This Huevos Rancheros recipe is an easy Mexican egg dish that makes a great breakfast, brunch, or dinner! It's the perfect vegetarian meal, complete with corn tortillas, fried eggs, and plenty of fresh pico de gallo.
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I whole heartedly believe that huevos rancheros are the best way to eat eggs. Picture this: a perfectly fried egg perched on top of refried black beans and a slightly crisped corn tortilla, all topped with fresh pico de gallo and queso fresco. It doesn't get any better than that, right?
When you make eggs this hearty, they become a great meal for any time of day. Serve alongside home fries, Mexican millet, or maybe a simple salad if serving for dinner.
I like to keep things super easy by using canned refried black beans. We're also chopping up a fresh salsa to go on top that takes only minutes, but if you prefer you can used a jarred salsa or ranchero sauce!
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes
- Yellow onion
- Jalapeno
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Refried black beans
- Vegetable oil
- Corn tortillas
- Eggs
- Queso fresco
- Avocado or guacamole, optional
How to make huevos rancheros
- In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt to taste and set aside.
- In a small pot, combine refried black beans with 1-2 tablespoons of water and heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add tortillas in a single layer, working in batches as necessary, and cook until lightly crisped on both sides. Transfer crisp tortillas to a plate.
- In the same pan you cooked the tortillas in or another pan, add more oil to cook the eggs. Crack eggs into the pan and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook 2-3 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny. Slide eggs out of the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble the huevos rancheros, spread a couple tablespoons of refried black beans onto a crisp tortilla. Top with one fried egg, a spoonful of the salsa, and a bit of queso fresco. Serve immediately.
Top tips
What pan to use for cooking eggs
I'm obsessed with this little Staub mini frying pan (affiliate link) I picked up at the International Home and Housewares Show for frying eggs one at a time. They turn out perfectly round!
If you're wanting to cook more than one egg at a time, I would definitely recommend this larger Calphalon pan that comes with a lid.
What does huevos rancheros mean?
Huevos rancheros means "ranch eggs". It's a traditional Mexican farm breakfast that includes tortillas, eggs, refried beans, and tomato-chili sauce. It is easily my favorite Mexican egg dish!
How to store huevos rancheros
Huevos rancheros are best enjoyed immediately but the separate parts will keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, assemble right before eating. This recipe serves 8, so if you won't be consuming of this dish right away, store the individual components separately.
Tips for customizing huevos rancheros:
- Swap queso fresco for your favorite Mexican cheese such as queso cotija, manchego, or monterey jack
- Skip the frying and bake the tortillas in a 400ºF oven for about ten minutes or until crisp
- Serve a crowd quickly by skipping the fried eggs and making a big batch of baked or scrambled eggs instead
- Leave off the cheese to make these dairy free huevos rancheros
FAQ
Top with pico de gallo with avocado, green avocado sauce, mango avocado salsa or guacamole, or plant-based chorizo.
Nope! Fried eggs are traditionally used in this dish, but you can use whatever type of eggs you like best. Soft scrambled eggs are also great.
More egg recipes
- Mediterranean Eggs
- Spinach Pesto Baked Eggs
- Vegetarian Potato Skin Egg Boats
- Five Minute Breakfast Burritos
- Low Carb Breakfast Casserole
- Soft Scrambled Eggs
- Southwest Veggie Breakfast Skillet
- Scrambled Egg Sandwich
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients
- 2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of ½ lime
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 14 ounces canned refried black beans
- Vegetable oil, or other neutral oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or other Mexican cheese
- Avocado or guacamole, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt to taste and set aside.
- In a small pot, combine refried black beans with 1-2 tablespoons of water and heat, covered, over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add tortillas in a single layer, working in batches as necessary, and cook until lightly crisped on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer crisp tortillas to a plate.
- In the same pan you cooked the tortillas in or another pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat over medium-low heat.
- If you want perfectly separated eggs, cook only one or two at a time depending on the size of your pan, otherwise you can add all the eggs to the pan and cut them apart when ready to serve. Crack eggs into the pan and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook 2-3 minutes or until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny. I like to use a spoon to baste the top of the yolk with a bit of the cooking oil to get all the whites done. Slide eggs out of the pan and season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble the huevos rancheros, spread a couple tablespoons of refried black beans onto a crisp tortilla. Top with one fried egg, a spoonful of the salsa, and a bit of queso fresco. Serve immediately.
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