A Simple Guide to Freezing Quesadillas (Cooked & Uncooked)
Quesadillas are a delicious Mexican food item that has become popular around the world. They are generally cooked in large batches, meaning there’s a likelihood of having leftovers. Can you freeze quesadillas to prevent food waste?
You can freeze quesadillas for up to four months without losing much quality or taste. It’s best to freeze each quesadilla separately; otherwise, they may get stuck together. You should also cover them with plastic to avoid freezer burn. You can freeze both cooked and uncooked quesadillas.
In this article, I will discuss freezing cooked and uncooked quesadillas in greater detail. Read on to learn more!
A Simple Guide to Freezing Cooked Quesadillas
Freezing quesadillas is simple and easy, and it means you don’t have to throw out extra food unnecessarily. Before freezing them, you should make sure they have completely cooled down.
Placing warm quesadillas in the freezer will raise the freezer temperature and may affect the food that’s already frozen.
Below is a simple guide on how to freeze quesadillas:
- Let the quesadillas cool entirely. You should wait between 10 and 40 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Place them on a flat surface. Next, you want to place your quesadillas side-by-side on a flat surface (like a tray). To avoid freezer burn, you should place plastic wrap on the flat surface and on top of the quesadillas.
- Allow the quesadillas to freeze. You can leave them in the freezer until they’re completely frozen, which will take a few hours. If you want, you can leave them overnight.
- Remove the quesadillas from the freezer once frozen. Once the quesadillas are nicely frozen, you should remove them from the freezer so that you can transfer them into new containers.
- Wrap each one individually and place them in a freezer bag. You want to wrap each one individually so that they don’t stick together. This will make it easier to freeze as you go. Once they’re all wrapped, you can place them in one large freezer bag.
- Place them back in the freezer and defrost as you please. Since each one is wrapped individually, you can defrost one quesadilla at a time to reduce waste. Leave them in the freezer for up to four months, but ideally, you should use them within two.
You should also consider dating the container of quesadillas before placing them in the freezer. If you freeze food often, it’s easy to lose track of how long each thing has been frozen. Writing the date on the freezer bag will make your life a lot easier!
Defrosting Cooked Quesadillas
Now that you know how to freeze cooked quesadillas, it’s essential to know how to defrost them. There are a few different ways to do it, so let’s take a look at them below:
- Defrosting in the refrigerator. The safest way to defrost a frozen quesadilla is to place it in the fridge overnight. Once defrosted, you can put it in the oven or on a skillet to reheat it.
- Defrosting in the microwave. Another way to defrost your cooked quesadilla is to place it in the microwave. You can defrost it in the microwave and reheat it there. However, this will make the quesadilla soft and moist.
- Defrosting on a skillet or in the oven. Finally, you can place the frozen quesadilla directly on a skillet or in the oven. Always be sure it defrosts all the way through. When using a pan or skillet, use low-medium heat so that the center gets a chance to heat up nicely.
If you use a pan or skillet to defrost the quesadilla, using high heat can burn the outside while keeping the center frozen. You want to avoid this, which is why it’s so important to use low or medium heat.
When using the microwave to defrost your quesadilla, use the defrost setting. This ensures it will defrost right through, rather than just the outer parts.
Freezing Uncooked Quesadillas
Although it’s more common to freeze quesadillas that are already cooked, it’s possible (and an excellent idea) to freeze uncooked quesadillas!
This is handy if you have kids or a busy schedule because you can take the frozen quesadillas out of the freezer and cook them right away. There’s no need to worry about food prep or buying ingredients, and it should taste nice and fresh!
The process is the same as freezing cooked quesadillas, so you can follow the above steps if you’re interested.
Defrosting and Cooking Uncooked Quesadillas
The methods for defrosting uncooked quesadillas are pretty much the same as those for cooked ones. The only difference is that you need to fully cook them rather than reheat them once they are defrosted.
This means you need to keep your quesadilla in the pan or oven for longer, but not by much. Be sure to use medium-low heat to avoid an uncooked center and burned outer layer when cooking your quesadilla after defrosting.
One of the most critical parts of the quesadilla is the cheese. You want it to be nicely melted rather than hard and firm, so getting the center nice and hot is essential. This ensures the cheese will melt perfectly.
But you should be aware that cheese can change after being frozen, so it may have a slightly different taste and texture.
Can You Freeze Quesadillas for Long Periods?
You can freeze quesadillas for long periods, but the taste and texture will begin to change and decline after two to four months. However, it’s perfectly safe to keep them frozen for longer than four months.
Once you’re okay with the idea of losing some taste and experiencing a slightly mushier texture, you can freeze quesadillas for as long as you wish. Freezing pauses the growth of bacteria, so quesadillas won’t go rancid if they’re frozen for long periods.
Even if you have chicken or other meat in your quesadillas, freezing indefinitely is safe. According to the USDA, chicken is safe to eat if it has been frozen for long periods, as long as it has been continuous (i.e., as long as it hasn’t been defrosted and then refrozen).
Do Quesadillas Taste Good After Being Frozen?
Quesadillas taste good after being frozen if you froze them in the last 2-4 months. They likely wouldn’t taste as good if you froze them for more than that amount of time. The overall texture will be mushier, and the cheese filling will likely be more watery.
So, the longer you leave them in the freezer, the worse they will taste. If you want to freeze your quesadillas but still enjoy the flavor and texture, you should aim to use them within a couple of months. You should also avoid using soft cheeses because hard cheeses have less water content and will freeze better.
A Simple Guide to Freezing Quesadillas – Conclusion
You can freeze quesadillas for up to four months if you want them to retain most of their flavor and texture. Although it’s safe to freeze them for longer, the quality will decrease, and they won’t be as enjoyable to eat.
You can freeze quesadillas either before being cooked or after. To defrost them, the best method is to leave them in the fridge overnight and cook/reheat them the following day.
Always freeze them individually and wrap each one in plastic to avoid freezer burn.
