Home / Dinner / Tigrillo

Tigrillo

Name: Tigrillo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 large green plantains (about 3 lbs), peeled and cut into chunks; 1 1/2 cups shredded queso fresco or mozzarella cheese; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup milk; 2 tbsp butter; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 fried eggs, for serving; 1/2 cup ají (Ecuadorian hot sauce), for serving

Mashed green plantain scrambled with cheese, eggs, and milk — the coast’s beloved breakfast, best eaten with a fried egg on top.

⏱ 15 minPrep time

🔥 25 minCook time

🍽 4Servings

🏷 DinnerCategory

☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet

Tigrillo hails from Machala and the southern coast, where it has been the breakfast of champions for generations. Green plantains are boiled, mashed, and tossed in a hot pan with butter, cheese, milk, and eggs until creamy and lightly set, then crowned with a fried egg and served with strong coffee.

Savory, cheesy, and gloriously messy

The plantain mash is soft and starchy, the cheese melts into long stretchy strands, and the softly scrambled eggs make everything rich and silky. It is savory through and through, with crisp edges from the hot pan and a warm, filling heart — the perfect start to a long day.

Ecuadorian recipes →

Step by stepInstructions

Boil the plantain chunks in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes until very tender, then drain thoroughly.
Mash the plantains with the milk and salt until chunky-smooth.
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the mash, and spread it out; cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges begin to crisp.
Add the cheese and stir until it melts into long, stringy strands.
Beat the 2 eggs and pour them over the mash, stirring gently for 2 minutes until just set but still soft and creamy.
Serve immediately with a fried egg on top and ají on the side, with strong coffee.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Do not over-stir the eggs — soft, creamy curds are the goal. Leftover tigrillo reheats well with a splash of milk and becomes even more delicious pan-crisped the next morning.

Recipe details

Prep15 min

Cook25 min

Servings4

CategoryDinner

PublishedAugust 17, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Tigrillo

Savory, cheesy, and gloriously messy

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Log In

Get free recipes every week

Tigrillo

Savory, cheesy, and gloriously messy

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Join the conversation

Keep browsingYou might also like

Coq au Vin

Ployes

Pide (Turkish Boat Flatbread)

Log In