Vegan Quesadillas Recipe (Easy, Veggie Packed!)
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.Gooey vegan cheese, crispy tortillas and a spicy mix of hearty veggies make these vegan quesadillas the BEST you’ll ever eat! Ready in just 30 minutes, these are super easy, healthy and absolutely delicious!

Are you a fan of quesadillas? When we’re in the mood for something quick, easy, but healthy, we always resort to veggie quesadillas. Loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients, this vegan quesadilla recipe is definitely worth trying and will probably become one of your favorite quesadilla recipes!
Made with sweet butternut squash and hearty, tender kale, this is a healthy vegetarian Mexican recipe that’s ready in just 30 minutes!
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These easy cheesy quesadillas are an elevated version of comfort food, and brings any lunch or dinner to the next level. They are perfect for lunchbox lunches, meal prep, and even camping.
You can also adapt this recipe however you like! I like to use a variety of my favorite veggies, mix up the spices for different flavors, and try different filling ingredients for this veggie quesadilla recipe every time I make it! I start with butternut squash and kale, and then add in leafy greens, an assortment of beans, bright sweet potatoes, and so much more!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Healthy: These delicious vegan quesadillas are healthy because they are loaded with bright and flavorful veggies! Packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, this is a dish you can feel good about eating.
- Easy to Make: This recipe is perfect for busy nights because it’s so simple to prepare! Just a few simple steps and you’ve got lunch or dinner ready in minutes.
- Versatile: These vegan quesadillas are super versatile because you can switch up the ingredients, filling and tortillas any way you like! Pack them full of your favorite fresh herbs, vegetables, beans, and so much more!
- Kid-Friendly: These easy vegan quesadilla recipe is totally kid-friendly! It’s also a great way to sneak in a bunch of extra veggies into your child’s diet. Quesadillas are perfect for kids meals because they are quick, yummy, and kids will love the small finger food pieces of their favorite quesadillas.
🥘 Ingredients
You may already have these basic ingredients, but if not, you can easily find them at your local grocery store!

- Onion & Garlic: We used one diced red onion and freshly minced garlic for its pungent flavor.
- Butternut Squash: We used frozen butternut squash cubes to cut down on the prep time, but feel free to use fresh butternut squash.
- Kale: We also used frozen kale for this recipe, but you can easily use fresh kale.
- Seasoning and Spices: You will need a variety of seasonings such as salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and crushed red pepper. Feel free to add garlic powder too!
- Whole Wheat Tortillas: We used whole grain tortillas because they are filled with complex carbohydrates, making it a healthy carb. But you can use whichever type of tortilla you would like!
- Dairy-Free Cheese: The perfect addition to these quesadillas, you can use your choice of favorite vegan cheese! In our opinion, the best vegan cheeses for quesadillas is any type of dairy-free cheddar cheese or you can make your own homemade cashew cheese with raw cashews. For store brands, we like Field Roast, Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill or Violife cheeses.
🍽 Equipment
📖 Variations
- Add Beans: Make these vegan quesadillas with black beans for an extra protein boost! You can also use pinto beans, refried beans, or even white beans for this recipe.
- No Cheese: You can easily make a vegan quesadilla without cheese, you’ll just need to substitute in a binding ingredient to help these quesadillas hold together! Instead of cheese, try hummus or guacamole!
- Different Veggies: Use up any veggies you have in your fridge for this recipe! You can make sweet potato quesadillas by substituting roasted sweet potato instead of the butternut squash, try baby spinach instead of kale, or add in bell peppers, sweet corn, zucchini and anything else you like!
🔪 Instructions
Follow these step by step photos to make the best vegan quesadillas every time!
Sauté the Veggies: First, heat a large skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat with some olive oil. Sauté the garlic and onion until translucent.

Add the Veggies and Spices: Add the veggies and saute for 3-5 minutes. Once the veggies have defrosted, add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, and crushed red pepper (if you want).

Assemble the Quesadilla: Finally, assemble the quesadilla! Take one tortilla and sprinkle the vegan cheese over half of the tortilla. If you want cheeseless quesadillas, then leave the cheese off! Top with the quesadilla filling (butternut squash and kale mixture) and more vegan cheese if using it.

