This easy breakfast nachos recipe makes every bite delicious! My inspiration was to add everything I love in a breakfast burrito but to eat it on tortilla chips. YUM!

Crispy bacon, golden shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs, fried jalapeno, diced tomato and jack cheese get piled onto tortilla chips and finished with a healthy topping of green salsa.

The Best Breakfast Nachos (Inspired by a New Mexico Breakfast Burrito)

Ever since living in NM I have loved finding the best breakfast burritos wherever I go. When I went to grad school in a little town called Socorro, they had a place called Burrito Time, and they served the best breakfast burrito ever. Not only were they cheap, we are talking $3 or less, they were fast, seriously delicious and the burritos were huge. Perfect for a poor college student!

To make these nachos I pretty much took what I loved from their breakfast burritos and piled it on top of tortilla chips. And you know what? It was sooooo good. Like, I want these all the time good!

Then I add diced tomato, shredded cheese, and top everything off with one of my favorite store bought salsas (you can totally make your own though!). I love the Herdez Green Salsa and will eat it on anything and everything! Okay, well, maybe not dessert! But it really adds the perfect final touch to these breakfast nachos.

If you love these nachos you will probably also love my New Mexican Green Chile Stew with homemade dinner rolls. Go ahead and give them a try!

Why You’ll Love These Easy Breakfast Nachos

A breakfast burrito on chips. All the classic fillings, piled high on crunchy tortilla chips.
One skillet. Bacon, potatoes, eggs and jalapeno all cook in the same pan.
Spicy or mild. The fried jalapeno is totally optional for those who like a little heat.
Great for sharing. Pile them on a platter for a fun weekend brunch.

What Readers Are Saying

“Never thought of this! Thanks! Looks delish!”

Wendy, a reader

Read all the comments or leave your own review below.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

Bacon: Adds smoky, salty crunch, and the rendered grease is used to fry the potatoes. Thick cut bacon stays meatier when chopped, while regular bacon gets crispier.
Potatoes: Two medium potatoes, washed, dried and shredded with the skin on. Russets get the crispiest, and Yukon Golds are a little creamier. Drying the shreds well helps them brown instead of steam. A food processor with the grater blade makes shredding easier.
Garlic powder, salt and pepper: Season the potatoes and give them that savory, breakfast burrito flavor. Sprinkle on enough garlic powder to cover them, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Eggs: Scrambled in the same warm skillet. Stir right away, or they turn into fried eggs. Cooking them in the leftover bacon and potato flavor means they pick up a little extra seasoning from the pan. Whisk them in a bowl first if you like your scramble more even.
Jalapeno: Thinly sliced and fried in butter until soft and slightly blackened. Frying mellows the heat and adds a smoky flavor. Remove the seeds for a milder bite, or skip it.
Butter: For frying the jalapeno slices.
Tomato: Diced, for a fresh, juicy contrast to all the rich toppings. Roma tomatoes are less watery, so the chips stay crunchier.
Jack cheese: Melts smoothly and has a mild flavor. Shred it yourself from a block for the best melt. Pepper jack adds extra kick.
Green salsa: Herdez is the favorite here, and you can totally make your own. Tangy tomatillo salsa cuts through the bacon and cheese.
Tortilla chips: Blue corn tortilla chips were used here. Pick sturdy, thick chips that can hold up under all the toppings without breaking or going soggy too fast.

How to Make Breakfast Nachos

Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Move it to a paper towel lined plate.
Shred the potatoes. While the bacon cooks, wash and dry the potatoes and grate them, skin on, with a cheese grater or food processor.
Fry the potatoes. Warm about 1/4 cup of the bacon grease, or another frying oil, in the same skillet. Add the shredded potatoes and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook, flipping occasionally, until nicely browned and crisp at the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
Scramble the eggs. Add the eggs to the warm skillet and stir right away. Put the pan back on medium high heat to finish cooking. They are done when no liquid egg remains and the curds are set.
Fry the jalapeno. Set the eggs aside. Add the butter and jalapeno slices to the skillet and fry until soft and slightly blackened.
Chop the toppings. Dice the tomato and cut the bacon into small pieces.
Assemble. Add a handful of chips to a bowl, then top with eggs, jalapenos, potatoes, tomatoes, bacon and shredded cheese. Finish with a healthy topping of green salsa and eat right away while the chips are crunchy.

