Tacos de huevo
Tacos de huevo are Mexican tacos filled with egg, most often eggs scrambled a la mexicana with chile, onion and tomato, or slices of hard-boiled egg paired with red rice; they are a staple of breakfast and of home cooking.
Description
Egg is one of the most common and least expensive taco fillings in Mexico, and it comes in several forms. The best known is huevos a la mexicana, eggs scrambled with diced green chile, white onion and tomato. Rick Bayless presents them as breakfast tacos, finished with avocado, cilantro and salsa, and points out that the same basic method adapts to many fillings.
A second, quieter tradition pairs eggs with rice. A recipe by chef Verónica Ramírez published by Tortilla Digital fills corn tortillas with Mexican-style red rice, cooked with a tomato, onion and garlic purée and mixed vegetables, and topped with slices of hard-boiled egg. It is a frugal, filling combination built entirely from pantry staples.
Preparation
For huevos a la mexicana, the vegetables are cooked first in oil, lard or bacon drippings over fairly high heat until the onion browns and the tomato juice cooks off, so the eggs do not turn watery. Bayless offers two routes from there: a slow scramble over low heat for creamy curds, or a fast one over high heat for a fluffier result.
For rice and egg tacos, the rice is first fried in oil until lightly toasted, then simmered in a strained tomato purée with stock until tender. Peas, carrots and corn are often added. The eggs are boiled separately, peeled and sliced, and the taco is assembled at the last moment.
Variations
Egg combines with almost anything already in the kitchen. Bayless suggests adding potato and chorizo, crumbled bacon, or fresh or añejo cheese, and he notes that flour tortillas are the norm in the Texas breakfast-taco tradition. In northern Mexico, eggs are scrambled with shredded dried beef to make machacado con huevo, one of the classic fillings of the region.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 scant teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons oil, lard or bacon drippings
- 2 serrano chiles, finely chopped
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 ripe tomato, diced
- 8 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Chopped cilantro
- Salsa to serve
Steps
- Beat the eggs with the salt just until the whites and yolks are combined.
- Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles, onion and tomato and cook, stirring, until the onion is browned and the tomato liquid has evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Pour in the eggs. For soft, creamy eggs, lower the heat and stir slowly; for fluffy eggs, keep the heat high and stir briskly. Stop while they are still moist.
- Spoon into warm tortillas, top with avocado and cilantro and pass the salsa.
For rice and egg tacos, fill tortillas with leftover Mexican red rice and slices of hard-boiled egg, and add a spoonful of salsa verde.
Where to try it
- Barbacoa Gonzalitos, Mexico City
- Las Cuatro Milpas, San Diego, California
Reviews
Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.
See also
References
- "Tacos de Huevos a la Mexicana". Rick Bayless. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Egg Tacos (Tacos de huevo)". Tortilla Digital. Retrieved 2026-10-10.