Homemade flour tortillas are easier to make than you think! We have 3 simple secrets that will have you cranking out the most deliciously soft and tender tortillas.
“These are incredible! I have tried for years to make tortillas and they have never turned out better than the store bought ones you cook at home. I followed the recipe exactly and I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Trust me, this recipe is the only one you will ever need for soft, pliable and delicious tortillas.”
-OSB Reader
Easy Tortilla Recipe
My friend, Shelly, grew up in Mexico and when I heard that she makes the best tortillas I just had to try her recipe. I’d been testing off and on for years and finally decided that homemade tortillas were just not my fave. I loved the uncooked tortillas you get at Costco and had totally given up.
But now that I’ve tried these, I’ll be whipping up tortillas homemade from now on! Well, I’ll probably keep a pack of the uncooked tortillas from Costco on hand for dinner in a hurry, but homemade flour tortillas are SO MUCH BETTER!
These tortillas are perfect for tacos, burritos, fajitas, and of course, quesadillas! The first thing you are going to want to do once you’ve cooked these tortillas is to make yourself a quesadilla. I know, you’re not 9 years old, but trust me on this, you’ll never want a classic quesadilla more. Check out our quesadilla post if you find yourself in this boat.
Flour Tortilla Ingredients
One of my favorite things about these handmade tortillas is that they use normal pantry ingredients. Just 5 simple ingredients is all you are going to need!
- bread flour
- baking powder
- salt
- oil
- water
That’s it! Can you believe it?! Nothing fancy, just the basics! Now let’s jump in to how to make them…
How to Make Homemade Tortillas
Start by adding the flour (see secret #1 below), salt, baking powder and oil (see secret #2 below) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the dough hook attachment and turn the speed to low. The mixture will slowly come together. When it looks like slightly wet sand that holds together when you squeeze it, you know that you have the right consistency.
Now it is time to add the water (see secret #3 below). Add the water 1/2 cup at a time with the mixer again on low speed. Keep the mixer on low the whole time you are adding the water. When the dough comes together, let the mixer run for another 2-4 minutes. The dough will look satiny.
Lightly dust your work surface with flour and pinch off balls of dough that are a little smaller than the palm of your hand. Holding the ball in your palm, use your other hand to pinch the dough into the center over and over as you form a rounded side against your hand and flat side where you are pinching.
Place all of the dough pieces back into your bowl and cover it with a warm, damp paper towel and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes. It can sit on the counter for up to an hour if needed, but don’t go beyond that.
Pro Tip: Resting for at least 15 minutes relaxes the gluten so you can roll them out into smooth discs of deliciousness.
Once the dough has rested (don’t skip this step!!), you are ready to roll the tortillas out and to cook them. Heat your griddle to medium heat so that it’s ready to roll when your first tortilla is made. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough balls one at a time with a rolling pin. You will want them to be as thin as possible without tearing holes in them.
Cook the tortilla on the preheated griddle until bubbles form and then flip it over to cook the other side until browning begins to show. Remove from the heat and serve.
Our 3 Secrets for the BEST Flour Tortillas
Secret #1 — Flour
Bread flour is a must! It adds the right amount of gluten and allows the dough to be rolled out perfectly thin without tearing.
Secret #2 — Oil
Oil NOT shortening makes for a more elastic and still moist (goodbye dry flour tortillas!) tortilla. You don’t need lard or anything fancy. Just good ol’ vegetables does the trick perfectly!
Secret #3 — Water
Boiling hot water totally changes the texture of the dough. It will be smooth and silky! Your stand mixer will be doing all the work when it still super hot, so you don’t need to worry about handling the dough and burning yourself.
FAQ
How to Store Homemade Tortillas
When we are cooking the tortillas, we love our tortilla warmer. We got ours from Winco, but this one is great too. You can cook your tortillas in the afternoon and they are still warm at dinner!
To store extra handmade tortillas that are leftover after dinner, place a paper towel in a ziploc bag, add the tortillas that have cooled to room temperature and then place another paper towel on top before sealing the bag shut.
How to Reheat Homemade Flour Tortillas
We like to warm our tortillas up in the oven by heating it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and wrapping the tortillas in aluminum foil. They heat up in about 5 or 6 minutes. You can also zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
How Long Are Tortillas Good For?
