Mexican scrambled eggs, also known as huevos a la mexicana, are a classic and super easy breakfast recipe that is perfect for a quick weekday morning or a lazy weekend brunch.
This dish is a favorite in Mexican cuisine and is loved for its simple yet flavorful ingredients and its versatility. One of my favorite Mexican style eggs recipes, and when I’m craving Mexican for breakfast, a much easier fix than classic Mexican breakfast, Huevos Rancheros.
It’s a quick Mexican egg dish made a la Mexicana with tomatoes, onions and jalapeno pepper.
I often make this beloved Mexican dish for dinner. Served with a warmed flour tortilla, it’s quick and comforting meal.
Many recipes call for water or milk, and for these Mexican Scrambled eggs, I’ve turned to one of my favorite Mexican condiments, Mexican Crema. A creamy and slightly tangy condiment, very similar to sour cream, except richer and thicker.
With all that said, let’s make some Huevos a la Mexicana.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Four large eggs.
- Fresh Jalapeno pepper
- Diced sweet onion
- Chopped fresh tomato
- Garlic powder
- Butter
- Mexican Crema
- Cotija Cheese
Chef Tip: I like to purchase Cherub brand tomatoes. Cherubs are a variety of grape tomatoes which have a stronger outer skin and meatier, less watery flesh. They are easier to slice for salads, hold up better during cooking or roasting and are reliable year round with their mild, sweet flavor.
Ingredients Substitutions
- Jalapeno Pepper. I like to use fresh jalapeno pepper for Mexican scrambled eggs, but you can also use canned chopped chile peppers. Pat them dry a bit before adding to the eggs. Add some zest and use chopped pickled jalapenos. Serrano chile peppers are also a good substitute.
- Onion: I pretty much use sweet onions exclusively. Substitute yellow onions, or for a stronger flavor, try red onion here.
- Garlic Powder: Substitute one clove fresh garlic, fine minced.
- Butter: Culinary school pounded into my head that the only way to cook eggs was in butter. Substitute a neutral oil such as vegetable oil if you’d like.
- Mexican Crema: Substitute American sour cream, cream, half and half or milk.
- Cheese: I highly recommend using Cotija or Feta cheese. Melting cheeses, like shredded cheddar or Muenster, will take extra cooking time for the cheese to melt over the eggs. Which means that extra time may compromise the texture of the eggs. Cotija is not a melting cheese, but a Mexican crumbling cheese. It will add a lovely salty texture to the eggs.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy
- Step 1: Break the eggs into a medium sized bowl. Add the Mexican crema and garlic powder.
- Step 2: Using a whisk, vigorously whip the eggs until bubbles form, to incorporate air into the eggs. The Mexican Crema will not completely blend with the eggs, and that’s ok.
- Step 3: Embrace the non-stick skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and Jalapeno pepper and cook until soft, about
- Add the eggs. Let them sit for about minute then start slowly moving the eggs around with a spatula, until the eggs set. Don’t overcook the eggs. Scrambled eggs are done when they still look wet. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want your scrambled eggs smothered in cheese, use only a good quality melting cheese. And undercook the eggs slightly to allow time for the cheese to melt so as not to overcook the eggs. Use shredded cheddar, or Monterey Jack. Better yet, try Muenster cheese. Muenster is a wonderfully soft cheese that melts easily. Use a lid to briefly melt the cheese over the eggs. With that said, I like to stick with Cotija crumbling cheese. No melting necessary and it adds a salty depth of flavor.
No. Scrambled eggs are a delicate proposition. Serve them immediately to avoid drying out.
Tips For Cooking Creamy Scrambled Eggs
I’m of the opinion that most people overcook scrambled eggs. And, yes that includes restaurants.
In a perfect world, scrambled eggs should be a creamy fluffy experience. Here are some easy tips:
- Whisking the eggs vigorously to incorporate air to produce fluffy scrambled eggs.
- Just as important is to remove them from the heat before they’re all the way cooked. They should still look wet at the time you do this.
- Once they’re off the heat, then comes the time to break them into large curds.
What Are Some Popular Dishes To Serve With Mexican Scrambled Eggs?
- Serve with warmed flour tortillas, or corn chips. Blue corn chips are especially nice to compliment the yellow eggs.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
- Add a few slices of avocado on the side.
