These Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas came together on a night when I wanted something a little different from our usual taco night. The combination of seasoned shrimp, sautéed bell peppers, and a creamy cheesy filling tucked inside crispy golden tortillas is hard to resist.
The homemade taco seasoning adds plenty of flavor, while the cream cheese mixture melts into every bite. Serve these shrimp quesadillas with rice, salsa, avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime for an easy meal that feels like it came from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Why You Will Love This Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas Recipe
- Loaded with Flavor: Seasoned shrimp, sautéed bell peppers, homemade taco seasoning, and a creamy cheese filling create layers of flavor in every bite.
- Easy Weeknight Dinner: These shrimp fajita quesadillas come together quickly, and cook in just minutes.
- Restaurant-Style Results: Crispy tortillas and melty cheese make these taste like they came from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
- Customizable: Add onions, jalapeños, extra cheese, or your favorite toppings.
- Great for Entertaining: Slice into wedges and serve as an appetizer, or main dish.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Shrimp: Substitute with chicken, steak, or lobster.
- Bell peppers: Use any color bell peppers. Add thinly sliced onions for a more traditional fajita-style filling.
- Monterey Jack cheese: Replace with Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Oaxaca cheese, or mozzarella.
- Cream cheese: Neufchâtel cheese works well as a lighter alternative.
- Green chiles: Substitute with diced jalapeños for additional heat.
- Adobo sauce: Substitute with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Flour tortillas: Burrito-size, whole wheat, or low-carb tortillas can be used.
- Olive oil: Substitute with avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Homemade taco seasoning: Use your favorite store-bought taco seasoning blend.
- Fresh cilantro: Omit, or replace with fresh parsley, if preferred.
- Avocado: Serve with guacamole.
- Lime wedges: A splash of bottled lime juice can be used in a pinch.
How to Prepare Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas
- Add the shrimp to a bowl with one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon taco seasoning. Toss well to coat and place in the refrigerator.
- In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the creamy cheesy filling. Mix until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the bell peppers and season with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning. Sauté until softened, and lightly caramelized.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until fully cooked through. This will only take a few minutes. Avoid overcooking.
- Transfer the shrimp and peppers to a bowl.
- Spread a thin layer of the creamy cheesy filling onto one side of a tortilla.
- Add a small drizzle of oil to the same skillet. There is no need to wipe the pan clean.
- Place the tortilla into the skillet with the filling side facing up.
- Top with half of the shrimp and pepper mixture.
- Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese.
- Place the second tortilla on top.
- Cook until golden brown on the bottom.
- Carefully flip and cook until the second side is golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the skillet and allow to rest for several minutes before slicing.
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and salsa if desired.
How to Serve and Store
- Serve these Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas with Mexican rice, taco rice, cilantro lime rice, black beans, refried beans, or a simple side salad.
- Top with sour cream, guacamole, avocado lime crema, pico de gallo, salsa, or avocado slices.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a skillet or air fryer to help maintain a crispy tortilla.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Thaw completely and pat dry before seasoning and cooking.
Absolutely. Thinly sliced onions can be sautéed with the bell peppers for a classic shrimp fajita flavor.
You can prepare the shrimp, peppers, taco seasoning, and creamy filling ahead of time. Assemble and cook just before serving for the best texture.
Add jalapeños, additional green chiles, chipotle peppers, or extra taco seasoning for more heat.
This homemade taco seasoning makes more than needed for the recipe. Store the remaining seasoning in an airtight container for up to 3-6 months.
Whether you’re making these for an easy weeknight dinner or game day, these Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas are always a hit. The combination of juicy seasoned shrimp, sweet bell peppers, creamy cheese filling, and crispy tortillas delivers plenty of flavor, without requiring a lot of work.
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Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Description
Shrimp Fajita Quesadillas are loaded with seasoned shrimp, sautéed bell peppers, creamy cheese filling, and crispy tortillas for an easy restaurant-style dinner.
Ingredients
For the Quesadillas:
- 2 XL flour tortillas
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning, divided (see recipe below or use packaged)
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
- Sour cream, for serving
- Fresh cilantro, for serving
- Avocado, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
For the Creamy Cheesy Filling:
- 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon diced green chiles
For the Taco Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the shrimp to a bowl with one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon taco seasoning. Toss well to coat and place in the refrigerator while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the creamy cheesy filling. Mix until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the bell peppers and season with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning. Sauté until softened, and lightly caramelized.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until fully cooked through. This will only take a few minutes. Avoid overcooking.
- Transfer the shrimp and peppers to a bowl.
- Spread a thin layer of the creamy cheesy filling onto one side of a tortilla.
- Add a small drizzle of oil to the same skillet. There is no need to wipe the pan clean.
- Place the tortilla into the skillet with the filling side facing up.
- Top with half of the shrimp and pepper mixture.
- Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese.
- Place the second tortilla on top.
- Cook until golden brown on the bottom.
- Carefully flip and cook until the second side is golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the skillet and allow to rest for several minutes before slicing.
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients if making additional quesadillas.
- Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and salsa if desired.
- ENJOY!
Equipment
Notes
- Do not overcook the shrimp. They cook quickly and will continue to cook slightly after being removed from the skillet.
- A thin layer of the creamy filling works best and prevents the quesadillas from becoming too heavy.
- Allow the quesadillas to rest for a few minutes before slicing to help the filling set.
- The homemade taco seasoning can be prepared weeks in advance and stored in a sealed spice jar.
- Add sliced onions along with the bell peppers if you prefer a more traditional fajita filling.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Meal Prep
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American/Mexican
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WELCOME! My name is Melissa Latin aka. Charlotte Fashion Plate. Happy to meet you! I am more than just recipes. I love fashion and style too! Most importantly, I love my Family (my Hubby and my Fur Babies). My Husband (aka my “Kitchen Bitch”) means the world to me. He’s pretty damn cool too. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, he also has had a lengthy career in professional hockey. Not only winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early ’90’s, but most recently winning the Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers, amongst many other accolades. If you live in Charlotte and play hockey, or have a family member who plays, be sure to contact him!
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