Spanish Omelette (Spanish Tortilla) is perfect served hot or cold, and so easy to make!
Crispy, fried potatoes and eggs make up this popular Spanish Omelette (Tortilla) recipe, perfect for picnics, parties, bbq’s, or your traditional Tapas menu! Upgrade your omelette!
This tortilla has been in my life for as long as I can remember. It was with me at breakfast times when I couldn’t look at another bowl of cereal, with us at family barbecues and picnics, with me through breakups, and saved me from eating plain eggs AGAIN when I couldn’t stomach any more plain, scrambled eggs.
Normally, a typical tortilla is made first by deep frying the potatoes in 1 – 2 cups of oil, depending on how many potatoes you are using. My mother, however, has managed to cut this amount down to 1/2 a cup, which gives exactly the same crisp and golden results, with half the fat! So long as you use a good quality nonstick pan to prevent sticking, 1/2 cup is the perfect amount of oil. Thanks mama!
Serve with a salad, or use as an entree or appetiser. Great for snacks. Traditionally served as tapas in little squares.
Your guests will LOVE this!
For more omelette recipes with an international flair, try this Caprese Frittata!
Spanish Potato Omelette (Spanish Tortilla)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 5 medium-sized potatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large brown onion, chopped
- 8 eggs
- Salt, to taste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- parsley, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a nonstick medium-sized (30cm/12-inch) pan. Fry potatoes until crispy, golden and tender. Add the onion and fry until transparent. Drain oil (use a metal colander if you have one), until all of the oil is drained.
- Return potatoes and onions to the pan, arranging them in a single layer. Reduce heat down to low.
- Beat eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture into the pan, moving the potatoes and onions around the eggs using a plastic spatula. Every so often, move the eggs around the potatoes while it's cooking to ensure the eggs cook on the bottom, so there's not much eggs left on the top.
- Place a big, round plate on top of the pan, and with your hand holding the plate, flip the tortilla onto the plate. Then, slide the tortilla back into the pan carefully, moving the onion and potatoes carefully back into the pan along with the tortilla.
- Keep cooking, gently shaking the pan occasionally, until completely cooked through.
- To remove the tortilla from the pan, place a clean plate on top of the tortilla and flip again onto the plate. Garnish with parsley (optional).
- Serve with a salad, or use as an entree or appetiser. Great for snacks. Traditionally served as tapas in little squares.
Luis says
Made this tonight. Only used 1/3 cup of good quality olive oil. Came out perfectly, great taste, I wouldn’t change a thing. May add some chorizo next time for a variation. A keeper of a recipe! Thank you, Karina.
Stephen Hayes says
Brilliant and authentic recipe.
It turned out perfect.
Frank Holmes says
Hi Carina
I was just about to make my own Tortilla when yours came in on my I pad so I thought I would like to tell you about mine .
I lived in Spain for 21 years so I can speak with some authority’s have a special omelette pan which is two pans which lock together it saves all the messing about using one pan ‘also you can cook both sides easily without getting scalded with hot egg etc.
In the Spanish markets they are plentiful and quite cheap.
I put mushrooms ‘red pepper and onion of course plus garlic and it is delicious.
Hope you like this comment
Yours frank
Sarah says
This recipe turned out amazingly! I feel like it would be sooo good with a drizzle or side of spicy marinara sauce.
I started out frying the diced potato, but felt like it was tough to brown evenly on all sides. So after about 7 min I popped the potatoes into my air fryer for another 7 minutes and it was perfection. While airfrying, I sautéed the onions and removed them to a bowl, adding the crispy potatoes once done.
Then I put the beaten egg in my cast iron pan, gave the bowl of potato and onion a good mix, and threw it on top of the eggs, mixing slightly to coat the top layer with a little bit of egg mixture.
Flipped like a dream and was extremely satisfying to eat. Saved half for a quick breakfast for the fam tomorrow.
Thanks!
Penny Zywusko says
This recipe looks delicious. I also want to comment that I really like the menu bar at the top of your page. I scrolled through so many tasty looking recipes and surely will prepare some of them!
Arpita Patel says
Always looking for new options for breakfast and this recipe is definitely added to the menu!
Simple and delicious 🤤Thank you!!!
Pooja Khungar says
The beauty of this thing is when you flip it out on a plate and are all: VOILA! i made greatness!
Andrea says
This looks delicious. I already have dinner plans tonight, and tomorrow lunch defrosting. But this is on the menu for dinner tomorrow. This should appeal to all. Can’t wait and thanks for sharing.
samri says
i have tried it &it is so good thank you for the recipes.
Sandra says
I grew up on these–YUM! Love that you and your mom use the oil…so disappointing when someone tries to achieve the same results with boiled potatoes. I’m new to your site and am OBSESSED with your salads!
Karina says
Thank you Sandra! And YES I agree regarding the potatoes. It’s just not the same!
Marsha Layman says
I have to admit that this recipe makes no sense to me. What is the purpose of all this flipping onto and off of a plate? The first flip instruction is followed by “put the potatoes and onion back in” – there was never any indication they were to be separated from the eggs? This seems to be a frittata that’s flipped a few times. What am I missing?
Robert Vargas says
It says to drain the oil with a metal colander, which means the onions and potatoes shouldn’t be in the pan anymore. Also it says to flip once. The second flip is to get it out of the pan onto a plate. It’s not that hard to understand if you read the recipe closely.
Robert (Bobby) Marullo says
Hi Karina, Sorry about my earlier comment. I should have read the captions under your wonderful pictures and then I would
have seen the 1/2 cup of oil suggested by Mama. I will make this omelet this weekend, and like most of your other recipes, they always have been perfect. Thanks again and accept my apology for talking before completely reading.,