If you’re looking to spice up brunch, you can’t beat huevos rancheros. Crispy tortilla shells are topped with refried beans and fried eggs and are smothered with a homemade salsa roja for a satisfying dish that strikes the perfect balance of crunchy and soft, spice and freshness.
Huevos rancheros originated in the 1600s as a hearty mid-morning meal for farmers in rural Mexico. While there are many different variations today, the key elements are crispy corn tortillas, eggs (usually fried), and a thick salsa roja. Another common addition is refried beans, which I’ve included in this version. Here’s everything you need to know.
How To Make Huevos Rancheros
INGREDIENTS
- Oil: A neutral variety, such as a vegetable or canola oil, is best here.
- Onion: You can use either white or yellow onion here. I call for a small one, but if you only have large onions, just use only half.
- Kosher Salt: I prefer to use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, since the size of the granules make it easier to season evenly without over-seasoning. If you have Morton, I recommend using about half the amount called for in the recipe.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds to that backdrop of the flavors that we’re building here.
- Jalapeño: Some recipes call for fresh serrano chiles (or even chipotle chiles in adobo to bring that smokiness), but I like the slightly milder vegetal spice that the jalapeño provides. You can choose to seed the jalapeño if you’re concerned about the spice factor, or leave the ribs and seeds in if you want it spicier.
- Tomatoes: While many recipes call for plum, I was ultimately dissatisfied with the flavor that a fresh tomato produced. Even once roasted or charred, it failed to give the depth of tomato flavor I wanted. Canned fire-roasted tomatoes, which are picked and canned at their peak of ripeness, proved to be the winning solution, bringing both the char and that full tomato flavor.
- Lime Juice: Make sure to use fresh! Anything bottled just won’t have the zing that freshly squeezed juice holds.
- Corn Tortillas: Fresh corn tortillas are best here, and 6″ is the perfect size to hold a single fried egg.
- Refried Beans: While you’re certainly welcome to make your own refried beans, I opted for canned here. There’s a lot going on already!
- Eggs: I tested this recipe with large eggs, but you can use whatever size you have on hand.
- Cotija & Cilantro: A little fresh cheese and cilantro are the perfect touch to this breakfast. They’re not strictly necessary, but they add great freshness.
Recipe Tips
- Make a double batch of the salsa: If you’re making your own salsa, you might as well make double! Then use the leftovers for saucing chicken or rice (or even pasta!) throughout the week.
- Cook the eggs any way you like: Sunny-side up eggs are typical for huevos rancheros, but if you prefer over-easy or even over-medium or -hard, be my guest! You could even scramble them if you wanted—which would then make this a sort of breakfast tostada, I suppose—but would still be delicious.
- Cook the eggs to order: This recipe streamlines the egg-cooking process by cooking all 4 eggs at once, but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Cooking 1 egg at a time will let you cook the eggs to specific people’s egg preferences (which we all have!) and also means that each individual egg will be perfectly round.
Storage
Leftover salsa and beans can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Tortillas can be kept in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just cook the eggs right before serving the leftovers (if any are left, really).
