How to make Breakfast Quesadillas

This breakfast quesadilla recipe is a weekend staple. Loaded with scrambled eggs, sautéed veggies, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese. These quesadillas come together in about 30 minutes and are loved by kids and adults alike. Serve it as is or with your favorite dippers for something that feels special without being complicated.

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Stacked breakfast quesadillas on top of themselves on a plate

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Everyone in my household is a sucker for a quesadilla.

For us, quesadillas are a quick and easy dinner that are especially perfect for those busy weeknights when we have activities that span from the afternoon to evening hours. The caveat is having the fillings prepared in advance so that all we have to do is assemble the quesadillas.

Everybody can sprinkle in the toppings that they like and then enjoy their own custom quesadilla.

A few months back, I wondered if we could use some of our favorite breakfast ingredients to make a breakfast or brunch quesadilla.

Turns out, you can and turns out, it’s delicious.

Why I love this recipe:

Whether you serve this for breakfast or breakfast for dinner, this breakfast quesadilla recipe feels unique.

Think: all the comfort and gooeyness of the traditional but with beloved breakfast fillings… and cheese. (Always cheese.)

Much like my breakfast taco recipe, this requires you to make the fillings before you assemble and cook the quesadillas. Which makes it a little bit more complicated than just throwing everything together, but quite frankly, these bacon and egg quesadillas are worth the effort.

Some more things to love about them:

Adaptable. Customize these to your taste buds and your likings. Feel free to use more cheese or more meat or more eggs, but don’t overfill the tortilla, or you’re going to have a messy quesadilla situation, and that’s not fun.
Scalable. Make it for just yourself or for a crowd. (My recipe card is written for 4, but you can easily downsize it.)
Make the fillings in advance. Cook the bacon, sauté the veggies, and scramble the eggs early, and store those all separately in the fridge. When you are ready to eat, simply pull the ingredients out of the fridge and assemble the quesadillas on the stovetop for the fastest possible outcome.

More savory breakfast recipes to try: Hatch Chile Breakfast Flatbread | Crustless Cottage Cheese Quiche | Andouille Sausage Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients to make breakfast quesadillas in bowls on a light brown marble surface

What you need to make this recipe:

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Sharp knife and cutting board
Rimmed sheet pan
Parchment paper
Tongs
Nonstick skillet
Box grater
Large griddle

Let’s talk ingredients!

In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

Here is what you need to get at the grocery store:

Bacon — we like thick-cut for these, but feel free to use your favorite. Turkey bacon or vegan bacon will work here, too.
Olive oil — you can also use any neutral-tasting oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil.
Onions — yellow, red or white onion will all be great. Use your fave.
Sweet peppers — any kind or color of bell pepper or other sweet pepper will work here.
Unsalted butter — salted is fine, too, but you may want to cut back on the salt.
Eggs — use the best eggs you can afford. I like to purchase large eggs.
Milk — you’ll cook the eggs with a splash of milk to make them extra luscious.
Taco seasoning — we like to make homemade taco seasoning because it doesn’t have near as much salt and no added sugar, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Tortillas — you can use four large, burrito-sized tortillas, or you can use eight smaller fajita-style tortillas. Please note that these large ones are flour tortillas. The size of the tortilla is important because you’re either going to use one larger one as a whole or you’re going to use two smaller ones that you stack on top of each other. Either way works but there are decisions that have to be made pertaining to this.
Sharp cheddar cheese — mild cheddar tends to get lost among the other flavors. You can swap this with a Mexican-blend of cheeses, monterrey jack or pepper jack if you prefer a little spice. You may also use more cheese than specified in this recipe.

Customizations and substitutions:

This breakfast quesadilla recipe is easy to customize to your liking or dietary preferences:

Sausage quesadillas: Make these quesadillas with breakfast sausage (pork or chicken are both great) instead of bacon.

Spicy breakfast quesadillas: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the eggs. Use pepper jack cheese. Then serve them with your favorite hot sauce or spicy salsa for dipping. Do all of these or just one or two, depending on how spicy you like it.

Vegetarian breakfast quesadillas: Skip the bacon altogether or use a plant-based substitute like vegan bacon or vegan sausage crumbles. You could also add vegetarian refried beans or black beans for extra protein! Add some spinach, mushrooms, red onions and tomatoes for more heft… just don’t overfill them!

Gluten free quesadillas: Use your favorite gluten-free tortillas (classic corn tortillas or a grain-free tortilla) to make this classic GF.

Bacon fries in a skillet next to bowls of other ingredients

How to make Breakfast Quesadillas:

Cook the bacon. To make this recipe more efficient, I actually chopped and fried the bacon in the same skillet that I used for everything else; however, you can bake the bacon in the oven if you prefer that method.

In the skillet, add the chopped bacon and cook over medium heat until all the slices are golden brown, crisp and cooked through. Remove the crispy bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel before proceeding.

If you fry the bacon in the skillet, use a paper towel to soak up the bacon grease so you can have a dry skillet moving forward.

Mise en place. Dice the onion and the sweet peppers. Break the eggs into a medium bowl, and add a splash of milk. Season with salt and pepper. Break the yolks with a fork and stir until well combined.

