Vegan Papas con Huevo Recipe (Mexican Potatoes and Egg)
Papas con huevo or Mexican potatoes and eggs is a classic breakfast dish. It’s hearty, savory and so delicious with warm tortillas and a side of refried beans. Let me show you how to transform this Mexican classic into an egg-less vegan delight!
What Is Papas con Huevo?
Papas con huevo or huevos con papas is an authentic Mexican breakfast made with chopped potatoes and eggs. Quite the simple dish with minimal ingredients, but somehow it’s a flavorful and delectable dish that will keep you full all morning long.
Growing up this was one of my breakfasts – I also loved it when there was leftover papas con chorizo and the next morning my mom would reheat it and pour beaten eggs over it. It’s so delicious and a great way to use up those leftovers. I’ve always loved any dish that includes any type of potatoes. I mean what’s not to love about this hearty carb?!
Some of you may recall me mentioning that I’m trying to eat less eggs, so I’ve been making lots of different tofu scrambles or tofu “egg” dishes. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll often see me share pictures of my breakfast plates – and lately there’s been a lot of tofu-based egg dishes as well as other and vegan breakfasts.
Amigos, below I’ll show you how to make the my vegan twist on this delectable and classic Mexican breakfast, but I’ll also show you how to make the traditional egg version.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tofu, unlike eggs, has no cholesterol.
- Tofu is lower in calories, but still has protein.
- Ingredients are all budget friendly and pantry basics.
- Super easy to make and you can make a small portion or double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd.
- Vegan papas con huevos makes a fantastic dish for meal prepping.
Tofu con Papas Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need aren’t many and I’m pretty sure you’ll have them in your vegan pantry or vegetarian pantry. Make sure to gather everything before you begin because this dish cooks quickly.
- Silken Tofu: In my opinion an excellent substitute for eggs in most vegan version.
- Potatoes: My favorite ones are starchy Russet potatoes but where I live there’s only Yukon Gold potatoes. Use whichever you’d like.
- Onion: Traditionally white onion is used but I’ve also used green onions for a different taste. Red onions would do in a pinch.
- Oil: Either olive oil or vegetable oil is fine. We need it for that perfect crispiness to sauté our potatoes.
- Spices: Black salt for the eggy taste, regular salt, ground turmeric to give it that yellow color, ground black pepper. You can also add nutritional yeast if desired.
- Optional: If you’d like to add some heat to your vegan egg scramble, you can add some chopped serrano pepper or jalapeño pepper.
Vegetarian papas con huevos recipe: Simply swap out the tofu for whole eggs or egg whites and don’t add the black salt or turmeric powder.
To serve your delicious papas con huevo you can use: either warm corn tortillas or warm flour tortillas, homemade refried beans, avocado slices, salsa of your choice. If you want to add a cheesy touch you can serve with a slice or two of your favorite vegan cheese or with some dairy-based panela cheese.
I also served with some sautéed mushrooms and poblano peppers that I had leftover.
How to Make Papas con Huevo
This is such an easy recipe and it requires minimal effort. Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to use.
Start by thoroughly scrubbing and rinsing the potatoes. You don’t have to peel them, I don’t. Then dice into bite-sized cubes.
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add the minced onion and sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes.*
Step 2: Toss in the cubed potatoes and let them sizzle until they start to turn golden brown. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile, place the drained silken tofu in a bowl and use a fork to break it up into crumbles. You decide what size you want them to be.
Once the potato bits are tender you can add the crumbled tofu and all remaining spices. Mix until well combined and allow to sauté for another 8 minute to help the flavors incorporated into each other.
Step 4: Serve as desired!
To make papas con huevo with regular eggs: Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Then you will pour them in at step 4 or after the potatoes have cooked through. Mix until the potato bits are well coated with the egg mixture.
Notes: Some people like to fry the potatoes in a lot more oil than what my recipe calls for. I don’t like to do it for health reasons but you are free to do so. All you do is add about 1/4 cup or so of oil into a large skillet and brown potatoes evenly. To remove excess oil drain on paper towel. Make sure to discard the extra oil from the bottom of the pan before adding the diced onions and tofu or eggs.
For a healthier option you could air fry the potatoes until crispy then cook them with the tofu. Or whenever you have leftover potatoes you could totally make this dish!
Serving Your Vegan Papas con Huevo
Ah the best part, eating your vegan papas con huevo!
You can serve on a plate with a side of homemade refried beans, some avocado slices, your favorite salsa or hot sauce, and warm tortillas – for this dish I prefer to eat with my homemade flour tortillas, they pair well with potatoes.
One of my sisters would make herself breakfast tacos and she would drizzle salsa and a dollop of sour cream or Mexican crema over her potato and eggs. I didn’t do that often but it’s actually quite flavorful. I have a vegan crema recipe for you to try.
While I keep calling this a breakfast you could absolutely serve this dish for brunch, lunch or even dinner. It’s so delicious for any meal.
You could also use this as a filling for breakfast burritos, to fill quesadillas, gorditas and sopes too.
How to Store and How to Reheat
Allow leftovers to come to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
I don’t suggest freezing for this tofu dish because freezing completely changes the texture of silken tofu – and not in the same beneficial way as regular tofu.
Leftovers can be reheated in nonstick pan or well seasoned cast-iron skillet for several minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave.
More Vegan Recipes to Try
- Huevos a la Mexicana (Mexican Style Tofu Scramble Breakfast)
- Best Vegan Omelette Recipe
- Easy Huevos con Jamon (Eggs and Ham) Vegan Recipe
- Migas | Mexican Breakfast Made Vegan
Papas con Huevo Recipe
And there you have it amigos, a scrumptious, vegan twist on the classic Mexican breakfast favorite, papas con huevo.
With simple ingredients and a whole lot of flavor, this dish is bound to become a staple in your morning routine. So, the next time you’re looking for delicious vegan Mexican breakfast ideas, whip up this hearty and satisfying meal.
Buen Provecho!
Vegan Papas con Huevo Recipe (Mexican Potatoes and Egg)
Video
Ingredients
- 12 oz silken tofu extra firm or medium regular tofu, drained and crumbled
- 1 medium-small potato cubed
- 1/4 cup white onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon black salt
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast optional
Instructions
- Start by thoroughly scrubbing and rinsing the potatoes. You don’t have to peel them, I don’t. Then dice into bite-sized cubes.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add the minced onion and sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes.
- Toss in the cubed potatoes and let them sizzle until they start to turn golden brown. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the drained silken tofu in a bowl and use a fork to break it up into crumbles. You decide what size you want them to be.
- Once the potato bits are tender you can add the crumbled tofu and all remaining spices. Mix until well combined and allow to sauté for another 8 minute to help the flavors incorporated into each other.
- Serve as desired!
Notes
Simply swap out the tofu for whole eggs or egg whites and don’t add the black salt or turmeric powder. To make papas con huevo with regular eggs:
Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Then you will pour them in at step 4 or after the potatoes have cooked through. Mix until the potato bits are well coated with the egg mixture. Serving Suggestions:
Warm corn tortillas or warm flour tortillas, homemade refried beans, avocado slices, salsa of your choice. If you want to add a cheesy touch you can serve with a slice or two of your favorite vegan cheese or with some dairy-based panela cheese.
Nutrition
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
