This keto quesadilla recipe combines warm and perfectly toasted low carb tortillas with tons of melty velvety cheese. And, it's so quick and easy to make! Just 15 minutes is all you need to make these keto quesadillas from scratch. Not to mention, each quesadilla has just 4 NET CARBS!
The Best Keto Quesadilla
So, this keto quesadilla recipe is basically fool-proof.
If you can roll out some dough and flip a tortilla, you can (and totally should) make this recipe!
And speaking of tortillas, these low carb quesadillas are a cheesy spin on my keto tortillas recipe. So, if you want to make some seriously delicious tacos, be sure to check that recipe out!
Now, as a lot of you know, I have a ton of cheesy keto recipes on my blog - like this cheese sauce, this cheese bread, and this 10 minute pizza.
However, these keto quesadillas are among the most satisfying cheesy keto lunch ideas I’ve done thus far.
I mean, a warm keto tortilla, paired with melty, creamy cheese, what’s better than that?!
Maybe best of all though, is that it only takes a few staple keto ingredients to make these healthy quesadillas - and, again, that’s from scratch!
Anyways, let’s dive into what you’ll need to make these quesadillas keto friendly!
Keto Quesadilla Ingredients
Ok, so the things you need for this keto quesadilla are either already in your pantry or are super easy to find.
Here are the 6 ingredients you’ll need...
- Blanched almond flour
- Xanthan gum
- Baking powder
- A large egg
- Cheddar cheese
- Salt
Now, before we dive into the recipe, I want to quickly get into some of these ingredients, and why they’re essential to making the perfect low carb quesadilla.
Keto Flours To Use (and avoid) For The Quesadillas
As we’ve discussed before, blanched almond flour can be substituted with sunflower seed flour or walnut flour on a 1:1 basis and will perform just as well.
However, what you don’t want to use in its place is coconut flour.
Coconut flour won’t work for this kind of recipe, and if you use it your dough will end up super crumbly and dry. And that's something you definitely want to avoid if you're making tortillas!
Use Xanthan Gum
I also get a lot of questions about whether xanthan gum can be left out or substituted. Honestly, I don’t recommend doing either of these if you can help it.
Xanthan gum adds a nice chewiness to the dough that gives you the same texture as a regular carb-loaded tortilla. And it's the secret ingredient to making these tortillas pliable.
Seriously, it’s pretty hard to tell the difference between this super low carb tortilla and the regular kind – as long as you use xanthan gum!
That said, if you absolutely cannot find xanthan gum, guar gum can be an ok substitute.
Obviously, it's not my first choice, but you can substitute it 1:1 with xanthan gum.
Keeping The Cheese Filling As Low Carb As Possible
The homemade keto tortillas are quick, easy, and delicious; they make an excellent canvas for any keto fillings you’re into.
That said, I like to use shredded cheddar cheese in mine to load up on that cheesy, melty deliciousness. But you can also try experimenting with other keto-friendly cheeses the second, third, and fourth time you make this.
However, no matter cheese you go with though, the pro-tip here is to shred the cheese yourself.
Pre-shredded cheese usually comes with starches that keep the cheese from sticking together, which will add unwanted carbs to the dish. Hard Pass.
How to Make Your Keto Quesadilla
As I said, this recipe is totally easy to do and won’t take much time.
First, you’ll want to measure out and combine your almond flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder with a generous amount of salt, a large beaten egg, and some water.
After combining everything, use your hands to form a large ball with the dough and divide it into 4 equally sized balls of dough.
I highly recommend using a food scale for this, as it just makes the whole process a lot easier! And, it'll also ensure that your tortillas end up being the same size as well.
From there, you’ll want to sandwich each dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a flattened circle (about 7.5 inches in diameter).
The parchment paper is critical in this step to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin instead of adding more flour, which will add more carbs.
Now, to get the dough shaped into a perfect circle, use a medium bowl to make an indent in the dough by pressing the edges into it while it's covered with that top sheet of parchment paper.
Then, when you've done that, you can remove any of the extra pieces of dough outside of the indentation.
And make sure to hold onto that extra dough because there’s more we can do with it later!
Also, you can always use a tortilla press to expedite this process too.
Anyway, once you’ve rolled out all the dough balls into tortilla shells, it’s time to make the quesadilla!
