Vegan spinach quesadillas which will make your mouth water! These easy to make quesadillas filled with eggplant, spinach, and vegan cheese are healthy, gluten-free and done in less than 30 minutes.
Vegan Spinach Quesadillas
If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that I love quesadillas! I have always been a “cheese fanatic” and loved eating vegetarian quesadillas in the past (before going vegan). Giving up cheese was really hard for me but after going vegan in September 2011 (7 1/2 years ago!) I had to find alternatives. It didn’t take very long until I started experimenting in the kitchen. I asked myself “how can I make vegan cheese” and eventually came up with different recipes which I liked. My favorite is my easy vegan cheese sauce which I seriously adore and so many of my friends, my family, Instagram followers and blog readers love it as well!
After I perfected the vegan cheese recipe I was finally able to enjoy quesadillas again! And today I want to share a new quesadillas recipe with you. Are you ready for these vegan spinach quesadillas?!
Spinach Quesadillas Ingredients
These quesadillas aren’t the typical “Mexican quesadillas” which you might know. Actually, they aren’t Mexican at all, haha! They contain spinach, eggplant, vegan cheese, and different spices. You might wonder why I added eggplant (aubergine). Well, I really love cooking with eggplant, because I love the texture and taste of fried eggplant. It has a nice flavor when you season it with the right condiments and goes well with all kind of savory dishes.
In my opinion, it should be used more often! Eggplant is also the main ingredient of my favorite chickpea curry recipe. If you haven’t tried it yet, definitely consider making it asap! If you aren’t a fan of spinach or eggplant, definitely check out these quesadillas with black beans, corn, mushrooms, and peppers!
Corn Tortillas Or Flour Tortillas?
You can certainly use flour tortillas or even corn tortillas to make these spinach quesadillas. I prefer making my own tortillas with chickpea flour and tapioca flour. They always turn out great and taste delicious. Furthermore, they are gluten-free and therefore a great alternative to regular wheat tortillas. I love them because they are pliable and just perfect for all types of quesadilla recipes. Check out my homemade tortilla recipe here.
Can I Make These Spinach Quesadillas Ahead Of Time?
You can make the eggplant filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge or even freeze it! I would recommend adding the spinach once you reheat the eggplant filling in the skillet. I would also suggest making the vegan cheese sauce fresh (which takes only 3 minutes btw) or to use store-bought vegan cheese. You might also ask yourself if you can freeze the cooked eggplant quesadillas. I honestly haven’t tried it yet, so I cannot say for sure but it should work just fine. If you want to freeze the quesadillas, make sure to use freezer bags.
These Spinach Quesadillas Are:
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Crispy
- Flavorful
- Hearty
- Great comfort food
- Healthy
- Very easy to make
- Great for lunch, dinner, or as a snack
How To Make Vegan Quesadillas?
This recipe is seriously so easy to make in just a few steps. You need to chop the veggies, fry all ingredients in a pan, make the vegan cheese sauce (or use store-bought cheese) and that’s basically it. Watch the video below (right after the instruction steps) to see how simple it is to make these cheesy quesadillas. You can dip them in tomato sauce or serve them with vegan queso.
Should you recreate these veggie quesadillas, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Vegan Spinach Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4-6 tortillas (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 medium-sized onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 large (300 g) eggplant (aubergine) chopped into small cubes (max. 1 inch)
- 6 oz (170 g) spinach fresh, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 4-5 tbsp red wine (or vegetable broth)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if needed) or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- ground chipotle chili powder to taste
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- One batch of vegan cheese sauce (or vegan cheese of choice)
Instructions
- Watch the video (scroll down a bit) to see all instruction steps.
- Heat oil in a skillet, add onion and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggplant, garlic, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, red wine, all spices and cook over medium heat with a lid on for 12-15 minutes. Stir frequently. Make sure the eggplant is thoroughly cooked.
- Add spinach, stir, and cook for a further 30-60 seconds. Turn off the heat.
- While the eggplant cooks, make a batch of my vegan cheese sauce (you can, of course, use any other vegan cheese of choice instead).
- Put one tortilla into a lightly greased pan/skillet (you can use cooking spray), add some of the eggplant filling and the vegan cheese sauce.
- Place another tortilla on top. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, 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
- Recipe serves 8. 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:
Nancy G
I added some rinsed and drained black beans for more fiber and texture.
Ela
Sounds awesome! 🙂
Joan
That was so absolutely satisfying and looked great too!
Thank you Ela
I will try many more of your recipes.
Oh and that cheese sauce….yummy!!
