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These really are the best ever homemade flour tortillas, no one can believe how easy and delicious they are! They're perfect for enchiladas, soft tacos, burritos, quesadillas, wraps... Check out the over 500 5-star reviews!
This recipe has been a long time in coming, years actually. I've been trying out recipes for homemade flour tortillas for what seems like forever - but I've never been thrilled with any of them. Definitely not thrilled enough to blog them - too dry, too sticky, too crisp, too bland, too soggy, too complicated. This time, with these flour tortillas, it's different. They totally live up to their name - Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas!
I LOVE the results, and I think you will too. These homemade flour tortillas are tender, soft and flavorful. Because they keep well, they can be made in advance and warmed in the microwave or on the stovetop, just before serving.
How to make flour tortillas from scratch - easier than you think!
They're also EASY, super easy! If you have a mixer with a dough hook, you can have the dough made in less than five minutes. You can also easily mix it together without a mixer (using a wooden spoon, sturdy spatula or Danish whisk), which is the way I usually make them. But whether you use a mixer or not, it's super important to give the dough a little rest after mixing and dividing the dough. This helps relax the glutens, in order to make rolling the tortillas much easier.
Just portion the dough, give it a rest, then roll each piece nice and thin and give them a stint (one-two minutes!) in a medium-hot, dry pan. Voila! Once you take the first taste, you'll NEVER want pre-packaged tortillas again
Ways to use these Homemade Flour Tortillas...
- These flour tortillas will make any South-of-the-Border meal extraordinary. Burritos, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas ... it all tastes better!
- But this is the REALLY cool thing; they also make fabulous, super thin crust pizzas. Just brush them lightly with olive oil and top with your favorite pizza ingredients. I love pesto, a bit of fresh mozzarella, smokey bacon bits and a sprinkle of pine nuts and/or fresh herbs. Pop them in a piping hot (450˚F) oven for 4-5 minutes or until crispy golden brown.
Imagine coming home after a busy day and having a stash of these tortillas (aka pizza crusts) in the freezer. Throw together a fresh salad and an individual pizza for each family member and they'll be "WOWING" you all evening long!
- I've used these homemade flour tortillas for wonderful sandwich wraps.
- It's fun to spread them with a bit of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar for a quick sweet treat.
- They make fabulous, shatteringly crisp chips too. Just brush one with a teaspoon of olive oil on both sides, then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Bake for 5 minutes at 450˚F. and you won't even believe how delicious they are on their own or broken into irregular pieces and used to dip hummus, salsa etc.
Can you tell I'm excited about these guys? You will be too and I have a feeling, once you try them, you won't want to be without a cache of these tortillas in your freezer. They're almost too good to be true! Almost.
You can either make these tortillas with a stand mixer or by hand. I find it's just as easy to put them together without a mixer. You'll find directions for both ways in the recipe below but we've created a video to show you how easy they are to make by hand:
Café Tips for making these Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Roll the tortillas fairly thin. You want them about 6-inches in diameter and to look somewhat translucent if you held them up to the light. Thick tortillas won't be tender.
- If you try rolling out these tortillas and the dough keeps shrinking back, let it rest for another 15-30 minutes. The gluten just hasn't had enough time to relax.
- I've also used olive oil and melted butter for this tortilla recipe with good results. I don't recommend coconut or peanut oil as the tortillas will take on the oil's flavor.
- If your tortillas feel stiff after cooking, you've cooked them too long or the heat was too high. Cook them only long enough to get some nice bubbles on the surface and a few light brown spots on the underside. Then flip them for another 15-20 seconds.
- It's also important to allow your tortillas to steam each other. Stack them up directly after cooking and keep them covered with a kitchen towel. This help them steam each other and get nice and soft.
- A tortilla warmer is a nice accessory to have when making tortillas, as you can stack tortillas after cooking to keep them soft. It's also perfect for serving the tortillas at the table. It's not necessary to have one though. Just use a pot with a cover that's slightly bigger than the tortillas. Place each tortilla in the pot after removing from the pan and cover with the lid. The steam from the just cooked tortillas will keep them all soft and pliable - same way a tortilla warmer works!
- Readers have asked if it's worth it to have a tortilla press. I honestly don't think it's necessary for these flour tortillas, as they're easy to roll out.
- Wipe out the pan in between tortillas with a damp paper towel if flour is starting to accumulate.
- These tortillas keep well in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. They will feel stiff though when they're cold. When you want to use one or two, just place them in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 10-20 seconds. They'll be nice and soft again.
Make them! I think you'll love them too!
Another wonderful South of the Border recipe
Do enjoy South-of-the-Border cuisine? If so, be sure to check out our Mexican Chopped Salad. It's another super popular recipe on The Café. It's fantastic with just about any Mexican or Tex-Mex entree. Pair it with these Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas for a meal that's sure to bring rave reviews!
If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear other's results and ideas for variations.
These Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas are so simple and unbelievably delicious!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil or other fairly neutral flavored oil
- 1 cup warm water
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Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-size bowl. Using a sturdy silicone spatuala or a sturdy wooden spoon, mix dry ingredients until well combined.
