Huevos rancheros (or rancher’s eggs) are a typical breakfast served at Mexican farms, featuring corn tortillas topped with fried eggs and salsa.
Huevos Rancheros
These Huevos Rancheros are the perfect meatless meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The egg yolks mingle with tomatoes and cheese over crispy corn tortillas – what could be better?! For more Mexican-inspired egg recipes, try my Spicy Breakfast Fajitas with Eggs and Guacamole and Chorizo Breakfast Bowls.
My friend Deysi taught me how to make this authentic Mexican recipe, and I’m glad she did because it was such a wonderful change from the usual egg dishes. Plus, it’s really easy to make.
Huevos rancheros remind me of breakfast tacos – only you eat them with a knife and fork. This version tops them with lettuce and cilantro for freshness and crumbled cotija cheese. Also, this dish is naturally gluten-free and perfect if you want to have eggs for dinner!
Does huevos rancheros have meat?
Huevos rancheros can have meat, but my version is vegetarian. You can definitely add some if you prefer. These huevos rancheros would be delicious with turkey chorizo.
How to Make Huevos Rancheros
There are just four main steps – easy!
- Salsa: Sauté the onions and then add the tomatoes, chilis, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, and then set aside and keep warm.
- Tortillas: Lightly spray the corn tortillas with oil and heat over medium-high heat in a skillet. When they get crispy and golden brown, they’re ready.
- Eggs: Cook your eggs sunny-side up on medium-low heat.
- Assembly: Place two tortillas each on two plates, top with half of the tomatoes, two eggs, lettuce, cilantro, and cheese. Enjoy!
Variations:
- If you don’t like runny yolks, feel free to scramble the eggs instead.
- Save time and use jarred salsa instead of cooking the tomatoes and chilies.
- If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, sub in canned diced tomatoes.
- Swap the cotija or queso blanco for shredded cheddar.
- Make dairy-free by eliminating the cheese.
- Add chorizo for extra protein. Or if you want to keep them vegetarian, use soy chorizo.
- Add black beans for more fiber.
- For extra spice, top the tortillas with fresh jalapeños.
- Serve this meal withsliced avocados on the side.
More Egg Recipes You’ll Love:
- Baked Sweet Potato Egg Cups
- Veggie Ham and Cheese Breakfast Egg Casserole
- Swiss Chard Eggs Benedict
- Huevos Perigos (Colombian Scrambled Eggs)
- Lentil Bowls with Avocados, Eggs and Cholula
Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 medium vine tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles, such as Old El Paso
- olive oil spray
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 4 6 inch corn tortillas
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded lettuce
- 4 tbsp crumbled cotija cheese, or queso blanco
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium pan. Add onions and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, green chilies, cumin, salt and black pepper to taste and cook another few minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
- In another medium non-stick pan or griddle, lightly spray the tortillas with oil on both sides and heat over medium-high heat until the tortillas gets crispy and pockets or air bubbles start to form inside, abour 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and lightly spray with more oil, add eggs, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the whites set for sunny-side up or longer for your liking.
- To serve, place 2 tortillas on each plate, top with half of the tomatoes, 2 eggs, lettuce, cheese and cilantro.
Excellent!
This was so delicious! I loved the homemade salsa and the freshness of the lettuce. I might hit the salsa with a little squeeze of lime next time but it was absolutely perfect without it.
This is so good. I added refried beans and a few roasted potatoes. The eggs with the corn tortillas are so good together. And, my husband loved it. His exact words, “this is good, no this is really good.”. Thanks for another great recipe Gina!
Oh my goodness. This is my favorite breakfast. But, where are the beans? Â I love black beans with it.Â
Feel free to add them if you wish!
I loved this! Delicious, I made it exactly as written! The rest of the family weren’t fans though….Including the Husband, though he at least finished his! The recipe for your Cuban black beans really hit this one out of the park!!!
Awesome!!
Made this for supper tonight and I’ll have it for breakfast in the morning. I cut back on the onions, added more cumin, threw cilantro in with the tomato/onion mixture. I will most likely add some garlic next time. It was tasty, filling, and easy to make. FYI, fry the tortillas first.
Excellent!
How can I substitute green chillies?
I am wondering if it would be gross or an awesome "cheat" to use prepared salsa in lieu of cooking the tomatoes et al. (I like Green Mountain Gringo salsa) The difference would mostly be the vinegar in the salsa. Opinions?
Love this! Also added black beans like the commenter above. Thanks for all your delicious recipes, also waiting with baited breath for the cookbook
Thanks Jess!