Ela
Thank you very much, Joan! 🙂
Emillie
Just made these for my mum and myself. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for this lovely recipe, will be checking back for more 🙂
Ela
I am glad you liked these spinach quesadillas, Emillie! 🙂
Renee
I made these quesadillas tonight for dinner. They were so bomb(awesome)!!! That cheese sauce is the BEST vegan sauce I’ve made & tried! So thank you so much for creating it for us.
Ela
I am so pleased to read that you loved the recipe! Thanks for your amazing feedback, Renee! 🙂
Eve
What tortilla brand and cheese do you use? Thank you so much. I’m new at this, you make transitioning so much easier for me.
Ela
Homemade tortillas and homemade vegan cheese sauce. 🙂
Here is the link for the tortillas: https://elavegan.com/gluten-free-tortillas-recipe/
And here is the link for the vegan cheese sauce: https://elavegan.com/easy-vegan-cheese-sauce-recipe/
Susan
?thank you so much for sharing your creativity’s I am not good with wheat so happy to have found your sight looking forward to finding the. reciepy ?
Ela
Very welcome, Susan! 🙂
Patricia
Made this last night as my first vegan meal of my first week going vegan from vegetarian and it did not disappoint! The cheese sauce was unreal. Going to also try to make the stuffed potato balls and chili cheese fries later this week. Thank you for sharing these delicious recipes!
Ela
That’s awesome! Thanks for your feedback, Patricia. 🙂
Ali
Newbie vegan here… I made these tonight with the homemade tortillas. It wasn’t as attractive as yours but WOW! So much flavour and so filling!
Ela
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback, Ali. 🙂
sallie
This may be a stupid question, but what kind of oil do you cook with?
Ela
Coconut oil! 🙂
Sarah
I made these amazing quesadillas for dinner last week. From the wraps (which I make on a regular basis), to the cheese sauce & the filling- every step was simple & easy and still full of flavor! The perfect meal right now in Australia as it is the season for Eggplants and there in abundance at our local markets
Thank you Ela for always making such delicious and simple meals! xx
Ela
I am so happy you loved the recipe, Sarah! Thanks for your amazing feedback! 🙂
Ro
Hey Ela, thank-you so much for this recipe….I made it tonight and we LOVED it! Super delish!!! I demolished the kitchen though (as per normal), so next time will make the ‘pancakes’ earlier in the day, so there are less dishes late 🙂
Ela
Thanks a lot for your great feedback! 🙂
Mariola Pik
Thank you for this fantastic recipe. We just made it exactly as described. We are not vegans, so I added some grated Cheddar cheese. The combination of creamy eggplant, with spinach and all the spices was perfect.
My fussy husband was licking his fingers…
Ela
So happy you liked the recipe! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Megan Kerry
I love that you used your own cheese recipe for this! I have to admit I don’t use eggplant very often-I should though!! I think the texture would be perfect here!! Great recipe girl!!
Ela
Thanks so much, Megan! 🙂
Ms Maxine Gould
They look yummy… Will try them out on my Grandchildren at the weekend…Thankyou Ela. You have some beautiful recipes..xx
Ela
Thanks so much for your sweet compliment! 🙂
Michelle
My girlfriend and I try new recipes and cuisines every week and this is one of our FAVORITES! Such a unique taste. Loved it
Ela
That’s awesome, Michelle! So happy you both loved this recipe. 🙂
Sunny
Can you use dairy free cheese instead?
Ela
Sure, Sunny! 🙂 I actually mentioned it in the recipe (instructions). 🙂
Anna
These look amazing Ela! You have inspired me to make some quesadillas this week, I’ve not had any for waaaaayyyy too long! 😉
Ela
Aww, that’s awesome, Anna! I hope you will enjoy them! 🙂
Wong
Yummy ???? Can’t wait to make this for dinner soon! Do you think we can substitute the balsamic vinegar for something else?
Ela
You could add lemon juice instead and a pinch of sugar (or a sweetener you prefer). 🙂
kath
“You might wonder why I added eggplant”
bc it’s ur recipe and you can do what you want
don’t ever feel like u have to explain ur inclusion of eggplant to anyone
Ela
Haha, thank you, Kath! I appreciate the fact that you took the time to read my blog post! 🙂
Sandy
I share this recipe on my Facebook page and I will credit your website address?
Ela
Thank you, Sandy! That’s so kind of you. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka
These look so delicious! Love Quesadillas ????
Ela
Thank you, Bianca! I love them too, hehe. 😀
Shazan
I tried these and I enjoyed them! The taste was savory and flavorful. I haven’t eaten egg plant often and certainly not this way, but I was pleasantly surprised! I will add this to one of “quickie meals” . Thank you for sharing!
Ela
You are welcome, Shazan! 🙂