This Chipotle Mango Quesadilla Recipe always draws a crowd and it’s perfect for summertime entertaining. I’ve been making this every summer for almost a decade, and it never gets old. It can be served in small slices as an appetizer, and can also stand alone as an amazing vegetarian entrée. 
When two of my favorite foods on the planet are a match made in heaven, as a pair they might just surpass everything else.
Smoky, spicy chipotle peppers and sweet, tangy mangoes create the most unbelievable flavor combination imaginable.
What are your favorite food pairings? For me, right up there with chipotles peppers and mango is chocolate and hazelnut.
What’s in this Chipotle Mango Quesadilla Recipe?
- Mexican Cotija cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- chipotles in adobo sauce
- mango
- cilantro
- lime juice
- tortillas
What to Serve with Smoky Chipotle Mango Quesadillas
Here are a few fabulous ideas . . .
- Fried Meyer Lemon Caesar Salad
- Mexican Chopped Salad with Pepitas and Honey-Chipotle Dressing
- Red Goddess Grilled Flank Steak
- Steak And Onions (Bistec Encebollado)
When to serve Mango Quesadillas
Okay, obviously anytime you’d like to — but, they are especially lovely for a party or a barbecue. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, you name it, it’s a good time for them!
I love slicing them into small pieces for a casual appetizer.
If you have them for breakfast you can even add a poached or over easy egg on top! Delicious!
Whenever you decide to serve them, I hope you absolutely devour and love them as much as my family and I do!
update May 2019 — This post was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with new images.
This recipe always draws a crowd and it's perfect for summertime entertaining. It can be served in small slices as an appetizer, and can also stand alone as an amazing vegetarian entrée.
- 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, fnely chopped
- 1 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
- grapeseed oil for the pan
- 2 (8-inch) tortillas
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, washed and dried
- about 8 thin slices fresh mango - about 1 medium-sized mango (Click here for How to Cut a Mango)
- squeeze of lime juice
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In a small bowl, mix the chipotles with the Cotija cheese and set aside.
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Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with the oil.
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Place the pan over medium heat, add 1 tortilla in the center of the pan (or 2 if they fit), and sprinkle it with an even layer of about half of the Mozzarella cheese. Now sprinkle an even layer of about half of the Cotija-chipotle mixture on top.
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Once the cheeses have melted, add about half of the cilantro leaves on top, and then place 4 of the mango slices on half of the prepared tortilla (still in the pan).
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Squeeze a bit of lime juice over everything, and then use a spatula to fold the side of the tortilla without the mango, directly on top of the other side. Gently press on top to be sure everything is held together.
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Remove from the quesadilla from the pan, place it on a clean, dry cutting board, and cut it into however many slices you'd like (depending on whether you're serving it as an appetizer or main course.) Repeat the above, if you didn't do both quesadillas at once.
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One taste and I fell in love with these. Making them this weekend.
Smoky Chipotle. That almost rhymes. Not that it matters. It’s a magical ingredient anyway. GREG
A favorite pairing would be lemon and blueberries! A stellar quesadilla! Chipotle and mango are exceptional when paired together!
ok… I ate more than my fair share of these at the FBLA meet up. I am normally not a big quesadilla person, but that has all changed thanks to you. 🙂
My current obsession is ginger and lime, or ginger and cayenne, or ginger and anything!
Cathy – I love, love ginger and lime! Deliciously spicy and fresh! And thank you so much!!! xo
Fresh mangos inside quesadillas is an awesome idea. Love these! Any dried fruit with pork is a favorite combo, coffee/red wine/peanut butter and chocolate too, bread and tomatoes, mustard and pastrami, bacon and maple syrup… there are so many!
I’m loving the dried fruit with pork. YUM! Thanks for sharing, Paula. 🙂
Wow – what a flavor combo! I love chile-dusted mangoes (first got them in Hatch) but this? Sheer brilliance to make the quesadillas with mangoes and chipotle! I will be trying these using mesquite tortillas for sure!
David, I bet the mesquite tortillas will be perfect with this!
What a sexy quesadilla!
I love quesadillas – honestly could eat them every day of my life! Love the complex flavors in this one, smoky, spicy, savory, sweet!
Me too! Thanks for visiting the recipe, Marissa. 🙂 ~Valentina
I’ve had chipotle and mango together before (in salsa), but not in a quesadilla. Love the idea! This looks excellent — thanks.
Ooooh, delicious in salsa too! Thanks, John. ~Valentina
Whoa – these look really good! I’m going to have to try them this weekend. I am not much of a cook, but I think I can pull these off. Yum!
Hi Katy, you can do it! 🙂 I know it. ~Valentina
Valentina, what an amazing combination! Love how it’s in a quesadilla. My family would be all over these!
Thanks so much, Kelly! 🙂 Enjoy. ~Valentina
Mmmm…chocolate + hazelnuts! That’s totally one of those flavor combos that doesn’t get enough love. Speaking of fun flavor combos, this ‘dilla sounds amazing. I would never have thought about putting mangoes in a quesadilla, but those flavors sound awesome! I’m a big fan of smoky flavored foods, so I know I would be all in on this one! 🙂
Thanks so much, David. Hope you try and love it! Robbie would probably love it, sans chipotles. 🙂 Enjoy. ~Valentina
I’m OBSESSED with chipotle pepper! Always have ’em around because they’re just so tasty and add so much flavour to anything. And quesadillas? One of hubby and I’s fave thing to eat, especially on Friday or Saturday night. What a lovely pairing with a little mango sweetness. I’d devour the whole batch! Have an awesome weekend 🙂
I’m obsessed with it too. And so good with something sweet. 🙂 Thanks so much, Dawn! ~Valentina
Lovvvve quesadillas. This looks really good. Can not wait to try.
Awesome! I hope you love it! Have a great weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Valentina, I’ve been procrastinating in making my chipotle pepper adobo sauce. Found the dried chipotle pepper and a recipe for the adobo spice, but just haven’t got to it.
But now, I have to because your Smoky Chipotle Mango Quesadilla recipe is mind-blowing. Mango and Chipotle is a combo I’ve not tried but now need to. Fav food combo, hummmm – ripe avocado and salmon sashmi…
Thank you so much, Ron! Keeping it humble of course, the chipotle and mango together, are indeed mind-blowing! I hope you love it, too. As for the salmon sashimi with avocado . . . I’m totally with you! How delicious! Hope you and yours have a lovely weekend. ~Valentina
Mango and chipotle peppers are a great match. I love the way you are preparing them, very creative.
Thanks so much, Gerlinde! Enjoy. :–) ~Valentina
What a fantastic combination! I love mango’s and can only imagine how their luscious flavour pairs so well with the smokey chipotle and taken to the next level when all wrapped up in a crisp blanket of pan fried tortillas….lip smacking and so pretty!
Gosh…favourite food combinations…so many to choose, fresh sweet prawns with avocado, blue cheese and quince paste, garlic and anything 😉
Sweet prawns and avocado! DELICIOUS! I’ll have to try quince paste with blue cheese — sounds like it would so tasty! Thanks for visiting, Kathryn! ~Valentina