These Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas are a fan favorite for a reason. Despite being mind blowingly tasty and flavorful, they’re made with mostly pantry ingredients and easy to make. And they’re extremely popular with vegan skeptics, omnivores, and picky kids.
Check out the video on Youtube for a look at how to make these (including the trick to getting crispy, not soggy quesadillas). And some, err, cooking mishaps and awkward outtakes lol. There’s also a short food-only video at the end of this post :)
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas: Recipe Video
BUFFALO CHICKPEA QUESADILLAS | must-try vegan quesadillas
These quesadillas were so freakin’ delicious that I’ll never be going back to my simple cheese quesadillas. Sure, they take a little more effort and time than plopping some vegan cheese on a tortilla. But they are SO worth it. And they really don’t take thaaat much effort and time. As long as you’ve got your cashews soaked in advance, you can make these spicy, cheesy quesadillas in a half hour.
Ingredient Rundown
Buffalo Sauce
Hot Sauce: For these quesadillas, I married the oh-so-popular Buffalo flavor that people associate with hot wings with my favorite plant protein (chickpeas). The result is a hearty and delicious mashed chickpea buffalo sauce filling. Then I combine this filling with an irresistible Mexican cheese sauce for a match made in heaven.
I wanted the “buffalo” flavor to be pronounced but not overwhelming, which is often the case in buffalo-flavored foods. I use Frank’s Xtra hot sauce for that traditional, spicy “buffalo” flavor because I like things xtra spicy. If you’re okay with spice but want a slightly more moderate heat, I recommend Frank’s original sauce.
If you can’t find Frank’s hot sauce, you can make your own hot sauce (this is a copycat recipe for Frank’s hot sauce). Or use Cholula, Tabasco, or any hot sauce of your preference. Since the hot sauce gets mixed with (vegan) butter, you’ll want a hot sauce that’s pretty vinegar-y to balance out the butter.
Vegan Butter: Buffalo sauce is typically made with a hot sauce and melted butter. But, obviously, we’re going to be using vegan butter! I’ve made this with Violife plant butter, Country Crock Plant Butter, and Earth Balance vegan butter, all with great results.
PS: Looking for more great buffalo-flavored recipes? Try my Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower bites!
Chickpea Filling
Chickpeas + Aromatics: Once the hot sauce is mixed in with the melted vegan butter and some spices, it gets folded into the mashed chickpea mixture. I rely on canned chickpeas make this recipe a quick, weeknight-friendly meal. And to give them extra flavor, I first sauté an onion and minced garlic in a bit of oil before adding the chickpeas.
PS: If you’re looking for more great quesadilla fillings, these Chipotle copycat Sofritas and Mexican Black Beans are excellent in quesadillas!
Mexican cheese sauce
This is the EASIEST cheese sauce ever, and it really tastes like a Mexican-flavored cheese dip. It features raw cashews, vegan yogurt, salsa, a few spices, and nutritional yeast.
The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to soak your cashews in advance. If you find that you’ve forgotten to soak your cashews overnight, you can soak them in boiling water for 1 hour.
Simply add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender and whiz until creamy. Even if you don’t make these quesadillas, you should definitely add this cheese sauce to your recipe repertoire because it’s insanely good (and healthy!). It’s great with burritos, enchiladas, tacos, and nachos!
Tips for making these quesadillas
For the chickpeas, the recipe calls for one (15-ounce) can of chickpeas because that’s the most convenient amount to use. But if you have extra chickpeas on hand, I like to add about 1 1/2 (15-ounce) cans (about 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas). It makes each quesadilla a bit more filling. If you do increase the amount of chickpeas to 1 1/2 cans (2 1/2 cups), you shouldn’t need to make more of the buffalo sauce because the mixture is already so flavorful.
To achieve that perfectly crisp, crunchy texture on the outside of the quesadilla, follow this step. Weigh down the quesadilla with another skillet while it cooks in the pan. After a few minutes, flip the quesadilla and do the same for another minute or two. You’ll be in quesadilla heaven, I promise!
More Delish Chickpea Recipes
In the mood for more Mexican recipes that are not 100% authentic but are 100% delicious? Give these a try:
I hope you try out these Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Quesadillas! They’re incredibly delicious and I guarantee you will fall in love with them! If you love them, please rate and review them below :)
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Queasadillas
Ingredients
Mexican Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup (130-140g) raw cashews, soaked overnight (or soaked in boiling water for 1 hour)
- ½ cup (115g) vegan unsweetened plain yogurt (see Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons water or vegetable broth
- ½ cup (115-130g) salsa of choice (see Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Buffalo Chickpea Filling
- ¼ cup (56g) vegan butter (1/2 stick)
- 4 tablespoons Frank’s hot sauce, original cayenne or Xtra hot, or hot sauce of choice (see Note 3)
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional; I don’t use it when I use Xtra hot sauce)
- A pinch of kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce /425g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (see Note 4)
- 1 small bunch of scallions (4-5 scallions), white and light green parts only, sliced thinly)
For serving
- 8 large flour tortillas****
Instructions
- Prepare the Mexican Cheese Sauce. Drain the soaked cashews and pat dry. Add the cashews, along with the remaining sauce ingredients, to a high-powered blender. Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth. The sauce should be quite thick and creamy, but if you’d like it to be even thicker, add the sauce to a saucepan over medium-low heat for a few minutes to thicken up slightly.
- Next, make the buffalo sauce. Melt the vegan butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave (or in a saucepan on the stove). To the melted butter, add the hot sauce, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (if using), salt, and sugar. Whisk until the hot sauce and butter are completely incorporated.