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Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil and water. Stir well from the bottom up, until all dry ingredients are incorporated and the dough begins to come together and form a shaggy ball.
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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1-2 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth. Proceed with step number 3 below for the remainder of the recipe.
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Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix dry ingredients until well combined.
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Add oil and water with mixer running at a medium speed. After about 1 minute, or when mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease mixing speed to low. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until dough is smooth.
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Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 16 equal portions. Turn each piece to coat with flour. Form each piece into a ball and flatten 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 (or as much as 2 hours) before proceeding.
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After the rest period, heat a large pan over medium heat. Roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, keep work surface and rolling pin lightly floured. Don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will stick together. (I like to separate my tortillas with parchement paper.)
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When the pan is hot, place one dough circle into the pan and allow to cook 45 seconds to 1 minute or until the bottom surface has a few pale brown spots and the uncooked surface is bubbly. If browning too fast, reduce the heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on the underside of tortillas, increase the heat a bit. Flip to other side and cook for 15-20 seconds. The tortillas should be nice and soft but have a few small brown spots on the surface.
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Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag to keep the tortillas soft.
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Serve warm or allow to cool for later use. When ready to use, place a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a microwave-safe container (with a cover) that will hold the stacked tortillas. Microwave uncovered for 15-30 seconds (start with 15) or until warm, then keep covered to hold heat while serving.
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Store in an airtight container or zippered bag at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate for up to 1 week. To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or waxed paper and place in a zippered bag before placing in the freezer.
See Café Tips above in post for additional instruction and tips.
Recipe adapted from Genius Kitchen
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Jacqueline Hitchcock says
Greetings from Gibraltar -these are definitely the best tortillas I have ever made. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Jacqueline! I'm so glad!
Lynn says
This recipe is definitely a keeper! Never thought of making my own tortilla before. It came out soft even after keeping it in the fridge for 2 days. Halved the recipe and it came out perfect. My only issue is that I can’t seem to roll it out into a circle. I have square tortillas 😅
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your review, Lynn! REgarding the rolling, you'll get better and better. If you start out with a ball of dough and flatten it, then keep rolling from the center out, rotating the dough as you go, you'll end up with more of a circle. Also, when you're all done you can pick up the piece of dough and pull out the edges a bit if they are more squarish. Keep working at it though, you'll start getting better and better!
Tonice Brewer-Moss says
Thank you for sharing the recipe for "Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas." I made the flour tortillas last night and they were a success. I placed the extras in a ziplock bag . Still soft and able to fold up my egg mixture into a wrap this morning. My husband said there is no longer a need to buy wraps from the grocery store.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it!
Lee says
These look great. I will be trying them tonight. They look like you could experiment with adding a bit of flavours. Like some rosemary or basil for making wraps or using them for pizza crust. Thanks for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Lee! Enjoy!
Linda D. Phillips says
Can these tortillas be made gluten free? I have a daughter with gluten intolerance, but she loves tortillas and we haven’t been able to find any frozen gluten free tortillas that she likes. Could you maybe just replace the all-purpose flour with gluten free flour, if it has xanthan gum already in it?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Linda, I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free flour so I can't say for sure. If you look through the comments people have tried other flours and had success.
Shivani says
Tried this recipe for wraps and it turned out great! Will definitely be making it again.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Shivani!
Jericha Barton says
Liked it, but needed more flour, but other than that loved it, it also works paleo!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jericha, the amount of flour depends on the type of flour you use, the humidity level where you live and how you measure flour. It's best to go with the measurements in the recipe (since so many others have had so much success with it) and then adjust. If the dough seems too dry, add a little extra water. If it's too loose, just use a little more flour when you're kneading the dough. Happy you enjoyed the tortillas!
Marilyn Johnson says
I am on "cheap week" and don't want to pay over $3 for flour tortillas at the grocery store so decided to make my own. Used 1/2 your recipe (as there are only 2 of us. Fun and soooo inexpensive. Goes well with my homemade green chili. Next time I will use 1/2 lard and 1/2 oil and a skosh more salt. Thanks for keeping me mildly amused doing homemade tortillas instead of going out spending money.
Chris Scheuer says
I love that, Marilyn! Thanks for sharing your results!
Paul says
Great recipe that works perfectly each time and tastes delicious. Thanks so much.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for leaving a review, Paul!
Hoosyerpaddy says
The whole "use this dough for pizza" thing turned me off and I almost skipped this recipe.. but it does yield nice fluffy tortillas. I've made lots of tortillas before but referred to this recipe only for the measurements. The only way to make real chewy and tender tortillas is with lard but I didn't have any so, again, looked up this recipe.. these turn out very good and %100 recommend if you want the "soft" mission brand store bought kind. Great for soft tacos.. idk about enchiladas.. if you're doing quesadillas, you'll need a LOT of butter/fat to make it have that chewy "pull" ..Still would never use this, or any recipe without yeast, for pizza, sorry.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Hoosyerpaddy.
