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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 700 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 kosher salt I use Morton's
- 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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Caroline Fabian says
Great recipe! So glad I found it. It was the first time, I tried homemade burritos and it won't be the last time!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed these tortillas, Caroline. Thanks for taking the time to share your results!
Tee says
Hi there Chris I have no baking powder will that affect the tillas in a big way .
Thanks stay safe
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Tee, the baking powder does make them a little lighter and creates nice bubbles but I think you could make the tortillas without it.
Janice says
Hi these came out amaaaazing for me! I am obsessed with this recipe. With the calories I can see it says 124 is that per tortilla? So 124 for 1 serving and then this batch makes 16 servings?
Thaaanks!
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Janice! I'm so happy you enjoyed them! Yes, it's 124 each if you make 16. Sometimes I make smaller tortillas and get 20, then it's around 100 calories.
Carol says
Thank you for sharing the tortilla recipe. I have tried making other tortilla recipes without success. I made your recipe today and they were very easy to roll out and were delicious. I will definitely make them again. The recipe is a keeper.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome, thanks so much, Carol. I love that you had great success with these. We love them too!
Johanne says
ok thank you, but I will try your recipe too of course ! thanks for the reply
Johanne says
good morning ! I was looking for a tortilla recipe and found yours that look so easy. do you thing I could use corn flour? Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Johanne, I haven't tested this recipe with cornflour but I suspect that you might want to go with a recipe specifically created for corn tortillas.
Deedee says
I've been making these for a year now. The best ever wasn't an understatement! I use half WW and half all-purpose.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your review, Deedee!
Tanya Pulver says
These tortillas were easy to make, delicious, had the right texture, and didn't fall apart. I too have been searching for a tortilla recipe. I finally found it--thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
That's wonderful, Tanya! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Dan says
The only problem------ my daughter will want them all the time. They were so Delicious and easy to make!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! There could be worse problems! Thanks, Dan!
Karla Rivera says
Best flour tortillas ever! Wow,to the receipe. I was skeptical in making them, only because for the life of me would never make them round. I bought an electrical tortilla maker. It made the tortillas perfectly round. And of course, the made a world of difference. You can buy one at Walmart.com. Saves you time!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Karla!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks!
Jennifer Lanam says
We've discovered a few SECRETS to making great tortillas, and using them this recipe turns out great!
FIRST, letting the dough REST is important so your tortillas don't shrink back into a little puck.
SECOND (and most important), your cooking surface needs to be *HOT*! Previously we were using an electric griddle so we could cook 2 at a time, but it didn't stay hot enough. Today we used a cast iron griddle that we bought for this reason. We got it HOT (occasionally it started smoking), and they cooked FAST. That meant they started cooking before they could shrink back up, they stayed moist inside, and we cooked as many in the same time as we did on the electric griddle.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Jennifer.
Kim says
Thank you for this recipe and your encouragement! I have been baking/cooking for decades but never felt confident enough to try making tortillas until your post. I felt like a culinary rock star when I tasted my first perfect tortilla right out of the pan an my husband informed me that I could make these as often as I wish.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! I'm so happy you've had success with these biscuits, Kim! Bravo!
trd says
I have self rising flour . I am assuming i just leave out baking powder?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi trd, you will have a lot of extra baking powder in your tortillas. The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon. Each cup of self-rising flour has 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, so your tortillas will have 4½ teaspoons of baking powder. I can't guarantee how they will turn out. It probably would be better if you waiting till you could get a hold of some all-purpose flour.
Molly says
These were delicious! Thank you. My three-year-old son loves tortillas and eats them all day--as quesadillas, with butter, cinnamon, and sugar, just plain. We ran out of store-bought so I made these, as I'm trying to avoid grocery stores. I'm not sure we'll ever be able to go back to store-bought, though, as these are so much better and so easy to make!
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing your results, Molly!
