Fresh Huevos Rancheros
This classic huevos rancheros recipe features fresh pico de gallo on top. Huevos rancheros is a vegetarian Mexican breakfast with eggs, tortillas and salsa.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 1, 2024
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Huevos rancheros are the most perfect vegetarian meal. There, I said it. Huevos rancheros (or rancher’s eggs) are a typical breakfast served at Mexican farms, featuring corn tortillas and fried eggs topped with plenty of warmed salsa.
They’re the answer any time I’m craving extra protein or a super hearty, quick meal. I can’t resist them on a brunch menu, either. I’ve been perfecting my huevos rancheros at home, so I’m excited to share this recipe with you!
Beans are often a component, and I bulk up my version with lighter “refried” black beans. Then, I coax extra flavor out of my fried eggs by cooking them in a generous drizzle of olive oil, which produces irresistibly crisp edges.
When tomatoes are in season, I top my huevos with pico de gallo in addition to salsa, for extra-fresh flavor. It’s definitely worth the effort if you have access to great tomatoes.
Watch How to Make Huevos Rancheros
Usually, I whip up huevos rancheros when it’s just me and my dog, Cookie, at home. This time, we had company in the form of a cool new product called Google Home. I’m always looking to simplify and streamline my life and work, so I was excited when Google asked me to try it out.
Google Home is my new kitchen assistant, basically. It’s a small, sleek speaker that responds with an impressively human-like voice every time I say, “Ok Google,” or “Hey Google.” I can ask Google Home to set a timer (or multiple timers) for me—is it just me, or are your hands always messy when you go to set a timer?
I can ask it to add ingredients to my shopping list, or to walk me through a recipe. “Hey Google, let’s make banana bread.” When cooking questions come up, I just ask for the answer. “Hey Google, how many tablespoons are in 1/4 cup?”
My new assistant is gracious and on-call 24/7. It will turn down the temperature of my home, via my Nest thermostat, and play music on command. I can ask it for tomorrow’s forecast and itinerary as I’m making dinner.
I’m only beginning to learn its many uses, but it’s already a game changer. Instead of opening up tabs and apps to get something done, I just ask out loud. The future is now! I’ll be showing off my new Google Home on Instagram Stories today if you’d like to see what I’m talking about (we’re @cookieandkate), and you can get one here.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I’m always so eager for your feedback.
Craving more hearty eggs dishes with Mexican flavors? Check out these recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Austin-Style Migas
- Breakfast Quesadillas
- Simple Breakfast Tostadas
- Chilaquiles Rojos or Chilaquiles Verdes
- Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
Fresh Huevos Rancheros
This classic huevos rancheros recipe features fresh pico de gallo on top. Huevos rancheros is a vegetarian Mexican breakfast with eggs, tortillas and salsa. Recipe yields 4 hearty but modest servings of one tortilla and egg each, so multiply the recipe if necessary.
Ingredients
Pico de gallo*
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
- ¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Refried beans
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
- ¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked beans
- ¼ cup water
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon lime juice
Everything else
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) of your favorite red salsa, either homemade or jarred
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 eggs
- 4 corn tortillas
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Optional garnishes: Crumbled Cotija or feta cheese, sliced avocado, additional chopped cilantro and/or hot sauce
Instructions
- To prepare the pico de gallo: In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Stir to combine, then set the bowl aside for later.
- To cook the beans: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 3 to 6 minutes.
- Add the cumin and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained beans and water. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, then remove the lid and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash up about at least half of the beans. Continue to cook the beans, uncovered, stirring often, for 2 to 3 more minutes, until thickened.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pepper and lime juice. Taste and add more salt, pepper or lime juice if necessary. If the beans seem dry, add a very small splash of water and stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve.
- Meanwhile, warm the salsa. Pour the salsa into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the salsa to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then reduce the heat to low until you’re ready to serve. (Or, warm the salsa in a bowl in the microwave—it won’t condense as much but it’ll work!)
- In a small skillet over medium heat, warm each tortilla individually, flipping as necessary. Spread the black bean mixture over each tortilla and place each tortilla on an individual plate. If using Jack cheese, sprinkle it over the tortillas. Set aside.