- Top with a spoonful of Salsa or Pico de Gallo.
- A side of Refried Beans is a good choice here or Skillet Potatoes.
How To Make a Jalapeno Pepper Less Spicy
If jalapeno peppers are simply too hot and spicy for your taste, you can fix that. All of that heat lies within the seeds and the veins. Here’s how to de-flame that pepper.
- Step 1: Slice off the head of the jalapeno pepper at the stem.
- Step 2: Select a spoon from your silverware drawer that has a narrow handle.
- Step 3: Insert the handle of the spoon into the cavity of the jalapeno pepper along side those seeds and against the outer wall of pepper.
- Step 4: Using some pretty good pressure, scrape along the skin, in a circular motion around the seed pod. Pull the spoon handle out, voila…with it comes the seeds, veins and most of the heat….e-a-s-y. And no Hazmat gear required.
Recipe For Huevos a la Mexicana
I hope you give Huevos a la Mexicana a try. It will definitely bring a bit of a fiesta to your morning breakfast routine.
Related Recipes
And if you love breakfast foods as much as we do, check out my Breakfast Category, you’ll find lots of eye opening recipes, including the most popular on my site for this article on Classic Easy Omelette Recipes.
Huevos a la Mexicana
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small jalapeno seeds and veins removed, diced
- 1 small plum tomato or 5 – 6 Cherub plum tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons sweet onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- garnish with cilantro and a pinch of red chile powder
Instructions
- In a cup or small bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic powder and Mexican Crema.
- Melt butter in a skillet over low heat. Add jalapeno and onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the eggs and let them sit for a minute. Using a spatula start to slowly move the eggs around until the eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the eggs to a plate when they are set, but still moist. Sprinkle with Cotija cheese and cilantro.
Notes
- Whisking the eggs vigorously to incorporate air will produce fluffy scrambled eggs.
- Just as important is to remove them from the heat before they’re all the way cooked. They should still look wet at the time you do this.
- Once they’re off the heat, then comes the time to break them into large curds.
Huevos a la Mexicana …It’s what’s for Breakfast.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Brilliant idea with using mayo to make your eggs super delicious. My boys Japanese mayo so will have to give your recipe a try tomorrow for breakfast, so easy and delicious. Take care!
That Kewpie mayo has been on my list of things to buy for over a year. Thanks for the reminder.
i HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO MAKE LIGHT, FLUFFY, JUICIE SCRAMBLED EGGS LIKE MY MOTHER DID & HAVE TRIED ALL KINDS OF METHODS. WHY NOT TRY A CAN OF HERDEZ SALSA CESERA TO THE EGGS INSTEAD OF HAVING TO CHOP UP EVERYTHING. I USE IT ALL THE TIME IN MINE, COULD BE THAT IS WHY I DONT GET THE FLUFFY!
Hi Gloria. I love your idea of the Herdez Salsa. I’ll have to give that a try. I do think a heavy salsa like that would cut down on that fluffiness – but I still love the idea.
Lea Ann, my mother-in-law made scrambled eggs the same way your mother did. Loved those eggs but, like you, can’t quite bring myself to do it that way. I’ve never heard of putting in mayonnaise, but now I can’t wait to try it! I trust your judgment in these matters! 😀
And actually, I’ve grown accustomed to a milder flavor for scrambled eggs. Bacon adds a very strong presence.
Yummy! And thanks for the jalapeño tip, clever girl. I love that I won’t get scalded next time I need to do this.
I should have mentioned, I learned that this Fall at one of the Sur la Table classes.
Mayo? Interesting! I’ll give that a try! Funny, I am making a Mexican quiche this week! LOL! Great minds!
Mexican and eggs are on my radar right now. Good stuff.
We have a Bed & Breakfast at which I spin some international dishes for Breakfast–Mexican I do with all kinds of sides but I have never tried the Mayo so this I will do—sounds great –Thanks for the idea-
Brad!!!! So good to hear from you. I still want to blog about that wonderful omelet that you prepared for us during out stay.
I like them – I cook mine slow as well.
And with bacon?
I never would have thought about mayo being a way to make the eggs creamier, but that sounds very interesting. (I also like the way your mom did things, and I’m not scared to do it that way!) Happy 2016!
Every once in awhile when i’m feeling indulgent, I’ll eat my eggs with some good ol bacon grease. 🙂