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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 350 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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Kautsar M. says
Hi! Can I used wheat flour or mix it with all purpose flour? Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
I wouldn’t use 100% WW flour but you can definitely mix some in.
Chris says
I made these on a whim tonight instead of going to the store for tortillas on Thanksgiving Eve. Best quesadillas EVER. My little granddaughter says they are delicious. And they are. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
That’s so awesome, Chris! Thanks for taking the time to leave your review!
Mohammad Bhojani says
I have an electric tortilla maker ? Can I make it in that ?
Chris Scheuer says
HI Mohammad, I’ve never tried making them in a tortilla maker so I can’t say for sure how that will work.
Phil Marchesault says
I cannot wait to try these too. I am impressed that you answer all these comments! Like Justin above, I will be changing the size. I ‘m a big fan of the tiny 4″ tortillas but I always think (rightfully so) that I am getting ripped off when buying them or getting them in a restaurant. So I think the calculation would be: 16/((2^2)/(3^2)). This will give us 36 tacos. My wife says I have to halve the recipe. But I don’t wanna! I like the idea of the bacon grease. But I already left our supply out in the woods for the bears to eat so I’ll try avocado oil too. We already have a press so I will use that. We bought it to make pupusas but they are better off being hand-formed. We found the press easiest to use by putting the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Wish me luck!
Chris Scheuer says
Hope you enjoy them, Phil! Haha, love the part about the bears!
Judy says
Wow!!!wow!!! Most amazing tortilla recipe…excellent
Outstanding..so tender yet has a slight crispness…
Thank you…thank you for sharing, you are awesome.
Blessing to you.
Big hugs!!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome, thanks, Judy!
Sydney says
Amazing my dad told me i need to find a tortilla recipe and I did this is so good love it
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Sydney! We appreciate you taking the time to share your results!
Z Man says
This recipe is pretty spot on, for a standard delicious flour tortilla. Sturdier than say, a restaurant style flour tortilla (Think Chevy’s Fresh Mex chain in US), yet gentle and soft, esp. when kept in a tortilla warmer. I have used this recipe twice this week, a tsp or so or bacon grease as well as vegetable oil. My cast iron pan does a good job cooking, and I feel just like my Grandmother who was born and raised in New Mexico!!! It is nice to have tortillas around, since growing up, My grandmother would have similar style tortillas! I bookmarked this foolproof recipe. The trick is to let the portioned dough balls rest, and it truly allows for a wonderful texture when rolling out the torts!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results!
Alex says
I made this recipe twice and it’s FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for sharing with us this AMAZING AND EASY recipe!!
Living in Brazil, that don’t have a culture of appreciate mexican food, tacos, salsas, etc, my only choice rely on make everything from scratch!! This recipe gonna be part of my cookbook recipes!!!
Thank You very, very, very much!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Greetings all the way to Brazil, Alex! I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed these tortillas! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your review 💕
Josie Posteher says
This recipe is the only one I use, love it
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Josie! 🥰💕🥰
Jade says
I’ve used this recipe several of times and I love it! I definitely appreciate homemade tortillas now!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks, Jade! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!
Lulu Acosta says
I discovered this recipe about 2 weeks ago and perfection!!! I’ve loosely been searching for a recipe but many require lard/shortening, which I don’t use. My daughter said the tortillas reminded her of grandma , so you know they are good!
Chris Scheuer says
That’s wonderful, Lulu! Thanks so much for sharing your review!
Holly says
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe. I made my first batch tonight and while there’s room for improvement in my technique I am impressed. It was surprisingly quick and so easy!
Here in Australia a bag of 8 large tortillas can cost $6+ so we won’t be buying them anymore.
I used generic ingredients and plain old canola oil and the end result was lovely and soft. While they’re heavier than the Mission brand we usually buy, they were still quite light.
The only difficulty I had was in shaping my dough. I haven’t spent much time on a rolling pin – how do you get it perfectly round?
Muchas gracias from Down Under!
Chris Scheuer says
That’s so awesome, Holly! Now you can have tortillas any time you want!
Regarding rolling the dough, it takes a bit of practice to get nice circles. Always roll from the center out. If you try to roll across the whole tortilla, they will get very misshapen.
Gabrielle Tomalak says
Hi. I do not have a microwave. Is there another option for reheating?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Gabrielle, you can wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven at 300˚F for 15-20 minutes.
Gina says
when placing the dough circles in the hot skillet, is there oil in the skillet at all?
Chris Scheuer says
No oil, you don’t need it! Enjoy!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Gina, no oil is needed!
Leanna Lehmann says
No, you don’t. I just used the recipe this evening.