- To fry the eggs: In the same skillet over medium heat, pour in 1 teaspoon olive oil and wait until it’s shimmering. Carefully crack an egg and pour it into the skillet without breaking the yolk. Fry the egg, lifting and tilting the pan occasionally to redistribute the oil, until the whites are set and the yolk is cooked to your preferred level of doneness. Place the fried egg on top of a prepared tortilla and repeat with the remaining eggs.
- Spoon about one-fourth of the warmed salsa across each dish, avoiding the egg yolk. Use a slotted spoon or fork to do the same with the pico de gallo, leaving the messy tomato juices behind. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and add any additional garnishes you might like.
- Serve immediately. If you don’t use up all of your beans, leftovers are a great dip for tortilla chips.
Notes
Make it dairy free: Omit the cheese!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Google Home and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
I made this, delicious and easy! I ate it all then realized I forgot the beans (sitting on the stove!)
I will be making this for family breakfast In Tahoe next week! I will remember the beans!
Thanks!
Melinda
This was my first time making Huevos Rancheros and they were so good. Everybody loved them and were wanting seconds! I will definitely make this again and reccomend it to everyone!
Made these this morning and they are so good!!
I’ve been intermittent fasting to lose weight, get blood sugar under control, and improve my health overall. Just wanted to let you know that I broke my fast today with this meal for brunch–and it was totally guilt-free and absolutely delicious! Thanks so much! :)
Tried your recipe tonight – loved it!! The beans were super tasty (I used canned black beans), as was the pico de gallo. I didn’t include any cheese, but I added a store-bought salsa (Simply Nature from Aldi’s) and chunks of fresh avocado. Instead of a fried egg, I made scrambled eggs. It was super yummy!! Thanks. I’ll make this again!!
Hi Kate,
I usually never leave any comments on the website I use for my cooking but today I am making an exception. We already use lots of your other recipes (like the your vegetarian chili, yum!), but this one must be our favorite.
During our visit to the States (we are from the UK) last Christmas we discovered Mexican food. We never thought we would be able to cook it at home as we had it in the restaurants, but you made it possible for us. We have made this recipe so many times already and I am sure we will keep doing so.
So yummy!
Super well written recipe!!!! So refreshing, thank you, malcolm
OMG!! I cannot wait to try this recipe! Huevos rancheros is one of my favorite dishes ever since I first had it at The Good Earth restaurant in the 1980s!!!! Their version had sprouts on top along with with a few other differences that I can’t remember right now! Thank you for the great presentation!!! Oh, technically, anything with egg in it is not vegetarian but who cares!?
Hi Denise, I’m glad you are excited about this one. There are a lot of differing opinions out there, but eggs can be vegetarian. I think it comes to a matter of choices.
I love all things Mexican, I don’t love refried beans. That being said, your version of refried beans was delectable! This meal was delicious but I can’t get over finding beans I actually like! Thanks again for another delicious recipe.
Thank you for your review, Jess.
This recipe is so easy and so delicious! Huevos Rancheros are my go-to at weekend brunch so wanted to try making it myself. I had most of the ingredients already and fudged a couple things (ie., no cumin so used Trader Joes chili spice which has cumin and a few other things) and did a soft scramble instead of fried egg. The refried beans are amazing, the hint of lime is perfect. Definitely adding the list of weekend brekkie at home options.
This is not huevos rancheros! Huevos rancheros has Ranchero sauce on it. There’s no Ranchero sauce in this recipe.
Hi Valdez, I’m sorry to hear you are disappointed by my recipe. I do my best to keep recipes as authentic as I can, while developing them based on my experience and creative approach as a cook. If you try this one, be sure to let me know what you think.
I made this recipe this morning for my husband’s birthday and we all agreed this was one of the most amazing breakfasts ever. Thank you so much for this gift! I ended up frying the tortilla to make it extra special. So delicious!
I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Meredith!
Thanks for the very handsome huevo’s! By the way, I had a lab name Cookie when I was a kid in the 70’s.