Valerie says
This recipe is great! I've made it several times and my family loves them. However, I take issue with the author stating in one part that you can use them for burritos, then gives the instruction to only make the tortillas 6 inches wide? What?!? How, exactly are you supposed to make burritos with 6 inch tortillas?!?!?! That is FAR too small!! Yes, I know I can make them as large or as small as I want, and I certainly have. But it is super annoying to claim you can make burritos with these tortillas them include in the instructions to only make them 6 inches wide. That's ridiculous. Granted, maybe the instruction is given to allow for a batch of 16 tortillas. In which case, it should be edited to either give them instruction to make wider tortillas but a lesser batch. Or, leave the larger batch, but let the reader know the tortillas will have to be smaller. Or, specifically let the reader know they can make the tortillas any size they want, but just be aware it will affect the size of the batch - the larger each individual tortilla, the smaller the batch.
But do not claim you can make burritos with 6 inch tortillas. Just, don't. Maybe you can make burritos with 6 inch tortillas, but they would be appetizer size burritos.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Valerie, sorry for your frustration. You're right, this recipe is for 6-inch tortillas and burritos would call for a larger tortilla but the recipe can easily be adapted to other sizes by simply dividing the dough into a different number of portions. The size is simply a suggestion for an average size tortilla. So happy you've enjoyed the recipe.
Nichole Hernandez says
Chris I do believe Valerie figured that out she seems pretty smart. However, she is suggesting that you modify what the recipe states. Because not all cooks are as capable and intelligent like Valerie is.
Karen says
I understand her outrage!!! It is ridiculous that an adult who can work a computer, search for a recipe and operate a stove burner should be expected to know that they should roll out a bigger tortilla if they want a bigger tortilla!!! You recipe writers have a lot of gumption and nerve to NOT tell us that! I made the recipe no less than 15 times and followed the directions EXACTLY and I could not figure out how to make a burrito AS CLAIMED. Now my local super Walmart is out of flour because I bought and used it all to make your BURRITOS!! I have wasted so much flour. My family has not eaten for 4 meals because I was misled by this recipe! I am now waiting on the next flour shipment so I can make it. It is outrageous that I should have to find the solution in the COMMENTS!! Thank you commenter for your CLEAR instructions. I wonder if we commenters who were all MISLED could start a Facebook group to talk about this BIG PROBLEM! I bet if we all worked together we could find the MANAGER of this site. My nephew fixes my computer, I will have him find the MANAGER!
Chris Scheuer says
Hahaha! You made me laugh SO hard!!!
Get a grip, Valerie says
Oh my god, I have not laughed this hard in such a long time! I was really trying to think of an appropriate reply to Valerie’s very very sad comment, but when I read yours I saw that the perfect response had been made! Nice work Karen!!
Chris, I am making carnitas for 13 people. No where did you tell me how much meat to make? Where are your calculations?? Also, how many vegetarians are not going to want the carnitas??? Can you please be more clear next time??? Plus, I don’t eat flour. I have celiac disease. WHAT DO I DO??? Thanks for nothing. You ruined my mother’s 85th birthday party.
Chris Scheuer says
😂
Lucy says
Valerie you ok hun?
I'm making these now 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Hope you enjoy them, Lucy 😊
Cinthya Carolina Tumlison says
So delicious. I am Honduran but didn't grow up making flour tortillas like the people in the north coast. I learned to make them from you! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for letting us know, Cinthya!
Eric B says
This was my second attempt at making my own tortillas and while I remember they were great I didn't enjoy them as much as the ones from this recipe. I've had family over for dinner this past Sunday and I served these tortillas and everyone wanted more. It beats hands down all the store-bought tortillas and it makes my fajitas a ton much better. I highly recommend this recipe and it's super easy to make.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for your review, Eric!
Melinda says
Great recipe, thanks! How do you reheat the tortillas on the stovetop and keep them soft? I don’t have a microwave.
Chris Scheuer says
I would just heat them in a pan on low heat until they soften, Melinda.
bob says
yeah
Anne says
Great recipe, thanks so much for it, saves us buying the packed tortillas in the shop, and these taste so much nicer!!! Tried out the pizzas as well, great idea! Just one question: How do you defreeze them?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for letting us know, Anne! You can just let them thaw on the counter or on a low power in the microwave for a few seconds.
Ammal says
I would try this tomorrow.
Chris Scheuer says
Enjoy, Ammal!
Nila says
Thank you for the recipe! These truly are the best I've ever made or eaten! I made with 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups all purpose flour and a little extra water. My family of four loved them. I used a tortilla press with a plastic sandwich bag between press and dough as encouraged by the manufacturer of the tortella press. It made the process a little quicker. Thanks again Chris!!! Sincerely, Nila
Chris Scheuer says
That's great to know, Nila! Thanks for sharing your results!
Silvana says
Nila. I was thinking of purchasing a tortilla press. Can you please tell me which one you have and where I can buy it. Many thanks!