These Mexican-inspired vegan quesadillas with black beans are perfect for lunch, dinner, a side dish, or a filling snack! The recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and super easy to make.
Cheesy Vegan Black Bean Quesadillas
Serve me some good vegan quesadillas, and we are friends, lol. Seriously, quesadillas are life! I was addicted to cheese before I went vegan, and that’s why I get so excited when I create a new vegan cheesy deliciousness. And this is one of them!
You have to give this recipe a try if you don’t believe me, it’s really that good. These black bean quesadillas are dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and everything is homemade from scratch, even the vegan cheese, and the tortillas. No strange ingredients which you can’t pronounce!
Filling ingredients for Mexican-inspired vegan quesadillas
The great thing about quesadillas is that you can get creative. You can make them with vegan cheese only, or you can also add your favorite veggies. I love to add fried veggies, and my favorite ones are:
- Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Corn
- Onion
- Garlic
I also love to add legumes such as black beans (or kidney beans) because they are healthy and contain plant-based protein.
Which vegan cheese?
As mentioned before, I normally make everything from scratch because of two reasons. Either I can’t buy great vegan products in the store, or I don’t want to buy them because they contain lots of unhealthy ingredients. Therefore, I used my popular easy vegan cheese sauce for this recipe.
I added 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk powder, which helps to make the sauce thicker and hold the tortilla together. You can leave out the psyllium husk powder if you don’t have it, the cheese sauce will still taste great, but it will be runnier.
My vegan cheese sauce recipe is ready in 3 minutes, it’s furthermore nut-free (no cashews!), soy-free, and tasty.
However, if you don’t want to make your own vegan cheese sauce, you can simply use your favorite store-bought vegan cheese. I would recommend vegan mozzarella or vegan cheddar cheese. I also shared a firm vegan cheese on my blog before, maybe you want to check it out.
How to make vegan quesadillas
When I crave some delicious cheesy “finger food” I’ll make these vegan quesadillas because the recipe is so simple. You just need to fry and season your favorite veggies, make the cheese sauce (or use store-bought cheese), and have your tortillas ready.
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Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, onion, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms, and sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the corn, black beans, and spice mix and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
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Make a batch of my vegan cheese sauce and spread some of it in an even layer on one tortilla. You can use any other vegan cheese of choice.
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Add a layer of the veggie mixture (about 2-4 tbsp) and place another tortilla on top.
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Transfer to a (lightly oiled) skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Brush the top with a little oil, flip, and cook from the other side until both sides are nicely browned and toasty.
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Repeat steps for the remaining tortillas. Cut into 4 pieces and enjoy hot!
I make my own gluten-free tortillas with chickpea flour and tapioca flour because I cannot buy gluten-free tortillas in the store. In my opinion, they taste even better than wheat tortillas, but you can, of course, use any store-bought tortillas of choice.
How To Serve
- Serve on its own as a delicious quick snack.
- Serve as a side with vegan tomato soup, vegan broccoli cheese soup, vegan tortilla soup, Mexican pinto bean soup, or roasted cauliflower soup.
- Enjoy with different dips and spreads like refried beans, onion dip, vegan spinach artichoke dip, or this Yum Yum sauce.
- Serve with this Mexican avocado salad or a vegan Buddha bowl.
FAQs and Tips
- Can I use different veggies? Even though these are Mexican-inspired vegan quesadillas, you can use your favorite vegetables. Some examples are roasted cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potato, and eggplant.
- I used gluten-free soy sauce, but feel free to use tamari or coconut aminos.
- You can use canned black beans or cook them from dry. Also, I used fresh corn from the cob, but frozen corn or canned corn is fine too.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with a lid. Freezing should work fine too.
Should you give this vegan quesadilla recipe a try, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see them.
If you like vegan cheese dishes, definitely also check out the following dairy-free, gluten-free recipes:
- Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Cheesy Rice And Bean Casserole
- Vegan Calzone Recipe
- Crispy Spinach Tacos
- Healthy Vegan Mac And Cheese
Vegan Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 6 tortillas (I used homemade GF)
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
- 2/3 cup black beans cooked from dry, or canned
- 1/2 cup corn fresh, frozen, or canned
- 1 tbsp oil divided
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp (ground) oregano
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/3 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 batch vegan cheese sauce (see notes)
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a pan, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, onion, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms. Fry over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the corn, black beans, and spice mix, and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
- Make a batch of my easy vegan cheese sauce and spread some of it in an even layer on one tortilla. You can use any other vegan cheese of choice.
- Add a layer of the veggie mixture (about 2-4 tbsp) and place another tortilla on top.
- Transfer to a (lightly oiled) skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Brush the top lightly with some oil, flip and cook from the other side until both sides are nicely browned and toasty.
- Repeat steps for the remaining tortillas. Cut into 4 pieces and enjoy hot!
Notes
- Vegan cheese sauce: I added 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk powder which helps to make the sauce thicker and hold the tortilla together. You can leave out the psyllium husk powder if you don't have it, the cheese sauce will still taste great.