Cook: Next, fold the traditional quesadilla into a half-moon shape. Spray the large skillet with cooking spray and turn the heat to medium to medium-high heat. Cook the quesadilla until golden brown, then flip and cook on the second side until you have a golden brown and slightly crispy tortilla. Repeat with the second tortilla.

Cool Down: Remove the quesadilla from the pan and turn off the heat. Allow the quesadilla to cool before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

❓ Recipe FAQs
Most quesadillas are actually not vegan, but these quesadillas are! As long as you aren’t using any animal products or by-products (dairy, meat) in these quesadillas, then they are vegan!
While dairy free cheese is a great option to make cheesy healthy vegan quesadillas, you may not like the taste or feel of vegan cheese. In that case, you just need an ingredient that helps bind the other ingredients together so that the quesadilla will stick together. Try hummus, refried beans, guacamole or mashed avocado, or tahini!
All types of large tortillas can be used for quesadillas such such as spinach tortillas, whole-wheat flour tortillas, corn tortillas, etc., gluten free tortillas, chia and quinoa tortillas, etc. Note: vegans can have tortillas since most tortillas are vegan. Just make sure to always read the ingredients list to make sure there aren’t any animal products in the preservatives.
The key to a crispy quesadilla is not overfilling your tortilla, and using less fat in the pan! I like using an olive oil cooking spray to get my grill pan completely coated but not too greasy. Also make sure to cook the quesadilla low and slow – don’t turn the heat up too fast and allow the cheese to melt and the tortilla to cook slowly. This way, you’ll end up with a crispy, not soggy, quesadilla every time!
🧊 How to Store
- Refrigerator: Allow the quesadillas to cool down, then store them in an airtight storage container. Place in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Freezer: Once the leftover quesadillas have cooled completely down, then transfer them to a freezer-safe storage container or bag. Label the bag with the date and contents and store it for three to four months!
- Reheat: When ready to reheat these vegan quesadillas, transfer them to the refrigerator thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat the quesadillas in a skillet on the stovetop. You can also reheat in the oven at 350 degrees: Transfer the quesadillas to a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper and place in the oven for 5 minutes or until warmed through.
👨👩👧 Serving Suggestions
Serve with your favorite toppings and sides such as fresh cilantro, a dollop of vegan sour cream, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, lime juice, or pico de gallo, guacamole, and salsa. You can serve these quesadillas as your main Mexican dish with refried beans, nachos, salads, soups, vegan cheese sauce with chips, and so much more.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use frozen veggies for ease and convenience. You can use fresh kale in the place of frozen if you like, but if you use fresh squash you will have to adjust the cooking time!
- If you like things spicy, add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or your favorite spicy taco seasoning.
- Cut these quesadillas with a pizza cutter for an easier way of preparing them.
- Adjust the temperature to low heat if needed to prevent overcooking the tortillas.
- If you’re on a gluten-free diet, then use gluten-free tortillas.

