Migas (Scrambled Eggs with Crispy Tortillas)
This quick and easy Migas recipe is the perfect Mexican breakfast with lightly scrambled eggs tossed with crispy tortillas, jalapeno peppers, tomato and melted cheese.
Do you enjoy scrambled eggs with a Mexican twist? If so, you’re going to love Migas. Migas is a traditional Mexican breakfast dish of scrambled eggs that have been cooked with peppers, onions and tomato, then finished with homemade crispy fried tortilla strips and melty cheese.
It’s totally up your spicy food loving alley, isn’t it?
There are variations of this dish in different parts of the world, including Spain and Portugal, but this version is more of an American style migas, mostly Tex-Mex with a Mexican influence.
In different parts of Mexico, migas is made with crispy fried corn tortilla strips that are mixed up with scrambled eggs. Cooks often use leftover tortillas that have started to go stale, which is a perfect way to avoid waste.
What we’re doing here is cooking down peppers, onions and tomatoes, then adding a mixture of scrambled eggs to let them set.
You don’t want them to set too much, or else they’ll dry out. They’re best when they retain some of their moisture. When they’re just about done, we fold in some homemade fried tortilla strips and melty cheese, and…
BOOM!
It doesn’t get any better than this, my friends. Migas is nice and spicy and HUGE on flavor, and you can spice it up even more with your favorite hot sauce and spicy chili flakes, like I love to do.
Ready for some?
Let’s talk about how we make Migas, shall we? Let’s get cooking!
Migas Ingredients Needed (Mexican Scrambled Eggs)
- Oil for Cooking. Vegetable oil is good.
- Corn Tortillas. Cut into strips or squares
- Vegetables. Use jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper and white or yellow onion. Diced tomatoes, too.
- Eggs. You’ll need eggs to make Mexican scrambled eggs/Migas!
- Salt and Pepper. To your personal taste.
- Cheese. Use shredded pepperjack or Monterey Jack cheese, though any good melty cheese will work here.
- For Serving. Spicy chili flakes extra sliced peppers, avocado, hot sauce.
How to Make Migas – the Recipe Method
First, slice some corn tortillas into strips or squares, like so. I like to cut them into squares, as they incorporate more easily into the final dish, though strips are great, too.
Next, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the sliced corn tortillas.
Fry them lightly in the hot oil until they crisp up, flipping a bit, about 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove them from the pan and add the tortillas onto a paper towel lined plate to drain. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt while they are hot.
Next, add the peppers and onion to the pan heated to medium and cook them down about 5 minutes. You can use a bit of olive oil if you need it. Stir in the tomato.
Next, add the eggs. Simply pour in the scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with a pinch salt and black pepper and stir.
Cook the Eggs. Cook, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes, or until the egg mixture just begins to set.
Remove from heat and stir in the reserved crispy tortillas and shredded cheese.
Top with spicy chili flakes, extra sliced peppers and avocado. And hot sauce if desired!
BOOM! DONE!
That’s it! Pretty easy, right? Super easy recipe. And CRAZY tasty. I just love these. They’re definitely a favorite breakfast of mine.
Serving Up Mexican Migas
Of course you can serve up your migas as a spicy breakfast or brunch, but try serving them into warmed corn tortillas for migas breakfast tacos. Don’t forget the hot sauce.
What is the Difference Between Chilaquiles and Migas?
Migas and chilaquiles are both breakfast dishes, and while they are quite similar, they are not the same dish. Migas are crushed or fried tortillas mixed with scrambled eggs, peppers, onion and tomato then topped with cheese. Chilaquiles, on the other hand, are fried tortillas or tortilla chips simmered in a sauce or salsa instead of eggs. Both are hearty, inexpensive breakfast dishes.
See my chilaquiles rojos recipe here.
About the Peppers
For this recipe, I’ve used both jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper. Jalapeno peppers will certainly give you a bit of heat, though more of an average level spiciness. I really love them for the balance of flavor and spice for everyday cooking.
You can easily add other peppers, like the spicy serrano pepper, or go hotter with habaneros or even up through any of the superhot chili peppers.
You can also easily omit the jalapeno peppers and use only bell peppers for a milder version of this recipe.
Recipe Tips & Notes – Variations
- Make it a Bigger Meal. Migas is a great dish on its own, but as a variation, consider adding spicy Mexican chorizo for some added kick and flavor. You can even add in other crumbled sausage, ground chicken or refried beans to make it more of a meal.
- Add Some Salsa. Salsa is also a popular addition. Scoop a few spoonfuls of Salsa Roja or your favorite Salsa Verde as a finisher. You’ll love the added flavor pop.
- Tortilla Chips. If you’d like to skip the steps for frying the tortillas, use crispy tortilla chips instead. They work great for quick and easy migas!
