This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
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.
In our journey to make more and more from scratch, it was only a matter of time until we started experimenting with homemade flour tortillas. And after many years and countless batches, I can still say with confidence that it’s worth every roll and spatula flip.
To be honest, the process is kind of the fun part. Almost as much fun as getting to eat 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, 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 will meet and exceed all your tastebuds’ expectations.
Why You’ll Love Making Your Own Flour Tortillas
- You’ll never enjoy a tortilla more pliable and tender than hot off your own skillet
- The process is fun, un-fussy, and has simple options to get kids involved
- It’s nice knowing exactly what’s in your food
- Worth it for the pride factor alone—you made your own tortillas!
What Others Say:
“These are SOOOOOOO GOOD, I have never made tortillas before but I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND these to anyone.” -Diane
“I never knew making homemade tortillas was so easy! So incredibly simple and delicious!” -Angela
Ingredient Notes
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, an electric hand mixer, or just 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 yields 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. I have yet to hear a single complaint 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 about 15 minutes. Roll each one out thin, and you’re ready to cook!
No Tortilla Press?
Traditionally, one does not use a tortilla press to make flour tortillas, though it’s an ideal tool for corn tortillas. This is because flour tortillas naturally contain gluten, a protein that gives structure and resists being stretched. These balls of dough tend to spring back when smashed in a press; rolling with a pin lets the dough stretch much more gently into a thin yet pliable round that will puff up in a hot skillet with lots of gorgeous, tender air pockets.
Cooking tortillas will take truly just 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.
When we first began making these, I recruited my husband as the designated tortilla flipper, a job he found pleasingly zen. Plus, the flipper gets first dibs on sampling!
Years later, our son is perfectly capable of flipping, as well, and our daughter is getting handy with a rolling pin, so it’s a true family affair. And we all know food is more exciting and tasty to the kid who helps make it!
With a fresh, tender tortilla that manages to be pliable and sturdy all at once, you can’t possibly 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 you ought to be pretty darn proud for making tortillas from scratch!
More Easy Mexican Favorites
- Sheet Pan Shrimp or Chicken Fajitas
- Skinny Agave Margaritas
- Easy Black Bean Tacos
- Baja Chicken Tacos
- Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Jalapeno Lime Fish Tacos
Easy Flour Tortillas From Scratch
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil, shortening, or lard
- 1 cup hot water, roughly 110°F
Instructions
Electric Mixer Instructions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix briefly to combine.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 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.1/3 cup vegetable oil, shortening, or lard, 1 cup hot water
Mix by Hand Alternative:
- 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.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, shortening, or lard
- Pour in warm water and stir to combine. Knead briefly with well-floured hands until the mixture comes together into a craggy dough.1 cup hot water
Either way, to proceed:
- Whether you used an electric 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. 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, dry 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 30-45 seconds.
- Remove from the pan and proceed with the next tortilla. 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. Enjoy!
Notes
- Why No Tortilla Press?: Traditionally, one does not use a tortilla press to make flour tortillas, though it’s an ideal tool for corn tortillas. This is because flour tortillas naturally contain gluten, a protein that gives structure and resists being stretched. These balls of dough tend to spring back when smashed in a press; rolling with a pin lets the dough stretch much more gently into a thin yet pliable round that will puff up more beautifully in a skillet with lots of gorgeous air pockets.
- Why The Rest?: Letting the dough balls rest on the counter for even 15 minutes after portioning them out allows the developed gluten to relax a bit—literally. This in turn yields a noticeably softer, more supple dough that has less of a tendency to snap back when rolled. Your goal is a dough that you can gently press out into a thin tortilla shape without having to press so hard down on it that you press out all the air bubbles and puffiness.
- Don’t Overcook! Keep close tabs as the tortillas cook, because if they stay on too long, especially after flipping to the second side, they’ll become crispy around the edges once they come off the skillet.
- Short-Term Storage: Tortillas can be stored for 2-3 days in the fridge in a plastic zip-top bag; before using, wrap in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 15-30 seconds.