If you leave your tortillas at room temperature, they will only last 2-3 days. In the refrigerator, they will last 5-7 days and in the freezer, they will last for 6-8 months. In all cases, be sure they are in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Homemade Tortillas?
Yes, homemade flour tortillas freeze great! Store them as mentioned above with a paper towel on the top and bottom of the stack. When you are ready to eat them, allow them to thaw and then warm them up in the oven or microwave.
Do you feel like you are about to become the best homemade flour tortillas maker in town? Well, you should because it really is so simple! And you won’t ever want store bought tortillas ever again! Do it!!
All our Favorite Recipes for Using these Tortillas:
- Roasted Tomatillo Chicken Enchiladas
- Smothered BBQ Beef Burritos
- Teriyaki Chicken Quesadilla
- Secrets to the Best Quesadilla
- Cafe Rio Copycat Sweet Pork
- Pork Carnitas (Instant Pot Version)
- Chicken Fajitas
- Steak Fajitas
- Smothered Honey Lime Chicken Burritos
- Crock Pot Cafe Rio Copycat Chicken
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Description
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Bread Flour
- 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3 Teaspoons Salt
- 2/3 Cup Oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 1/4 Cups Boiling Water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, salt, baking powder and oil.
- Using a dough hook, turn the mixer onto low speed, never high and mix until the mixture comes together and looks like moon sand or barely wet sand. You can squeeze it in your hand and it holds together.
- Add the boiling water, about 1/2 cup at a time with the mixer on low speed. Run, adding water as you go until the dough comes together. Allow the mixer to run for another 2-4 minutes until the dough is satiny.
- Very lightly flour the work surface and pinch off balls of dough smaller than the palm of your hand.
- Holding the ball in your palm, use your other hand to pinch the dough into the center over and over as you form a rounded side against your hand and flat side where you are pinching.
- Place all of the dough in your bowl and cover with a warm, damp paper towel or place a lid on the bowl. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat a griddle to medium heat.
- Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough balls one at a time with a rolling pin.
- Cook the tortilla on the hot pan until bubbles grow large, flip over and cook again until light browning shows.
- Remove from heat and serve
Notes
Nutrition
REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Sweet Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!
When you try a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in our stories! FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.
Wendy
These are incredible! I have tried for years to make tortillas and they have never turned out better than the store bought ones you cook at home. I followed the recipe exactly and I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Trust me, this recipe is the only one you will ever need for soft, pliable and delicious tortillas.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Wendy!! This makes my day!
Cindy
Never seen anyone in my family use oil or bread flour or boiling water. It’s not authentic
Lard baking powder flour and warm water.
Sweet Basil
Thanks for your feedback Cindy!
Angel
Good to know your house is the gold standard and only family in the whole of Mexico who makes tortillas…
Greg
Authentic or not,, you don’t need lard to make delicious tortillas.
My mother has used regular flour, hot water and oil all her life and her flour tortillas are delicious. I prefer shortening when I make my own. I was born and raised in the U.S. fourth generation.
Sweet Basil
Thanks Greg!
Kate
How many tortillas should the full recipe make — 12 tortillas or 12 servings (of 2 or 3 tortillas)? Thanks so much!
Sweet Basil
Hi Kate! It makes around 12 tortillas depending on how big you make them.
Shirley Howell
What brand of bread flour do you use? There are so many I am confused ! I can’t wait to try these after decades of horrible mistakes…Thanks
Sweet Basil
Hi Shirley! I prefer Lehi Roller Mills brand or King Arthur. Let us know what you think of these when you make them!
KMill
These were perfect . I’ve used the boiling water method with Asian dumplings before but never thought to use it with tortillas. Pliable and easy to work with to get a paper thin tortilla that doesn’t break or tear easily . I halved the recipe and will definitely make again .
Sweet Basil
Yay! Love to hear this! Thanks for the feedback!
kristi wray
These are great!!! Way better than the recipes made with lard. My entire family loves them and we have been using your recipe for about a year now. It’s saved in my phone! We not only use them for taco night, but my daughter also eats them the next day heated with Nutella on them. I guess if tastes good?!?!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Kristi! All things are better with Nutella! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us comment! So glad this recipe is a hit for your family!
Nilda Hassell
We live in Houston, TX and have a favorite tortilla from a local restaurant. Your recipe gave us tortillas that were just as good if not better! I spent a couple of days researching tortilla recipes and when I saw the pic of your finished product, I just knew this would be the one. This recipe did not disappoint! Won’t be able to go back to store bought or even restaurant tortillas.
