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This birria quesadillas recipe features flavorful, slow-cooked birria meat loaded with gooey cheese in a crispy tortilla. Served with birria consomme for dipping, it’s simple, packed with bold flavors, and perfect for Mexican night!
Whenever I make a big batch of my homemade birria meat, I always reserve a serving of the melt-in-your-mouth meat and the broth to use in homemade birria quesadillas.
If you aren’t familiar with birria, it’s a traditional Mexican stew (or sometimes soup) made up of slowly braised beef or goat meat.
They transform your standard quesadilla into something so mouthwateringly delicious that you’ll never eat them out again! Crispy birria broth-soaked tortillas filled with slow-cooked tender shredded beef, cheese, spices, and more sauce to dip in… my mouth is already watering!
Table of Contents
Recipe highlights
- Quick and easy. Thanks to the prep of the birria meat, this recipe come together in less than 10 minutes.
- Customizable. Like with quesabirria tacos, you can add as many toppings and/or blends of different cheeses and adjust the spice level to your liking.
- Versatile. Serve them as a fun and delicious dinner, or even prep them for quick lunches.
Leftover birria on hand? Use it to make birria ramen or birria pizzas.
Ingredients Needed
- Birria beef (prepared). Click the link for my homemade recipe. It’s super simple to make and combines beef chuck roast, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, chilies, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, and tomatoes. The broth will also be used, as we’ll infuse the tortillas with it, and also pair the quesadillas with some for dipping (birria sauce).
- Butter. To fry the tortillas.
- Corn tortillas. I prefer corn over flour tortillas, but if you can find large, durable flour-based one, those work. Opt for tortillas that are super pliable because we don’t want them to break during the cooking process!
- Shredded cheese. I prefer Oaxaca as it is the most authentic, but it can be tricky to find. Choose any melty cheese you like or a combination of cheeses like Mozzarella, Monterey Jack cheese, and Pepperjack.
- Jalapeno. Slice up the jalapenos thinly and add for a spicy hit.
- Cilantro, coriander, and lime. Add these refreshing garnishes to brighten the quesadillas.
How to make birria quesadillas
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Fry the tortilla. Soak the tortilla in birria liquid and place it in the skillet with melted butter over medium high heat.
Step 2- Assemble the quesadilla. Spread the cheese, birria meat, and jalapenos on the tortilla. Once the cheese melts, fold the tortilla in half.
Step 3- Cook and serve. Cook for 3 minutes per side until crispy; remove from the heat, slice, and serve warm.
Recipe tips and variations
- Deseed the jalapenos. If you’re worried about the spiciness of the recipe, remove the jalapeno pepper seeds. This also makes for a tastier quesadilla.
- Use large tortillas. The larger the tortillas, the better they will be to hold the fillings. While delicious, birria meat is notoriously drippy and juicy, so the less mess, the better!
- Press down the quesadilla. To get a uniform cook, crispy crust, and melted cheese, gently press down the quesadilla on both sides with a spatula. This also helps with the broth-soaked tortillas to crip up better.
- Use a different meat. Instead of beef roast, make the birria with goat or lamb shoulder for a unique flavor. You can also use sliced arrachera or another Mexican-style pulled meat, like carnitas.
- Add more veggies. You can add colorful bell peppers, mushrooms, roasted corn, and crunchy onions inside this quesadilla.
Storage instructions
To store. You can store birria quesadillas in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze. Quesadillas freeze well. Wrap them in ziplock bags, chuck them in the freezer, and enjoy them for three months.
To reheat. Avoid reheating in the microwave, as these quesadillas could get soggy. Pan-frying or the oven works best for reheating.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can! As we do with air fryer quesadillas, assemble the quesadillas as recommended and air fry them in a preheated air-fryer for 5-6 minutes, flipping in between.
Although the dish is balanced with wonderful flavors and textures and high in protein, it is also indulgent due to the added cheese.
You can prep the meat, add-ins, and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, assemble and cook to order!
More Mexican recipes to try:
Birria Quesadillas
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 large flour tortillas
- 1/4 cup birria broth click link for the recipe
- 3/4 cup Oaxaca cheese *
- 3/4 cup birria meat click link for the recipe
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Add one tablespoon of butter to the skillet, and once melted, dip the tortilla in the Birria liquid until it's soaked in the juices on both sides. Place it in the skillet.
- Immediately sprinkle half of the cheese and spread it all over the tortilla. Place half of the Birria meat on the cheese and spread it nicely, followed by half the jalapeno. Once the cheese starts melting, fold the tortilla in half with your spatula.
- Cook for 3 minutes per side until you get a golden brown and crispy tortilla.
- Repeat the process with another tortilla and serve it warm.
