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These really are the best ever homemade flour tortillas, no one can believe how easy and delicious they are! Over 300 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!
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 it. But whether you use a mixer or not, it’s super important to give the dough a little rest after mixing. This helps relax the glutens, in order to make rolling the tortillas much easier.
Then just portion the dough, 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.
Café Tips for making these Homemade Flour Tortillas
- The recipe calls for using a stand mixer, but you can also make them by hand. Just mix up the dough in a medium size bowl with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it’s nice and smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes) and then proceed as directed in step 3 below.
- Roll the tortillas pretty thin. You want them to look almost 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 for this tortilla recipe with good results. If you use coconut or peanut oil the tortillas will take on a bit of 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.
- 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.
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
Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix dry ingredients until well combined.
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.
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.
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.
When the pan is hot, place one dough circle into the pan and allow to cook about 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.
Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag to keep the tortillas soft.
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.
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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Elaine says
https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/cups-grams.php
I checked it out and 3 cups is accurate
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Elaine!
Deborah Caporale says
Hi Chris,
I’m so excited that I found your tortilla recipe! It might seem strange that someone would be excited for tortilla’s but like you, I too have spent many years trying countless recipes and hands down these are even better than the homemade store bought ones! These are SO good I was actually dancing in the kitchen while rolling, heating and yes, eating them! I make pans of smothered burritos for the drivers at FedEx and ran out of tortillas, too late to run to store, decided I’d look for yet another recipe on-line not expecting to find anything different, and there you were! I will NEVER buy store bought again! My FedEx guys are going to love these! Thank you so much!!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I understand about being excited about a recipe, Deborah! I love that you were dancing in the kitchen. My husband says that I hum whenever I’m working in the kitchen.
Those lucky FedEx drivers! I know they love you!
Benny Dibia says
Your recipe is awesome.Please send me more recipes
Mads says
Greeting from Denmark! I really like your recipe, but your metric measurements are a bit off. 3 cups does not equal 375g, it equals around 420g. Just FYI and if other europeans tries to follow this method. Using only 375g of flour gives you a very wet, almost liquid dough 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Mads, I use a recipe plugin that’s supposed to be accurate but sometimes it’s a bit off. I appreciate you taking the time to write!
Barbara says
Have you ever used lard in place of the oil. If you have how much?
Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Barbara, lard would work great. Use equal amounts to the oil.
Fern says
Oh. My. God.
These are amazing!!!! I’ve never tried making them before, googled for a recipe and found this one and I’m glad I did!! Absolutely perfect, my 6 year said they were delicious and I can’t stop eating them!!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I get the part about being hard to stop eating. Thanks for sharing your results, Fern.
Janet says
I have this recipe bookmarked. We try not to have tortillas often but when we do, we don’t want those tasteless store bought ones. And restaurant tortillas are horrible too. Every time I or one of my 3 daughters makes tortillas for our families, we reach for this simple recipe. They turn out delicious every time. Thank you so much!
The Treviños
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Janet, I’m so happy you have enjoyed them. They do tend to spoil you so you don’t want the store-bought tortillas!
Phill says
I’ve had enough of the shop bought fajita wraps as the taste was never right to me, we are trying to avoid artificial ingredients and have been wanting to try this recipe out for weeks now, we’ll I’m glad I did, I can’t say I got it perfect 1st time round as I overcooked some and were brittle in areas but a few were really great, it’s a good learning curve as I’ve never done anything like this before, next time I’ll get better results,
As for the recipe it’s perfect and tastes great, I halved the ingredients as I only needed 8 and used light olive oil.
Thank you for sharing 😃
Chris Scheuer says
You’re welcome Phill! I’m so happy you enjoyed them – and yes, you will get to be an expert at these before you know it!
Kayla says
Very nice recipe – I halved it as I didn’t need 16 and worked really well 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Great! Thanks for sharing, Kayla!
Leanne says
These were yummo and quite easy, but I failed to get them thin enough to roll for enchiladas, so ended up making a ‘tortilla pie’, which might be my new fave!! I don’t have a dough mixer so I used my chopper to initially mix the dough, then kneaded it for a few minutes, rested as suggested, but when I rolled them out, they kept springing back to about 4mm thickness.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Leanne, I think you probably need to let them rest longer.
Grace says
I haven’t tried the recipe, tbh…… But, will soon. I tried to use Maseca…..which is a premade mix and they turned out too thick and hard….
My question is…. Can you make the “masa” and freeze it whole? Then when you want some tortillas….let it thaw? Would you saran wrap the dough then Ziploc it?
Any help is appreciated! I live in the “high desert” of New Mexico. So elevation plays a key in many recipes as we are at almost 6k above sea level.
Thanks Love!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Grace, I haven’t tried freezing the dough whole. I have rolled out the tortillas and frozen them and that works well.
