Huevos Rancheros Recipe

This easy huevos rancheros recipe serves up ranch style eggs with fresh pico de gallo, refried beans and homemade ranchero sauce over corn tortillas.

When you're hungry for breakfast, it's hard to beat the classic Mexican favorite, Huevos Rancheros.

It's a hearty breakfast, perfectly filling and delicious, enough so that we like to serve them up for dinner sometimes. 

Huevos Rancheros - the Ultimate Breakfast

The name "Huevos Rancheros" translates to "rancher's eggs", where the recipe originated and served on farms. Eggs are traditionally fried and served over corn tortillas then smothered in zesty ranchero sauce and fresh salsa. Refried beans were sometimes served on the side.

Even though it's a traditional recipe, there are many ways you can alter it to your own tastes, by cooking the eggs differently or varying up your toppings and accompaniments.

You'll find different versions of the recipe depending on the region. There really are many ways to make them, with recipes varying from cook to cook.

Mine is a simple version with eggs, homemade pico de gallo and a homemade ranchero sauce that is huge on flavor. Patty has fallen in love with my ranchero sauce and requests it often.

Yep, it's that good. We both love it! Can't get enough Mexican food.

Other variations of Huevos Rancheros can include other ingredients like avocado or guacamole, spicy chorizo, refried beans, black beans, hot sauce, or crema. The choice is yours, though I'm sure you'll like this simple version.

Let's talk about how to make huevos rancheros, shall we?

How to Make Huevos Rancheros - the Recipe Method

First, heat a large pan to medium-high heat.

Lightly oil your corn tortillas with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Fry them in the pan about 1-2 minutes per side, or until they lightly brown and get a bit puffy, but not crispy.

Remove from heat, set them onto 2 plates, and spread the refried beans mixture onto them.

Next, add a bit more olive oil to the same pan and heat through.

Add the eggs and splash them with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Fry them lightly, until the egg whites are set, lifting up the edges a bit to distribute the oil. Cook them 2 at a time if needed. Sunny side up for me, please! I love a good runny yolk.

Set the fried eggs over the heated tortillas and beans.

Top with pico de gallo and warmed ranchero sauce (or use warmed salsa or your favorite hot sauce).

Garnish with cilantro and white crumbly cheese and serve!

Boom! Done! Easy enough, right? Delicious. Tasty. All the good things in life are Huevos Rancheros. I love them. One of my favorite Mexican breakfasts.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Recipe Variations

You can serve these up with flour tortillas if you'd prefer. Corn tortillas are traditional, especially lightly fried in a skillet over medium heat, but flour will hold up nicely to the heft of the refried beans and the runny egg yolks. Frying the tortillas is common.

They're also great with salsa verde, charro beans (frijoles charros), crumbled chorizo, green onion, queso fresco, and served with diced or sliced avocado or guacamole. Also, feel free to hit it with your favorite hot sauce.

I greatly enjoy adding roasted jalapeno peppers to the mix. Add a few dollops of sour cream as well.

Fresh Pico de Gallo

Pico de gallo is the ultimate fresh Mexican salsa, and it really makes huevos rancheros stand out. It's a mixture of fresh chopped tomatoes, onion and jalapeno peppers (or serrano peppers) with lime juice and cilantro.

Every bite pops with flavor, and it gives the dish a lot of visual appeal.

Check out my homemade pico de gallo recipe. Homemade salsa is the best.

Ranchero Sauce is a Must

Ranchero sauce is a flavorful sauce made with tomatoes and peppers, seasoned with a mixture of chili powders and herbs. You’ll find it in many Mexican and Tex Mex dishes around the border between the southern U.S. and Mexico, though because of its awesome flavor, it has quickly spread north through the states.

It is what makes huevos rancheros "rancheros". Check out my homemade ranchero sauce recipe. Sub in enchilada sauce as an alternative.

Don't Forget the Refried Beans

Refried beans round out your huevos rancheros, make the recipe heartier and more satisfying. It's the final piece in the perfect combination of flavors.

There are many store bought products you can purchase, though I enjoy making my own. I've included the recipe steps for this, but check out my Easy Homemade Refried Beans recipe to make your own.

Or make authentic Mexican refried beans, so good!

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my huevos rancheros recipe. Let me how you make it your own. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of These Other Popular Breakfast Recipes

• Migas - Scrambled Eggs with Crispy Tortillas
• Shakshuka
• Jacked-Shuka – Extra Spicy Eggs in Hell
• Chilaquiles Rojos with Ancho Chili Sauce
• Chorizo con Huevos
• Menemen (Turkish-Style Scrambled Eggs with Peppers)
• Spicy Pepper Lover’s Omelet
• Loaded Mexican Omelette
• Huevos Rancheros Casserole
• Chile Relleno Casserole
• Spicy Breakfast Tacos

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

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Huevos Rancheros Recipe

This easy huevos rancheros recipe serves up ranch style eggs with fresh pico de gallo, refried beans and homemade ranchero sauce over corn tortillas.

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: breakfast, eggs, recipe, spicy

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Calories: 690kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings: 2

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5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

FOR THE SALSA FRESCA / PICO DE GALLO*

• 1 medium ripe tomato chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• Salt to taste

FOR THE BEANS**

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ small onion chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt taste I use about ¼ teaspoon
• 1.5 cups cooked pinto beans drained, if using canned
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoons hot sauce if desired – chipotle in adobo is a great option as well

FOR THE HUEVOS RANCHEROS

• 4 6-inch corn tortillas
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

FOR SERVING

• 1 cup Ranchero Sauce or use warmed salsa or your favorite hot sauce
• Chopped cilantro and white crumbly cheese for garnish
• Your favorite hot sauce

Instructions

FOR THE SALSA FRESCA / PICO DE GALLO

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust for salt. You can use it right away, or cover and refrigerate at least one hour to let the flavors mingle and develop. You can leave it overnight.

FOR THE BEANS

• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and jalapeno peppers. Cook them down for 5 minutes to soften.
• Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook another minute.
• Add the beans and water. Give it a stir and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Mash the beans with a fork or a potato masher to your desired consistency. Remove from heat.
• Stir in the lime juice, if desired.

FOR THE HUEVOS RANCHEROS

• Heat a large pan to medium heat.
• Lightly oil the tortillas with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Fry them in the pan about 1-2 minutes per side, or until they lightly brown and get a bit puffy, but not crispy. Remove from heat and set onto 2 plates.
• Spread the refried beans onto the tortillas.
• Add remaining olive oil to the same pan and heat through. Add the eggs and splash them with a bit of salt and pepper. Fry them lightly, until the egg whites are set, lifting up the edges a bit to distribute the oil. Cook them 2 at a time if needed.
• Set the eggs over the tortillas and beans.
• Top with pico de gallo and warmed ranchero sauce (or use warmed salsa or your favorite hot sauce). Garnish with cilantro and white crumbly cheese and serve!

Video

Notes

* You can use store bought salsa instead of pico de gallo, if desired.

** You can use store bought ranchero sauce or sub with enchilada sauce, or simply omit. I love it with the sauce, though.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 690kcal   Carbohydrates: 75g   Protein: 28g   Fat: 32g   Saturated Fat: 6g   Cholesterol: 327mg   Sodium: 1378mg   Potassium: 1008mg   Fiber: 18g   Sugar: 12g   Vitamin A: 2095IU   Vitamin C: 40.8mg   Calcium: 163mg   Iron: 5.9mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

This recipe was updated on 12/20/21 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 12/1/14.