I love that! Thank you for your review, Matthew.
This recipe was really delicious, easy to make with crockpot cooked beans, colorful and fun! I added some Siracha drizzle to mine!
Sounds great! Thank you for sharing, Peter.
Kate, You rock!
another great recipe. had it with fresh made salsa verde and avocado.
and used up some leftover black beans with your refried beans recipe.
thank you so much, supper was a major hit tonight
I guess I’m confused. How is this a vegetarian dish, with eggs?
No matter, the recipe is bomb!
Hi Erik, Vegetarians can eat eggs. Vegans do not :)
Delicious – thanks Kate!
I just want the recipe not your long drawn out fluff. Just the stuff without the fluff please. I could care less if you get payed by the word, which you obviously do.
My family loved this recipe and asked for it to be on our regular meal rotation. My teenage boys helps prepare this meal too. It’s a great recipe to get everyone involved in the kitchen.
I’m glad this is a hit with everyone, JH!
Hello–I am not seeing the “Print” option for the recipes. Help!
Thanks.
Hi Gail, I’m working to get it fixed. I hope to have it back soon!
I’ve often seen Huevos Rancheros on the breakfast menu at Mexican restaurants (I’m from California), but never tried them. I’m so glad I did – thank you so much for the inspiration. I didn’t have any refried beans, so it was just an egg fried in olive oil, a heated corn tortilla, salsa, and fresh tomatoes. Delicious!
I’m glad you did too! Thank you for sharing, John.
Please suggest how to do Huevos without tomato, I am allergic to it
Sorry, Rosie. I would suggest trying a different recipe. I have a lot of delicious breakfast recipes you could try!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE HUEVOS RANCHEROS, video is not there but other videos not related are shpwing up.
Hi Joni! It seems to be working for me. Sometimes you have to let an ad play or it will cycle through other videos if it has already played a few times.
I made this for breakfast today. So simple, and absolutely delicious! I will be making it the next time we have overnight guests. It looked so pretty plated!
I’m glad you enjoyed them Barbara! I appreciate your review.
I made this recipe for breakfast today. Everyone enjoyed it. Great flavor and nice presentation. I’ll definitely make it again!
Great to hear, Sonja! I appreciate your review.
Great recipe. Thanks for doing what you do!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, James!
This was delicious and a simple approach to a very yummy meal. Thanks!
This recipe is amazing. I have made this regularly for the last four years and I have my partner and son being me to make it! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to rate!! Just made it again for breaky and thought it was time! Best breakfast ever!
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Jessica!
Effin delicious!. Made it just like the recipe stated. Didn’t have to add my own tweaks and then comment on how mine was better, or ask any ridiculous questions. Nice recipe.
Thank you so much for this recipe it was easy and effective. i made the sauce myself instead of pico de gallo but i bet that option will be great too.! thanks for sharing
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mary!
I also include fresh corn cut off the cobb, with jarred red peppers and sauteed jalapenos.
Great to hear, Deb! I’m glad you loved this recipe.
hey
I am making these tonight….but not vegetarian. Eggs are not vegetarian.
Hi JMA, Eggs are vegetarian. They are not vegan. :)
Made this for my sometimes-picky kids and husband and all were in love! Will look for the cookbook soon as well!
Hi. Kate,
I made you huevos Rancheros this morning. They are outstanding. I had to make 2 adjustments due to lack of ingredients. 1st I used pinto beans, and second I used flour tortilla that I fried. My husband said this was better than any restaurant huevos he has ever had. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Love to hear that, Barbara! I appreciate your review.
First time making this meal, though I have had it at restaurants a couple of times and love it. So so so so so good! Everything you could want in a meal! First time this week feeding 7 kids with no complaints or whining. Thank you for a new rotating meal!
loved how easy this was to prepare. i made us all brunch for my friends 33rd birthday and this was a hit.
I love making Huevos for my vegitarian wife. This recipe is fantastic and so versitile.
Kate, I wonder if you could be the cutting edge recipe maker and start formating your recipes to print on one page? so much waste in paper and it fills my recipe book so much faster. Thanks! Tom, loyal fan.