Breakfast Tacos
Breakfast tacos are a Tex-Mex favorite that’s easy to make at home! Customize them with your favorite savory breakfast ingredients and enjoy a satisfying, flavor-packed breakfast.
Maybe you’ve heard of breakfast tacos before, and if you haven’t, you can easily guess what they are. But did you know they’re a big thing in Texas?
Texas is where the breakfast taco originated, and they’re such a point of pride that the cities of Austin and San Antonio have both claimed to be the official home of the breakfast taco, resulting in The Great Breakfast Taco War. (Yes, seriously.)
It’s easy to see why everyone wants to call the breakfast taco their own—they’re a pretty great invention. Scrambled eggs, salsa, and bacon all rolled up into a warm tortilla? Yes please! You’d probably also love breakfast quesadillas and breakfast nachos. I mean, how could you not?
About this breakfast taco recipe
Breakfast tacos are popular throughout the American Southwest, especially in Texas, but if you ask us, it’s about time they go national. Or even global!
There are times when you want a sweet breakfast (and oh, do we have you covered there: Banoffee Pie Pancakes, German Chocolate Pancakes, S’mores Sheet Pan Pancakes), but when you want something savory, tacos are the ticket (or breakfast nachos….or both!).
The best thing about breakfast tacos (aside from the fact that you’re eating tacos for breakfast) is that they can be customized with a variety of fillings. If you have tacos for dinner, breakfast tacos are the perfect way to use leftover tortillas, salsa, and cheese the next day!
You can also use whatever type of wrap you’d like! I personally love corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Get creative and wrap your fillings in a giant cornbread pancake (warning: this may get messy in all the best ways…grab a fork!).
What you need
- Bacon – Cut this into 1/2-inch pieces so it’s easy to eat!
- Oil – You need just enough to coat your pan. Canola, vegetable, olive, or avocado are all good choices.
- Frozen hash browns with peppers and onions: Using frozen hash browns keeps your prep time short. If you don’t like peppers and onions, you can buy the kind without them.
- Eggs, Salt, Ground black pepper: Of course!
- Fajita-size flour tortillas – Corn tortillas or different sizes of flour tortillas can be used if that’s what you have on hand, but the recipe yield will change accordingly.
- Colby jack cheese – Shred this fresh off the block for the smoothest, meltiest cheese! If you prefer something with slightly more heat, we recommend pepper jack.
- Salsa – Use any kind you like! We love using a restaurant-style salsa but pico de gallo would also be fantastic.
- Avocado – guacamole would also work!
How to make them
Cook the bacon. Set a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until it’s crispy. Transfer the bacon to a plate, but leave the grease in the pan. You can also cook the bacon in the oven, but for this recipe, we love doing it in the pan so we can let that bacon grease do double duty and flavor the hash browns.
Cook the potatoes. Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil in the pan (or less, depending on how much bacon grease you have). You want enough to completely coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot (shouldn’t take long since your pan is already hot), add the potatoes. Cook on each side for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they’re crispy and golden.
Cook the eggs. Pour off the excess oil and add the eggs, salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring often, until the eggs have cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat.
Assemble. Warm the tortillas in the microwave, then divide the eggs onto the centers of each. Add the bacon, cheese, salsa, and avocado slices, and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
Serve. Fold up the tortillas and serve them with hot sauce and your favorite Tex-Mex condiments!
FAQs
A traditional Texas breakfast taco starts with egg, potato, and cheese, but from there, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of thing. You can add salsa or diced tomatoes; swap the Colby jack for cheddar or a Mexican cheese like cotija; add bacon, chorizo, or sausage, or beans for a vegetarian version. In short, the correct answer to this question is, “You can put anything you want on breakfast tacos!”
A breakfast burrito is usually substantially bigger than a breakfast taco, with more fillings, more eggs, and bigger tortillas.
How to make these breakfast tacos your own
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to breakfast tacos! Use what you have on hand in the fridge and pantry, or whatever looks fresh and delicious at the farmers’ market. Here are a few more ideas:
- Swap the hash brown potatoes for diced sweet potatoes or frozen sweet potato hash browns.
- Use fresh diced tomatoes or pico de gallo instead of salsa.
- Skip the sliced avocado and go for guacamole.
- Make vegan breakfast tacos with tofu scramble, plant-based cheese, and black beans or refried beans.
- Switch out the scrambled eggs for over medium eggs or basted eggs.
Make Ahead Ideas
If you want to get a head start on your breakfast tacos, the eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm them up, gather up the rest of your ingredients, and assemble your tacos when you’re ready to eat!
Storage Suggestions
Once assembled, breakfast tacos don’t last too long in the fridge, since the tortillas will start to get a bit mushy. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a day; you can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or airtight container; just do so carefully to make sure the fillings don’t all spill out!
Reheating Tips
If you’ve frozen your breakfast tacos, let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight; this will help them reheat evenly. You can warm up breakfast tacos in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven until they’re heated through.
More savory breakfast recipes
Get the Recipe: Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons oil to coat the pan
- 2 cups frozen hash browns with peppers and onions
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 fajita size flour tortillas
- 1 cup Colby jack cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup salsa
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside, leaving the grease in the pan.
- Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of oil in the pan to coat it completely then add the potatoes and cook on each side for 6-8 minutes or until light and golden in color.
- Drain the excess oil and add the eggs, salt and pepper and stir and cook until the eggs have cooked through then remove the pan from the heat.
- Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Add a spoonful of eggs to the center of the tortilla then add bacon, cheese, salsa and a slice or two of avocado.
- Repeat the process with the remaining eggs and tortillas and serve with freshly chopped cilantro if desired.
Notes
- If you want to get a head start on your breakfast tacos, the eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm them up, gather up the rest of your ingredients, and assemble your tacos when you’re ready to eat!
- Once assembled, breakfast tacos don’t last too long in the fridge, since the tortillas will start to get a bit mushy. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a day; you can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or airtight container; just do so carefully to make sure the fillings don’t all spill out!
- If you’ve frozen your breakfast tacos, let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight; this will help them reheat evenly. You can warm up breakfast tacos in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven until they’re heated through.