These Bacon Potato and Egg Breakfast Tacos are my love letter to the Austin Texas breakfast taco: crispy bacon and potatoes, creamy scrambled eggs, melty Monterey Jack cheese, and salsa all wrapped up together in warm flour tortillas and they're ready in about 30 minutes.
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These Bacon Potato and Egg Breakfast Tacos are inspired by one of my favorite stops during a trip to Austin, where I had a simple taco with crispy potatoes, soft scrambled eggs, and one whole strip of bacon tucked into a fresh flour tortilla. Not chopped bacon. Not bacon bits. A full crispy strip of bacon being the star of the taco show.
This recipe pulls together a few of my favorite breakfast shortcuts and techniques: bacon cooked in the oven, crispy skillet potatoes that start in the microwave to save time, and soft scrambled eggs made extra creamy with a splash of heavy cream.
Add shredded cheese, red salsa, tomatillo salsa, or both, and wrap it all in warm tortillas, and you have a taco plate that tastes like my San Antonio childhood memories met up with an Austin taqueria and decided to come to breakfast.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick - These breakfast tacos can be on the table in about 30 minutes if your tortillas are ready to go. Making homemade flour tortillas? Add another 30 minutes, but it's well worth the extra time.
- Crispy - The bacon cooks in the oven while the potatoes get a head start in the microwave before crisping in a hot skillet.
- Creamy - A splash of heavy cream gives the scrambled eggs a soft, rich texture without making the recipe complicated. Add a dollop of cream cheese for even creamier eggs.
- Flexible - Use homemade flour tortillas, good store-bought tortillas, red salsa, green salsa, or whatever taco toppings make your morning better.
- Texas-inspired - These are built around the kind of simple, satisfying breakfast taco I grew up loving in San Antonio and got to fall in love with all over again in Austin.
Crispy bacon, creamy eggs, skillet potatoes, cheese, salsa, and warm flour tortillas make these Austin-inspired breakfast tacos a 30-minute win andy day of the week.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The photo below shows what you need to make these bacon and egg tacos. I will go over the major ingredients and how you can swap them if needed.
- Bacon - I like a full strip of crispy bacon in each taco because that is how I had it in Austin and I am not here to argue with perfection. You can use turkey bacon if you like.
- Potatoes - Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes both work well here. I prefer how russets get crispier and fluffier, but Yukon Golds are pretty okay too.
- Eggs - Whole eggs make the soft scrambled egg filling. Cook them gently so they stay creamy instead of dry. If you prefer an egg whaite scramble, or even vegan eggs, that'll work.
- Heavy cream - A splash of heavy cream makes the eggs rich and tender. Half-and-half will work in a pinch, but the eggs will be a little lighter.
- Monterey Jack cheese - Monterey Jack melts beautifully and keeps the flavor mellow. Cheddar, pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or a Mexican-style cheese blend can all step in.
- Flour tortillas - Homemade flour tortillas make these taste like a true Texas breakfast taco situation. Store-bought tortillas are fine too, especially if you warm them in a dry pan first.
- Salsa - Red salsa, tomatillo salsa, or both are all welcome here. I am a "why choose?" person when it comes to taco salsa, so I use both, called "Christmas style" in the Southwest.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations
No one's going to tell me that my taco is the only way to taco. I mean I'm happy with almost anything wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Make them spicy - Use pepper Jack cheese, add sliced jalapenos, or finish with your favorite hot sauce.
- Add avocado - Sliced avocado or a spoonful of guacamole adds a creamy finish.
- Add beans - Refried beans, pinto beans, or black beans make these even more filling and very breakfast-for-dinner friendly.
- Use leftover potatoes - If you have leftover roasted potatoes or breakfast potatoes, crisp them in a skillet and use them here.
- Make a taco bar - Set out the bacon, potatoes, eggs, cheese, tortillas, and salsas and let everyone build their own taco.
Cynthia's Recipe Review
I literally dream about breakfast tacos and this is the one I dream about most often. It reminds me so much of the ones we would grab at a taco stand when I was a kid growing up in San Antonio and dreams come true with these tacos!
