How to Reheat a Quesadilla So That It’s Warm and Crispy

A leftover quesadilla makes for a great snack, lunch, or dinner, especially if you’re not in the mood to cook an entire meal, so knowing how to reheat a quesadilla is a must. Whether you picked up some quesadillas from your favorite Mexican restaurant or you made them from scratch, you’re going to want them to taste just as amazing as when they were first prepared — warm and gooey on the inside with a crunchy texture on the outside.

Here are the best methods for reheating a quesadilla, plus some tips to keep it crispy and prevent any sogginess.

Can you warm up quesadillas in the microwave?

Microwaves are convenient for heating up food in a hurry and work fine for reheating a burrito or saucy buffalo chicken wings — but the same can’t be said for warming up a quesadilla.

Any food that has a crispy exterior, like a quesadilla or leftover slice of pizza, won’t have the same texture if you reheat it this way. Microwaves don’t circulate heat as well, so they won’t maintain that crunchiness. The end result will be a soggy, limp quesadilla, which isn’t the ideal way to eat any leftover food.

To avoid this, your best bet is to reheat quesadillas in a skillet on the stove or in the oven. Sure, it might take a few extra minutes, but you’ll end up with a quesadilla that’s heated all the way through and super crunchy.

How do you reheat a quesadilla in the oven?

If you can put your hunger on pause for 10 minutes, then this oven method for reheating quesadillas is right up your alley. Carl Hanson, senior editor at Allrecipes, shares his quick technique for reheating a quesadilla in the oven — and it couldn’t be any easier.

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the quesadilla on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tortilla is crisp and the cheese is melted throughout.
4. Serve with a side of salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole for dipping.

How do you reheat a quesadilla on the stove? 

Jaron from the Foods Guy has an easy trick for reheating a quesadilla on the stove: Flip it a few times on each side with a spatula as it cooks rather than just once or twice. This allows for it to heat evenly all the way through and prevents it from burning on one side. Once you learn how to reheat a quesadilla on the stove, it just might become your go-to method!

1. Place a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add a thin layer of vegetable or olive oil.
2. Heat the oil in the skillet for a few minutes.
3. Add the quesadilla to the pan and heat each side for no longer than one minute at a time. If one side looks like its browning too fast, flip it, and reduce the heat.
4. Tip: If the quesadilla is filled with a lot of ingredients, cover the skillet with a lid to create an oven-like setting that helps it reheat faster. Still make sure you flip it once every 60 seconds. 
5. After flipping it a few times, your quesadilla will be reheated in a matter of minutes and ready to enjoy.

How do you keep quesadillas from getting soggy? 

Warming quesadillas in the microwave isn’t the only way they can end up soggy. According to chef Michael Schlow, one of the most common mistakes that we make when cooking and reheating quesadillas is simply not eating them right away. The cheese starts to harden and the tortilla loses its crispy texture the longer it sits on a plate at room temperature — ruining all the work you put into reheating it perfectly. 

You can prevent this by giving it just a couple of minutes to cool down slightly after it comes out of the oven or skillet and then digging in. This ensures that you can enjoy your quesadilla while it’s a little hot and crunchy without it burning the roof of your mouth. Plus, you don’t have to worry about it losing its prized texture before you devour it.

How do you keep quesadillas warm and crispy? 

Of course, there are those times when you can’t eat your reheated quesadillas immediately. Maybe you’re feeding the whole family and don’t want the food to get cold and soggy by the time they get to the table.

A tip from Martha Stewart can help. If you already used the oven to reheat your quesadillas, you can leave them there (or pop them back in) and turn the heat down to 300 degrees Fahrenheit until everyone’s ready to eat.

This temperature is gentle enough to keep the quesadillas crunchy and heated throughout without causing them to burn. You can do the same thing if you reheated them in a skillet by transferring each one to a baking sheet and into the oven as soon as they’re finished cooking in the pan.

Want to add to your repertoire of leftovers that are just as delicious to enjoy the next day? Check out our guides for how to reheat crab legs, how to reheat lasagna, and how to reheat ribs!