This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This flour tortilla recipe is made from 5 Ingredients. The tortillas are soft, easy, and can be used for burritos, tacos, and more!!
Whether you’ve got Tacos or Burritos on the menu, or you simply plan to slather your tortillas in Queso and Salsa, you can’t go wrong with these homemade flour tortillas!
Our Best-Loved Flour Tortillas!
Our family eats Mexican cuisine quite regularly. We love to use this flour tortilla recipe to make Enchiladas, Burritos, Tacos, and even Taquitos!
Being Hispanic, we’ve enjoyed homemade tortillas my whole life. In fact, my great-grandma Bean Burro was famous for her gigantic delicious tortillas and sold a dozen for $2!!)
With this simple recipe, we now make them all the time, and we all agree that Mexican dinners and sides always taste so much better and more authentic when they’re made with fresh tortillas!
Why we love fresh tortillas:
- 5 basic ingredients. Flour tortillas are surprisingly simple to make and require just a handful of basic pantry staple ingredients.
- Cost-effective. Making tortillas can be more cost-effective than purchasing pre-made ones, and you ensure clean and healthy ingredients!
- More flavorful. This homemade recipe is a fresher and tastier option compared to store-bought tortillas.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- water
- unsalted butter – I like the resulting flavor using butter, but you can also use vegetable shortening or lard interchangeably.
How to Make Tortillas
- DOUGH. In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk or wooden spoon. Add melted butter and warm water and mix with your hands until combined.
- Add more flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time, but the dough should be a little sticky. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- HEAT. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- ROLL. While the skillet is heating up, portion the dough into 12 dough balls of equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, use a pastry roller (or rolling pin) to roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches wide.
- COOK. Add one tortilla at a time to a skillet on medium-high heat and cook for about 1 minute on each side (or until bubbles form and it’s slightly browned on both sides.)
Pro Tip
To keep tortillas warm while serving, the easiest way is to use a tortilla warmer. If you do not have one, use a pot and lid that is slightly bigger than the tortillas.
Make Tortilla Chips
- FRY. Fill a large frying pan with about 2 inches of vegetable or peanut oil. Heat to 350°F. Cut tortillas into strips or triangles.
- Add a few pieces to the oil and fry for about 45 seconds turning every 15 seconds. Use a spider skimmer to remove chips and place them on a paper towel or wire rack. Season with salt and other favorite seasonings.
- BAKE. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the flour tortilla with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt or other seasonings. Cut into triangles. Place a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 4-5 minutes, use tongs to flip halfway, and bake for another 3-4 minutes.
- Check out our Homemade Tortilla Chips Recipe.
Recipe Tips
- Dough. Keep the dough from drying out by draping a damp clean kitchen towel over the top.
- Thickness. For thinner tortillas, divide the dough into 14 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide them into 10 balls.
- Rolling. Roll a flattened ball of dough in one direction from the center to the top edge on a floured work surface. Turn the dough a quarter turn and roll again from the center to the top. Repeat rolling and turning until the tortilla is to the desired size and shape. A pastry roller helps with this.
- No stacking! Do not stack rolled tortilla dough while waiting to cook them or they may become soggy.
- Shake the excess flour. Before cooking a rolled-out tortilla, toss it back and forth a bit between your hands to knock off any excess flour.
- Wipe the pan. Carefully wipe any flour out of the pan between cooking each tortilla, otherwise, it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
- Heat. If the tortilla doesn’t have golden spots after 1 minute, slightly increase the heat. If the spots are dark brown or black, decrease the heat.
- Stiff tortillas. If your tortillas feel stiff, you have either cooked them too long or used too high of heat.
Storing Info
- Make them ahead of time. Keep the dough in the fridge or the freezer until you are ready to cook. Store the dough in balls or pre-roll them.
- Divide the pre-rolled tortillas with pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking.
- To cook. Place the tortillas directly into the pot as soon as they have been cooked. The steam from the tortillas will keep them warm and soft.
- STORE. Separate cooled tortillas with parchment paper or wax paper. Place them in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for 6-8 weeks, or in the freezer for 6-8 months.
- To thaw, put the bag of tortillas in the fridge for 24-48 hours, or defrost in the microwave.
- To reheat. Stack on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15 to 30 seconds or until warm.
Use Flour Tortillas In:
Flour Tortilla Recipe
This flour tortilla recipe is made from 5 Ingredients. The tortillas are soft, easy, and can be used for burritos, tacos, and more!!
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt with a whisk or wooden spoon. Add ½ cup melted butter and ¾ cup warm water and mix with your hands until combined.
- Add more flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time, but the dough texture should be a little sticky. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- While the skillet is heating up, portion the dough into 12 dough balls of equal portions. On a lightly floured work surface, use a pastry roller (or rolling pin) to roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches wide.
- Add one tortilla at a time to a skillet on medium-high heat and cook for about 1 minute on each side (or until bubbles form and golden brown spots form on both sides).
Video
Notes
Make ahead of time. Store cooked tortillas in a large resealable plastic bag on the counter for 2–3 days, or in the refrigerator for 1 week. These can also be frozen in a resealable plastic freezer bag for 4–5 months.
Serving tip. The easiest way to keep tortillas warm for serving is to use a tortilla warmer. If you do not have one, you can use a pot with a lid that is slightly bigger than the tortillas.
Use it up. Tortillas can be used to make Enchiladas, Chicken Tacos, Flautas, and Chimichangas.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tortilla, Calories: 221kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 197mg, Potassium: 81mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 236IU, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This recipe was updated on 3/28/22 – made it even easier and yummier!
My family’s favorite tortillas! So simple and SO delicious! I love that we always have the ingredients on hand! These tortillas make any regular meal something special! We seriously love them!
do you use any butter or oil when frying the tortillas
These flour tortillas are delicious!
Well, when my Mother use to make them. She used shortening, not butter. It’s been years, since I’ve made flour tortillas. Looked up recipes to refresh my memory, but I know, butter was never used. Until, after made & cooked. I’ll try your recipe and see how it goes.
Yes, shortening or lard are often used. We love the simplicity and the flavor of the butter. You’ll have to let us know how you enjoy the tortillas!
This tortilla recipe is very fun to make. When my grandkids come visit I’m going to get them to make some with me.
I made these after not being able to get the uncooked ones we usually buy at the grocery store for the last month. After having fresh cooked ones, there’s no going back. I doubled the recipe and these were so good and easy! My family all commented on how good they were. They remind me of the ones at Cafe Rio. After dinner, we ate the few remaining tortillas with melted butter and cinnamon & sugar. So good! I will definitely make these again! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m glad they were out of the uncooked ones at the store so you could find this recipe. 😉 Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
I thought for sure 1 tbsp of butter would not be enough for 2 cups of flour. I was wrong! This will now be my go-to recipe! Thanks!
Oops! Still my go to for tortillas! But on my previous comment I (don’t know how), but I typed in the wrong butter amount. :^o
your post states you “typed in the wrong butter amount”….. but failed to type the correct amount. This will be my first try at making these and my husband and myself are in our 80’s. please reply.