David Hagler says
Living in Thailand tortillas are a rare treat……….no more………they turned out great and my Thai family is delighted too. A big success on the first try !
Chris Scheuer says
YAY! That’s just awesome David! Now you can make all kinds of fun tacos, quesadillas and other delicious Mexican-inspired dishes!
Joyce says
I made these tortillas for dinner, following the directions exactly. I used a tortilla press and put a piece of parchment paper under the ball of dough and over it as well. After I pressed the dough, it stuck to the parchment paper. I was very surprised because I have pressed other tortilla recipes, and this did not happen. I then decided to use my rolling pin for the rest of the dough balls. They all shrank back to a very small thick size. I was speechless. I didn’t have time to make my other tortilla recipe, so I quickly mixed up my crepe recipe. I don’t know what went wrong with this tortilla recipe, and I did let the dough rest. Any ideas why I had this problem?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Joyce, without having been there in the kitchen with you, it’s hard to say where you went wrong. So many others have had such great success with these tortillas.
Dennis says
Hi Joyce, I used this recipe as well and I loved it. Although i had some user errors when i was cooking them. But all and all it worked as planned. My rest time was almost an hour and once I got going they were great. But I am curious if the dough was over worked? I had that issue with a different recipe a while back and couldn’t figure out why.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Dennis!
Daelyn says
amazing! I’ve made them twice now. Second time perfected the thin rolling and cooking method. I use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups regular flour and instead of 16 i make 8 for big tacos 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Daelyn. So happy you enjoyed them!
Apple says
Thank you for sharing:) my family like Pita bread but for me I like tortillas bread because i don’t like smell of Yeast in pita bread 🙁
If i want to make it faster Can i roll all 16 dough and put clean towel between them then cook them. I do rolling dough too slow I’m sure if I roll then dough and cook in same time i will burn the bread :)))))
Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Apple, yes you could definitely roll them all first and then cook!
Tandi says
These are great! second time making them!
Just two questions, if you put them in your fridge do they dry out and get hard?
If you freeze them, how do you defrost and use?
Thanks 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
So happy you enjoyed them, Tandi!
I store them in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator and they don’t dry out. I do warm them a bit before serving.
I freeze the tortillas with a piece of parchment or wax paper in between. That way I can just take out how many I need and let them thaw.
Kari says
They taste great and the kids liked them also! Thank you for this recipe, it was my first time braving homemade tortillas!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks, Kari! I’m so happy you enjoyed them – bravo to you!
Lynne Morrison says
Fantastic!! As a celiac I replaced normal with Gluten Free Flour and added Xanthan Gum. Second time making them was perfect result (overcooked the first time). Corn tortillas are very dry, these are flexible, look and taste the real deal!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Lynne, for sharing your results and GF version! I’m sure this will help other readers.
Marty says
I have tried other flour tortilla recipes, but I had the most luck with these. It took several tortillas to roll them out thin enough. I also handled the dough with a little oil on my hands and the dough didn’t stick to my hands.
When they were cooked, I wrapped them in a slightly damp, clean cheesecloth and placed them in a plastic bag to store in the fridge. They were able to fold or roll next time I took them out. They only lasted one day because they were all eaten.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Marty, thanks so much for sharing your results!
Lin says
Easy and delicious. I’m reducing my plastic consumption and am starting to make tortillas at home as they are only available in plastic bags in my area, most areas likely. I started with corn a couple months ago, already had a press and they were yummy, made with organic masa flour. Found your recipe here and I made a half batch with what I had, saved more than $3 by making them with flour, oil and other ingredients I had on hand. Completely took care of my taco cravings! Thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Lin! So happy you enjoyed them. They definitely will save you money over the store-bought ones and they’re so… much better!
Desire says
easy and tasty. Thank you. A new family favourite.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks!
emmy says
Mine turned out crunchy and cracked super easily, what did I do wrong?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Emmy, you cooked them a bit too long. Also, be sure to steam them with the other tortillas as you make them by keeping the whole stack covered with a towel or piece of parchment paper.
Journey says
very yummy
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Journey! Thank you so much!
❤️ Chris
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks ❤️ Chris
Ann Light says
Great! I just made 8 lbs of carnitas so I skimmed off the pork fat and used in the tortillas. My goodness – total awesomeness. Thank you!
Sarah Howell says
Thankyou so much for this awesome recipe. My boys love wraps but I hate buying them because of all the nasties in them. My chef husband loves them too.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Sarah! I love that your chef husband likes these tortillas! That’s a true compliment.
Kim says
Hi. Love this recipe. Have made them many times times and run out because they’re so good.
Can these be made in advance for a party? If so, how far ahead and how do I store them without them becoming crunchy?
Thanks so much!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kim, thanks so much! I’m so happy you have enjoyed these tortillas. I will sometimes make them a day ahead and just store them in a ziplock bag with parchment or wax paper inbetween.