Diced peppers and onion in a skillet before cooking — Add the chopped veggies to the skillet

Diced peppers and onion in a skillet after cooking — Add the chopped veggies to the skillet

Cook the veggies. Add a tablespoon of oil to a large nonstick skillet and add the diced vegetables to it.

Sauté them until soft, about five to six minutes.

Eggs sit on top of diced vegetables before scrambling — Add the egg mixture to the veggies in the skillet

Scrambled eggs in a skillet, surrounded by cooked bacon, shredded cheese and tortillas, with a blue patterned linen — Add the egg mixture to the veggies in the skillet

Scramble the eggs. Melt butter in the same pan with the veggies before proceeding.

Pour the eggs on top of the vegetables, and scramble gently over medium-low heat until cooked through to your liking.

And then remove from the heat.

A tortilla in a skillet with shredded cheddar cheese over half of it — Add the cheese first

Chopped cooked bacon on top of shredded cheddar cheese on top of a tortilla in a skillet — Add the cheese first

Cook the quesadillas. Preheat a large griddle or a griddle pan over medium heat to make the quesadillas. (You may also use the same skillet you used for the other ingredients.)

Place a large tortilla down onto the pan and fill half of it with shredded cheese. Once the cheese gets melty, add the bacon directly on top, then add scrambled eggs.

Fold it in half to cover the toppings and fillings and then flip to where everything can melt together.

Serve warm with your favorite dippers (like salsa, sour cream, guac and more) and garnish with fresh cilantro or green onions. Enjoy.

how to store:

Let the tortillas cool and store them in an airtight container for one to two days.

Reheat in the air fryer for ultimate crispness. Using the microwave will not yield as good a result. You can also reheat this in a toaster oven.

You can also make all of the ingredients and store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator, and then prepare the quesadillas whenever ready.

A sliced quesadilla on a wooden cutting board next to bowls of salsa and sour cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of tortillas work best for this?

I recommend using a burrito-sized tortilla because then you don’t have to do the song and dance with two separate smaller tortillas. If you use a larger burrito-sized tortilla, you will be able to sprinkle all of the fillings on half of it and then fold it onto itself and you can then flip it over more easily. It’s a little bit more ungainly to flip a quesadilla when there are two tortillas involved but it can absolutely be done if you only have fajita-sized tortillas. I do not recommend using the smaller street tortillas because you will not be able to get as much filling into those and they will become a mess.

Can I use a skillet instead of a griddle?

I like to use a griddle because I can make more than one quesadilla at the same time. You can do this in a skillet very easily. I recommend using a crepe pan or a non-stick skillet

Can I make any of this ahead of time?

You can make parts of this ahead of time, but you will want to make the quesadilla fresh. If you wanted to make stuff ahead of time, you would need to:
Cook the bacon, crumble that and store it. Saute the onion and peppers, then scramble the eggs on top of the veggies. Let those cool, then store separately.
Shred the cheese, too. store that separately in the refrigerator.
You can make all of the elements ahead and then assemble them in the morning, warm, and actually make the quesadilla then.

Can I make this vegetarian?

You sure can leave out the bacon and use vegan bacon crumbles or add refried beans or even just plain canned black beans directly to the quesadilla.

Can I swap the bacon for a different protein?

Sure! You can use breakfast sausage, chorizo, or even plain canned black beans or refried beans.

Can I use a different cheese?

You can. I chose to use shredded cheddar cheese; you can use whatever cheese you’ve got on hand, be it Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, a shredded Mexican cheese blend.

Do I need a dipping sauce?

You can add a dipping sauce but you certainly don’t need one.

How do I keep the quesadilla from getting soggy?

Make sure that the tortilla gets nice and crispy on the outside and enjoy it when it’s warm. The longer it sits the greater chance it will have to become soggy.

Can I make these for a crowd?

You can but it gets kind of complicated because these are best enjoyed warm. I like to use a griddle to make multiples at the same time.

How do I know when the quesadilla is done?

The cheese will be completely melted and both sides of the folded tortilla will be a beautiful golden brown.

Can I use pre-shredded cheese?

If that makes it easier on you, yes use a pre-shredded cheese.

Breakfast quesadillas stacked on a plate on top of a wooden cutting board next to bowls of salsa and sour cream and an avocado.

Quick tips and tricks to make the best breakfast quesadillas:

Make the fillings first. It sounds silly to say that that is something that is absolutely necessary but you will be less stressed if you are not trying to assemble the quesadillas at the same time as you are cooking what is going inside of them. If you want to meal prep this recipe, you absolutely need to make these and store them separately in your refrigerator.
Use the right size tortilla. While you can totally make this with smaller tortillas, I really recommend seeking out a burrito-sized tortilla, which is larger than a standard tortilla. That will make the quesadillas a lot simpler to make.
Customize them. Swap out the meat or use beans instead. Sprinkle on a different kind of cheese if you prefer a different flavor. Add dippers if you would like to dunk your quesadilla slices into something like salsa, guacamole, queso, avocado cream sauce or black bean dip.

A breakfast quesadilla dips into a bowl of salsa.

Here’s how you can make this breakfast at home…

Breakfast Quesadillas

Servings: quesadillas

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

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