Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (2024)

Published: Last updated: by Shelby Law Ruttan · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This homemade flour tortillas recipe is super easy to make with just 3 ingredients! There is nothing better than homemade flour tortillas for to make tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas and more!

Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (1)

This easytortillarecipe is the best tasting homemade flour tortillas I have ever eaten and far better than store-bought. You only need 3 ingredients to make your own flour tortillas and it’s likely you already have the ingredients in your pantry!

Homemade Flour Tortillasare great for making your favorite Mexican food. From enchiladas to tacos and burritos, these easy tortillas will be the only way you will ever want to eat tortillas again.

Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (2)
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
  • 🥘 INGREDIENTS
  • 🔪 INSTRUCTIONS
  • 🙋 Recipe FAQ's
  • 💭 Tips
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🍽 Equipment
  • 🏫 What I've Learned
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Storage
  • Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why I Love This Recipe

✔️ This easy tortilla recipe uses only 3 simple ingredients!

✔️ Traditional flour tortillas are perfect for taco Tuesday to make your favorite soft tacos.

✔️ Fresh homemade flour tortillas made at home are far better than store bought soft tortillas.

Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (3)


🥘 INGREDIENTS

This is one of the easiest recipes to make. I promise, once you have made this homemade flour tortilla recipe, you will never want to buy them in the store.

White whole wheat flour, this brand is the best!

Solid shortening: I use this solid vegetable shortening

Salt

Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (4)

🔪 INSTRUCTIONS

Making the dough

  1. Add the flour and shortening to a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingers until completely incorporated.
  2. Dissolve the salt in the water and pour ⅔ cup of the salt water over top of the flour mixture. Immediately work it in with a fork. The dough will be in large clumps.
  3. Scoop the soft dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth.

Shaping and resting the dough

  1. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set the tortilla dough balls on a plate, cover with sheets of plastic wrap, damp cloth, or damp paper towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (5)

Making the tortillas

  1. After the resting period, heat a cast-iron skillet or a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Shaping by hand: On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough into a 7-inch circle. Flatten a ball of dough with the palm of your hand, sprinkle with a little extra flour, then roll forward and back across it, rotating a sixth of a turn dough and roll forward and back again. Continue until it is a 7-inch circle.
  3. Using a tortilla press: Using two pieces of parchment paper, place one piece of paper on the press, place the dough ball in the center and top with another piece of parchment. Then press. Lift the tortilla press, and flip the tortilla over (still sandwiched between the parchment. Press firmly one more time. Then remove the tortilla and proceed to cook.
Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (6)

To cook the tortillas

  1. Lay the first tortilla on the hot griddle. After 30-45 seconds, when golden brown spots show underneath, flip it over. cook another 30-45 seconds more, until the second side is browned. Do not overcook or the tortilla will become crisp.
  2. Remove and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and stack them on top of each other.

🙋 Recipe FAQ's

Is lard or shortening better for tortillas?

It all comes down to flavor and diet. Lard is animal product so if you are vegetarian, use the vegetable shortening, if you want a different flavor profile, use lard.

How do you reheat a tortilla?

Wrap the tortillas in a towel and place them in the microwave for 30 seconds. For just 1 tortilla, wrap and heat for 10 seconds. These can also be reheated on the grill for a few seconds on each side.

💭 Tips

  • Use a pastry blender or a fork to cut the shortening into the flour until you have pea sized crumbs.
  • Use hot water to aid in dissolving the salt better. Be sure the salt has dissolved into the water before using it.
  • Center the dough ball in a tortilla press to make thin tortillas that are more uniform.
  • Use a piece of parchment paper to separate the warm tortillas while stacking them after cooking and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.

📖 Variations

  • Lard or coconut oil makes a great substitute for the shortening.
  • In a pinch, you can use all purpose flour in place of white whole wheat
Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (7)

🍽 Equipment

Tortilla PressorWooden Rolling Pin

Cast Iron Skilletorlarge cast iron griddle:I highly recommend the cast iron as it heats evenly and holds heat well. You want the tortillas to cook quickly without getting crisp and I feel the cast iron does the best job.

