Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Desayuno Chapín
The full Guatemalan breakfast plate: eggs, soupy black beans, fried sweet plantain, fresh cream, and warm corn tortillas.
Guatemalan · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 20 min
~643 cal · 26g protein · 72g carbs · 29g fat · 9g fiber · 17g sugars · 16g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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The desayuno chapin, or typical Guatemalan breakfast, is a colourful plate built on the country's deep maize culture and its love of a proper morning meal. Chapin is the affectionate nickname Guatemalans give themselves.
It brings together several components on one plate: eggs (often scrambled or fried), soupy black beans (frijoles volteados or parados), fried sweet , a spoon of fresh cream (crema), sometimes fresh cheese, and always a stack of warm handmade corn tortillas.
Balanced between savoury, sweet, and rich, it is a substantial start built to fuel the day. The desayuno chapin is a proud everyday tradition, the taste of a Guatemalan morning grounded in beans, corn, and good cream.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
4 eggs
2 cups black beans, cooked
2 ripe
1/2 cup cultured cream (crema)
1/2 cup fresh cheese (queso fresco), crumbled
Hard to find? mild feta rinsed under cold water, or ricotta salata - both crumble and soften without melting, the way queso fresco does; rinse the feta, which is far saltier
8 corn tortillas
to taste
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Warm the black beans into a soupy consistency and keep hot.
2
Fry the plantain slices in a little oil until caramelized and golden on both sides.
3
Fry or scramble the eggs (or tofu) to your liking and warm the tortillas on a comal.
4
Plate the eggs, beans, and plantain together, spoon over the cream, scatter the crumbled cheese, and serve with the tortillas.
Guatemalan highland home breakfast.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sacatepéquez (Antigua). Pepian is named for its thickener. Pepitoria is toasted pumpkin and sesame seed, ground down with dried chillies to give the stew both its body and its colour, and Guatemala listed the dish as national intangible cultural heritage in 2007 alongside kak'ik, jocon and platanos en mole.
🗺️
Guatemala. The recados are the point. Pepian is thickened with pumpkin and sesame seeds toasted dark before grinding and is usually named as the national dish; jocon is the green one, built on tomatillo and coriander; and kak'ik, the Q'eqchi' turkey soup, is on Guatemala's own list of national intangible heritage. All three start with dry-roasting rather than frying.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Guatemala
Pepián de PolloChicken in a deep, toasty sauce of charred tomatoes, chiles, and ground seeds, Guatemala’s Mayan-rooted national stew.
Tostadas GuatemaltecasCrisp fried tortillas topped three ways, with guacamole, tomato salsa, or black beans, a light Guatemalan street lunch.
Rellenitos de PlátanoSweet fried plantain dumplings stuffed with spiced black bean paste, a Guatemalan treat.
Browse all Guatemala recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Griddle or flat pan.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Guatemala meal
Atol de EloteDrink
Rellenitos de PlátanoDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Desayuno Chapín?
The full Guatemalan breakfast plate: eggs, soupy black beans, fried sweet plantain, fresh cream, and warm corn tortillas.
Where does Desayuno Chapín come from?
Desayuno Chapín is a Guatemalan dish from Sacatepéquez (Antigua), Guatemala.
Can Desayuno Chapín be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Desayuno Chapín recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Desayuno Chapín safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Desayuno Chapín take to make?
About 35 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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