Cooking the Quesadillas
Now, this whole process will be super quick since the tortillas cook pretty fast.
Par-cook the tortillas on a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for about 20-30 seconds each.
They should go from yellowish to whiter and more opaque.
Flip them with a spatula when the lighter color has spread through almost the entire tortilla.
Then, you’ll want to cook the other side no longer than 5 seconds – any longer, and you risk overcooking it.
Now, once we've par-cooked all of our tortillas, add one of them back to the pan, and add some shredded cheddar cheese. That said, a good amount of cheese is somewhere between ¾ cup to 1 cup depending on how much you like.
Anyways, once you've added the cheese, you'll want to top it with the second tortilla shell and flip.
Then, wait until the cheese starts to melt along the sides, and flip one last time. And this side should only require a few more seconds of cook time at this point.
Anyways, when the tortilla has been cooked adequately, transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board and slice it into 4 pieces.
And don’t forget to do the second quesadilla! The recipe makes enough tortillas for 2 quesadillas AND a taco!
Having said all of that, the final product is SO melty, cheesy, and delicious that this keto quesadilla recipe is sure to be a staple for Taco Tuesday – or any day of the week!
Make a Keto Chicken Quesadilla
Now, the basic cheese quesadilla that we talked about above is great. But, to take it to a whole different level, I recommend making a chicken and cheese quesadilla!
And if that sounds like something you'd be into, this instant pot buffalo shredded chicken is the perfect recipe to help you do that.
The best part is that the shredded chicken recipe has 0 carbs, so your quesadilla is twice as filling without any additional carbs.
Win-win!
What To Do With The Extra Dough
As I mentioned before, you'll have a little extra dough left-over from making the four tortillas.
And this extra dough will make a GREAT keto taco shell or even tortilla chips.
That said, if you make tortilla chips out of the dough I highly recommend making this low carb cheese sauce or keto artichoke dip to go along with them. Also, you can always dip them into this keto taco casserole recipe as well.
Whatever you decide to go with, let me know in the comments below how it turned out!
Keto Quesadilla Recipe FROM SCRATCH IN 15 MINUTES
This keto quesadilla recipe combines warm and perfectly toasted low carb tortillas with tons of melty velvety cheese. And, it's so quick and easy to make! Just 15 minutes is all you need to make these keto quesadillas from scratch. Not to mention, each quesadilla has just 4 NET CARBS!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 Quesadillas
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Keto Low Carb
Ingredients
1 Large egg
Just less than 1½ cups (155g) blanched almond flour
¾ Tbsp. (6g) xanthan gum
½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
1 Tbsp. (15g) Water
¾ - 1 Cup (84g-112g) shredded cheddar cheese
Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Add almond flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and a generous amount of salt in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add a large beaten up egg and water
- Use a spatula to combine everything until it has a crumbly consistency
- Use your hands to form it into a ball of dough.
- Weight it out on the food scale and form four smaller balls of dough of equal sizes.
- Lay down a piece of parchment paper, place a dough ball on top, and add another sheet of parchment paper over it.
- Use a rolling pin and try to get the dough into a flattened circle as best as possible, around 7.5 inches in diameter.
- Use a medium sized bowl to make an indent in the dough.
- Remove the parchment and the extra dough. Repeat for the rest of the dough balls.
- Par-cook the tortilla on a non-stick pan over medium high heat for 20-30 seconds.
- You'll see them become more opaque and whiter. Flip them and cook for a couple more seconds, then move to a plate.
- Coat the pan with baking spray
- Add the tortilla back to the pan.
- Add shredded cheddar – ¾ cup to 1 cup depending on how much you like.
- Top with the second tortilla then flip.
- Wait until the cheese starts to melt from the sides of the quesadilla, then flip it.
- Once the tortillas have been cooked adequately, transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board, and cut it into 4 pieces.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Quesadilla
- Calories: 754
- Fat: 62
- Carbohydrates: 13
- Fiber: 9
- Protein: 36
Keywords: keto quesadilla, quesadilla keto, keto lunch recipes, low carb quesadilla, quesadilla low carb, how to make a keto quesadilla
These were awesome! My husband and son loved them too. I found my new favorite quick dinner recipe!