🍲 More Mexican and Vegan Recipes!
- Black Bean Tostadas
- Tamale Cakes
- BBQ Jackfruit Burrito Bowl
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Vegan Guacamole
- 50 Beginner Vegan Recipes
If you have tried these vegan quesadillas, or any other recipe on my blog, then please leave it a star rating and let me know how it turned out in the comments below the recipe card! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Vegan Quesadillas with Butternut Squash and Kale
Ingredients
- 4 Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
- 8 ounces Frozen Butternut Squash cubes
- 8 ounces Frozen Kale
- 1 red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup vegan cheese you'll use ¼ cup per quesadilla; can be omitted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper optional, if you like things on the spicier side
Instructions
- First, heat a large skillet over medium-heat with a tablespoon of oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent.
- Next, add the butternut squash and kale, sauté until cooked through.
- Once the veggies have defrosted, add in all of the spices (salt through ground coriander; or through crushed red pepper flakes – if using). Cook for another ten minutes until all of the ingredients have combined and the squash is slightly soft.
- Assemble the quesadilla! Take one flour tortilla and sprinkle 1/8 cup of vegan cheese on half of the tortilla. Top with ¼ of the butternut squash/kale mixture, then top again with 1/8 cup of cheese.
- Spray a skillet with cooking spray and brown your quesadilla on both sides until golden brown and slightly crispy.
- Let the quesadilla cool for a couple minutes after removing from the pan, then slice and serve with your choice of toppings.
Notes
- Use frozen veggies for ease and convenience. You can use fresh kale in the place of frozen if you like, but if you use fresh squash you will have to cook it first!
- If you like things spicy, add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or your favorite spicy taco seasoning.
- Cut these quesadillas with a pizza cutter for an easier way of preparing them.
- Adjust the temperature to low heat if needed to prevent overcooking the tortillas.
- For an extra protein boost, make black bean quesadillas with any bean mixture with pinto beans or black beans!
- If you’re on a gluten-free diet, then use gluten-free tortillas.
Nutrition
Anjali Shah
Fantastic quesadillas! I can easily try these over the weekend – everyone just loves them!
Yay!! So happy to hear that Mahy!
What a great looking dish! Adding this to my dinner line up for the week; looks too good to pass up!
Thanks Sara!! Keep me posted on how it turns out!
I love this healthier version of quesadillas! This recipe will be perfect for Meatless Mondays!
Yay!! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe Lauren!
I love all the vegetables and spices packed into these quesadillas! They come together so easily too. Definitely perfect for weeknights.
Thank you so much Tara! So glad you liked these!
Hi Anjali! I stumbled across your blog this past weekend, and I want you to know that I am so excited about these recipes!! We tried this one tonight, and it was fantastic. I’m looking forward to trying the others. Thank you!
Hi Kristen! Thanks so much – it’s so great to “meet” you!! And I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes – thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Made this tonight with the busband and we both loved it! Unique take on quesadillas, will def make again. congrats on the new addition!
Oh awesome!! I’m so glad you liked this recipe Jess! 🙂 And thanks for the well wishes!!
This looks perfect for tonight.
Great!! Keep me posted on how it turns out!
Looks delicious, Anjali! Can’t wait to try it out. Butternut squash definitely seems to be the veggie of the month- all my favorite food blogs- including yours- have posted amazing recipes with it!
Thanks Olivia!! I’m totally into butternut squash right now — it’s one of my favorite veggies of the season 🙂 You’ll have to let me know if you end up trying this recipe! Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
just letting you know we tried these- they are amazing!! Lol in true indian style i didn’t follow the spices proportion exactly as specified, but still turned out great! THe tortillas you recommended from trader joes are great, just the right texture. Now i’m hoping my kid will eat some tomorrow… here is hoping!! I was bummed our whole foods doesn’t carry the butternut squash you recommended, but i just microwaved the 365 brand organic with a little water for a few mins before sauteeing and it worked really well. Thank you!!
Yayy!! I’m so happy to hear that Nina!! And yeahh – I love those tortillas from Trader Joe’s – I use them for everything! 🙂 Good tip for the butternut squash substitution too 🙂 Let me know how your kid likes it!!
YAY!!!!! I cannot wait to try this squash recipe! This looks really yummy-licious! I have never tried frozen kale but love the taste of it! Thanks for always having healthy and creative recipes!
Thanks Eisha!! I’m sure you will love this recipe 🙂 And the best part is — the frozen kale, once it’s cooked, tastes just like fresh kale!
That looks very delicious. The looks really add to the appetite. Don’t they? 🙂
Thanks Sharath! And yes absolutely – you eat with your eyes first!
Hi Anjali,
It’s Janhavi! I love your blog! Anytime I am looking for a quick, healthy dinner recipe, this is my go-to resource! These quesadillas were delcious! I didn’t use frozen squash though… had no idea that squash takes so long to cook! Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Janhavi!! Awww thanks so much!! It’s so great to hear from you! I hope you’re doing well 🙂 Ohhh so yeah – if you don’t use frozen squash it will take FOREVER to cook! Fresh butternut squash can take up to 30 minutes to cook – depending on how you cook it (e.g. 30ish minutes for roasting in the oven, 20ish minutes for cooking on the stovetop – less if you cover the pot – but then it won’t get caramelized as well). That’s another reason why I used the frozen squash in this recipe! So no, you probably didn’t do anything wrong — you just have to adjust the cooking time if you’re using fresh butternut squash. Hope that helps!
I love using frozen kale so much more than spinach!
Yess me too!! The texture is so much better! Frozen spinach can get mushy sometimes.
I’ll try to make it. It seems delicious, simple and very nutritive!
Thanks Rejane!! It is super easy to make so I’m sure you will have no problem recreating it at home! 🙂 Enjoy!