Easy Flour Tortillas From Scratch
Elevate your next Mexican meal with these incredible flour tortillas from scratch. The perfect vehicle for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more, these tortillas manage to be soft, pliable, and sturdy all at once. Plus they’re amazingly easy to make – five ingredients and mixed either in the stand mixer or by hand.
After falling hard for homemade corn tortillas, it was only a matter of time until we went all the way and started experimenting with homemade flour tortillas, as well. And, well, what can I say? It’s worth every roll and spatula flip.
To be honest, the process is kind of the fun part. Other than, you know, eating them all!
It will surprise no one to learn that there are quite a few flour tortilla recipes floating around out there. I make no claim that this particular interpretation is “pure” or “authentic.” As an American of Slovak-German descent living in Belgium, I might actually be the last person you’d want to consult for advice on truly authentic Mexican cuisine. 😉
I can, however, tell you without a doubt when something is delicious, and believe me when I say that these tortillas meet and exceed all your tastebuds’ expectations.
How To Make Flour Tortillas From Scratch
One of this recipe’s many advantages is that it can be mixed quite easily with a stand mixer, a hand mixer, or by hand. Whichever approach you choose, the basic process is the same: combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in some vegetable oil, mix in warm water, and knead it into a soft, supple dough ball.
Then, just pluck off a portion for each tortilla. The recipe should yield about 16 taco-sized shells. You can certainly measure these to be precise, but I find it a lot easier to just divide the ball in half, then divide those halves again, and so forth until you have 16 portions. No one in my family has ever complained about slightly uneven tortilla mass. :)Stretch and roll each portion into a smooth ball, flatten each slightly with your palm, and let the discs rest for a few minutes. Then you’ll just roll each one out thin, and – boom – tortillas!
Well, you do have to cook them first. That takes 1-2 minutes each in a hot cast-iron or non-stick pan. As explained more in the recipe notes below, you’ll know they’re cooking properly when you get small bubbles on the top side and light brown spots on the bottom.
I have the extreme good fortune to have recruited my husband to be the designated family tortilla flipper. He finds it pretty zen. Plus, the flipper gets first dibs on sampling, so it’s not a bad job to claim.It goes without saying that these add an extra-special touch to any meal with which you would normally serve tortillas! Some of our favorites include:
- Sheet pan chipotle lime shrimp fajitas
- Jalapeño lime fish tacos
- Skinny Baja chicken tacos
- Black bean tacos with pico de gallo
For more inspiration, don’t miss this round-up of more than 35 amazing taco recipes – there is definitely something for everyone here! And of course, don’t forget your skinny margaritas. 🙂
With a soft tortilla that manages to be pliable and sturdy all at once, you’re not really going to go wrong. If you dispense with the fillings and just eat them straight off the hot skillet, well, you won’t get any judgment from me.
Go ahead and give this recipe a try – I’m willing to bet you’ll love the results, and be pretty darn proud of yourself for making tortillas from scratch! Enjoy! ♥
If you’ve tried these tortillas or any other recipe on the blog, please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
Easy Flour Tortillas From Scratch
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil, shortening, or lard
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
Stand Mixer Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix briefly to combine.
- With the mixer running at medium speed, add oil and water. Mix for 1-2 minutes, stopping at least once to scrape the sides of the bowl. After the dough begins to come together into a ball, reduce mixer speed to low and continue mixing for 1-2 minutes, until dough is smooth.
Mix by Hand Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk briefly to combine, then add vegetable oil. Stir until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in warm water and stir to combine. Knead briefly with well-floured hands until the mixture comes together into a craggy dough.
Either way, to proceed..
- Whether you used a stand mixer or your hands, transfer dough at this point from the mixing bowl to a well-floured work surface. Divide into 16 roughly equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour.
- When ready to cook, warm a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- Keeping the work surface and rolling pin lightly floured, roll each dough ball into a circle about 6” in diameter. (Try not to stack the rolled tortillas on top of one another - this makes it more difficult to transfer them to the pan. If you need additional staging area, a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper works well.)
- Transfer tortillas one at a time into the hot skillet. Cook for about 1 minute, until small bubbles form on the top and brown spots form on the bottom surface. (If it takes much longer than a minute to see golden brown spots on the underside, increase the heat slightly. If instead the tortilla browns too much or too quickly, reduce the heat.) Flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.
- Remove from the pan and stack cooked tortillas loosely wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. (This will keep them soft, pliable, and warm.)
- Serve immediately or allow to cool for later use. Tortillas can be stored for 2-3 days in the fridge in a plastic zip-top bag; before using, wrap tortillas in slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 15-30 seconds. Tortillas can also be frozen for 2-3 months; to freeze, separate tortillas with sheets of parchment or waxed paper and store in a zip-top freezer bag.
I just ate two tortillas with chicken strips and light sour cream and they were delicious! I also learned that if they are a little crispy, they can be heated in the microwave and soften perfectly. Thanks again.
Hi Sally, so happy to hear these came out for you after all – and that’s a great tip about the microwave in case some do get a little crisp! Thanks so much for sharing this!
I’ve made some tortillas and they look great. Was just wondering if they were supposed to be a little on the stiff side. They might break if I bend them. Is that normal?
I got it Monica! Adjusted ting and temperature. Now I just need to eat these beautiful tortillas. Thank you
I just joined and was wondering if I could use olive oil when preparing the tortillas.
