Skip to main content

Quesadilla Calories by Filling, Size and Wedge

A cheese quesadilla has about 379 calories according to USDA, or about 95 per wedge, and a chicken one about 402. See how the tortilla, the cheese and the butter in the pan add up, and which swaps cut the most.

By Phat Nguyen

A quesadilla has few moving parts: a tortilla, cheese, the fat in the pan and sometimes a filling. That makes it easy to count, as long as you know how big the tortilla is and how much cheese went in. USDA's numbers give a baseline, and the home-built math further down shows how a quesadilla grows past 600 calories.

Quick answer: a cheese quesadilla (4.2 oz) has about 379 calories according to USDA, about 95 per quarter wedge. A chicken quesadilla (4.9 oz) has about 402, or 100 a wedge.

Quesadilla calories by filling

USDA weighs a whole quesadilla at 4.2 to 5.6 oz, depending on the filling, and a triangular piece at a quarter of that. Here is each one whole and by the wedge:

Quesadilla

Whole

Calories (whole)

Calories (1 wedge)

Protein (whole)

Sodium (whole)

Egg

4.9 oz (140 g)

349

87

15.3 g

658 mg

Vegetables

4.9 oz (140 g)

354

89

11.4 g

734 mg

Cheese only

4.2 oz (120 g)

379

95

16.0 g

811 mg

Chicken

4.9 oz (140 g)

402

100

20.2 g

841 mg

Beef or pork

4.9 oz (140 g)

427

107

19.7 g

840 mg

Chicken and vegetables

5.6 oz (160 g)

432

108

18.1 g

947 mg

Beef or pork and vegetables

5.6 oz (160 g)

446

112

17.8 g

947 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS). A wedge is one triangular piece, a quarter of the whole.

The cheese-only quesadilla is the smallest here but the richest per ounce: 316 calories per 100 g and about 10 g of saturated fat, half of the 20 g Daily Value. Adding chicken or vegetables dilutes the cheese, so those versions have fewer calories per ounce, but they come out heavier overall because the whole quesadilla weighs more. Every quesadilla in the table has more than 650 mg of sodium.

Quesadilla Calories Per Wedge

Tortilla plus cheese: where the calories come from

A home-made quesadilla is easy to add up from its parts. A cheese quesadilla on a large flour tortilla, folded in half and cooked in butter:

  • Large flour tortilla (2.5 oz, 71 g): 217 calories

  • Shredded cheddar, 1/2 cup: 231 calories

  • Butter for the pan, 1 tsp: 35 calories

  • Total: about 483 calories, with 19 g of protein and about 15 g of saturated fat

Add 3 oz of grilled chicken breast (150 calories) and the same quesadilla comes to about 633, with 44 g of protein. Cooking it in 1 tbsp of butter instead of 1 tsp adds about 70 more.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS): flour tortilla, Cheddar cheese, butter, grilled chicken breast.

The tortilla and the cheese carry almost the whole number, so those are the two dials to turn. A medium flour tortilla (1.6 oz) has 138 calories, 79 fewer than a large one; the shell comparison in our guide to taco calories covers corn and whole wheat too. The cheese is the bigger dial:

Cheese, shredded

1/2 cup

1/4 cup

Cheddar

231

116

Monterey Jack

221

111

Mexican blend

205

102

Reduced-fat cheddar

179

89

Queso asadero

168

84

Mozzarella, part skim

167

84

Reduced-fat Mexican blend

159

80

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Swapping cheddar for part-skim mozzarella at the same half cup saves 64 calories and keeps the protein, about 13 g either way. Cutting the cheese from half a cup to a quarter cup saves more, 83 to 116 calories depending on the cheese.

Quesadilla Cheese Calories

Dips and frozen quesadillas

What goes on the side can add more than half a wedge. Per 2 tbsp, according to USDA:

  • Pico de gallo: 5 calories

  • Red salsa: 11 calories

  • Guacamole: 46 calories

  • Queso (cheese dip): 49 calories

  • Sour cream: 59 calories

Salsa and pico de gallo keep the extra close to zero; 2 tbsp of sour cream adds about two-thirds of a cheese wedge.