Jill Fisher says
Years ago, I had a couple of different Mexican cooks show me how to make tortillas. They had made them their entire lives and made it look so easy! MY attempts failed because they merely said "a little of this and a little of that" without measurements and I wasn't told to let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes, so they won't spring back when rolling. When Mission tortillas at Wal-Mart were out of stock, I decided it was time to LEARN once and for all! Thank you for the perfect recipe and tips! My 4,5,9, and husband all loved them! I also adapted the recipe using 50% whole wheat flour and 50% all purpose flour and cooked on my indoor grill. I discovered if you cook longer and place in bowl while warm, it cools down into a crisp taco shell for taco soup or taco salads!
Chris Scheuer says
I love this, Jill! Thanks so much for sharing your review. It's great that you have been able to be adapt this recipe, too!
Anna says
So I tried these yesterday because it’s hard to find tortillas right now, due to quarantine and all. My family and I loved these! I read some of the comments, and as a Chef, I think that it’s not the recipe as much as it’s the person’s level of experience and knowledge in the craft of cooking. As a woman coming from a Spanish background, I can honestly say these are the best tortillas I’ve ever had! They remind me of my great grandma’s! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you so much, Anna, for taking the time to leave your review. I really value your opinion as a chef AND because of your Spanish background! Like great grandma's? Such a wonderful compliment 💕
Kaz says
Excellent! #stayhome #staysafe. Tastier than bought. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks so much, Kaz! #youstaysafetoo 💕
Mark Scott says
If I only want to make half a batch will I just half all the ingredients or just the flour water and salt?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Mark,
Yes, half everything and they should come out great!
Marcia says
I'm so glad I found this recipe. I made them tonight and they were great. The dough was beautiful and easy to roll out after resting. Delicious! I'm adding this recipe to my roster. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Marcia! I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Tananut says
Homemade for me means not too complicated instruction or ingredients. and your recipe is exactly what it is 🙂 for me this is simple and delicious and I would say it is exactly as your recipe name "Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas"
Thank you for the amazing homemade recipe
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Tananut! I appreciate you taking the time to leave your review 🙂
Claudia says
We are in Canada in self quarantine after returning from Portugal. Today is taco tuesday and I had no tortillas. First time making and I will never buy again. Besides I had fun making them and after 12 days so far without leaving the house it was a welcome distraction.
Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
That's so awesome, Claudia! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 💕
Tabby says
Hi there,
Do you think I could make these tortillas with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Tabby, I haven't made these tortillas with WW flour but other readers have and have reported success. You could also try half WW and half AP, if you have both.
Jill Fisher says
Yes! I made some today with half WW and half AP. Looks like I'll never go back to store-bought, even when shelves are restocked. No reason to since their freezer friendly! We all loved the fresh taste of homemade and no preservatives! We made peanut butter and jelly quesadillas and kids devoured them!
Chris Scheuer says
I love that, despite all the difficulties of this pandemic, good things are coming out of it!
Debbie Ricci says
Do I not add oil to the pan before heating and placing tortillas in?
Chris Scheuer says
Nope!
Beverly Karabin says
Can I do these by hsnd
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! I almost always do them by hand nowadays as I've gotten kind of lazy about pulling my mixer out.
There are some tips in the post and recipe for doing them by hand.
Debbie says
These were amazing. My Navajo grandmother from New Mexico and my mother used to make flour tortillas every single day. I never got the recipe and this one was EXACTLY as I remember. I wouldn't change a thing, except for one thing...double the batch! 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! Thanks so much, Debbie! That's an amazing compliment!
Js says
Sad to say these were not a success for me. I was fastidious with following the directions, but they didn't taste good and we're not a great consistency for me.
Chris Scheuer says
Hmmm. I wonder if your flour might be rancid. I can understand if you prefer a different consistency but the taste of flour, oil, salt and water should be pleasant.
Deedee says
Hmm, these turned out great for me. I was using WW flour and all-purpose. One thing I had to do was increase the water slightly because my flour is drier. Really tasty.