Vegan Breakfast Quesadilla

Breakfast doesn’t get any tastier than a vegan breakfast quesadilla! Loaded with peppers, onions, and tofu, this dish is definitely something worth waking up for! This easy recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option. You can pan fry your quesadillas or bake them in the oven.

Vegan Breakfast Quesadilla

A while back, I shared a recipe for The Vegan Popeye Tofu Scramble, which is my version of a dish from a local pancake house. Today, I’m sharing another favorite from the same restaurant – Santa Fe Vegan Breakfast Quesadillas. It’s always difficult for me to choose between the scramble and the quesadilla, because I want both.

Sometimes I don’t want to go out for breakfast on the weekends, preferring to stay home in my jammies and cuddle with my cats on the sofa while drinking mugs of hot tea. On those days, I like to make these vegan breakfast quesadillas at home myself. They don’t take too much time to make, and since there are just two of us, we always have leftovers to have for breakfast again the next day.

What You Need

• Vegetable oil
• Onion
• Tofu
• Nutritional yeast
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Red pepper flakes
• Turmeric
• Cayenne pepper
• Red bell pepper
• Green bell pepper
• Tortillas
• Shredded non-dairy cheese
• Avocado
• Salsa
• Hot sauce

Pressing Your Tofu

Pressing tofu removes excess water, and it helps the tofu to absorb the flavors of what it’s cooked with, so I always recommend doing it.

To press your tofu, wrap it in a towel and put something heavy on top of it, such as a cast iron pan or a cutting board topped with a few cans of beans. Leave it for about 30 minutes to an hour. If you give yourself enough time in advance, you can wrap your tofu in a towel and place it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. There’s no need to place anything heavy on top of it if you do it this way, as the towel will absorb the excess liquid over time.

You can also use a tofu press, such as the TofuXpress, if you have one. I’ve found that tofu only needs to be pressed for about 15 minutes when I use my press.

How to Make Vegan Breakfast Quesadillas

These quesadillas are really easy to make!

• First you heat one teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat, and cook the onion and peppers until the onion has browned slightly and the peppers have begun to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Next you crumble the tofu and add it the pan along, along with the nutritional yeast and spices, and you mix everything together. You cook everything for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Then you remove the tofu scramble from the skillet and wipe it clean.
• Now you add another ½ teaspoon of oil to the pan and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Place one of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese on top of it. Evenly place ¼ of the tofu mixture on the tortilla, and then place another tortilla on top. Press down with a spatula.
• Cook your quesadilla for about 5 minutes, and use a spatula to check the underside to make sure that the bottom tortilla has browned slightly. If it hasn’t, allow it to cook for a minute or two longer. If it has, you carefully flip the quesadilla over with a spatula, and allow it too cook for several more minutes, until the underside has browned.
• Next you remove the quesadilla from the pan and cover it to keep it warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and tofu mixture until you have four quesadillas.
• Finally, you cut each quesadilla into four pieces, and serve hot with sliced avocado, hot sauce, and salsa.

Baked Quesadillas

If you'd rather bake your quesadillas, start off by preheating your oven to 400°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place four of the tortillas on the baking sheet and divide the tofu mixture among each. Top with the shredded cheese. Place the remaining 4 tortillas on top of each and press down. Bake for 10 minutes and then carefully flip each quesadilla. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until both sides are golden-brown.

Vegan Cheese

The cheese in this recipe acts like glue, holding the quesadilla together. Try Violife, So Delicious Dairy Free, or Follow Your Heart. You can use cheddar, pepper jack, or colby jack cheese - whatever strikes you fancy.

Serving Your Vegan Breakfast Quesadilla

The pancake house pairs the Santa Fe Breakfast Quesadilla with home fries. I like to serve them simple roasted potatoes along with garden salad, because first thing in the morning is a great time to get your greens in!

Serve Your Breakfast Quesadillas with:

• Cashew Cheese Sauce
• Chipotle Lime Dressing
• Jalapeno Lime Aioli
• Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Avocado Salsa Verde

More breakfast recipes you might enjoy include:

• Tofu Benedict
• Tofu Frittata
• Spinach Tofu Scramble
• Cheesy Tofu Breakfast Sandwiches