Shobana says
The tortillas came out super soft and were tasty. I rolled then out without flouring the surface. The oil in the dough helped not stick. I rolled it super thin or stretched it thin rather. Then cut into circular shaped (cheated with the shape by using a circular stainless steel lid that I use to cover a box 😉 ). Used a cast iron pan on low-medium heat. No oil used in the pan. Followed your steps that’s similar to the steps like making rotis. Once I saw bubbles, I flipped it and just let the other side cook. Stored in tortilla warmer until ready to eat. Trick is to not leave it in the pan for too long. It came out very very well and this recipe is a keeper!! Thank you so much.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Shobana, for this helpful review!
Avril says
Hi
I have made the floured tortillas today worthwhile the effort the only problem they taste very floury.
I don’t know if I have not cooked them long enough or it’s too much flour when rolling out
Any ideas please
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Avril, it may have been a little too much flour when rolling them out. Also, be sure to wipe any excess flour out of your pan in between tortillas.
Jenni says
This is absolutely a fabulous tortilla recipe. I will NEVER buy nasty store bought again. I roll my tortillas really thin because they shrink up. I also bought a tortilla warmer which is awesome. When the tortilla is done cooking, I put them in there. My family goes nuts for them.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Jenni! I agree, these tortillas do definitely spoil you!
Anna Krall says
I made these with bacon grease ’cause it’s all I had and they were beyond amazing. Served up some carnitas and pico de gallo for the best meal I’ve had in ages. It was very easy to do, as a first time tortilla creator. Thank-you!
Chris Scheuer says
Bravo! Yum, sounds like a wonderful dinner!
Alexandra says
Easy recipe that made a rainy afternoon more fun and jazzed up some meat leftovers into tasty fajitas for dinner! I am about to put the remaining tortillas into the freezer and love the fact that it will be easy to manage portions and waste this way.
Love all your recipes and they always turn out great!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Alexandra! Sounds like a great rainy day project!
Sue says
Mine came out pretty darn good. Maybe the first two were failures. But once you got going it was a snap! Using these with spicy shrimp tacos tonight
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like a great dinner, Sue! Thanks for sharing your results!
Justin Smith says
I want to try this recipe, however a diameter of 6 inches is quite small for burritos. I tried to work out some math on this, it looks like if you want 10-inch burrito tortillas, the number of pieces would be: 16 / ( (5^2) / (3^2)) = a little less than 6. I’m not really inclined to go less than 10 inches for burritos, so I’m probably going to try splitting the dough into 5 pieces and having each of them slightly larger than 10 inches. Also, important before trying this to verify that the frying pan is large enough. Mine is 14 inches on the flat bottom, so I should be good.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Justin, I think you’ve got it all figured out! Let us know how they turn out for you!
Justin Smith says
Sadly, this did not work out at all. Through no fault of your recipe. The scraps I was able to recover from the disaster certainly looked and smelled like flour tortilla. The problem I encountered is that I found it virtually impossible to drop the dough circle into the frying pan without having it land all folded over and wrinkled, and there’s no time to recover it once it lands that way, it’s already started to turn solid within a second of hitting the hot frying pan. I went through all the dough circles and had not a single one land in the pan successfully. I know that I made it more difficult with 10-inch circles, but 10-inches is pretty much the standard for burritos. I have no idea how they make these (beyond the recipe, which again I think was fine). Maybe I’ll check out a youtube video to see how they get them in the pan without folding. For tonight, looks like I’m ordering out, haha!
Steven Douglas says
Justin,
I had (and solved) this problem.
Next time leave the dough circle on parchment paper. That will keep everything stiff enough to you transfer to the pan. Put the whole thing into the hot pan face down, then peel back the paper (which will NOT burn).
Hope that helps.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Steven!
Liz says
My dough is resting right now. I am going to use this parchment paper technique as soon as I’m ready to cook. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda D. says
Made these last night. They are delicious! I used Avocado oil as well and they came out great. One question, mine were a little stiffer, not burnt and were similar color to the ones in your post (which I loved by the way), but they just weren’t as soft and pliable as the store bought ones. Worked great for tacos and quesadilla, but I imagine they’d break if I was doing burritos.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Amanda, I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Regarding your question, you probably just need to steam them a little better. What I mean by this is stack them on top of each other, separated by parchment paper and covered with a clean kitchen towel. The heat will steam and soften them. If you need to reheat them, either wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them briefly or (better yet) wrap them in foil and warm them for 15-20 minuttes in a 300˚F oven.
Z Man says
I am confident store bought tortillas have much larger amounts of oils which keep them pliable, so store bought and homemade, are tough to compare.