🏫 What I've Learned

  • Making homemade tortillas is not hard. The first time I made these I knew I would never buy tortillas from the store again. These are just as good, if not better than those you would get from a Mexican restaurant!
  • This is an easy tortilla recipe to make with very little effort.
  • The tortilla press is awesome! It takes a little effort to learn how to use it at first, but it makes the most perfectly shaped tortillas.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these easy flour tortillas warm as a side toGrilled Avocado with Cilantro Lime Cream. I also like to use them to make this Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe or Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce.

Serve the soft flour tortillas warm or toasted with your favorite dips. Some of our favorites are Spinach Artichoke Dip, Jalapeno Bacon Cheeseburger Dip and I love to spread Mom's Easy Cheese Ball Recipe on tortillas and make pinwheels.

Storage

Store cooked tortillas in an airtight container or a ziploc bag that has had the air pressed from the bag. Tortillas can be stored up to 3 days on the counter, 1 week in the refrigerator, and 3 months in the freezer.

Fiesta Tortilla Roll Bites

Easy Green Chicken Enchilada Recipe - low carb

Low Carb Spicy Shrimp Tortilla Soup

Grilled Stuffed Burritos

Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Don't forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products!

When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!

If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating

📖 Recipe

Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (9)

Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe

Shelby Law Ruttan

This homemade flour tortillas recipe is super easy to make with just 3 ingredients! There is nothing better than homemade flour tortillas for to make tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas and more!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 minutes mins

Rest Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 52 minutes mins

Course Breads

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 12

Calories 166 kcal

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

Instructions

Making the dough

  • Combine flour and shortening in a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingers until completely incorporated.

  • Dissolve the salt in the water and pour ⅔ cup of the salt water over top of the flour mixture. Immediately work it in with a fork. The dough will be in large clumps.

  • Scoop the soft dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth.Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Set the tortilla dough balls on a plate, cover with sheets of plastic wrap or damp cloth or paper towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

  • After the resting period, heat a cast-iron skillet or a large frying pan over medium-high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough into a 7-inch circle. Flatten a ball of dough with the palm of your hand, sprinkle with a little extra flour, then roll forward and back across it, rotating a sixth of a turn dough and roll forward and back again. Continue until it is a 7-inch circle. Dust tortilla with flour as needed while rolling.

  • If using a tortilla press: Using two pieces of parchment paper, place one piece of paper on the press, place the dough ball in the center and top with another piece of parchment. Then press. Lift the tortilla press, and flip the tortilla over (still sandwiched between the parchment. Press firmly one more time. Then remove the tortilla and proceed to cook.

  • To cook, lay the first tortilla on the hot griddle. After 30-45 seconds, when air bubbles pop up and golden brown spots show underneath, flip it over. cook another 30-45 seconds more, until the second side is browned. Do not overcook or the tortilla will become crisp.

  • Remove and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and stack them on top of each other.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 153mgFiber: 1g

Keyword Flour Tortilla Recipe, Homemade Flour Tortillas, Homemade Tortilla Recipe

Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!

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More Bread Recipes

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About Shelby Law Ruttan

Shelby is the author/owner of Grumpy's Honeybunch. Established in 2007, she shares and preserves family recipes as well as recipes for cooking light and keto. She has authored the One-Pot Paleo Cookbook and The Pescatarian Keto Cookbook. She is an experienced, self-taught home cook who loves to share recipes with others. She also authors the websites Honeybunch Hunts and The Best Vegetarian Recipes. You can see her work on websites such as Veal Made Easy, Parade, Community Table, SoFab Food, Yummly, and FoodGawker.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liz

    Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (18)
    These are amazing!! So much better than the grocery store tortillas I've been buying!!!

    Reply

  2. Jennifer

    Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (19)
    This recipe sounds so easy to make, I’m going to give it a try!

    Reply

  3. Karen

    Can you make these with gluten free flour?

    Reply

    • Martha Darnell

      Sou is delicious and just I was looking far. Can't wait to try it.

      Reply

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Easy Homemade Tortillas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Are flour tortillas better with butter or oil? ›

Although traditionally made with lard, these tortillas are equally delicious using butter, shortening, or vegetable oil as the fat. If you choose to use oil, add it with the water in step 3. The resting period improves the texture of the dough by giving the flour time to absorb the water.