Quick Recipe Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
This all comes together one component at a time. The bacon cooks in the oven while the potatoes get a shortcut in the microwave, and then the eggs only need a few minutes in a nonstick skillet. Easy Peasy.
Step 1: Place the bacon on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and bake in a 400°F oven until crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2: Wash the potatoes, peel them if you like, and dice them. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl with salt and a splash of water, cover with a dinner plate, and microwave for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Carefully drain the potatoes, then dry them well with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 4: Add the potatoes to a preheated heavy skillet or cast iron pan, season, and cook until golden and crispy on the outside.
Step 5: Place the eggs in a medium bowl, add a splash of heavy cream if desired, and whisk until fully combined.
Step 6: Cook the eggs in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, gently dragging a spatula through the cooked egg so the uncooked egg can fall to the bottom of the pan. Continue until the eggs are softly cooked.
Finish: Warm the tortillas in a dry pan until flexible. Place a warm tortilla on a plate and add shredded cheese, one crispy bacon strip, a spoonful of potatoes, and a spoonful of eggs. Top with red salsa, tomatillo salsa, or both, and maybe garnish with fresh cilantro
Cynthia's Helpful Tips
- Timing - Start the bacon first, microwave the potatoes while it cooks, then scramble the eggs right before serving.
- Bacon - Bake the bacon on parchment paper for easier cleanup and a more hands-off breakfast.
- Potatoes - Dry the microwaved potatoes really well before adding them to the skillet so they crisp instead of steam.
- Eggs - Pull the eggs from the heat while they still look soft because they will keep cooking from residual heat.
- Tortillas - Warm your tortillas in a dry skillet before filling so they bend instead of cracking.
Recipe FAQs
Adding heavy cream, milk, or even cream cheese can help prevent overcooking your eggs. Then cook them over medium to medium-low heat and move them gently with a spatula. Take them off the heat when they still look slightly soft, not dry and bouncy.
both corn and flour tortillas make delicious breakfast tacos, but Texas style breakfast tacos most commonly used flour tortillas. Corn tortillas work best for chorizo or pulled pork breakfast tacos, and they are also great for gluten-free diets.
Store the bacon, potatoes, eggs, cheese, tortillas, and salsa separately when possible. Reheat the potatoes and bacon in a skillet, oven, or air fryer, warm the eggs gently in a skillet or microwave, and assemble the tacos just before eating.
Absolutely! Cooking the bacon, making the potatoes, and even scrambling the eggs, can all be done ahead of time. Store everything in a separate airtight container, and then warm each component and start building your tacos.
Did you try this recipe?
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I appreciate it so much!
-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Bacon Potato and Egg Breakfast Tacos
Recommended Equipment
- Cast iron pan or heavy skillet
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 potatoes diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 6 flour tortillas
For serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Arrange the bacon slices on the prepared sheet pan in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is as crisp as you like it. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- While the bacon cooks, wash the potatoes and peel them if desired. Dice the potatoes into small, even pieces.
- Place the diced potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the kosher salt and water and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with a dinner plate and microwave for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.
- Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Drain any excess water, then transfer the potatoes to a clean kitchen towel and dry them well.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and crispy on the outside, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the heavy cream, if using, and whisk until the eggs are fully combined.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook gently, dragging a spatula through the cooked egg and letting the uncooked egg run into the open space. Continue cooking just until the eggs are softly set.
- Warm the flour tortillas in a dry skillet until soft and flexible.
- To assemble, place a warm tortilla on a plate. Add some shredded Monterey Jack cheese, one strip of crispy bacon, a spoonful of crispy potatoes, and a spoonful of scrambled eggs.
- Top with tomato salsa, tomatillo salsa, or both. Serve warm.
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Video
Notes
- For the crispiest potatoes, dry them well after microwaving. Any extra moisture on the outside of the potatoes will make them steam in the skillet instead of crisp.
- For softer scrambled eggs, remove them from the heat while they still look slightly creamy. They will continue cooking from the heat of the pan.
- If making homemade flour tortillas for this recipe, plan on about 1 hour total for the full recipe.
- Store leftovers separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat bacon and potatoes in a skillet, oven, or air fryer for the best texture. Reheat eggs gently and assemble tacos right before serving.
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