according to the recipe.

Arrange them on the sheet pan and bake until the bottoms of the tortillas are browned and the cheese is melted.

Use a spatula to flip the cheese and jalapeño topped tortilla onto the cheese and bacon topped tortilla. Press the two tortillas together, blot with paper towels and serve.

What Are Good Sides for Quesadillas?

Fresh guacamole, a green salad, Spanish rice, and refried beans all go well with these quesadillas.

Or you can serve them for lunch or dinner with a salad or soup, such as our popular Cream of Bacon Soup.

More Tasty Bacon Snack Recipes

• Craving more bacon snacks? Check out our roundup of 20 Game Day Appetizers with Bacon.
• These Bacon Parmesan Crackers are always a popular party offering.
• Tater Tots with Bacon and Cheese never fail to please!

Here’s the full, printable mini cheese quesadillas recipe:

Got questions? Just ask! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this Mini Quesadillas recipe, I’d be thrilled if you clicked the little stars above and gave the recipe a 5-star rating.

You might also enjoy the Mini Quesadillas web story for this recipe.

If you post your creations on social media, tag #BENSABaconLovers so I can share! Thank you for your support. – Eliza

Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.

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