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.
Gina when is your cookbook coming out?? I have been following your recipes for years now!! I can't wait!
Fall 2014 🙂
I made this for dinner last week and my husband loved it so much I am making it again tonight! FINALLY a dinner dish he likes without meat!
This looks great your amazing Gina..You should do a skinny book..I'd buy it in a flash..Janice
Made this for my family tonight as an easy Cinco de Mayo dinner and it was awesome! Thanks for another great recipe!
I'm a vegetarian and love your meatless monday recipes! I also use the old WW points so appreciate that information as well. I'm glad a friend told me about your website!
I have a lot of favourites from this website, but this one easily just took first place. Amazing!
I had both portions (2 egss/tortillas/sauce), and it was still under 400 calories…yet still managed to leave me incredibly full and satisfied.
I'll be recommending this to all my friends.
What kind of crumbled cheese is that over the top? I didn't see it in the ingredients list.
Black beans would be a good addition.
So. Good. This might be my favorite recipe of yours so far! I served it just as you wrote, with a side of grilled polenta that was topped with some of the tomato mixture, and a little fresh squeezed lime. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I do, but I have a few (different brands)
Do you think substituting salsa for the tomatoes/onions/chilies would work?
Sure!
I just tried this recipe but used canned diced tomatoes with chiles since I did not have the fresh tomato or chiles. I used fat free shredded cheddar instead of the pepper jack. I think it turned out quite well. I will definitely make it again.
You have no idea how often I make this (and I don't even like eggs)! My husband has been working nights, and I'm constantly trying to think of meals that can easily jump the breakfast/dinner boarder being that I'm getting home from work when he's waking up. Not only is it my favorite Huevos Rancheros recipe, but it's extremely satisfying be it for dinner or breakfast :o)
This is really great — thanks for sharing. It's been hard to find a Huevos Rancheros recipe that isn't basically:
"Cook eggs; add salsa"
My search is over 😉
Just tried this (first time I've had huevos rancheros ever) and it's sooooo good! Only thing I added was a couple splashes of Smoked Chipotle Tabasco on top; I've always been a fan of spice, and that gave it just the punch it needed for me. Thanks for the recipe!
I needed something for a quick late lunch and i was like let me finally get around to making this. Wow! All the juices blended together with such flavor! I added some avocado under the egg for a little something extra. Thanks for posting this 🙂
I made this today with a couple of changes. I had some soy chorizo I needed to use so I cooked it and spread it on the tortilla before topping it with the egg, pepper jack, and purchased salsa. It was so good!
I made this today for Sunday brunch. AMAZING! The only thing different was that I used cabbage instead of lettuce and I used Mexican crumbling cheese instead of jack.
OMG i love you and your great culinary mind!!!
Delicious!