Quesadilla Smash Burger

This recipe is everything you want in a quesadilla cheeseburger. It’s messy, it’s greasy, it’s saucy, and it’s super gooey. There’s really nothing better than a juicy burger patty sandwiched between thick layers of cheese and slathered with chipotle mayo.

So, what exactly makes something a smash burger? Smashing the patty onto the cooktop instead of shaping it beforehand! This provides a quick and easy way to make burgers since you can smash them thinner than you might shape them by hand. And this method works perfectly for a homemade quesadilla burger, since our recipe requires a non-traditional burger patty shape.

Homemade Quesadilla Smash Burger Ingredients

For this super simple quesadilla smash burger recipe, we simplified our classic burger patty and stuffed it into a cheese quesadilla with a few classic toppings. Packed with plenty of flavor and all the greasy, messy goodness you want in a comfort food dinner, this easy quesadilla smash burger comes together with just a few simple ingredients.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the burger patty:

• Ground beef
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt

And here are the ingredients you’ll need for the quesadilla:

• 10-inch flour tortilla
• Mexican-blend shredded cheese
• Red onion
• Jalapeno
• Roma tomato
• Chipotle mayo

Instead of the classic lettuce, tomato, and onion topping you normally see on cheeseburgers, we topped this quesadilla smash burger with jalapeno, tomato, and onion. A little extra spicy flair brings this burger more into the realm of Mexican food, and boy is it delicious.

Chipotle mayo also helps bridge the gap between Mexican and American cuisines in this fusion quesadilla burger. We recommend trying our easy homemade version here, or using your favorite store-bought brand.

If you don’t love chipotle mayo, you can try other creamy condiments with Mexican flavors, like a chili lime crema or an avocado crema.

How To Make A Quesadilla Smash Burger

You can easily make this restaurant style quesadilla smash burger in under 20 minutes. Grab your two favorite frying pans (we recommend a cast iron skillet for the burger and a griddle for the quesadilla) and get ready to make the easiest comfort food dinner ever!

Here are step by step instructions for how to make our quesadilla smash burger recipe:

1. First, make the smash burger patty. Combine the ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a bowl until well-mixed. Then, roll the beef into a log that’s about 6 inches long.
2. Next, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, transfer the beef to the pan and smash it into a flat, oblong patty with a large spatula. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes, or until done to your liking.
3. In the meantime, heat a separate cast iron pan or griddle over medium-low heat so you can prepare the quesadilla.
4. Lay a single tortilla down on the pan and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the whole thing. Then, add red onion, jalapeno, and tomato to one half of the tortilla. Cook open-faced until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the tortilla is golden, about 5 minutes.
5. Next, transfer the cooked burger patty to the cheese-only half of the tortilla. Top the patty with chipotle mayo, then use a spatula to fold the other half of the tortilla over the patty and close the quesadilla.
6. Transfer to a cutting board and use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the quesadilla burger in half. Serve immediately.

By preparing the smash burger patty and the quesadilla separately, it allows some of the burger grease to drain off and not get soaked into the tortilla. While these quesadilla cheeseburgers still end up being pretty messy, the tortilla stays nice and crispy on the outside to provide a nice contrast to the gooey insides.

Notes On Scaling

You can easily scale this recipe in twos since one tortilla yields 2 burgers. So you can make 4 burgers with 2 tortillas and 1 pound beef, or 6 burgers with 3 tortillas and 1.5 pounds beef, etc.

Note that depending on the number of burgers you’re making, you will need to divide the bulk burger patty meat by the number of tortillas. So if you’re making 6 burgers with 3 tortillas and 1.5 pounds of beef, you’ll need to form 3 individual logs of beef to yield 3 separate patties. 

Always use the method of folding the tortilla in half to create the quesadilla, so that you have the structural support of having one side of each quesadilla closed. If you were to make 4 burgers using 2 tortillas stacked on top of each other, like you might normally make a quesadilla, these burgers are going to get real messy real fast.

Serving Suggestions

Fusion recipes offer so many options for sides, since you can easily lean into one cuisine or the other! For these quesadilla smash burgers, you can either:

• Serve them with traditional burger sides like fries, tater tots, or onion rings
• Serve them with Mexican side dishes like chips and salsa, guacamole, or rice and beans

You can’t go wrong either way!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Sometimes you may want a fancy date night in, but other times? Other times you need a greasy burger-joint date night in. And we are here for it. Whip up a batch of these flavorful, greasy, cheesy quesadilla smash burgers, a side of fries, and a homemade milkshake, and you’ve got yourself a comforting, decadent dinner for two. 

Try our quesadilla smash burger recipe and let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below!