This authentic Mexican breakfast is layers and layers of goodness! Huevos Rancheros starts with a crispy tortilla, then whole or refried beans are placed on top, a perfectly fried egg is next, and it’s all topped off by cheese, salsa, and cilantro.
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Hearty Homemade Huevos Rancheros
Scrambled eggs are great, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I like to make my egg breakfasts a little more filling and over the top. This Huevos Rancheros recipe is the perfect way to do that! A crispy, freshly fried tortilla is topped with beans, a perfectly fried egg, salsa, cheese and cilantro. It’s seriously decadent, but surprisingly easy!
You will fall in love with this Mexican breakfast before the first forkful even makes it to your mouth. Really. And once it does, the crispy fried egg combined with the fresh tomato and refried beans will seriously wow your tastebuds. So, if you’ve got refried beans left over from Taco Tuesday, you know what to do with them!
Since I moved to Florida, I have missed all things Mexican, but especially Mexican breakfast. As the years passed and my cravings grew, I have started making some of my favorites at home with recipes or FaceTime calls from my girlfriends back home. They showed me exactly how to make perfect Huevos Rancheros with a freshly fried tortilla, and a spectacular homemade salsa, and I am excited to share the recipe with you!
What Are Huevos Rancheros?
Huevos Rancheros translates to ‘rancher’s eggs,’ so there’s your clue that you’re in for a filling, hearty breakfast! This meal is commonly served on rural farms throughout Mexico in the late morning to keep everybody’s strength up. (Which makes it a great brunch option!)
The components of this dish are always eggs of some sort (usually fried), crispy tortillas, tomatoes or salsa, and beans. You layer them all on top of your crispy corn tortilla and dig in!
Ingredients
What goes into making this fabulous homemade egg breakfast? These are the most important components:
- Corn Tortillas – You can use corn tortillas and crisp them up fresh in a skillet or you can use tostadas to save yourself time.
- Whole Beans – Use any bean you like, I prefer refried beans, but also love black or charro beans.
- Eggs – I like fried eggs on mine, but you can also use scrambled if you prefer.
- Jalapeño – You can remove seeds to lower the heat in the salsa, if needed, or use a Serrano pepper instead.
- Queso Fresco – This is a very mild, salty, crumbly Mexican cheese that is delicious. However almost any cheese you have on hand will work: cheddar, mozzarella, chihuahua cheese or even goat cheese.
- Tomatoes – If you’ve got a garden full of fresh tomatoes, this is a great way to use them up. Otherwise, I suggest grabbing Roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are a meatier tomato that make a great salsa.
How to Make Huevos Rancheros
Huevos Rancheros is a meal that you can whip together if you’ve got a little extra time on a weekday morning, but I generally like to prepare it as a hearty weekend breakfast.
Boil Tomatoes, Jalapeño & Onion: In a medium sized sauce pot, place tomatoes, jalapeño, and onion into the pot and cover with water. Turn on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes.
Blend: Scoop the vegetables out of the water and place the vegetables and cilantro into the blender with ½ teaspoon salt and pulse for 10 to 15 seconds until it makes a chunky salsa. Discard the leftover water.
Cook the Tortillas: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling, then add a tortilla and fry on one side till crisp. Flip over and crisp the other side. Remove tortilla and place on a paper towel to drain.
Fry the Egg: In the same pan with oil from frying the corn tortilla, add egg and season egg with salt and pepper, to taste. Fry egg until desired doneness (I recommend over easy).
Put It All Together: On a plate, spread warmed beans onto the hot tortilla. Place the fried egg on top of the beans and then top with queso fresco, salsa and cilantro, to taste.
Serve Immediately: These are best eaten fresh and crispy! Repeat with remaining tortillas until all have been served.
Tips for Success
Looking for ways to perfect this Mexican egg breakfast? Here are a couple of tips:
- Making Salsa: If tomatoes aren’t in season, feel free to skip this step, or buy salsa from the store. Or, if you prefer pico de gallo, top the eggs with that instead. However, if you have the time, this homemade salsa really takes your Huevos Rancheros to the *next level*. It’s SO good. I always make a triple batch!
- Bean Substitute: If you’re not a fan of refried beans, you can skip them, or try my Charro Beans on top of this breakfast instead. Black beans are also a good substitute.
- Corn Tortillas vs Flour Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditional, but flour tortillas can be used in a pinch if you have no other option and are craving Huevos Rancheros!
Serving Suggestions
There are a bunch of ways to serve and stylize Huevos Rancheros. Here are a few of my go-to add-ons:
- Sour Cream: You’ve already got the salsa, so add a little sour cream, too!
- Enchilada Sauce: I have a great homemade enchilada sauce recipe! It’s good for more than just enchiladas, you know. 🙂
- Avocado Slices: Creamy avocado is a great complement to the salsa.
- Hot Sauce: Add a little extra heat if that’s your thing! My husband always adds hot sauce to his.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
I would store the different parts of this meal separately. Keep the beans in one airtight container, and the salsa in another. I think the tortillas are best when crispy and warm, so I would just fry up a new one when you’re ready to enjoy this breakfast again – the same goes for the egg. Microwave the beans, top with the salsa, and you’ll be good to dig in!
Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño, stem removed
- ¼ white onion
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 6 corn tortillas
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole or refried beans, warmed in microwave
- 6 eggs
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
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Instructions
- 1. In a medium sized sauce pot, place tomatoes, jalapeño, and onion into the pot and cover with water. Turn on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes.
- 2. Scoop the vegetables out of the water and place the vegetables into the blender with ½ teaspoon salt and pulse for 10 to 15 seconds till it makes a chunky salsa. Discard the leftover water.
- 3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling, then add a tortilla and fry on one side till crisp. Flip over and crisp the other side. Remove tortilla and place on paper towel.
- 4. In the same pan with oil from frying tortilla, add egg and season egg with salt and pepper, to taste. Fry egg until desired doneness (I recommend over easy).
- 5. On a plate, spread warmed beans onto the hot tortilla. Place the fried egg on top of the beans and then top with queso fresco, salsa and cilantro, to taste.
- 6. Serve immediately, these are best eaten fresh and crispy! Repeat with remaining tortillas until all have been served.
Nutrition
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More Mexican Inspired Recipes
Looking for more delicious Mexican inspired recipes?
- Mexican Chicken Adobo
- Mexican Casserole
- Homemade Cheese Enchiladas
- Beef Picadillo
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
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The cheese isn’t called “queso fresco” its “Cotija”. Queso fresco usually refers to a melted white cheese.
Hi None, yes, actually, it is called Queso Fresco. Queso Fresco is a common type of cheese. Here are an article about it to help you. I also included a link for you to purchase it at Walmart. Next time, I recommend googling instead of leaving snarky comments. 🙂