Hi Sally! Yes, olive oil should work in the dough – but cook them in a dry pan!
Thank you Monica!
These are yummy and easy as pie to make. You can 1/2 the recipe easily
First time I have ever made flour tortillas
Super easy to make
And yummy
Everyone loved the fajitas! Thank you so much for tje recipe. It’s easy and great!
Tried a lot of tortilla recipes and this is by far the best and my favorite! So easy to make. I don’t have to eyeball and estimate the flour to add so that’s a big plus for me. I was scared at first cause it seemed like it wasn’t gonna come together but it did. I love it so much! Thank you!
Second time making these , so easy and delicious.
This was good. I had tortilla wraps in the fridge but wanted to try this anyways. Made enchiladas breakfast casserole with them. Took me a couple of different pans to get them to cook the way I liked them. Will make again.
I’ve tried so many tortilla recipes and they never turn out. This worked for me and I love how I can use a stand mixer. It saves so much time and they taste so good! My family loves them ❤️
Amazing!! made these with coconut oil and made them small like street taco corn tortillas. They taste sooooo good!! They did not even stick to the pan.
That’s terrific! That sounds like a great dinner night at your house!
These were so good and easy to make. Me and dough don’t have the best relationship so I was thrilled when this worked out. I used the stand mixer method and it took a bit longer to get the dough to the right consistency but it was still quick and easy. Will definitely be making these again. They had a bit of a naan taste which I loved. Served them with damn delicious’ recipe for Mexican street tacos and they were a hit. Taste amazing on their own though. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s so wonderful, Maya, so happy they worked well for you! Thanks for the review!
My whole family loved these and were really easy to make.
Now my problem is keeping up with demand.👍
I totally relate to that, haha! So glad they were enjoyed, and thank you for leaving this review!
I hardly ever rate recipes, but I had to rate this one! In the middle of a pandemic, I’ve been hard pressed to find flour tortillas, but I always have flour on hand. I remembered I pinned this recipes ages ago and decided to give it a try for some enchiladas I’m making. The recipe was SO easy (I used my KitchenAid) came together quickly and now they’re cooling, but I stole one from the pile and melted some cheese on top. Theses are SOOOO good. Way better than store bought. I’ll make my own from now on using this recipe. Thanks!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Brittany! So glad you enjoyed these, and thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
What type of flour do you recommend? I tried making today with King Arthur unbleached flour. Trying to figure out what I did wrong, so I can try the recipe again.
Hi Cindy, sorry these didn’t work out for you – can you tell me more about what went wrong so we can troubleshoot? I’ve made them with many different brands of all-purpose flour, including KAF.
Delicious and easy. My husband gobbled them up.
By far the best recipe for tortillas
Can I prepare the dough in the morning and let them proof all day!
Hi Ciera, yes, you can do that! A friend of mine does that all the time. Just leave it covered on the counter and it should be alright.
Thank you for explaining trouble shooting ! This was my first time making tortillas and they came out beautifully because of your wonderful instructions! This came about because I have a rare and terrible lung disease and my husband only goes to the store every couple weeks and I failed to notice we only had one tortilla in the house. I picked your recipe from everyone else’s because you told of simple things that can go wrong and how to prevent them. Thank you!
Beautiful
Wow!! Such an easy recipe!! Thank you for sharing! I am super proud of myself! I will never buy them again! Plus hubby loooves the flipping part YaY!
That’s our division of labor, as well – it works out beautifully! So glad you enjoyed them!
Hello, this may be a really dumb question, but right now I don’t have shortening, lard, or veggie oil, but I have butter. Any possibility I could try these with butter?
Butter should work!
Hello, I like your take on this tortilla. It’s pretty authentic, I am Mexican and learned how to cook at my mothers side. One pointer I can make is use less baking powder (for a batch that would make 12-15 tortillas I would only put maybe half a tea spoon) same goes for the oil ( any oil might do but do not put too much ) for a batch of 12-15 I would put in maybe a tablespoon . There is something that happens when these two ingredients are added too much that makes them hard for some reason. Also there is the 3 flip rule to have them rise / fluff ( kinda like pita bread ) that needs to be followed. Fist your griddle or skillet needs to be preheated for a while before you start ( Med-Hi) . The first turn is going to be quick; when you put it on and small bubbles start to form “Flip”. Then be more patient with the other side as that one needs to cook fully ( be patient let it get some color ) . Now for the fun part “flip” one last time and let it finish cooking ( if you are doing this right it will start to form steam pockets that allow it to “ rise”. To encourage more of the “rising” you can use something heavy to press it down for a couple of seconds then repeat in different areas of the tortilla (I sometimes use a coffee cup) . Whatever you do do not use your hand to hold it down , if it erupts the steam will hurt!
Thank you for these suggestions, always great to know different tips and techniques!
These are delicious and so easy to make! I won’t be buying store bought again.
Would whole wheat flour work instead of all purpose?
Using entirely whole wheat would probably yield a different texture, but I’ve swapped in half and half with great results!
Hey there I tried this tortilla wrap today it was very hard it was like a crisp I dont know what I did wrong,or is it because I putted oil on my hot pan to make a tortilla or what I jst don’t were did I go wrong
Hi there, sorry these were crisp for you! Yes, it could be because of adding oil to the pan – they should be cooked on a hot, dry skillet for best results!