Easy Flour Tortillas From Scratch
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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 Estimate
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.
The recipe was great and yes u should rub the pan with some type of oil
So glad you liked them!
Anyone have any luck making bigger tortillas out of this recipe? Needing to make burritos with it
Once you add BAKING POWDER they are no longer AUTHENTIC Flour Tortillas Baking Powder was not discovered until 1843 by an Englishman in ENGLAND. I use a Flour tortilla recipe brought here in 1760 by my Mexican ancestors from the Sonoran State of Mexico which is flour,lard,water and maybe a shot of salt.Lard is authentic vegetable oil is not.
Raleigh Munoz 90 years young
Totally agree – did you read the post? I’m glad we are on the same page and that you are living so happily into your 90th year while continuing to spread knowledge and joy. Best wishes and many authentic tortillas to you.
I made a batch this morning and they are outstanding! Thank you for sharing
Do you use all the water at once or as much as needed to make a good dough?
I usually add it all at once – but feel free to reserve some and add the last bits by feel. The dough should be very pliable and easy to work with. Enjoy!
Mine turned out dry. The bubbles I got were large and puffy.
Did I cook on to high heat or to long ?
If the bubbles appeared quickly and were large right away, the heat was probably a little too high!
This is probably a really dumb question, but is there supposed to be oil in the hot skillet or is it just a hot skillet that the tortillas cook in?
Not a dumb question at all – the skillet should be dry! I will update the recipe to clarify that.
Hi. What is the temperature of the hot water? Google indicates 180-200 degrees F. Thank you.
Yes anywhere in that range will work well!
Thank you!
Best tortillas ever!! I make these several times a week! Super easy to make!
These tortillas are absolutely perfect! I used butter in place of lard bc that’s what I had and they were wonderful! If your tortillas are hard like a few comments I read then your probably just cooking them too long. Making sure your pan is at a good temp is really important for these.. I had to cook a few to get them right.
Can wheat flour be substituted for white and still be pliable?
I have only tested this with substituting about half of the flour with whole wheat, and while it did work, personally I did think they were a little more stiff. So I wouldn’t necessarily go further than that!
sensational worked magnificently
I have tried a few times to make homemade tortillas and I have not been able to master them until now! Just tried your recipe and they came out amazing! I feel like a pro now lol.
As someone who makes these pretty often, make sure your flour is not old. I had some bad results with some flour that was in the back of the pantry, turned out badly. Really good results with fresh flour and not packing the measuring cup with flour.
These were very yummy! Can the dough be refrigerated if I don’t have time to roll out all the tortillas?
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I’m so glad you like them! Yes, I have done that for up to 24 hours before and had success!
Just giving my opinion you cannot call an authentic Mexican recipe authentic when you are using a mixer to make your tortillas. Tortillas de harina are made by kneading them with your manos.
Hi Luz – I totally agree, actually – did you miss the part of the post where I specifically explain that I don’t claim these are authentic? Just tasty and accessible.
Question, if using shortening, do you melt it?
These didn’t turn out right at all. Dry, tasteless and crumbly. I followed the instructions a T. I’ve made homemade tortillas once before and they came out right. Something seems off in this recipe. Anyone else have the same issue?
Sorry these didn’t work for you, Shalon. Most people seem to have luck with this recipe, but the texture can definitely depend on how you measure your flour and how long you mix, etc.
These were so good and so easy! I won’t be buying store bought tortillas now!
I like the overall taste of these but I must be doing something wrong. My tortillas turn out dry and aren’t very pliable. I likely just need practice.
I keep them covered before I roll them. Maybe they’re cooking too quickly or not quickly enough?
Mine turned out just like yours. Tasty but not pliable and dry.
Similar issue, they taste great but are anything but round.
I’m glad you enjoyed the taste! The shape really just depends on smoothly you form the balls and roll them out.
Love them. Have made them several times in the last month since I found the recipe, and am making them again as we speak. I followed the recipe exactly.
It needed a little more salt but I made 1/2 a recipe. Could have been that.
Lovely and easy to make.
100% my go to recipe. So soft every time
I have tried a lot of recipes and this is the best one by far! Super easy to make and everyone loves them.
Does it work if you split the recipe for 8 portions.?
Yes!
Just made these. I bake a lot and have been intimidated to make flour tortillas but I have no idea why. They are beyond amazing and so darn easy. Thank you!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed these! That makes my day!