Street FoodEasy

Zucchini Flower Quesadillas

Name: Zucchini Flower Quesadillas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 0.5 White onion, diced; 2 Serrano chile, diced; 3 sprigs Epazote; 2 bunches Zucchini flowers; 500 g Corn masa dough; 250 g Oaxaca cheese; 1 to taste Salt

35 min (20 prep + 15 cook) Easy 6 servings Ciudad de México

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: Feb 4, 2026 · Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Corn masa quesadilla filled with sauteed zucchini flowers and Oaxaca cheese.

About this recipe

Zucchini flower quesadillas are an iconic street food from Mexico City. They are made with fresh corn masa filled with zucchini flowers sauteed with epazote, onion, and green chile, along with stretchy Oaxaca cheese. They can be cooked on a dry griddle or deep-fried, and are served with green or red salsa. Zucchini flowers are a pre-Hispanic ingredient that lend a delicate, unique flavour to this much-loved dish.

History & Origin

Quesadillas de flor de calabaza represent the essence of the pre-Hispanic milpa, where sweetcorn, squash, beans and chile grew together in perfect harmony. The squash blossom was a sacred ingredient for the Aztecs, who harvested them at dawn when the flowers were open and fresh. The eternal debate amongst Mexico City locals about whether a quesadilla must contain cheese was born precisely with this dish: in Mexico City you can order a 'quesadilla without cheese' without anyone batting an eyelid, something that scandalises the rest of the country. The epazote, an aromatic herb that accompanies them, was considered medicinal by the Mesoamerican peoples. They are served freshly made, folded into a half-moon shape, with green salsa and cream.

Estimated cost

$19.01

Total cost

$3.16

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on US supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

434

Calories

15g

Protein

40g

Carbohydrates

17g

Fat

Fiber

845mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Clean the zucchini flowers: remove the stems, green sepals, and the pistil from inside each flower. Rinse gently and roughly chop.
💡 Check inside the flowers, as small insects sometimes hide there.
2
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sautee the diced onion for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the chopped serrano chile and cook for 1 minute more.
3
Add the chopped zucchini flowers and epazote leaves. Season with salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flowers are wilted and tender. Remove from the heat.
4
Pull the Oaxaca cheese into long, thin strands.
5
Take a golf ball-sized portion of masa. Flatten it on a tortilla press or between sheets of cling film to form a thin disc about 15 cm across.
6
Place a portion of the zucchini flower mixture and some strands of Oaxaca cheese on one half of the disc. Fold the other half over to form a half-moon shape, pressing the edges gently to seal.
7
Cook the quesadilla on a hot dry griddle for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately with green or red salsa.