Pork Carnitas Quesadillas

Let’s get the party started with a big platter of cheesy pork carnitas quesadillas! Crispy carnitas are tucked between two toasted flour tortillas and loads of gooey melted cheese to make an appetizer that everyone always gobbles up instantly. Served with all your favorite toppings, these carnitas quesadillas are the quick and easy party appetizer you’ll turn to every chance you get.

Why You’ll Love These Carnitas Quesadillas

• Loaded with tender shredded pork in every bite — these are seriously hearty quesadillas. Some quesadilla recipes use one tortilla, but we sandwich our tortillas to make sure we’re getting loaded quesadillas. No dinky quesadillas here.
• Comes together in under 20 minutes and includes a make-ahead option for easy entertaining. 
• Perfect for using leftover carnitas. 
• Easily scales up or down for small and large gatherings.

Related: For more favorite party appetizers, you’ll also love these bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers.

Ingredients

Flour tortillas: Look for burrito-size tortillas. This recipe is designed to make some big quesadillas for a crowd. 

Carnitas: Clearly, we need tender, juicy carnitas. For something different, you’ll love my smoked carnitas. That’s what I used here, and that touch of smoky flavor gives the pork a nice depth. Of course, you can also use authentic carnitas or try another cooking method, like these Instant pot carnitas or slow cooker carnitas.

Shredded cheese: Pick your favorite melting cheese. Think cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, queso Chihuahua or queso asadero or Oaxaca cheese. 

Favorite toppings: You have flexibility here, but some of my favorites are sour cream, guacamole, fresh jalapeño slices, chopped red onions, freshly chopped cilantro, and salsa or pico de gallo. For the salsa and pico de gallo, you can try my pineapple pico de gallo or mango-habanero salsa for a fruity twist or my smoked salsa. And if you opt for my smoked carnitas, you can make the smoked salsa right at the same time.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: To assemble our quesadillas, we start by buttering one side of each tortilla (photo 1). We then flip one tortilla so that the unbuttered side faces up and cover the surface with a layer of cheese and carnitas (photos 2 and 3). Now we top the pork mixture with a second tortilla with the butter side facing up (photo 4).

Step 2: After assembling the quesadillas, we heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, we place the quesadilla into the skillet (photo 5). 

Pro tip: Hate flipping quesadillas? You can cheat and use a quesadilla maker, which is almost like a panini press. No flipping needed.

Step 3: When the bottom tortilla turns golden brown and the cheese starts to melt, we use a large spatula to carefully yet quickly flip the quesadilla (photo 6). We continue cooking the quesadilla until the other side turns golden brown and the cheese fully melts. 

Step 4: All that’s left is to slice the quesadillas on a cutting board into four even pieces each (photo 7). I love using a pizza slicer to cut quesadillas, but a large knife works just as well.

Now we serve our pulled pork quesadillas with our toppings bar and enjoy all that cheesy goodness.

Recipe FAQs

Variations and Substitutions

• Use another meat for your filling: My beer-braised Mexican beef works well here, or you can use shrimp, brisket, short ribs, chicken, bacon — you name it.
• Customize your fillings: Reduce the amount of carnitas and another filling, like black beans, roasted corn, green chiles, caramelized onions or strips of poblano pepper.
• Give it a kick: Dust the cook tortilla with some chili powder for some extra spice.
• Save the corn tortillas for another day: I don't recommend corn tortillas when making quesadillas — save those for these shredded beef enchiladas.
• Try sheet-pan quesadillas: This is a great option if you're too busy to watch over the stove, and you can make more quesadillas at a time.

Expert Tips

Pick up carnitas to-go if you don’t have any on hand: If you don’t have your own carnitas, simply pick up some carnitas from your favorite Mexican restaurant. How’s that for an easy hack?

Don’t heat the skillet past medium: If the skillet is too hot, you risk burning the outside of the tortilla. An even medium heat browns the quesadillas while melting the cheese at the perfect rate. 

Shred your own cheese: Bagged cheese is covered with a coating to prevent clumping, so it doesn’t melt as nicely. 

Flip with confidence: Flipping the quesadilla is the trickiest part, but I find it always goes better when I flip without hesitation. Some filling may spill out. Just use a spatula to push the fillings back into the tortillas.

Perfect Pairing

Love a beer with your quesadillas? A double IPA with citrusy hops is a favorite, especially with the carnitas. Traditionally, carnitas cook with lime and orange juice, so those citrusy hops complement the meat nicely, and it has a strong malt backbone to match with the caramelization on the outside of the meat.

Prefer a wine? Sip on a zinfandel. With a zinfandel, you get lovely berry notes to go with the pork, and you’ll love its peppery finish with the spices. 

And, hey, who doesn’t love a nice tequila cocktail with quesadillas? For the margarita lovers, you can try this passion fruit margarita or blood orange margarita. Or if you’d like a different kind of tequila sipper, you can try this Mexican martini, tequila sour or triple-citrus tequila smash.

Everyone at your next party will fall in love with these crispy, cheesy pulled pork carnitas quesadillas — so simple and so delicious.

Cheers!

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