How to make homemade tortillas without a press? ›

Household Items Come in Handy. We found that for shaping the soft dough for corn tortillas, a plastic zipper-lock bag cut down the seam on both sides will give your tortillas a better release than parchment paper will. Pressing the dough flat using a glass pie plate gives you control over the process.

Are homemade flour tortillas worth it? ›

These Easy Homemade Flour Tortillas are so much better than anything from the store. Homemade tortillas are extra soft, doughy, and chewy. I like to add salted butter, for extra deliciousness. Fresh flour tortillas are so easy to make at home and pretty difficult to mess up.

What are handmade tortillas made of? ›

All-purpose flour – Mixing wheat flour with the masa harina makes the tortillas soft and pliable. Olive oil – I use olive oil because it's what I keep on hand, but vegetable oil will work here too. Very warm water – It brings the dough together. Sea salt – It makes the masa harina's bold flavor pop!

Is it cheaper to make your own flour tortillas? ›

Not only are these tortillas quick and easy but, at a cost of about $1.25 a batch, they are budget-friendly as well!

Why are my homemade flour tortillas tough? ›

Adding too much flour to knead or to roll out the tortillas will also create hard and dry tortillas.

Do you really need a tortilla press? ›

You can easily mimic a tortilla press by using a flat-bottomed casserole dish or skillet -- and once you taste the difference between homemade and store-bought you will never go back!

How long do homemade flour tortillas last? ›

Homemade tortillas, which will obviously not be in a tortilla packet, will only last around 2-3 days in the cupboard. However, they last up to a week in the refrigerator and much longer in the freezer, so why not make your own tortillas and store them away for when the burrito craving hits!

Why are my homemade tortillas not flexible? ›

If your tortillas are not soft there can be several reasons: You did not use all purpose flour. You did not use a cast iron pan. Your pan was not hot enough.

Is it cheaper to make tortillas or buy them? ›

It's extremely easy and only takes a few ingredients. Not only do homemade tortillas taste much better than store-bought tortillas, but they are extremely cheap to make using only three ingredients, well four, if you count water!

Do tortillas need baking powder? ›

I tested a few different variations and found that just a little bit of baking powder yielded the best texture albeit a very minor difference compared to the version without baking powder. So, if you don't have baking powder then you can omit it altogether. The tortillas will be just as good!

Why are my homemade tortillas crumbling? ›

Too little water and your tortilla will crumble when pressed.

Do Mexicans make their own tortillas? ›

While habits are split in Mexico between those who make their own flour tortillas and those who buy them, in the US it's more clear cut: Just as most people here go to a grocery store to buy bagels or sourdough, they also rarely, if ever, make fresh flour tortillas from scratch.

What ingredients are classic tortillas made of? ›

Flour tortillas are a staple in Mexican cuisine. In this recipe, we'll show you how to make soft and delicious flour tortillas using a traditional recipe that calls for all-purpose flour, vegetable shortening, hot water, baking powder, and salt.

Can you use cornmeal for tortillas? ›

This tortilla is wafer-thin and pliable, like any standard tortilla. However, it falls off the classic track by including both flour and cornmeal, something a "real" tortilla would never do. We just happen to love the faint sweetness of cornmeal paired with flour's soft texture — so there!

How do you make flour tortillas taste better? ›

10 Tips For Making Store-Bought Tortillas Taste Restaurant...
  1. Char them. ...
  2. Toast them in the oven. ...
  3. Fry them. ...
  4. Add water before warming. ...
  5. Steam them to keep them moist. ...
  6. Heat flour tortillas in butter. ...
  7. If you must use a microwave, wrap tortillas in plastic or a damp towel. ...
  8. Heat in large batches in the oven.
Jul 10, 2023

Which is better for dough oil or butter? ›

Also, because oil is 100% fat, it doesn't react with flour the way butter does (butter contains water). Because of that, your cookies won't be as fluffy. If you're a fan of flat cookies, then using oil is an excellent option. Butter, on the other hand, contains water which helps with leavening the dough.

Why are my flour tortillas not puffing? ›

You need ample moisture that can react with the heat in order for it to ultimately convert to steam and puff. If your masa has too little moisture, the tortilla in development will dry out before it can ever puff. A proper mixing/kneading process is critical to ensuring well-distributed and even moisture.

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