- Longer-Term Storage: Tortillas can also be frozen for 2-3 months; to freeze, separate them with sheets of parchment or waxed paper and store in a zip-top freezer bag.
- Recipe: Adapted from Cooks.com via A Dash of Sanity and The Cafe Sucre Farine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on July 11, 2017, making it one of the earliest posts on this site! I’m proud to say we still use this exact recipe in our family, and have updated the post over time with additional tips, tricks, and background on the “why” behind certain steps.
Has an absolute perfect taste. Just the right amount of salt to get a hint in every bite. The recipe really brings out a very strong authentic natural taste finding the temperature range was a little fight at the beginning but I didn’t waste more than 2 finding it. Once I found it. Lord they were delicious. Whole family fought for the plate of them. Thank you for sharing such an amazing Item to whip up.
I used gluten free all-purpose flour, same amount of everything and the tortillas kept falling apart! If using gluten free flour, what should I do differently?
I think that without gluten in the flour, you would need something else to bind everything together! I can’t say from personal experience, but I did a quick search and this recipe appears to get good reviews – possibly worth a try! https://glutenfreebaking.com/how-to-make-gluten-free-flour-tortillas/
I make tortillas often simple I learned to watch my Mom with the mixer, it makes it much faster, simple ingredients and the rewards are great. Nice Job they look good and I am sure the taste is the best.
Chef Ernie
My question is how do I use this recipe to make 13 inch chipotle sized tortillas? I have a kitchen aid mixer and an electric stove what temperature do I cook the tortillas at please respond I have tried other tortillas they did not work some to complicated thank you in advance
Hi Davey, you can roll the tortillas out larger if you like, all the way to 13 inches, you just will get fewer per batch, and they might take more care to transfer and flip in the pan. You should be able to cook them on medium-high heat – just experiment with your stove a bit to find the best setting. It’s perfect when the tortilla starts to bubble and get brown marks on each side after just around 1 minute. Good luck, hope these work for you!
Great recipe! I followed exactly (using shortening) and it was super easy and quick. After “discarding” (read: consuming) the first tester tortilla, which was a bit flat and overdone because my pan wasn’t hot enough, the rest puffed up perfectly in the cast iron skillet.
I’m now currently fighting the urge to eat the whole stack in one sitting…
Followed stand mixer directions. Used these to make Tacos de Papa. I found it best to not fry them too much when using for tacos. I kept the dough moist by covering with a wet towel, and kept my tortillas soft by using same wet towel and in a warming oven. They were so yummy! I used a non-stick pan with some oil spray so they were pretty healthy, too. Thanks! This recipe is super easy, and delicious. And it actually made 16 of them!
I definitely have to try these! I make the homemade taco seasoning when we make tacos, but never tried making homemade tortillas before. Looking forward to trying these the next time I make tacos – or maybe even breakfast burritos 🙂
Good recipe but I used shortening.
I doubled the recipe and mix all my dry ingredients together then cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter and store in a ziplock bag so I can make a few tortillas at a time when I need them. Use 1/3 cup tortilla mix per tortilla, add hot water and prepare as directed.
Can the vegetable oil be replaced with olive or coconut oil, or even a mix of the two? I currently have no vegetable oil, shortening or lard…
I’m not positive but suspect those would work! I’d personally try coconut oil first. If you give it a spin please come back and let us know how it turns out – I’d love to try, too!
BEST FLOUR TORTILLAS EVER.
I used cold salted butter, cut in squares and used the DOUGH setting on bread machine for about a half hour, till all the flour was taken up and the ball was smooth (scraped down once or twice)
Loosely mixed dry ingredients in separate bowl first, put in bread machine, and then just dumped in butter and hot water on dough setting for about a half hour.
Otherwise, followed ingredients and instructions almost exactly. Super easy. Amazing. Only made 10, not 16. Probably not 6 inches consistently.
Would these work at all without oil/shortening/lard? I don’t eat oil/butter but really need a good tortilla recipe
Hi Tara! I suspect you probably need some kind of fat to get the softness and traditional tortilla texture here, but if you avoid that entirely you might be able to find a delicious flatbread recipe or similar that would work as an alternative.