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Torta de Milanesa is a popular Mexican sandwich featuring crispy breaded steak and classic torta toppings like queso fresco, refried beans, avocado, onion, lettuce, tomato, and salsa. It’s a hearty and filling meal for lunch or dinner!
There’s nothing quite like the satisfying bite of a torta de milanesa. It’s easily my favorite type of torta (this steak torta and torta ahogada are close seconds), and it’s so good that I wouldn’t be mad about eating it every single day if I had to.
One of my favorite things about this recipe, and most Mexican tortas in general, is the generous smear of refried beans on the telera or bolillo bread, as well as the thick slices of fresh queso fresco. Why don’t all sandwiches have this?! It’s truly delicious and a must-have at any Mexican restaurant and taqueria.
What Is a Torta de Milanesa?
A torta de milanesa is a popular Mexican sandwich made from breaded and fried thinly sliced steak served on telera or bolillo bread and topped with refried beans, avocado, salsa, onion, tomato, and shredded lettuce.
The word “torta” means sandwich, and “milanesa” translates to milanese, which refers to the crispy breading and fried preparation of the meat.
It’s a common menu item at Mexican taquerias and casual restaurants, as well as street vendors in open-air mercados.
Torta de Milanesa Ingredients
- Beef steak: The cut that’s traditionally used is thinly sliced top round or bottom round steak. They cook very quickly, which is also a plus. Many Mexican grocery stores sell the meat already pounded thinly which saves you the step of having to do it yourself. It’s sometimes labeled as “milanesa” in these cases.
- Eggs: Act as the binding agent for the breadcrumb.
- All-purpose flour: Dredging the beef in flour before coating it with egg and then the breadcrumb mixture helps give a nice crispy coating.
- Panko breadcrumbs and seasonings: I used panko breadcrumbs for a crispy coating, but you can also use regular breadcrumbs. I seasoned them with a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Bread: Telera bread is my preferred choice for tortas, but bolillo bread is also a popular choice. Both are very light and airy, similar to French bread, with a slightly crusty exterior that won’t get mushy or fall apart.
- Fillings: I filled the torta with queso fresco, refried beans, avocados, salsa, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and shredded lettuce.
How to Make Torta de Milanesa
Tenderize the meat. Lay the steak on a cutting board covered in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat mallet to pound each steak until they’re about ⅛-¼ inch thickness. You can also place the steak in a large Ziploc bag and pound them out one a a time.
Prepare for breading. In three shallow bowls or plates, place the all-purpose flour in the first, beaten eggs in the second, and panko breadcrumbs and seasonings in the third.
Bread the steak by dredging both sides with flour, then dipping it into the egg mixture and finally dipping it into the seasoned breadcrumbs. Make sure to press the steak down firmly into the breadcrumbs so that they stick to the beef.
Fry the milanesa in batches of 1 or 2 in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes per both sides until golden brown. The meat is very thin and will cook quickly. Once fried, transfer the steak to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Continue this process with the rest of the meat.
Assemble the tortas by adding a layer of the refried beans on the bottom half of the sliced bread rolls, followed by avocado, a few slices of queso fresco, tomatoes, the milanesa, lettuce, and some salsa. Gently press the top half of the bread over the torta and repeat until they have all been assembled.
Serve the tortas with your favorite Mexican sides or on its own!
Recipe Tips
- The cut of steak you’ll need: Though top round and bottom round are what’s traditionally used for milanesa, you can use any thinly sliced steak.
- Swap the protein. Instead of beef, opt for chicken and use my milanesa de pollo instead.
- Don’t skimp on the toppings and fillings! Thinly sliced red onions or pickled onions, avocado slices or guacamole, chile de arbol salsa, salsa mexicana, or salsa verde, and queso fresco or queso panela are the best!
- Consider serving this open-faced! This is a very hearty sandwich. If you’re looking to cut down on the amount of bread used, serve this like molletes, which are open-faced Mexican sandwiches.
What to Serve with Torta de Milanesa
This torta de milanesa is very filling and great on its own as it already has a generous helping of refried beans and queso fresco, but it’s also great with:
- Sides like Mexican potatoes, esquites, roasted Mexican zucchini.
- Refreshing drinks like horchata, agua de pepino, or ranch water.
- Desserts like Mexican brownies, a slice of chocoflan, or creamy flan de queso.
Storing and Reheating
I recommended storing the milanesa and fillings separately in airtight containers. They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat, place the milanesa in the microwave in 30-second increments or in the air fryer for 5 minutes until warmed and crisp. Assemble the torta with reheated milanesa to your liking.
More Mexican Recipes
Torta de Milanesa
Ingredients
For the milanesa de res
- 1 ½-2 pounds top round beef, sliced into 6 thin slices
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 teaspoons onion powder
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoons fine salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup vegetable oil, for frying (canola, corn, or avocado)
For the tortas
- 6 telera bread rolls, halved lengthwise
- 2 avocados sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can refried beans, warmed
- 10-12 ounces queso fresco, sliced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ iceberg lettuce, shredded
- ¾ cup salsa (chile de arbol salsa, salsa verde, or roasted tomato salsa)
Instructions
- Line a large cutting board with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Lay the beef steaks on top in a single layer, and cover them with another piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- Using the flat side of a meat mallet or a heavy skillet like a cast iron, pound each steak to about 1/8-1/4 inch thickness.
- Prepare 3 shallow bowls – the first with the panko breadcrumbs, the second with the flour, and the third with the beaten eggs.
- To the breadcrumbs, add the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix together to combine.
- Heat the frying oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Bread the beef by dredging both sides with flour, then dipping it into the egg mixture, and finally dipping it into the panko crumb mixture. When dipping into the panko mixture, make sure to press down so the crumbs stick to the beef.
- Working in batches of 1 or 2 so as to not overcrowd the pan, carefully add the breaded beef to the hot frying oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. The meat is very thin and will cook quickly.
- Transfer the milanesa to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat this process with the remaining steaks.
- Assemble the tortas by spreading a layer of the refried beans on the bottom half of the bread rolls, followed by slices of avocado, queso fresco, and tomatoes. Add the fried milanesa de res, then top with shredded lettuce and a drizzle of salsa. Gently press the top half of the bread roll over the torta and repeat until they have all been assembled. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Meat: This cut of beef is best for tortas de milanesa since they are already very thin. They cook very quickly, which is also a plus. Many Mexican grocery stores sell the meat already pounded thinly which saves you the step of having to do it yourself. It’s sometimes labeled as “milanesa” in these cases.
- Bread: If you can’t find telera bread rolls, bolillo bread or soft French bread rolls are great substitutes. You can also make this torta using chicken with my milanesa de pollo recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
I made it and was so surprised by how pickled onion tasted on there. It was amazing and fast to make!
My husband is obsessed with this recipe! So good.