Burritos de Machaca con Huevo (Shredded Beef and Egg Burritos)
Shredded beef scrambled with eggs, tomato and chilli, the classic Sonoran and Chihuahuan breakfast burrito filling.
Made with Flour tortillas and Barbacoa beef. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time25 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £3.04 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Pull your ready made barbacoa beef (see the base recipe) into fine shreds with two forks and squeeze out any excess liquid.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the beef for 4 minutes, pressing so the edges crisp and darken, as machaca is traditionally dried and fried.
4 min - 3
Add the onion and chillies and cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until their juice has mostly gone.
6 min - 4
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pour them in. Stir for 2 minutes until just set.
2 min - 5
Warm your homemade flour tortillas (see the base recipe) in a dry pan for 15 seconds a side.
- 6
Spoon the filling into the tortillas, squeeze over lime, fold in the sides and roll up.
Tips
- True machaca is sun dried beef that is rehydrated and shredded. Barbacoa beef is a convenient UK shortcut that gives a similar rich shredded texture.
- Fry the beef hard first so some strands turn crisp. This is what gives machaca its texture.
- Squeeze the beef dry before frying or the eggs will turn watery.
- Serve with refried beans on the side for a big brunch.
Storing and freezing
Keep the cooked filling in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat until steaming hot all the way through. Assembled burritos freeze for up to 2 months.
Questions
What is machaca?
Machaca is dried, shredded beef from northern Mexico, rehydrated and fried with egg, onion, tomato and chilli. This version uses shredded slow cooked barbacoa beef, which is easier to find a substitute for in the UK.
Can I use chicken instead?
You can, but it would no longer be a machaca burrito. Shredded chicken with the same egg, tomato and chilli mix makes a good breakfast burrito in its own right.
How hot are the burritos?
Medium. Serrano chillies are hotter than jalapenos. Remove the seeds for less heat, or use one chilli instead of two.
More made with flour tortillas
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.