- Recipe serves 6. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Fantastic! Every recipe of yours that I try is soooooooooooo amazing! Thank you for creating and posting your food art! 🙂
Hi Sheryl, thanks so much for your amazing feedback, I appreciate it! 🙂
This was SO GOOD! I made these for meal prepping and I’m already looking forward to tonight so I can have more! I think I’ll just heat them up in the oven 🙂
PS I blended the cheese sauce before heating it up because I couldn’t break up the lumps with a whisk, and it came out super smooth & yummy!
So glad it turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback, Manon. 🙂
These were so delicious, and so easy to put together. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
You are very welcome, Ioleen! Glad they turned out delicious. 🙂
These are on standard rotation at our home and I am always so happy when I make them. The black bean/mushroom combo is so delicious and fills any craving for something savory and filling. I add a few handfuls of chopped spinach at the end to get extra veggies in. If you have time for homemade guac that would be lovely with these. The hardest part is flipping them but I always celebrate when I land one perfectly! The filling is great to have extra of in to make more quesadillas during the week or top a baked potato with. Outstanding recipe. Thank you, Ela!
Aww, that’s awesome, Denise! I am so glad you love them.
Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
My husband and I love this flavor profile, and I don’t think I’ve tried a better nacho ‘cheese’! I love this and will add it to my arsenal of plant-based recipes. Thank you Ella
Awesome! I am so glad you love it, Sandy. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Without a doubt, these are the best quesadillas I’ve ever had. They were professional chef, restaurant quality. I don’t think I could have ordered anything as good as this. Please publish a cookbook!
I am so glad you liked the quesadillas, Diana. 🙂
Ela omg, I made these quesadilla and turned out to be a bumb, I used vegan yellow mozzarella go veggie it melted really nice that I don’t have word to describe the taste. One thing I got tell you they were super delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe. Xoxo
Yay, that’s awesome! 🙂
Made these delicious quesadillas for dinner tonight and even my hubs enjoyed them. He’s a reluctant healthy eater, thanks to my daughter and myself but he eats pretty much whatever I set in front of him. ? We’ll be making this again!
Awesome! So glad you and your hubby liked these vegan quesadillas! 🙂
Another great recipe. Thanks for sharing Ela.
Really glad you like this recipe too! 😀
Thank you Ela for writing and publishing this recipe. It was quick, simple to make and a very big hit with the household. I used oat milk instead of coconut milk for the cheese sauce since that was the only plant based milk I had in the fridge.
Awesome! So glad you liked it. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Husband was more than satisfied with our quesadillas. That’s all that counts. Thank you very much for this delicious recipe!
Wonderful! Thanks for your great feedback, Sylvie! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe Ela, it was absolutely delicious. I have just discovered veganism and it’s recipes like this that will keep me a vegan! So tasty and so easy. And your cheese sauce is to die for, thanks again.
Thank you, Lauren! I am happy you like my vegan cheese sauce and these quesadillas. 🙂
OMG! This was my first time making one your recipes and it was sooo good!!! The cheese sauce was amazing and so easy to make! My hubby and I loved every bite! Will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation.
Awesome! This makes me so happy. Thanks for your feedback, Renee. 🙂
OMG SO SO GOOD!!! And easy. My dear husband LOVED these. Thank you
So happy you and your husband loved my recipe! Thanks for your feedback, Roxanne. 🙂
This blown me away a little bit. I thought it could be tricky with the tortillas and cheese sauce but it was easy and fun to do and so delicious! I´m so impressed with your cooking skills/recepie creations. Many thanks
Thank you so much, Johanna. I am glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
Ela, you make my heart so happy. Your recipes are simply amazing. I love each and every single one of them, I am going to try this recipe tomorrow. Thank you so much for existing ????
Thanks so much for your sweet compliment, Nina!
Lots of love, Ela ????
Oh Ela, I want to eat these so badly!!! ???????? You even made your own tortillas you clever girl! ???? With your sauce recipe, does it make about one cup of sauce would you say? ????????
Thank you so much, Jodi! It makes about 3/4 cup of sauce. ????????
My family loved this! Definitely a favorite. The cheese sauce is great!
That’s amazing, Julia! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
I love the way these look and sound Ela! I will happily eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as my snack!
Thank you very much, Anna. 🙂
They look so delicious ????
I wish mine would look so good, too! Lol ????
Maybe I should try your recipe ????
Haha, thank you so much, Bianca. Yes, you should give them a try. ????
Absolutely loving your recipes and creative cooking ideas!!! Thank YOU!
Thanks so much, Carla. 🙂
I tried out this recipe for dinner tonight. It was absolutely amazing! First time trying out your vegan cheese and i was blown away! Loved it and love your blog! You definitely show that anything can be made vegan and still be absolutely delicious!!! Thank you so much! <3
Aww thank you so much, Diana! I am glad you liked my recipe. 🙂
Much love, Ela
Oh Ela, you have done it again. This recipe could be a snack as well as a meal. And your step-by-step images are so appreciated – I know how much work they must be. They are honestly more helpful than a video, so thank you! Dee xx
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Dee! I really appreciate it. I hope you will try out my recipe. 🙂