Enjoy this Copycat Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger made easily in your own kitchen. Tastes even better than the real thing!

Copycat Applebees quesadilla burger stacked on a plate.

Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger at Home

You don’t need to head to Applebee’s to enjoy a quesadilla burger! That’s right, we’re teaching you how to make an amazing copycat Applebee’s quesadilla burger in your own kitchen in a few simple steps.

why you’ll love it

Tastes just like the real thing only more flavorful!

Fun way to jazz up a traditional taco dinner!

Easily doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.

Ingredients for copycat Applebees quesadilla burgers in bowls.

Quesadilla Burger Ingredients

6-inch tortillas: the fajita size! Anything larger will be too big for your burger patty.
Shredded cheddar cheese
Ground beef: we used 85/15.
Pepper jack cheese
Shredded lettuce
Pico de gallo
Cooked bacon
Ranch dressing
Salsa: use your favorite! Anything will work.
Taco seasoning: we used homemade but you can use store bought, too.
Avocado oil
Salt & pepper

try it!

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Looking for more copycat recipes? Skip the drive thru and make our copycat crunchwrap supreme!

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Pepperjack cheese on top of burger patties in a skillet.

How to Make Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger

Prep tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400ºF, and brush 3 tablespoons of avocado oil onto 2 cookie sheets and lay 4 tortillas onto each sheet.

Sprinkle about ¼ cup of shredded cheddar onto each tortilla. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes. The cheese should be bubbling and the bottoms of the tortillas should be golden brown and crispy.

Make Burger Patties

Prepare the burger patties. Separate the ground beef up into 4 balls. Press each ground beef ball into thin patties that are about 5-inches round.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the burger patties to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Place pepper jack on each burger patty and cover to allow the cheese to melt.

Make Mexi-ranch sauce

Next, mix together the ranch, salsa, and taco seasoning in a small bowl.

Assemble Quesadilla Burgers

Layer the following in this order:

1 tortilla, cheese side up
¼ cup of the shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons of pico
1 burger patty
2 slices of bacon
2 more tablespoons of pico.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Mexi-ranch
Top with another tortilla

Serve & Enjoy!

Serve immediately with your favorite sides (we’re making some recommendations below!). Enjoy!

The start of building a copycat Applebees quesadilla burger on a plate.

What to Serve with Quesadilla Burgers

Top Tips for Quesadilla Burgers

Not all taco seasoning is created equal: we LOVE Fit Foodie Finds homemade taco seasoning because the flavor can’t be beat. Make a large batch to keep on hand!

Use 6-inch flour tortillas: corn tortillas will have a difficult time keeping all your quesadilla burger ingredients in place. We recommend using flour tortillas, and making sure they’re 6-inch tortilla for the perfect pairing for your burger patty.

Make it your own! don’t love pepper jack cheese? Use cheddar! Want to use turkey burgers? Go for it! Make these Applebee’s quesadilla burgers your own for the perfect taco night.

All the fixings for a copycat Applebees quesadilla burger on a plate.

Storage

While we recommend eating your Applebee’s quesadilla burger fresh, you can absolutely save it for later.

Transfer your leftover quesadilla burger into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

A hand picking up half of a copycat applebees quesadilla burger from a plate.

4.84 from 6 votes

Copycat Applebees Quesadilla Burger

This Copycat Applebees Quesadilla Burger tastes even better than the real thing! You'll love this at-home version of Applebees recipe.

Prep:15

Cook:15

Total:30

Fat 100

Carbs 43

Protein 54

Yield:

Ingredients

6 tablespoons avocado oil divided
8 6-inch tortillas fajita size
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (~2 cups)
1 lb. ground beef we used 85/15
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 slices pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup fresh pico de gallo
8 slices cooked bacon
½ cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons of your favorite salsa
1 tablespoon taco seasoning we used homemade but you can use store bought, too

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Brush 3 tablespoons of avocado oil onto 2 cookie sheets and lay 4 tortillas onto each sheet.
Sprinkle about ¼ cup of shredded cheddar onto each tortilla. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes. The cheese should be bubbling and the bottoms of the tortillas should be golden brown and crispy. Set aside for later.
Prepare the burger patties. Separate the ground beef up into 4 balls. Press each ground beef ball into thin patties that are about 5-inches round. Season each patty with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the burger patties to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Place 2 slices of pepper jack on each burger patty and cover for 30 seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Remove the patties from the skillet and keep them warm.
Place already cooked pieces of bacon into the skillet a minute before you are ready to assemble to make sure they are warm.
Next, in a small bowl, mix together the ranch, salsa, and taco seasoning. Set aside.
To assemble, lay one tortilla crispy-side down. Add ¼ cup of the shredded lettuce and 2 tablespoons of pico on top of the melted cheddar. Then, add a burger patty and 2 slices of bacon onto the lettuce. Top with 2 more tablespoons of pico. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Mexi-ranch on top of the burger, then top with another tortilla.
Serve immediately.