How to Make a Spanish Tortilla

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Last Updated: December 10, 2020 Tested

A Spanish tortilla, named for the Spanish "torta" or cake, is more of an omelet than the Mexican tortillas that may come to mind. If you’ve got nothing left in the kitchen, or just need something to quickly whip up for dinner, this will make for a fantastic meal. By frying the potatoes and onions properly, seasoning only as needed, and knowing how to cook it perfectly, you can make a Spanish tortilla in less than an hour.

Ingredients

700 grams (1.5 lb) of waxy potatoes, such as Red Bliss or New Potatoes
1 white onion
100 millilitres (3.4 fl oz) of olive oil
8 eggs
Salt and pepper, to season

Makes 8 servings

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Egg Mixture

1
Heat 100 millilitres (3.4 fl oz) of olive oil in a frying pan. Place a frying pan with high sides over a medium-high heat to begin warming up. Pour 100 millilitres (3.4 fl oz) of olive oil into the pan and leave it to heat and begin shimmering. ^{[1]
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- For this recipe, a frying pan around 28 centimetres (11 in) in diameter will give you a perfectly thick and well-cooked tortilla. If you are using a smaller pan, you will need to give your tortilla more time to cook. If you use a bigger pan and have a thinner tortilla, it will take less time to cook all the way through.
- Drain this oil once you have finished using it, as it can be reused another 5 or 6 times when making Spanish tortillas again.
2
Cut 1 onion into thin slices. Cut the ends off of 1 white onion before chopping it in half. Place the 2 halves cut side down on your chopping board and use a sharp knife to slice them as finely as you can. ^{[2]
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- The addition of an onion might be seen by some as a controversial addition to a traditional Spanish tortilla. It will add some sweetness and extra flavor but can easily be left out.
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3
Peel and thinly slice 5 medium potatoes. Choose a high-quality, waxy potato that will maintain its shape while cooking to wash and peel. With the potato sitting on its side, use a sharp knife to cut it into slices that are around 0.3 centimetres (0.12 in) in thickness. ^{[3]
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- If your potatoes are particularly wet, or you are worried about how well they’ll fry, you can use paper towels to remove some of that excess moisture. Place the potato slices in a single layer on a paper towel and use another towel to pat them dry.
4
Fry the potatoes and onion in the oil for 10 to 15 minutes. Working 1 slice at a time to prevent any sticking together, add the potato to the oil. Pour in your sliced onions and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture slightly. Once all ingredients are covered in oil leave them to fry for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the onion begins to caramelize and the potatoes just begin to cook. ^{[4]
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- It may help to stir the onions and potato slightly as they cook, to prevent them from sticking to each other or the pan.
5
Crack 8 eggs into a large bowl and season them with salt and pepper. The eggs make up the body of the tortilla, so make sure you use high-quality, fresh eggs. Crack 8 into a large bowl and use a fork to beat them slightly. The yolks should be broken up, but you don’t need to make the mixture completely homogenous. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper for flavor. ^{[5]
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- You can do this step while the onions and potatoes are cooking to save a little time!
- Eggs, potatoes, and onions are all quite bland when unseasoned, so they require a good amount of salt and pepper to bring out their natural flavors. Try adding around 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) each of salt and pepper when you first make the tortilla, adjusting for taste when you cook it next.
Use a large sieve or a slotted spoon to lift the fried potatoes and onions out of the oil and add them to the egg mixture. Stir lightly to combine the ingredients. Pour the olive oil from the pan into a heat-proof container. You'll need to reuse a small amount of the oil when cooking the tortilla. ^{[6]
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7
Cover the mixture and leave it for 10 minutes. Once the eggs, potatoes, and onions are combined, cover the bowl with a piece of aluminum foil. Leave the mixture to sit for around 10 minutes to allow the egg to soak into the potato, and the residual heat from the potato to slightly thicken the eggs. ^{[7]
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- While you wait for the mixture to thicken, drain and keep the oil from your frying pan, before cleaning out and drying it so the pan can be reused to cook the tortilla.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Cooking the Tortilla

Place your frying pan back over a medium-high heat and pour in a few tablespoons of the drained oil. Give the oil a few minutes to heat up slightly. ^{[8]
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Once the oil is warm, pour the tortilla mixture into the pan and shake it slightly to evenly distribute it. Leave it to cook for around 1 minute over the high heat, which will help cook the outside of the omelet quickly. ^{[9]
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3
Drop the heat to low and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes. After roughly 1 minute over the high-heat, decrease the temperature of your stovetop or element to low and leave the tortilla to cook. Over 2 to 4 minutes, the edges of the tortilla should begin to solidify, but the middle should remain soft and liquid. ^{[10]
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- Alternately, you could also leave the tortilla to cook for 10 minutes over a low heat. This will cook your tortilla much more evenly, but won’t give it the same consistency as a traditional Spanish tortilla. ^{[11]
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Use a spatula or shake the pan slightly to make sure that the tortilla is not sticking to the sides or bottom of the pan. Tilt the pan, being careful not to pour out the runny eggs in the middle, and slide the entire tortilla onto a plate. ^{[12]
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5
Flip the tortilla back into the pan. Take the frying pan off the heat and invert it over the tortilla. Place 1 hand on the bottom of the plate and use the other to hold the frying pan in place by the handle. In 1 swift movement, flip the plate and frying pan over to flip the entire tortilla back into the pan. As you lift the plate away, the tortilla should be flipped over and golden brown in color. ^{[13]
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- If you don’t have faith in your ability to flip the tortilla, you could finish cooking it in the oven instead. Place it in the oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for 5 minutes or until the top is set. This will be easier but isn’t traditional.
6
Cook the tortilla on medium-high for 1 minute. Place the frying pan with the flipped tortilla back over a medium-high heat and let it cook for another 1 minute. As above, this will help give the outside of the tortilla a uniform look without drying out the inside.
- As it cooks, use your spatula to tuck the sides of the tortilla in to give a perfectly round tortilla. ^{[14]
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After 1 minute of cooking over high, reduce the temperature to low and leave the tortilla to cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes. When the tortilla can be pressed on and springs back slightly, it is cooked through and ready. ^{[15]
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8
Serve the tortilla immediately. Once it’s been given time to cook, slide the tortilla out of the pan and onto a serving plate. Cut it into 8 portions, the way you would slice a pizza, and serve immediately. ^{[16]
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- You can also store the tortilla in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, reheating it in the microwave before eating. ^{[17]
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Question

Can this tortilla be made with parsnips instead of potatoes?

Community Answer

Yes, it can, but consider roasting the parsnips in a thicker slice, which sweetens the flavor. Boiled or sauteed parsnips might not suit every person's palate.

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Is Spanish tortilla a good picnic meal?

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Community Answer

Yes! It would be a delicious picnic meal. You could make it to anything, and take it to a picnic. Tortillas have a large variety of recipes, to PB J Tortillas, to quesadillas.

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Would it be okay if I added different fillings?

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Different fillings are just fine, but keep an eye on it as it cooks - different fillings might need to be cooked for longer.

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Tips

Although it won’t be traditional, you can also add other ingredients to the original mixture. Try adding a little bit of chopped “jamón serrano” or “chorizo”. Let your imagination fly!

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Don't worry if it doesn't work perfectly the first time. Practice makes perfect!

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Things You’ll Need

Frying pan
Knife
Cutting board
Wooden spoon
Large bowl
Fork
Slotted spoon or sieve
Aluminum foil
Plate
Spatula

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How to Make a Spanish Tortilla

Ingredients

Steps

Making the Egg Mixture

Cooking the Tortilla

Community Q&A

Tips

Things You’ll Need

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