Sweet Basil
Nilda!! You have seriously made my day! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a comment and for the support! These tortillas are my absolute favorite!
Traci
I just bought a cast iron tortilla press, so I’m going to make these today!
Sweet Basil
Amazing!! Let me know how it goes! What are you going to eat them with??
Monique
Can this be made without a stand mixer?
Sweet Basil
Oh man, it would take some arm power! It would have to be done all by hand. A hand mixer just wouldn’t be powerful enough.
Nikki Krakauer “JustTabandMe”
Women have been making flour tortillas for hundreds of years without a mixer, including myself! I used to make them with my kids, along with the weeks bread supply every Saturday morning. They loved it! And, they still talk about how fun it was to work together. Mind you, they’re now in their early 50’s! The first four tortillas were buttered and each girl gobbled one down! I preferred warm bread with butter. Good times!
Sweet Basil
Thank you for taking time to leave us a comment!! We are alllllll about working together in the kitchen and making those memories!!
Alice
Can the tortillas be made in a regular pan instead of a griddle? Can’t wait to try!
Donna Thorne
This tortilla recipe looks amazing…thank you for sharing!
Is there anything I would need to change to use this dough on an electric tortilla maker?
Sweet Basil
Thank you Donna! I’ve never tried an electric tortilla maker so I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think you would need to change anything.
Eden
My kids loved these tortillas. I’ve tried 2 other recipes but these by far were their favorite. They couldn’t stop eating them. They requested them for dessert. They were great with honey and cinnamon sugar. Thank you for sharing!
Sweet Basil
Aren’t they just heaven?! Thank you so much for leaving a comment Eden!
Brianna
Could I use all purpose flour? It’s all I have on hand. Or will it change the texture to much? I’m really looking forward to trying your recipe!
Sweet Basil
Bread flour is key to getting the right texture!
Jen
I grew up in south Texas. My first job in high school was working at my favorite Tex-mex restaurant. Throughout my employment/essentially high school I can’t tell you how many fresh flour tortillas I made. This recipe takes me back. You can’t beat the flavor or texture of a homemade tortilla. I tried countless recipes through the years and none ever really seemed worth it until this one. Bravo! Fluffy, soft, and perfection. I’ve made several batches now and keep a small amount in the fridge for breakfast tacos (the best) and the others in the freezer for tacos down the road. They reheat nicely.
Sweet Basil
YAY!! I love it!! Thank you so much!
Jenni
I am so excited to try these! 🙂 Just discovered your blog and I love it! Quick question – is all of the salt necessary? My husband is on a low sodium diet and I’m trying to limit for him. Thank you so much!!
Sweet Basil
You can try it with less salt, I haven’t. Let me know if you do and how it turns out.
Debbie
I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong but they keep shrinking and they are so thick compared to your pictures. Not sure I like the taste either. Maybe I did something wrong
Sweet Basil
Hi Debbie! I’m so sorry! It does sound like something is going wrong with the recipe. Are you using bread flour? It should be rolled out very thin. Also, did you watch the video in the post that shows the whole process?
Kristina T
Loved this recipe! Homemade tortillas are so easy and taste the BEST. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sweet Basil
I’m so glad you liked it! They really do taste better huh!?
Lucy
These are amaaaazinng!!!!! I’m converted, store bought tortillas will never be this good 😂 Two questions- one, can you use whole wheat flour to make these? And two, have you ever tried adding any flavors to this recipe? For instance, spinach tortillas? I’m just curious if it would work 🙂 thanks!
Sweet Basil
You can try whole wheat, I haven’t done it, but I would try half and half first. We also haven’t tried other flavors, let us know if you do!!
Diana
I made tortillas before but I don’t have a recipe. I was taught the old fashion way. I made this recipe and they came just like my mama taught me, but now when asked for a recipe I can share this one
Sweet Basil
That’s so amazing!
Lulu
These are great. I tried them and they were a hit. I have a question though. Can I freeze up the remaining dough balls if I do not want to use them all?
Sweet Basil
Yes, you can freeze the dough balls, but we’ve found that they freeze better if you cook them first and then freeze them. Cook them, let them cool completely, and then layer them in a gallon size ziploc bag with a paper towel in between each tortilla.
Mike
travel with family until adult you will never regret it