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Learn the secrets to making authentic, homemade flour tortillas with this easy recipe and step-by-step video tutorial. Impress your family and friends with delicious and fresh tortillas straight from your own kitchen.
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
Table of Contents
Easy Tortilla Recipe
I’ve always loved tortillas, but I didn’t realize how much better they could be until I tried my friend Shelly’s recipe. She grew up in Mexico and makes the softest, chewiest tortillas I’ve ever had. Now I’m hooked!
These flour tortillas are perfect for tacos, burritos, fajitas, or a good old-fashioned cheesy quesadilla! And if you really want a treat? Spread one hot off the skillet with butter, roll it up, and thank me later.
Flour Tortilla Ingredients
One of my favorite things about this flour tortilla recipe is that it uses normal pantry ingredients. Just 5 simple ingredients are all you are going to need!
- Bread flour: Gives the tortillas a slightly chewy texture and helps them hold their shape.
- Baking powder: Adds a bit of puff and softness without yeast.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor and balances the dough.
- Oil: Adds richness and helps keep the tortillas soft and pliable.
- Water: Brings the dough together and activates the flour.
This is meant to be an overview of the ingredients for this recipe. For the detailed measurements, scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Homemade Tortillas
These are soft, chewy, and way better than store-bought. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have warm, fresh tortillas ready to serve in no time.
- Combine: Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and oil (see secrets #1 and #2 below) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles slightly wet sand that holds together when squeezed.
- Hydrate: Slowly add the water (see secret #3) ½ cup at a time, keeping the mixer on low. Once the dough comes together, let the mixer knead it for 2–4 minutes until the dough looks satiny.
- Portion: Lightly flour your work surface and pinch off dough balls slightly smaller than the palm of your hand. Cup the dough in your palm and use your other hand to pinch the dough into the center to form a round top and flat bottom.
- Rest: Return the dough balls to the bowl, cover with a warm, damp paper towel, and let them rest for 10–15 minutes. (They can sit for up to an hour, but no longer.)
- Pro Tip: Resting relaxes the gluten so you can roll out smooth, tender tortillas.
- Roll: Once rested, heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Roll each dough ball on a lightly floured surface until very thin, but not tearing.
- Cook: Place the tortilla on the hot skillet. When bubbles form, flip it and cook the other side until golden brown spots appear. Remove from heat and serve warm.
All of the detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
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. All-purpose flour just doesn’t get the job done quite right.
Secret #2: Oil
Oil, NOT shortening, makes for a more elastic and moist (goodbye dry flour tortillas!) tortilla. You don’t need lard or anything fancy. Just good ol’ vegetable oil 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’s still super hot, so you don’t need to worry about handling the dough and burning yourself.
Homemade Tortilla FAQ
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, stack the tortillas that have cooled to room temperature, and then place another paper towel on top before sealing the bag shut.
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.
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.
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.
With the cost of groceries these days, it is hard to say for sure. When I price out the cook and serving tortillas versus the cost of the ingredients for these tortillas, it is probably about the same price. But the taste won’t be nearly as good!
Are Homemade Tortillas Worth It?
In short, yessssssssssss! They are easy to make, and the taste is amazing. Yes, they take more time and effort than opening a bag of tortillas from the store, but hot, fresh homemade tortillas are worth every effort!
Do you feel like you are about to become the best homemade flour tortilla maker in town? Well, you should because it really is so simple! And you won’t ever want store-bought tortillas ever again! The flavor and texture are unmatched. 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
Watch How These Homemade Tortillas Are Made…
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Bread Flour
- 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 3 teaspoons Salt
- 2/3 Cup Oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 ¼ Cups Boiling Water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.6 Cups Bread Flour, 4 teaspoons Baking Powder, 3 teaspoons Salt, 2/3 Cup 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.2 ¼ Cups Boiling Water
- 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
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
Thank you so much Wendy!! This makes my day!
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.
Thanks for your feedback Cindy!
Good to know your house is the gold standard and only family in the whole of Mexico who makes tortillas…
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.
Thanks Greg!
I totally agree with your statement
Cindy & Jennifer, I am curious if you even tried the recipe before criticizing it. I get the let’s be authentic, but then shouldn’t you be growing your own grains and grinding it by hand? That’s true authenticity, but we do sometimes move on and use newer tools and sometimes better tools. Why not just give it a try first, and then give us your comparison of this recipe vs. your “authentic” version. Food changes from culture to culture, or even city to city. Someone else’s way may be just as ‘authentic’ to them. I’d LOVE to hear the differences if you ever try it. Please note, your names are derived from Greek and Welsh. Jennifer means “white wave”. Just to point out that things can be different and authentic at the same time.
Thanks for the support Brian!
How many tortillas should the full recipe make — 12 tortillas or 12 servings (of 2 or 3 tortillas)? Thanks so much!
Hi Kate! It makes around 12 tortillas depending on how big you make them.
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
Hi Shirley! I prefer Lehi Roller Mills brand or King Arthur. Let us know what you think of these when you make them!
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 .
Yay! Love to hear this! Thanks for the feedback!
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!
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!
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.
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!
I just bought a cast iron tortilla press, so I’m going to make these today!
Amazing!! Let me know how it goes! What are you going to eat them with??
Can this be made without a stand mixer?
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.
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!
Thank you for taking time to leave us a comment!! We are alllllll about working together in the kitchen and making those memories!!
Can the tortillas be made in a regular pan instead of a griddle? Can’t wait to try!