Tequila Shrimp Quesadillas

These Tequila Shrimp Quesadillas taste like they came from your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant! Tequila marinated shrimp with tons of gooey cheese to hold them all together!

Tex-Mex food is one of our most favorite food groups. Don’t forget to whip up some of our Homemade Guacamole and this fresh Pico de Gallo for topping!

Why You’ll Love These Shrimp Quesadillas

These Tequila Shrimp Quesadillas are not only super easy to make, but your family will literally cheer when you put them on the dinner table.

• Easy To Make: With a few ingredients prepped ahead of time, these shrimp quesadillas come together in just minutes!
• Customizable: You can customize the ingredients to your liking, even omitting the tequila if you like.
• Perfect For Parties and Game Days: These quesadillas are the perfect hand held appetizer or main course. One handed eating that allows you to keep your other hand free for a tequila cocktail or glass of wine!
• Make Ahead: These shrimp quesadillas can even be made ahead of time and warmed up right before you need them, making dinners and party planning a breeze.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for a complete list of ingredients and amounts in the recipe card.

• Flour Tortillas: Flour tortilla are best for making these shrimp quesadillas, but you can make them with corn tortillas if that’s what you have on hand.
• Shrimp: Medium sized shrimp seem to be the best fit for this recipe, but you can use smaller or larger shrimp and adjust then adjust the amount that you put on each quesadilla.
• Cheese: We use a combination of Mexican blend cheese and mozzarella cheese, but you can also use other cheese like cheddar or cotija cheese.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a fresh flavor to this recipe, but you can leave it out if you prefer.
• Marinade Ingredients: Tequila, honey, fresh lime juice, orange juice, garlic, chili powder and cumin.

What Kind Of Tequila Is Best For This Shrimp Marinade?

You can really use any kind of tequila that you like or have on hand. if you need some pointers about which kind of tequila to buy, check out this tequila fact guide for some great ideas. For this recipe, we chose a blanco or white tequila for a more mild tequila flavor.

How To Make Shrimp Quesadillas

After marinating the shrimp, these quesadillas come together in just minutes. Also, like we mentioned above, you can prepare these quesadillas ahead of time and then warm them up when you need them.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for complete instructions in the recipe card.

• STEP 1 – MAKE THE MARINADE: Add tequila, orange juice, honey, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder in a dish. Add the shrimp to the marinade, toss, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
• STEP 2 – DRY OFF THE MARINADE: Remove the shrimp from the marinade and then dry them off well with paper towels.
• STEP 3 – COOK THE SHRIMP: Add olive oil to a large skillet and cook the shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side and then remove the shrimp from the skillet to a plate to keep warm.
• STEP 4 – ASSEMBLE AND COOK THE QUESADILLAS: Add more oil or cooking spray to the skillet and then add a tortilla. Cover the tortilla with a layer of Monterey jack cheese and a few cooked shrimp. Add more cheese on top of the shrimp and cover with another tortilla and press down with a plate. Cook the quesadillas until browned and crispy on both sides.

Is Fresh Or Frozen Shrimp Best?

Really, the most important thing here is that the shrimp are fresh and tasty. Fresh from the seafood counter or frozen at sea. Also size doesn’t really matter. Smaller shrimp will work, as will larger shrimp just add more or less to each quesadilla.

We prefer to use medium shrimp that are peeled and deveined to take that step out of the process. Sometimes the best way to go is frozen shrimp, depending on what the seafood counter has to offer. We cook with frozen shrimp all the time so don’t be afraid to grab it.

Topping Ideas For Shrimp Quesadillas

I can pretty much guarantee you that you’ll be eating at least one or two wedges of these Tequila Shrimp Quesadillas just as is. This shrimp quesadilla recipe has it all, perfectly marinated shrimp, tons of cheese and just a hint of fresh cilantro.

But toppings are plentiful on our dinner table, too! Here are a few of our favorites:

• Guacamole
• Sour Cream
• Pico de Gallo
• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh lime wedges
• Sriracha or hot sauce

How Do You Reheat Quesadillas So They Are Crispy?

Need to make a bunch of these shrimp quesadillas ahead of time? Or just need to reheat a few leftovers? We’ve got you covered. Our kids will heat leftovers right in the microwave, but it doesn’t make for a crispy tortilla crust.

The best way to reheat quesadillas is to place them on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes or until they’re warmed through. An air fryer does a great job reheating these quesadillas as well. Add the quesadillas in a single layer at 350 degrees for about 4 minutes until warm.

You can also use a skillet to reheat these with a little oil or non stick cooking spray. AND if you love these Tequila Shrimp Quesadillas, we’ve got some more quesadilla recipes for you to try!

Looking For More Quesadilla Recipes?

• Ultimate Chicken Quesadillas
• Sausage & Pepper Quesadillas
• Chicken Enchilada Quesadillas
• Korean Beef Quesadillas
• Bacon Cheeseburger Quesadillas
• Meatball Pizza Quesadillas

Print