- Pour the drained and rinsed chickpeas in a medium bowl and roughly mash them with a fork or a potato masher, leaving some beans intact.
- Heat the 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat and once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until softened and they have a little color, then add the garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
- To the onions, add the buffalo-butter sauce and the mashed chickpeas, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the scallions and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and wipe out the skillet so you can reuse it for making the quesadillas.
- Assemble the quesadillas. Spread an even layer of the Mexican Cheese Sauce (1/4-1/3 cup) onto one of the eight tortillas. Arrange about 1/2 cup of the Buffalo Chickpea Filling on top. Place another tortilla on top to cover.
- Lightly grease the large skillet with a bit of oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the prepared quesadilla to the skillet. Place a slightly smaller skillet on top of the quesadilla so that it presses down on the quesadilla, resulting in a nice crispy exterior. I also like to weigh the smaller skillet down with a couple cans of beans/tomatoes or just press down on the skillet with my hands (using a kitchen towel so I don't burn myself). Cook the quesadillas for 3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, or until both sides are crispy and nicely browned. Repeat with the remaining sauce, filling, and tortillas.
Notes
This recipe is sooo good, thank you for sharing! These taste uncannily like Taco Bell quesadillas but in the best way possible. It almost feels like a copycat recipe except that it tastes better, is made with far healthier ingredients, and doesn’t give me gut rot – I’ll call that a win!
This is really easy to make and the leftovers cook up just as well for more quesadillas the next day. I highly recommend and am subbing for more!
Do you have to use yeast or can you substitute it with something?
Great recipe Nisha. I will say one thing. If users have a Vitamix, 6 minutes in boiling water is enough time for the cashews. That makes this recipe even easier!
Does anyone know the macros for this recipe?
Oh my goodness these are just as amazing as everyone says they are! Sooooo good!!!! These will definitely be a staple in our household!!
Hi Melanie, aww thank you for stopping by to let me know. So happy you loved them and they’re going to go into the regular rotation :)
Any recommendations if I don’t have yogurt on hand? Thanks!
I made it without the yogurt and it still turned out good. i just added a bit of water and some extra salsa to help blend it, still tasted great and it was a good consistency cause of the cashews!
I used almond milk and it was great!
Saw this on Aspyn ovards video and decided to make them for dinner tonight. So good! I didn’t have any vegan yogurt but the cheese sauce still turned out great!!
Came from Aspen and Parkers channel and made them :) so easy and yummy and the cheese sauce was so good
I LOVED THESE!!! (And so did my meat-eating boyfriend!) I made us three XL quesadillas expecting them to last a couple of days but we devoured every last bit of them on the spot. I added some tempeh to the chickpea filling for some additional texture, some finely chopped spinach to sneak in some greens, and also replaced the cashews in the cheese sauce with eggplant, for less calories and fat. These will be an adored meal prep staple in our home. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
My favourite food pre going vegan was Taco Bell’s chicken quesadilla, and I have to say these are BETTER! So so good! Dipped them in some guacamole and wow! I will be making this recipe again asap. A new favourite, and super easy too!
Aww that is so cool to hear! Thank you for the feedback and so glad I could top your pre-vegan favorite :) And I agree – these are certainly delicious with guacamole!
Came straight here from Aspen and Parker’s Youtube video! Grabbed the ingredients and made it for my boyfriend and I. It was the first time making a completely vegan meal, and my first time making "cheese" sauce. SO GOOD! Thanks!
That’s so lovely to hear :) I didn’t know about the video until I saw your comment. So great to see it in action. I’m so glad your first introduction to cooking a vegan meal was a happy one!
Great recipe! I did not make quesadillas (hope to soon), instead made the buffalo chickpea "mash" and put that on top of some oven nachos. Soo delicious! :)
Do you know the nutritional breakdown for this recipe?
Can I make it without the salsa. I’m allergic to tomatoes. Sometimes I substitute pumpkin purée for tomato sauce just not sure that would work here…thanks
Hi Kathy, I think I would rather omit the salsa than add pumpkin puree. If you still want to add some Mexican flavor, you could add a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, and if you have some, a handful of cilantro. Hope that helps!
We were out of sasla last weekend and subbed in a corn salsa (Trader Joe’s Corn & Chile tomatoe-less salsa) we had leftover from a BBQ, we added in extra some spices, cilantro, lime, red onion & green onion, garlic ( i think that was everything?)
Hi! Can you use the vegan cheese sauce from the instant pot in this?
Are you referring to the cheese sauce from my cookbook? If so, definitely – it would be so yummy!
Omg this was delicious!! I was scared if the hot sauce but no need be. I followed exactly and loved it. Had leftovers I froze!!!Peggy in Florida
My family totally loved these quesadillas! We will definitely add these to our mix of quick and easy dinners that make mom look awesome!! Thanks for sharing, we added chopped onions and peppers to the mix….. superb!!
OMG were these delicious. Since all the fish fry were cancelled I looked on Pinterest and ran across this recipe and I am so glad I decided to make it. Went to the store to get the ingredients and it was worth the trip. The cheese sauce was awesome . Thank you I will be making this often. Lisa
Gobbled these up, Yum. I sauteed some chopped kale and layered that in as well. I’m going to make these again….SOON!Thanks for this recipe. It was enjoyed (loved) by vegans and nonvegans.
YAY! So happy you loved these quesadillas. Great idea to layer in some chopped kale for those greens :) It’s one of my favorite dishes to make for non vegans too!
These were AMAZING!! Thanks so much for the recipe! In case anyone has to improvise, I used only 1 tbsp earth balance (all I had) and omitted the yogurt and they were delicious :)