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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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Debra says
A++ and more! Quick, easy, tasty! How good is that? Your recipe will now replace a recipe I have been using. Love the lightness and look forward to your tortilla as a breakfast, lunch and dinner vessel waiting to be stuffed. Oh, and it tastes yummy with just butter smoothed across the top! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome, Debra!
Ellyn Marciano says
I thought good tortillas could only be made with real masa flour (which is next to impossible to get where I live). But, these came out just perfect! And so easy!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I’m so glad, Ellyn.
Clar says
Great recipe. Thank you for sharing. I’ll definitely make these again
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Clar!
Chris the brick maker says
Will try your recipe tomorrow – mine have been over crisp. Reading your recipe, I think I’ve overworked the dough…
Jennifer says
So good! My kids don’t want store bought tortillas anymore!!
Chris Scheuer says
I love it! Thanks, Jennifer.
Vita says
Love this recipe! I make it every time I want tortillas (which, to be honest, is all the time). I convert the cup measurements to grams and weigh out the ingredients for consistent results. I deducted a star, however, because the recipe calls for way too much water. I’m suspecting that people are overpacking their measuring cups (which is why I always like to use gram measurements). I’ve adjusted the recipe and only use about 160ml water, give or take (I usually start at about 140ml and adjust from there).
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your review, Vita. I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed these tortillas. They are quite addictive and it’s hard to go back to store-bought tortillas once you try them.
Regarding the water, you’re right, sometimes when you convert from US customary measuring to metric, things have to be adjusted a bit. I like using a scale when I cook but since that’s not how most people in the US (where many of our readers come from) measure, I always use cups, tablespoons, etc.
The recipe (as written) is the perfect amount of water for me each time I make these tortillas. It seems to work well for a lot of others too if you read the reviews but I’m glad you found a method that works well for you.
Jenna says
Great and easy recipe! I’m currently making this recipe for the third time, in two weeks, because my family won’t stop asking for tacos. Even my kiddo that doesn’t like tacos as requested these tortillas.
Chris Scheuer says
I love that! Thanks, Jenna!
Eula Garrie says
can these be made with gf flour like Bobs red mill 1to1 gf flour?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Eula, I can’t say for sure, as I have not tried it myself. If you try it, let us know how they turn out.
Sherri Greer says
You haven’t by any chance tried these with GF flour yet have you?
Chris Scheuer says
I have not tried it, Sherri.
Rita Giordimaina says
Thanks for the recipe Chris. I never tried to make tortillas before. But I tried them this morning, after I adjusted a little the recipe. I substituted 1/3 flour with wholemeal flour, and obviously had to add more warm water. The result was excellent. Very much better than the store bought. Thanks, and keep up your good work.
Chris Scheuer says
I’m so glad you had success, Rita! Thanks for your feedback.
Janelle Herber says
Was planning on making quesadillas this week and realized I was out of tortillas. Found your simple recipe and the fam loved them! I’m hooked now! The hubby had them with breakfast wraps the next morning, too!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Janelle!
Beverly says
I have never been so irritated with a recipe in my life before!!! Literally not one thing occurred the way this recipe said. The dough is INBELIEVABLY sticky. Nothing made it workable. The stretch never came out, I rested my dough for an hour, then 2 hours, and it still stretchy as a rubber band. We must live on different planets.
Chris Scheuer says
I’m so sorry you had trouble with these tortillas, Beverly. You may want to try the recipe again, however, perhaps one day when you get over your frustration. If you read the reviews, there are well over a thousand reviewers who have had great success with this recipe.
Liz Buentello says
Easy and delicious! Everyone loved the tortillas.. These are just like my mom and mother-in-law make. I will definetly share and keep this recipe. Thank You for sharing.
Chris Scheuer says
I’m so glad, Liz!
Ciara Wade says
Are these big enough for burritos?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Ciara, you can make them any size you want. If you do 16 from the recipe they will be more taco size. If you want big burritos, I would divide the dough into 8 portions.
Susan says
Easy and so tasty! Thanks for saving the day when I wanted to make fajitas for dinner but was out of tortillas. We don’t run out to the store these days, so I searched for a recipe online. Your description of how easy this would be sold me. You weren’t wrong. We just had them with eggs for breakfast. Loving them!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks for sharing your results, Susan!
Claudia Betrand says
U will try this recipe, hopefully it will go well.
Chris Scheuer says
Enjoy, Claudia!
Teyla says
Can these be frozen?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! They freeze beautifully, Teyla.