Mango & Shrimp Quesadillas are crazy good and fly off the plate! Make them with or without cilantro for a dinner win the whole family will love!
I’ve loved quesadillas since I was a little girl. My mom would order me a cheese crisp at Los Dos Molinos at I would promptly fold it in half. Crispy on the outside, so cheesy on the inside. YUM! There’s no shortage of possibilities when it comes to quesadilla recipes.
Today I’m sharing the most requested quesadilla in my house – Mango & Shrimp Quesadillas. I can’t begin to count how many times Mike has asked me to make these. Every time I make a batch he gets so excited for dinner. I’ve made them for friends and family, and they always get a big thumbs up. Make ’em. Eat ’em. Love ’em.
A couple of years ago I was part of the Pass the Cookbook Club. It was a monthly cooking challenge from Kita at Pass the Sushi. We’d get 3 recipes to choose from, make ’em and share ’em in a Facebook group. Fun right?!
One month we’re cooking from The Picky Palate Cookbook. The recipe choices included Weeknight Shredded Chicken Taquitos, Peanut Butter & Jelly Baby Lattice Pies, and Shrimp Mango Quesadillas. They all sounded great to me, so I did what I always do when I can’t decide between them – I made Mike pick. He chose the quesadillas and here we are!
These quesadillas are totally delicious and wicked easy to make. They’re the perfect weeknight “I don’t really want to cook dinner” meal. And I think we could all seriously use some more quick and easy weeknight dinner options.
I’ve made these quesadillas countless times for everything from birthday parties and football games. Everyone scarfs them down, and I’m left trying to keep up with the demand. They’re that good.
Nothing fancy ingredient-wise here. Just easy to find stuff from the store that’s crazy good when you put it all together!
Shrimp Quesadilla Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Medium-sized raw shrimp
- Salt & pepper
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro
- Butter
- Mango
- Burrito-sized lour tortillas
If you don’t like cilantro or get that soap taste thing when you eat it, you can swap it out for some thinly sliced green onion instead. You’ll want 2 to 3 tablespoons of green onion.
That being said, Mike is not a fan of cilantro… at all. But I make this shrimp quesadilla recipe as written and he wolfs it down.
What cheese is good for quesadillas?
You want a good melting cheese for quesadillas. This shrimp quesadilla is a little different because it uses cream cheese, but it also uses cheddar for gooey cheese factor and flavor to stand up to the cream cheese.
Other melty cheese choices, for this or any quesadilla, include:
- Brie
- Colby
- Fontina
- Gruyère
- Havarti
- Monterey Jack
- Mozzarella
- Provolone
- Swiss
How to Make Shrimp Quesadillas
- Start off by placing a large skillet over medium-high heat on your stovetop. Pour in the oil and let it heat up while you prep the shrimp.
- Place the raw shrimp in a mixing bowl and season them with salt and pepper. Stir the shrimp until they are evenly coated in seasoning. Pour the shrimp into the hot skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until pink.
- Next, use a spoon or tongs to transfer the shrimp to a cutting board. Let them rest until they’re cool enough to handle. Once they cool, chop the shrimp into little pieces.
- After the shrimp is ready, make the cheese filling by adding the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and cilantro (or green onion) to a mixing bowl. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to blend everything together until evenly combined.
- Using the same skillet you cooked the shrimp in (I wipe it out with a paper towel really quick to save on dishes), place the skillet back on the stovetop on medium heat.
- Prep a tortilla by spreading 1 tablespoon of butter on one side of the tortilla. Place the tortilla in the skillet butter side down. Spread 1/4 of the cheese mixture over one half of the tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 each of the shrimp and diced mango over the cheese mixture.
- Use a spatula to fold the plain half of the tortilla over the filling. Cook the quesadilla for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the tortilla is golden and the cheeses are melted.
- Carefully transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board, and cut into 4 slices. Continue making quesadillas with the rest of the ingredients.
- Garnish with more cilantro and mango on top if you like. These shrimp quesadillas can be served warm or at room temperature.
If you want to make this shrimp quesadilla recipe in the oven, here’s what to do:
Follow all the prep steps up through buttering the tortilla. Place the buttered tortilla on a baking sheet lined with foil. Add the cheese mixture, shrimp, and mango as directed and fold the tortilla over. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping once so each side gets crispy and golden.
I can usually fit two tortillas per baking sheet and then I bake them in two batches – one pan per batch.
How many calories in a shrimp quesadilla?
592. Yep.
There is cream cheese and cheddar cheese in these bad boys along with flour tortillas. They’re not low-cal, but that’s what portion control is for. If you have half of a quesadilla – AKA 2 triangles – it’s half the calories.
Give me all the shrimp!
More Mexican food appetizers!
- Queso Fundido con Chorizo
- Baked Beef Taquitos
- Chicken Taco Cups
- Crock Pot Spinach & Bacon Queso Dip
- Mexican Pinwheels Recipe
Shrimp Mango Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ pound medium-size raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 mango peeled, seed removed, and chopped
- 4 flour tortillas burrito-sized
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to hot skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until no longer pink. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside on a cutting board to cool.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and cilantro with a spoon until evenly combined. If you don't like cilantro, substitute chopped green onion instead.
- Chop cooled shrimp into small pieces.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. (I use the same on the shrimp was cooked in and wipe it out before reusing.) Spread 1 tablespoon of butter on one side of a tortilla. Place the tortilla in the skillet buttered side down.
- Carefully spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture over half of the tortilla. Top the cheese mixture with 1/4 cup of shrimp and 1/4 cup of mango. Using a spatula, fold the tortilla in half, over the filing. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until tortilla is golden brown and the filling is gooey.
- Remove your quesadilla from the skillet, and cut it into 4 or 8 wedges. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Jen says
These look fabulous! We love a good quesadilla. I think that these would be great for husband’s graduation party in May.
Carlee says
What an interesting idea for a quesadilla! I am going to have to give these a try!