Easy Hummus Quesadilla Without Cheese

What to expect from this recipe?

You would think of quesadillas as something you need an abundance of cheese for, since their name “queso” means cheese in Spanish. However, there are many creative quesadilla recipes that you can give a try without the cheese.

If you are looking to try something different, something unique, we recommend giving hummus quesadilla a try. Hummus makes it rich and sticky. It will also act as a binder in place of cheese. Any Mexican or Tex-Mex filling would do, so seasoning the filling with a fajita spice blend makes them absolutely flavorful with a bit of a kick.

While we used classic hummus, don’t stop there and try it with different flavors like beet hummus, sunflower seeds hummus, harissa hummus (from our falafel platter), or roasted red pepper hummus (from our grazing board).

Ingredients

To make this yummy cheeseless hummus quesadilla, you need soft tortillas and 6 simple ingredients to make the filling.

• Soft large tortillas – Use your favorite wheat tortilla or gluten-free tortilla brand, or try our flourless grain-free tortillas made of red lentils and buckwheat.
• Hummus – Use store-bought or homemade. We used our oil-free hummus recipe.
• Oyster mushrooms – You can choose other types of mushrooms. Here is where to buy them.
• Red onion
• Bell pepper
• Avocado
• Black beans – We actually like using this canned black bean soup since the black beans there are even more flavorful. Or here is how to cook black beans from scratch.
• Optional add-ins like salsa, quacamole, sour cream, etc.

? You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

• Shred oyster mushrooms with your hands to “chicken strips”-like pieces. Since they are not a dirty type of mushroom, you only need to trim the end a bit and wipe it with a kitchen cloth. Read on for more info on why and when to clean them and how to prepare them for cooking.
• Peel and chop onion.
• Wash and chop the bell pepper.
• Cut avocado in half. Peel it and slice it.
• Grab any hummus of your choice.

Pan-frying the filling

1. Take a skillet or a frying pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Add oil and shredded oyster mushrooms in one layer (work in batches if you plan to make more servings). Season it with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
2. Stir with a spatula and fry them until nice and crispy. Push them down with your spatula to get them crispy all around. It took us about 4-5 minutes. Add a dash of (1 teaspoon) olive oil if the oyster mushroom feels too dry.

3. Add the chopped bell peppers and onion together. Stir well.

4. Add fajita spice blend.

5. Stir until the spices are covering all ingredients. Fry for an additional 5 minutes.

Baking the filling

There are 11 ways to cook with oyster mushrooms, but if you want, you can bake them in the oven instead of pan-frying. Check out our vegan gyros recipe (see below picture) as well as our fajita veggies recipe (see below picture) where we prepare these same ingredients in a sheet pan or follow the below steps.

1. Place parchment paper in a sheet pan or use a non-stick baking mat.
2. Spread the shredded oyster mushrooms, the chopped bell pepper, and onion preferably in one layer.
3. Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit (ca. 218 °C) and bake them for approx. 30 minutes. Watch how it progresses, and flip occasionally to make sure all sides are nicely baked and crispy.

A quick tip: Don’t mix them. If you feel that the onion and the bell pepper are ready earlier, you can take them out but put the oyster mushrooms back in the oven for more time. It all depends on the size, how large you chop and shred each ingredient.

Making hummus quesadilla

1. Take a small tortilla and add a generous layer of hummus everywhere.

2. Place the pre-cooked filling on top of one-half. And cover it with canned or pre-cooked black beans and avocado slices.

3. Fold it in half and gently push it together.

4. Pre-heat your grill pan over medium heat.
5. Grill the quesadillas on both sides for approx. 2-3 minutes so in total 5-6 minutes. Brush them with oil if you feel your tortilla is sticking to your grill pan.

Variations

This hummus quesadilla recipe is just one variation. You can mix and match depending on your taste or what you have in your pantry or fridge. We listed additional yummy options for inspiration:

• vegan tvp taco meat
• copycat chipotle sofritas
• any of the 7 types of oyster mushrooms, or seek out one of these 13 oyster mushroom substitutes.
• other mushrooms (portobello, button mushrooms, etc.)
• canned beans (red kidney beans, butter beans, etc.)
• canned sweet corn
• jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers
• hot salsa
• vegan sour cream
• guacamole instead of the avocado slices
• shredded vegan cheese
• scallion, chives, fresh cilantro

Serving ideas

These quesadillas without cheese are filling on their own, but we also love adding some toppings and sides. Here are some recommendations to turn them into a full-on vegetarian lunch or dinner:

• sweet potato rice,
• cilantro brown rice (from our veggie bowl recipe),
• fresh tomato corn salsa ((from our veggie bowl recipe),
• chunky salsa sauce,
• shredded lettuce,
• vegan nacho cheese sauce,
• vegan queso dip,
• lime or lemon

Storing tips

These hummus quesadillas are usually best served fresh. It is better to store the ingredients separately and assemble them later. Toasted hummus quesadillas may become soggy after 3-4 days even if you store them in an airtight container or wrapped in tin foil.

You can store oyster mushrooms easily up to a week in the fridge, or at room temperature for 1-2 days. For more tips, read our how to store oyster mushrooms article. The finished dish can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Any time later, the hummus will make the tortilla soggy. When you are ready to serve them, reheat them in a frying pan or skillet.

More recipes for hummus

We collected 25 recipes with hummus, as well as 16 quick ideas on what to eat with hummus.

More oyster mushroom recipes

You can find several delicious oyster mushroom recipes, or check out one from the below list: