Migas Breakfast Tacos
Turn your leftovers into a swoon-worthy morning meal with my recipe for Migas Breakfast Tacos! This tasty and filling cheesy, crispy egg scramble uses up whatever veggies you have on hand and can easily be tucked into flour tortillas for a hand-held meal. Migas are cheap to make and certain to keep you powered up until lunch!

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I grew up eating breakfast burritos in El Paso, Texas but never heard of breakfast tacos until a visit to Austin. The city has a love affair with tacos of every type, and I just couldn’t help but bring home the enthusiasm with me! The comforting ingredients for this dish are likely already in your fridge, meaning a tasty, hearty breakfast is never far from reach.
What are Migas?
Migas is Spanish slang for leftovers, which makes perfect sense in this simple, fridge-raid breakfast recipe. Stale, leftover corn tortillas are fried until crispy, then scrambled together with eggs and whatever leftovers are lurking in your crisper drawer.
As a proud Mexican-American Mom, I always have onions, tomatoes, roasted chilis, and some kind of melty cheese on hand, so my Tex-Mex migas recipe reflects that. The whole idea of migas is to use up whatever you have on hand, so feel free to take some liberties with the recipe listed below.
I prefer to make my own corn tortilla chips by cutting up corn tortillas and lightly frying them in oil, but you can always opt to use store-bought tortilla chips instead. Just note that the texture of homemade chips is far superior (and not that difficult!). If you have an open bag of corn tortillas that needs using, do yourself a favor and try making your own!
These breakfast tacos are also vegetarian as written, but you can feel free to jazz them up however you please. You can certainly add breakfast sausage, chorizo, beans, or bacon for a heartier take on migas.
While this homemade breakfast recipe yields a hot and satisfying meal, the recipe itself is super easy to follow. In fact, these migas tacos can be on the table in under 10 minutes. So make your family (and fridge) very happy this week and make my breakfast migas tacos!
Ingredients & Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Corn Tortillas & Canola Oil โ Making your own tortilla chips is a snap, and itโs a great way to use up store-bought stale corn tortillas that would otherwise be destined for the trash. Feel free to swap in sturdy store-bought tortilla chips from a Mexican grocery store sold in a clear bag with no brand name. Those are most likely perfect for making chilaquiles.
- Olive Oil โ This is my go-to for sautรฉing. Feel free to use more canola oil or the neutral oil of your choice if you prefer.
- Onion โ I like to use white onions because they hold their shape better during cooking, which gives the ranchero salsa a nice bite. That said, feel free to swap with yellow or red instead.
- Tomatoes โ Opt for a meaty variety like Romas, or use a can of drained fire-roasted tomatoes for a shortcut.
- Roasted Green Chiles โ I love using roasted Hatch or Pueblo chiles depending what I have in the freezer, but youโre welcome to swap in the roasted green chiles of your choice. You can easily swap in poblanos, jalapeรฑos, or even canned roasted chiles. Check out my Introduction to Mexican Chiles to help you decide which chile will work best for your family.
- Eggs โ Very similar to making chilaquiles, but instead the eggs will be scrambled in with all the ingredients.
- Oaxaca Cheese โ This mild, melty cheese is a staple in our fridge. If you canโt find it, queso quesadilla, low-moisture mozzarella, or Jack cheese may be used instead.
How To Make Migas
Step 1: Fry tortillas chips. In a small cast iron skillet, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; fry tortilla pieces in hot oil for 30 to 60 seconds or until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.
Step 2: Sautรฉ onion. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil; add onion, and cook about 2 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: Add tortilla strips and cook salsa. Add the tomato, chile, and tortilla chips; cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 4: Add eggs and cheese. Mix in eggs, salt, and pepper; scramble, and when everything is perfectly combined, add cheese and let it melt.
Step 5: Serve. Serve breakfast migas with warm flour tortillas, avocado slices, and salsa verde or salsa of your choice.
Optional Variations
The beauty of migas is that they are a perfect canvas for whatever leftovers you might have hanging around in the fridge. While I opted for a classic Mexican combination of onions, tomatoes, and chiles as my base, you can give yourself the latitude to use whatever you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Shortcuts: Instead of using roasted chiles, try canned roasted diced chile for a shortcut. Swap fresh tomatoes and onions for the last few tablespoons of salsa in the jar or salsa casera. You can also use (drained) canned diced tomatoes instead.
- Spice level: For extra spice, dice fresh jalapeรฑos or serranos. Or if you prefer more mild flavors, try roasted poblanos instead.
- Beans: Add plant-based protein with the addition of frijoles de la olla, refried beans, or black beans.
- Breakfast burrito: Migas also makes a delicious filling in burritos.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
- Cheese: Use any type of melty cheese you have on hand, or feel free to omit.
- Toppings: Fresh salsa, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, crema Mexicana, sliced green onions, pickled red onions, or escabeche would all be welcome additions.
Storage & Heating Instructions
- Refrigerate: Once assembled, migas are best eaten fresh. If you leave the fried tortillas in the sauce for too long, they tend to get soggy. That said, feel free to store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: Place migas on a plate and reheat in the microwave, lightly covered for 2 to 3 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
While both feature crispy fried tortilla chips, the primary difference between these two dishes is in the preparation. Migas is prepared as an egg scramble, whereas chilaquiles are drenched in a salsa-style sauce and topped with an egg.
Absolutely! Simply swap eggs for silken tofu, then use your favorite plant-based melty cheese alternative.
So long as you find a good gluten-free tortilla, you should be good to go! Alternately, feel free to eat the migas as a breakfast scramble instead of a breakfast taco.
If you have leftover migas, no worries! The scramble should last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, simply reheat and wrap in a tortilla.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
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Migas Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients
- 1/4ย cup vegetable oil for frying
- 3ย corn tortillas, cut into pieces
- 1ย tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2ย white onion, chopped
- 1ย cup chopped tomato
- 6ย eggs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Anaheim or Hatch chile peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped
- 1/2ย cup Oaxaca or pepper jack cheese , shredded
- 8ย flour tortillas, warmed
- 1ย avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced, if desired
Instructions
- In a heavy skillet, heat vegetable oil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; fry tortilla pieces in hot oil 30 to 60 seconds or until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.
- In a 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil; add onion, and cook about 2 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato, chile ,and tortilla chips; cook 2 minutes.
- Mix in eggs, salt, and pepper; scramble, and when everything is perfectly combined, add cheese and let it melt.
- Serve the migas with warm flour tortillas and avocado slices.
Notes
- Do not use bagged tortilla chips, instead cut up corn tortillas and lightly fry.
- This recipe is vegetarian, but if you want heartier tacos add bacon or chorizo.
- Migas also makes a delicious filling in burritos.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: February 2015. And guess what? It was featured over at Betty Crocker.
14 Comments on “Migas Breakfast Tacos”
I made this Migas recipe last night and it was really good! I’ll definitely make it again!
Love your recipe for migas! I modify it since I just cook for myself (and some staples don’t last long enough in my pantry) but it’s still wonderful, full of flavor and filling. Thank you, Yvette!
(My abuelita was also Jesusita and was from El Paso via Chihuahua.)
My wifeโs favorite breakfast. ย Usually only ate them at restaurants. ย With your recipe we now make them at home. ย My wife really likes your recipe.
I make this for my 90 year old father-in-law, born and raised in EPโs Smeltertown. ย He loves it! ย I like the fresh and easy ingredients. ย Iโve used fresh jalapeรฑo in place of the roasted long chiles and it was good as well ~ Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I made this for my 90 y/o father-in-law. ย Always have the ingredients in my kitchen and enjoyed the freshness and easy prep. ย I cut the onion back to about 2 Tbls due to having that much left over from last nightโs tacos, plus I didnโt want the onion to overwhelm the fresh tomato and Hatch Chile. He really liked it!
I made this for my 90 y/o father-in-law. ย Always have the ingredients in my kitchen and enjoyed the freshness and easy prep. ย I cut the onion back to about 2 Tbls due to having that much left over from last nights tacos, plus I didnโt want the onion to overwhelm the fresh tomato and Hatch Chile. He really liked it!
YUMMY
goodmorning sweet Yvette,
i want to ask you, why do we have to fry tortillas? the recipe is tastfull, the whole family love it.
love, Maria
Great recipe. ย Being away from Texas we have to make all our faces at home. ย Finding your cookbook and posts have made our cooking so delicious.
Hi Maria, that is great to hear. Thank you!
We made this the last 2 mornings, very simple to prepare and with several mouths to feed breakfast was a breeze
Yummy…its an easy meal to prepare trying this at home today thanks…
Yum! I love migas—especially in a taco!!!
Looks like an easy meal, besides looking very good.