Traditional Huevos Rancheros Recipe
Published April 29, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This traditional Mexican Huevos Rancheros recipe is the perfect breakfast recipe loaded up with crispy tortillas, perfectly fried eggs, and tasty homemade salsa. The simplicity and flavors in this dish next level and not-too-mention it’s incredibly simple to prepare.
I am a huge fan of Mexican food, and the more I research it and make it, the more I love it. There are some amazing traditional recipes out there such as Tres Leches Cake or Baja Fish Tacos that I think you will enjoy and are guaranteed to impress guests.
Huevos Rancheros
Huevos Rancheros is Spanish for “rancher’s eggs,” although the more traditional translation would be “country-style eggs.” This dish consists of fried corn tortillas topped with fried eggs and salsa. It is a very simple dish to prepare and extremely traditional to serve daily in Mexican cuisine.
I’ve been making this dish for over 25 years and it’s still delicious every time I make it and eat it. You can get creative when making this dish and add accompaniments such as toppings and side dishes to further enhance it.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tomatoes – I like to use Roma tomatoes as they are great in the summer and decent in the off-season.
- Peppers – Use seeded serrano or jalapeño peppers for this.
- Onions – I prefer to use yellow onions, but feel free to substitute for white or sweet onions.
- Garlic – Use whole garlic cloves for roasting for the salsa.
- Oil – You will need a natural flavored oil to coat the vegetables as well as for frying the tortillas and eggs.
- Tortillas – Fried crispy corn tortillas are the only ones you will need.
- Eggs – Any size or brand of eggs will work.
How to Make Huevos Rancheros
Use these step-by-step instructions and images to make these delicious huevos rancheros from scratch:
Coat the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic on a sheet tray and roast in the oven at 425 for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly charred.
Remove the roasted veggies and pulse a few times in a blender so that it is still chunky but easy to pour. Transfer to a saucepot and keep warm on low heat.
In a saucepan of oil at 350° fry the corn tortillas until crispy. Place them on a rack over a sheet tray to drain.
In that same oil, fry eggs to your desired amount of doneness.
Serve the eggs on top of the crispy tortillas and top off with salsa. Some other things you can serve it with are refried beans and queso fresco cheese.
Make-Ahead And Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten as soon as they are done cooking. You can keep the ingredients separate for up to 30 minutes before assembling and serving.
How to Store: Keep the ingredients separate and covered in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Be sure to keep the fried corn tortillas covered and at room temperature. These will not freeze well.
How to Reheat: Reheat the beans according to their reheating instructions, warm the tortillas, fry new eggs, and add on salsa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do huevos rancheros contain?
- huevos rancheros plainly contain fried eggs, crispy fried corn tortillas, and salsa, but it can be expanded to add refried beans, cheese, and occasionally meat, or you can get creative with it.
What does rancheros mean in huevos rancheros?
- Rancheros translates to “ranchers” which brings the whole term to “rancher’s eggs.”
Does huevos rancheros have meat?
- Traditionally it does not have meat on it, however, I have seen things like bacon, chorizo, or pork belly added to it.
What is the difference between huevos rancheros and Shakshuka?
- These two dishes are completely different. Huevos rancheros are fried eggs served with warm salsa on a fried tortilla and Shakshuka are eggs poached in a zesty tomato sauce.
chef notes + tips
- While my recipe is very classic, please feel free to expand and add additional toppings and side dishes to accompany this.
More Mexican Recipes
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Video
Traditional Huevos Rancheros Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 2 seeded serrano peppers
- 1 peeled yellow onion, cut into thick slices
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil + more for frying
- 8 corn tortillas
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups refried beans
- queso fresco for garnish
- chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Add the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, and coat in the 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the oven at 425° for 30 minutes and then add to a blender and pulse a few times so that it is like a chunky salsa. Transfer to a saucepot, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, and keep warm over low heat.
- While the vegetables are roasting you can prepare everything else. In a large frying pan add some neutral flavored oil and heat over medium heat or until it is 350°.
- Fry the corn tortillas until crispy in batches, which takes about 1 minute per side. Place them on a rack over a sheet tray to drain.
- In that same oil, fry eggs to your desired amount of doneness. Be sure to season them with salt and pepper.
- Serve the eggs on top of the crispy tortillas and top off with salsa. Other things to serve it with are warm refried beans, queso fresco cheese, and cilantro.
I love this recipe…I leave some seeds in the peppers…just a personal preference…great recipe!
many thanks!
This looks yummy. I had a pork green chili version in Frisco, Colorado and have recreated in my kitchen 2 ways, slow roasting the pork and combining with onions, pepper etc. or pork sausage with roasted veggies and a great verde sauce and spices. Both are delicious
Hey Chef, another home run here for me ad my family. This is great food at it’s finest. So easy to make and delicious to eat anytime day or night. I think everyone should try this dish. It’s filling, delicious, and full of Protein with the beans and the eggs. Great dish and recipe.
Happy Sunday started with this recipe. Five 👍👍👍👍👍 up good!
Followed directions exactly……a perfect delicious dish. Thinking of using the remaining sauce when I make chili…..
Love your recipes! They are so easy to make and absolutely delicious. I like to make enough salsa to last a few days. It goes with everything!
Hungry now need food thanks to ChusfBilly yummy oh
Thanks Chef. Love the roasting of the veggies. This gives the sauce such a great smokey flavor. Only thing I do differently is add the sauce, once pulsed in the Ninja, to the skillet I pan fried the tortillas in. I crack the eggs into little “nests” in the sauce put the lid on the skillet and let the eggs poach for a few minutes till done as desired! So delicious on the tortillas. We always put the refried beans on the tortillas first then add the egg/sauce and whatever toppings you desire. These are soooo delicious. Will be trying out some of your other recipes Chef!
Wonderful! Way better than the version I haven’t made for years! The roasted veggies makes all the difference.
thanks for giving it a shot!!
Have had Huevos Rancheros now twice. Great recipe! My husband loves it when we have these for breakfast.
Perfect!
Made these exactly as you wrote it, then had extra sides, sour cream, avocado and bacon. Whole family loved them. Will definitely make again and again. Thank you!
this recipe is exactly what i was looking for! sooo delicious. this dish will definitely be added to the rotation!
Perfect!
I’ve made this twice now and it is phenomenal! The refried beans are the best I’ve ever had. I won’t include the vinegar in the salsa next time – just not to my taste.. Make this! You won’t be sorry!
Thanks for making it.
This was amazing and easy. The Ranchero sauce was top notch. All 7 of us enjoyed it, will be added to the rotation.
Made this for the hubby and he loved it! Will make again 🙂