Quesadilla Seasoning Recipe – Plus Surprising Ways to Use It

This homemade quesadilla seasoning is not only going to help you make great quesadillas, but you’ll also love the many other ways you can use it to spice up so many other dishes.

Whip up a batch (or four) of this delicious homemade seasoning mix today, and enjoy great smoky flavor on your quesadillas and beyond. You’re definitely going to want to keep this spice blend at the ready in your kitchen.

What’s the Difference Between Quesadilla Seasoning and Taco Seasoning?

While you can obviously just wing it or use taco seasoning or fajita seasoning on your quesadillas, this seasoning has a little something special to it.

Quesadilla seasoning typically has a smoky taste that regular taco or even fajita seasoning doesn’t have. 

While you can for sure use regular paprika in this recipe if you don’t have the smoked version on hand, I highly recommend that you grab some smoked paprika to make this recipe as it was meant to be.

Ingredients 

• smoked paprika (regular paprika can be used, but smoked is highly recommended)
• cumin
• garlic powder (you can substitute more onion if need be)
• onion powder (if you don’t have this available, you can easily grind dried minced onion)
• salt
• dried oregano
• ground black pepper
• cayenne pepper (optional. Other peppers like Aleppo and Chipotle are other good choices. Just adjust the amounts based on the heat of the pepper.)

How to Make Quesadilla Seasoning

So simple. Just add the spices to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Store the remainder in an airtight container.

Types of Quesadillas

While chicken quesadillas are typically the most popular version out there, quesadillas can be made in many ways. You can use shredded or ground chicken, ground beef, or even made vegetarian with beans and vegetables and even sweet potatoes.

Black beans and pintos are a favorite for the bean part, but you could really use any type of bean since truly beans are almost completely interchangeable in most recipes.

Other options include:

• ground beef
• ground chicken
• shredded chicken
• sliced chicken breast
• sliced steak
• sliced turkey breast
• veggies only
• mushrooms and veggies
• eggs and veggies

So many quesadilla options!

Recipe Tips

• How Much Seasoning to Use: In general, you’ll want to use about 2 tablespoons of this seasoning for the equivalent of 3 cups or 1 pound of meat, but it’s up to your taste. Adding 1 tablespoon of water or other liquid (lime juice is a nice option) at a time as needed.  After cooking the meat, sprinkle the seasoning on top and stir to combine.
• For Better Flavor: For the best flavor for your quesadillas, you can use half of the quesadilla seasoning on the meat or protein and the other half on the vegetables. Of course you can use extra seasoning if you like.
• How to Store: Store in an air tight container, preferably in the fridge. While most spices can be stored at room temperature, peppers like paprika and cayenne should be stored in the fridge if possible.
• Packet Equivalent: If using this seasoning in place of taco seasoning, 2 tablespoons is equal to 1 typical packet of taco seasoning mix. 

Other Uses for Quesadilla Seasoning

Yes, I’m serious about adding this spice mix to chocolate and ice cream. Chili goes with chocolate so, why not? This recipe has paprika in chocolate ice cream so I’m thinking it’s something to try!

More Homemade Spice Mixes

If you love homemade seasoning blends as much as we do, here are some more you’ll love.

Recipe

• Add all ingredients to a small bowl.

• Stir to combine.

• Store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.