Spanish Tortilla Recipe (2024)

I am a Spaniard and have made this many times. I suggest fliping the pan directly over the plate. I would skip the pepper. I personally prefer runny egg and overcooked potatoes for this recipe (i start cooking the potatoes before the onions). It may look simple but it takes some practice to master the technique and timing. This is great for breakfast and snacking. Best if served with good bread.

Trick is to let the potatoes soak in the eggs - about 15 minutes or so. Was taught how to make this by my Spanish brother-in-law. He insisted this step was critical.

I have made this Tortilla de Patata many times in my life and my Mama before me...It is a special deal for company and family...at least twice a month. I peel slice and par cook in Micro wave the potatoes...sauté the onions, vary with spinach, green & red sweet peppers. Most of the time the Traditional.

I grew up eating this and have made it a million times. Firstly, I heat a couple cloves of garlic in the oil till I can smell them and then remove. If I have left over french fries from a previous meal (even fast food) I will use them. Sometimes I get extra french fries just for that reason.........

Use a pan that is the same size or smaller than a dinner plate. To turn the tortilla, place a dinner plate over the pan and flip the pan over turning the tortilla onto the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the pan, using a rubber spatula to help.

Instead of trying to flip the tortilla just use an oven safe skillet and stick it in the broiler for a few minutes monitoring it. It's way easier and has always worked just as well for me!

No one has mentioned letting the eggs set around the edges and then running a silicone spatula under the edge to let some of the uncooked egg run underneath. Do this around the edges of the pan until the center begins to look a little set. Makes the flipping a lot easier. Also - I use cast iron for this all the time. No sticking issues whatsoever.

Guys— (and I mean that in the broadest of terms) the easiest way to flip a tortilla is to oil & heat a second skillet, place it on top of the one with the tortilla and using hand towels, deftly flip it over. Done deal!

I actually made this yesterday but saw this post today - basically the same recipe except 1/2 c of oil and 5 large eggs. I suppose the amount of oil doesn't really matter since you drain it after the potatoes and onions cooked anyway. I've tried using even less oil in the past and it just doesn't work, so don't bother. Served it with romesco sauce (mine basically from the Jose Andres tapas cookbook).

This is one of my favorite Spanish foods because of the high 'comfort' level it imparts. I have always followed Omar Allibhoy's video recipe which can be found here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JceGMNG7rpU It turns out flawless every time!

I have made this several times but this time might be my best yet. I sliced my potatoes with a mandolin. I also sliced baby leeks. I spread everything on a cookie sheet and coated with olive oil, cooked at 400 degrees for 12 mins. I layered the potato slices on the bottom and sides of a large skillet. I sprinkled the leeks on top of that. I added some very finely chopped mustard greens. 12 eggs from my hens. A bit of shredded manchego. I finished in 375 oven 10 mins. Flipped on plate. Heaven.

I used a 10 inch pan the first time and the tortilla was much flatter than what you see in Spain(or for that matter what is pictured above). Second time I made it I used an 8 inch pan and although it seemed like a lot of oil and potatoes when in the smaller pan it came out perfectly and looked and tasted like what you get in Spain.

I toss the potato slices with two T. of olive oil and cook them for 5 minutes in the microwave, stirring every two minutes. The resulting tortilla is identical to a tortilla made the "right way" and there is a lot less waste. I slice the potatoes into cold water, drain, and spread them on a towel to pat dry. That keeps them from sticking together while cooking.

A staple in our family, but Mark's recipe uses too much olive oil and too many eggs. Penelope Casas (Foods and Wines of Spain) gives better directions. Very easy once you get the knack.

This is actially one of the most beloved and popular dishes in all of Spains soo....

First time to attempt a tortilla after looking at recipes for years, and shying away. Too messy.However, the result is worth the “mess”, and I expect I’ll be less clumsy with future attempts.Very tasty, and served with simple green salad.

Two potatoes, very thinly sliced and then diced. One onion, chopped. About 1/3 C. good olive oil. Cook on medium-low stove until potatoes are very soft and onion is soft and sweet (45mins-1hr). Beat six room-temp eggs. Add potato/onion mixture to eggs and stir to mix. Add salt. Return to pan (non-stick is best) and cook on lowest heat 15 mins. Flip (use dual tortilla pan, or plate to flip and return to pan). Cook 15 mins and flip again to see if done. Flip onto rack to cool. Easy.

My pet peeve is the current belief that a Spanish tortilla should be runny in the middle. This is a completely modern concept, born, I suspect, of impatience and efficiency. Modern Spanish restaurants don't want to take the time to make a traditional tortilla anymore, so they take shortcuts with preparation and cooking. When you compress the steps, you get an inferior tortilla. So they try to sell the shortcuts as "traditional."

How thin should the potatoes be? I used a mandolin at 1/4" setting and seemed a bit thick, but worked. My flip was a little messy as the sides started to come apart. I probably needed to add an egg since I used more potatoes and next time will finish in the oven. Also used green onion instead and just mixed in with the eggs as well as some minced garlic. Pretty tasty with some sriracha!

I’ve made this three times now and it’s always delicious! I’ve added shredded cheese and fresh herbs to the eggs as well. I let the eggs and potatoes sit for 15 minutes as suggested here and I think it makes a huge difference in the texture and flavor of the tortilla.

Spending the month in Sevilla, and thought this would make good - albeit chilly - brunch to have on the deck for Epifania. Much easier than I thought it would be. Addded some thinly sliced garlic with the onions and red pepper flakes instead of black pepper. Delicious!

FWIW, I mixed everything together then had to put it in the fridge for a few hours. I had to separate some of the potato slices, but it cooked up fine.

I made this, and I can see why some thought it was bland. I caramelized the onions in a pan, then cooked the potatoes in the microwave with EVOO and bacon fat. I flipped the tortilla onto a plate, put some cheese in the pan and slid the tortilla back in. The cheese ended up tough and chewy. Next time I’d mix the cheese into the eggs. But what this really needs is more flavor in the potatoes. Might not be traditional, but next time I’d use some spices in the potatoes. A good sauce helps.

I’ve cooked this before, but chickened out on the flipping in and out of the skillet. However tried that method last night, using a cast iron skillet. It turned out perfectly. Leftovers today, reheated in the oven. Still good. Great recipe. I love the recipes reflecting on what people had in hand.

I really liked this. It is a great staring point that you can modify to your liking. I’d never made Spanish tortilla before so this walked me through. On subsequent attempts, I have add mushrooms and sprinkled with garlic at the end and had with a little Cholula for spice. I am learning from the comments to let the potatoes and onions sit with the eggs for a bit. Thanks!

This was astonishingly good. Even the refrigerated leftover slice was delicious. As an aside, I’m not sure how the food photographer for this got all of the ingredients in a pan with such a small diameter; a 10” pan is a pretty good fit but the result is a little less pretty, being thinner and wider.

6 extra large eggs yields 336 gms = yield of 7.3 large eggs6 jumbo eggs yields 366 gms = yield of 8 large eggs.

I've made this three times now - it worked well twice. The first time I didn't let cook the eggs enough for the flip and spent an hour cleaning eggs and potatoes off the stovetop and floor. When it worked it was delicious and my family loved it.

If you are looking to reduce the amount of oil used in this recipe, you can boil the sliced potatoes for about 4 minutes. Make sure to salt your water!

Personal experience: This technique has only worked once out of ten attempts in a steel frying pan. Most of the time it sticks, gets burnt, breaks up and turns into potatoes & scrambled eggs.