Frozen quesadillas list one piece as a serving, at about 4 oz. Two chicken quesadillas reported to USDA's branded database list 270 calories (505 Southwestern) and 350 calories (Comida del Sol) for 4 oz, each with 16 g of protein and 690 mg of sodium. At the same weight, USDA's chicken quesadilla comes to about 324 calories and 16 g of protein, so the frozen ones land in the same range.

A lighter chicken quesadilla, one change at a time

Start from the 633-calorie chicken quesadilla above (large flour tortilla, 1/2 cup cheddar, 3 oz chicken, 1 tsp butter) and make one change at a time:

  1. Use a medium flour tortilla instead of a large one: 554 calories.

  2. Swap the cheddar for part-skim mozzarella: 490 calories.

  3. Use 1/4 cup of cheese instead of 1/2 cup: 407 calories.

  4. Cook it in a dry nonstick pan instead of butter: 372 calories.

  5. Add 1/2 cup of cooked bell peppers: 408 calories, with more volume on the plate.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS); calories worked out from the values above.

The lighter version keeps the 3 oz of chicken, so protein stays at about 36 g while the calories drop by about 225. Serve it with salsa instead of sour cream and the gap grows by another 48. Protein holds up because the cheese, not the chicken, is what gets trimmed, which matters if you are tracking macros and not just calories.

A folded quesadilla hides most of what is inside, so a photo alone can miss the cheese. With the Dietfit app, you can log it by typing what went in, or edit the ingredients after a photo scan, so the half cup of cheese and the butter in the pan make it into the log. For where quesadillas sit next to tacos, burritos and enchiladas, see whether Mexican food is healthy.

FAQ

How many calories are in a cheese quesadilla?

A cheese quesadilla (4.2 oz) has about 379 calories and 16 g of protein, according to USDA. Made at home on a large flour tortilla with 1/2 cup of cheddar and 1 tsp of butter, it comes to about 483.

How many calories are in a chicken quesadilla?

A chicken quesadilla (4.9 oz) has about 402 calories and 20 g of protein, according to USDA. A larger home-made one with 3 oz of chicken, 1/2 cup of cheddar and a large flour tortilla comes to about 633.

How many calories are in one slice of quesadilla?

One wedge, a quarter of the quesadilla, has about 87 to 112 calories depending on the filling, according to USDA: about 95 for cheese and 100 for chicken.

How many calories are in a beef or steak quesadilla?

A beef or pork quesadilla (4.9 oz) has about 427 calories and 20 g of protein, according to USDA, or about 446 with vegetables added.

Is a quesadilla healthy?

A quesadilla can fit a balanced diet, but most of its calories come from the tortilla and the cheese. A cheese quesadilla has about 10 g of saturated fat, half the 20 g Daily Value, and more than 800 mg of sodium. Adding chicken and vegetables and using less cheese improves the balance.

How can I make a quesadilla with fewer calories?

Use a medium tortilla, 1/4 cup of part-skim mozzarella instead of 1/2 cup of cheddar, and a dry nonstick pan. Those three changes take a 633-calorie chicken quesadilla to about 372, before adding vegetables.

References

Blog

More posts

View all posts

Taco Calories by Shell, Filling and Topping

One beef and cheese taco on a corn tortilla has about 261 calories, a chicken street taco about 188 and a fish taco about 275. See USDA calories for shells, fillings and toppings, and what three tacos add up to.

By Ngoc Hoang

Burrito Calories: Chicken, Beef, Bean and Chipotle

Burrito calories depend on size more than filling. A regular chicken, bean and cheese burrito has about 447 calories and a large 670, while a Chipotle chicken burrito with rice, beans, cheese and sour cream reaches 1,085. See calories for 12 burritos.

By Phu Le

Is Soul Food Healthy? Calories in Southern Classics

Soul food can be light or heavy depending on the plate. Collard greens have 63 calories a cup and black-eyed peas 11 g of fiber, while candied yams, mac and cheese and fried chicken add up fast. See USDA calories for 26 dishes.

By Khanh Phan
dietfit

Your next meal,
a little better understood.

Get the app