Tip: If you fry the jalapeno, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated and have a fan going or a window open. The capsaicin in the pepper, when heated, can make it hard to breathe.

Ways to Customize Breakfast Nachos

Make it a burrito. If you only have tortillas and no chips, no worries! Just pile everything in a tortilla and make an awesome breakfast burrito.
Skip the jalapeno. It is totally optional and only for those who like a spicy addition to their breakfast.
Make your own salsa. Swap the store bought green salsa for homemade.
Change the meat. Crumbled breakfast sausage or chorizo works in place of the bacon.

Breakfast Nachos FAQs

What are breakfast nachos? Everything you love in a breakfast burrito, like eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese, piled on tortilla chips instead of wrapped in a tortilla.
Can I bake the bacon instead? Yes. Lay it on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet, put it in a cold oven and set it to 400°F. Cook for about 20 minutes, until crispy enough for your liking.
How do I save time? Bake the bacon in the oven while frying the potatoes on the stove. It cuts the cooking time and avoids bacon splatter.
Why do my eggs turn into fried eggs? Stir as soon as the eggs hit the warm skillet. If you wait, they set into fried eggs.
Are the eggs safe? Cook scrambled eggs until no visible liquid egg remains and they are firm, as USDA recommends.
Can I make breakfast nachos ahead? Cook the bacon, potatoes and eggs ahead and refrigerate them in separate containers for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat, then assemble on fresh chips.
What chips work best? Thick, sturdy tortilla chips. Blue corn chips were used here.
How do I keep the chips from getting soggy? Assemble right before serving, drain the diced tomato well and add the salsa last. Serve extra salsa on the side if you like a lot.
Can I use frozen hash browns? Yes. Thaw them and pat them very dry so they brown and crisp in the skillet instead of steaming.

Mexican Breakfast Nachos with Green Salsa

Lisa

Mexican breakfast nachos piled with crispy bacon, garlicky shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs, fried jalapeno, tomato and jack cheese, finished with green salsa. Everything you love in a breakfast burrito, on tortilla chips.

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Ingredients

½ lb bacon
2 medium potatoes shredded
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
1 jalapeno thinly sliced
1 ½ tsp butter
1 to mato diced
½ cup jack cheese
green salsa I used herdez
tortilla chips I used blue corn tortilla chips

Instructions

In a large skillet cook bacon.
While bacon is cooking, using a cheese grater* shred two potatoes. I like to wash the potatoes, dry them and then with the skin on grate them.
When the bacon is done, remove from pan and set on a paper towel-lined plate.
Using the same skillet, put a ¼ cup of the bacon grease, or another oil for frying in the skillet and get it warm. Then add the shredded potatoes and garlic salt, salt and pepper. I like to sprinkle enough garlic powder on to cover the potatoes and then add a little salt and pepper. Add as much or as little of the seasonings as you want!
Cooke the potatoes until they are nice and browned, flipping occasionally about 10-15 minutes. When done, set aside.
While the skillet is still warm add the eggs and scramble. You will probably need to put the skillet back on med/high heat to finish cooking the eggs. If you don’t stir right away they eggs will turn into fried eggs.
When the eggs are done, set aside and cut your jalapeno into thin slices. Then add the butter to the skillet along with the jalapeno slices and fry until soft and slightly blackened.*
Dice your tomato and cut the bacon into small pieces.
To assemble: Add a handful of chips to a bowl, top with eggs, jalapenos, potatoes, tomatoes, bacon and shredded cheese. Finish off with a healthy topping of green salsa.
10. Enjoy!

Notes

*To make shredding potatoes easier; use your food processor and the grater blade.
*Frying the jalapenos can be skipped, but do taste really yummy. If you do fry them make sure your kitchen is well ventilated and maybe have a fan on or a window open because the capsaicin in the pepper, when heated, can make it hard to breathe.

Made these breakfast nachos? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell us your favorite breakfast nacho toppings in the comments below.