Different Types of Migas
Migas is common in different cuisines around the world, including Spain and Portugal. There are also Mexican and Tex-Mex style migas.
The recipe is basically the same in different parts of the world. They just vary in the use of local ingredients.
- In Spain, migas is a breakfast dish that uses leftover bread or tortas. It has converted today into a first course serving and is popular for lunch and dinner.
- In Portugal, migas is usually made with leftover wheat or corn bread bread. In some parts, it is made with potatoes.
- Mexican migas is a traditional breakfast made with fried tortilla strips and scrambled eggs. It is similar to my recipe.
- Tex-Mex migas is similar to Mexican migas, though it includes other ingredients like onion, peppers, tomatoes, cheese and other spices. This is most like my own Migas recipe.
Try Some of My Other Popular Breakfast Recipes
- Shakshuka
- Jacked-Shuka – Extra Spicy Eggs in Hell
- Chilaquiles Rojos with Ancho Chili Sauce
- Chilaquiles Verdes
- Huevos con Chorizo
- Menemen (Turkish-Style Scrambled Eggs with Peppers)
- Spicy Pepper Lover’s Omelet
- Loaded Mexican Omelette
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.
Migas Recipe: Mexican Scrambled Eggs with Crispy Tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 corn tortillas cut into strips or squares
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 small onion white or yellow, diced
- 4-5 eggs lightly scrambled
- 1 medium tomato diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup shredded pepperjack or Monterrey Jack cheese
- For Serving: spicy chili flakes extra sliced peppers, avocado, hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and add the corn tortillas. Fry them lightly in the hot oil until they crisp up, flipping a bit, about 4-5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set them into paper towels to drain. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt while they are hot.
- Next, add the peppers and onion to the hot pan and cook them down about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato, then pour in the scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir.
- Cook the eggs, stirring here and there, about 2-3 minutes, or until the eggs just begin to set.
- Remove from heat and stir in the reserved crispy tortillas and shredded cheese.
- Top with spicy chili flakes, extra sliced peppers and avocado. And hot sauce if desired!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/23/20 to include new information. It was originally published on 12/23/18.
18 comments
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Do you know if this can be prepared on a flat top grill ? Looks really good !! Had something really close to this for breakfast often while in Mexico!
I’m sure you can do this on a flat top grill. No problem! Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
been keeping this on at the back of my mind since you posted it way back then.
made it yesterday (and got 3 meals out of it). splendid.
(ahem, i did have some pastrami that was nearly past its best and threw it in. maybe not mexican but it worked).
Glad you enjoyed it, Col. Very nice! We love this one for sure.
Was already here reading about something else and POOF. I wanted a down and dirty, easy to make dinner tonight and found this by accident in index, I had all the ingredients, and THIS ROCKED.
I duplicated this right down to the fresh corn tortilla strips.
Added taters chunks and bacon chunks.
I don’t believe I’ve ever said “Most Satisfying” on a recipe site before, so there ya’ go.
Thanks, Brent. Yes, these are SO GOOD!!!
OK – we had to make this again…just 2 days after we made it the first time! This is soooo good!
Wonderful! Yes! We love this one, too. A favorite for sure.
This is CRAZY good!
What a great Christmas brunch meal. Added crispy crumbled bacon and substituted 1/2 can of Rotel for the chopped tomato.
Topped with “Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce” (recipe found here!) and extra fried tortilla strips.
Awesome, Kevin! Reaper Sauce! YES! You really know how to spice it up! I love it.
Just finished making this amazing recipe. Added some mushrooms. Once again thank you for sharing
Excellent, Eddie! I love the addition of the mushrooms! Sounds wonderful. Glad you enjoyed it.
I haven’t made this yet, but it looks delicious. I wanted to know.. does this freeze well or can it be kept in a fridge to be eaten for breakfast a couple of days longer?
I live with my brother, but I don’t think he would like anything “non-traditional” like he was raised on. So this recipe would be for me.
Thank you.
Hi, Susan. I don’t believe this would freeze well or last very long. The chips would get super soggy and not sure about the consistency of the eggs, though some people do freeze scrambled eggs. However, you can try cooking down the vegetables, then cool the pan – stir in the scrambled eggs, but don’t let them cook. Cover the pan in foil, then freeze. Thaw when ready to cook, then bake it instead of frying the eggs. You can also pour the mixture into freezable muffin tins. Baking will help for freezing. Let me know how it turns out for you.
This is right up my alley!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!
what is the difference between migas and chilaquiles??
Sharyn, Chilaquiles takes tortillas and mixes them with a sauce, then is topped with a fried egg or two, whereas Migas scrambled the eggs and folds in tortillas and cheese. Very similar ingredients, but different both texturally and in flavor. I love them both!