Vegan Quesadillas

Vegan Quesadillas

This vegan quesadilla recipe is a plant-based meal that you can enjoy with your favorite guacamole or salsa!

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Vegan quesadillas have been on my mind a lot lately. The best thing about any quesadilla, in my opinion, is the tasty cheese that melts throughout . Of course, this vegetarian quesadilla recipe uses no cheese but it does use a vegan cheese replacement that makes a great vegan substitute for queso! And no, it’s not a store-bought vegan cheese. It’s a 100% plant-based, homemade queso made with simple ingredients!

The secret to this tasty vegan quesadilla lies in the homemade vegan queso, and in the vegan taco meat. This vegan taco meat recipe is an all-time favorite of mine, because it tastes great and can be used in so many things. The full recipe for the vegan taco meat and vegan queso are below. Of course, you can also customize your quesadillas with additional ingredients like beans and veggies. I added some quick-cooked onions, garlic, and peppers to mine!

What are these vegan quesadillas made of?

This vegan quesadilla consists of two main parts: queso and taco ‘meat’. The full ingredients are below, but generally you will need:

Vegan Queso

• Potato

• Carrots

• Nutritional Yeast

• Non-dairy milk

• Spices

Vegan ‘Taco Meat’

• Lentils

• Quinoa

• Nutritional Yeast

• Salsa

• Spices

Do I need any special equipment to make these vegan quesadillas?

You will need a food processor or a blender to make the vegan queso. Here is a link to the one I use.

How do you make vegan queso?

First, start out by boiling a chopped potato and two chopped carrots together on a stove for about 12 minutes. Drain, and add them to to a food processor along with some nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, and spices. Blend until completely smooth.

Use this queso to make your vegan quesadillas, or for other vegan Mexican-inspired meals!

How do you make the vegan taco meat?

This recipe is very easy, too! First, preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a baking sheet with non-stock spray. Combine the cooked lentils, cooked quinoa, nutritional yeast, salsa, and spices together in a small bowl. Spread them across the baking sheet and cook for about 30 minutes, until lightly toasted.

Use this vegetarian ‘ground beef’ to make your vegan quesadillas, or for other vegan Mexican-inspired meals!

Recipe

Prep Time: 30 mins / Cook Time: 30 mins / Yield: 1-2 quesadillas

INGREDIENTS

Vegan Queso

• 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

• 3/4 c plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk

• 1/3 c nutritional yeast

• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tsp EACH of salt, onion powder, garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• pinch of pepper, paprika

Vegan Taco Meat

• 1 c lentils, cooked

• 1 c quinoa, cooked

• 1/4 c salsa

• 1/4 c nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp EACH chili powder, cumin, coriander

• pinch of salt, pepper, paprika

Assembly

• Tortillas

• Cooked onions, garlic, peppers, and veggies (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Vegan Queso

1. Place the chopped potatoes and carrots in a large pot. Cover with water by 1" inch.

2. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until fork-tender.

3. Drain, and place the veggies in a large blender or food processor. Add the non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, vinegar, and all of the seasonings. Blend until completely smooth.

4. This will make about 1 1/2 c vegan cheese.

Vegan Taco Meat

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Assembly

1. Spread some of the vegan cheese on one side of a tortilla. Press the vegan taco meat on top, and add any additions that you like (onions, veggies, peppers). Top with a second tortilla.

2. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a skillet and heat over a medium flame. Add the quesadilla to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side.

3. Remove from the skillet, slice and serve with some additional salsa!