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Did you know it is SO easy to make fresh tortillas?!
Being Hispanic, we’ve enjoyed homemade tortillas our whole lives. In fact, our great-grandma Bean Burro was FAMOUS for her gigantic delicious tortillas and sold a dozen for $2!! Homemade is better, trust us!
With this simple flour tortilla recipe, we now make them ALL the time. We all agree that everything (from dinners to sides) tastes so much better and more authentic when made with fresh tortillas! Best of all, you need ONLY 5 ingredients for this flour tortilla recipe and the dough comes together so quickly and easily.
Let it rest for 10 minutes, then roll and cook! It really is that simple, and the minimal extra effort is 1000x worth the results!!
Roll them up and enjoy them warm dipped in salsa, or use them in our favorite enchiladas – the possibilities are endless!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- 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 flour tortilla recipe is a fresher and tastier option compared to store-bought tortillas.
Flour Tortilla Ingredients and Substitutions
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted – I like the resulting flavor using butter, but you can also use vegetable shortening or lard.
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
How to Make Flour 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 texture should be a little sticky. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- HEAT. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, or use an electric griddle.
- 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 the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until bubbled with golden brown spots on both sides. Carefully wipe flour out of the pan between batches, or it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Keep the balls of dough from drying out by draping a damp clean tea towel over the top.
- For smaller tortillas, divide the dough into 14 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide them into 10 balls.
- If the first tortilla doesn’t have golden spots after 1 minute, slightly increase the heat. If the spots are dark brown or black, decrease the heat.
- If your tortillas feel stiff, you have either cooked them too long or used too high of heat.
Rolling Tips
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.
Flour Tortilla Recipe
Video
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 flour, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter and 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 a large skillet over medium heat.
- While the skillet is heating up, divide the dough into 12 dough balls. On a lightly floured work surface, use a pastry roller to roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches wide. To achieve the perfect shape and size, roll the 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.
- Add one tortilla at a time to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until bubbled and lightly browned on both sides. Carefully wipe flour out of the pan between batches, or it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
Notes
- Keep the balls of dough from drying out by draping a damp clean kitchen towel over the top.
- For smaller tortillas, divide the dough into 14 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide them into 10 balls.
- If the first tortilla doesn’t have golden spots after 1 minute, slightly increase the heat. If the spots are dark brown or black, decrease the heat.
- If your tortillas feel stiff, you have either cooked them too long or used too high of heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Keep the dough in the fridge or the freezer until you are ready to cook.
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.
If needed, thaw in the fridge before cooking.
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 up to 6 months.
To reheat, stack on a plate. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 15 to 30 seconds or until warm.
Complete The Meal
Main Dish
Chicken Fajitas
30 mins
Pork Tacos
6 hrs 5 mins
Bean Burrito Recipe
30 mins
Carne Asada Recipe
3 hrs 20 mins
Sides
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
45 mins
Easy Esquites Recipe
20 mins
Mexican Bean Salad
1 hr 10 mins
How to Make Guacamole
10 mins
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This recipe was originally published March 2015.
We LOVED these! But I have high cholesterol and am wondering if you can help me with reducing the amount of butter used in this recipe, maybe more water? What do you think? I surely would appreciate a response. Thank you
You could try reducing it to ⅓ cup and increase the water a bit to achieve the right dough consistency. Keep in mind that using less butter might result in tortillas that are slightly less tender, a bit chewier, or not quite as pliable when cooled.
I’ve made many types of flatbreads but never homemade tortillas, until today. These were so much better than store bought & will be regulars from now on. I can’t believe how easy they were! Highly recommend!
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.
I have tried different recipes without success I was about ready to give up then I came across your recipe so decided to try one more time. They turned out wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.🙏🏻
Oh that’s great news! You’re welcome. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the tortillas!
We use a lot of tortillas at home and so this is perfect for us! Tried this recipe as it is and we all loved it, this is going to be our new go-to recipe for sure.
These are so fluffy and delicious! There really is nothing better than homemade tortillas!! Will be making these again for sure.
So true! I’m glad you enjoyed the tortillas!
These are amazing and so soft!! Thank you so much
These are the best tortillas! So easy and taste amazing!
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you use salted butter and omit the salt?
Wondering the same thing… I only have salted butter at home.
Sure! I like to use unsalted because I can control the amount of salt in the recipe, but you can use salted and reduce or omit the salt.
Awesome I really like and hope to try the recipe is simple to make more grace to your elbow
They taste so good and are fluffy and soft.
Oh yay! So glad you enjoyed the tortillas.
Made this recipe twice this week
My family loves it
Will never buy store bought again
It’s almost as good as a South African Roti
Thx
these were great! I never new they were this easy. I just have to work on getting them thinner but until then I’m gonna continue to enjoy them as they come out and next I’m gonna try making a batch of tortillas chips. Thanks for the recipe.
You are so welcome! You’ll get down 🙂 Thank you!
We go through tortillas like crazy and these are so good! My kids love helping to make these which is nice because they are so easy to make!
There is not much better than warm, chewy flour tortillas!
Once you make your own tortillas store bought will never taste as good.
Will never go back to store bought tortillas again…husband approved! Loved them!
Can i leave out the baking Powder? I prefer a thinner tortilla.
I haven’t personally tried. I know baking powder helps recipes become light & helps them rise. These don’t have to rise, just set. Not sure how the outcome will be without it.
I’ve tried a few tortilla recipes and this one has been the best, I think its because you use butter (versus some that use oil). Thanks for the great recipies!
You are so welcome! Happy you tried them! Thank you!
Amazing! This is the first time I’ve tried making tortillas and it was incredibly easy to make and very tasty! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
You are so welcome! I am glad you tried them! Thank you for letting me know!
Super easy to make and they taste deLiCious! my kids loved them!
Thanks Brittany!! My kids could eat them all day long!
Not bad!! Lacks a bit in flavor because I didn’t use LARD like they do traditionally, but was great. I think next time, I’m going to try adding a teeny tiny bit more salt. I did fry a couple in a Texas garlic olive oil because why not 😉 So yummy and a fantastic base recipe. They came out fluffy and easy enough for my 7 yr old to help. I used my food processor with the dough hook ATTACHMENT and COULDN’T have been any easier! LOVE it! So yummy!
Yay!! I am so glad you tried it & thanks for sharing about using the Texas garlic olive oil. I will have to try!
First time making and Delighted by how soft they turned out, and soooo easy tO make. Should have taken your advice to double the batch!! thanks for this version
LOL..yes, I need to double it every time! Glad you liked them. Thank you so much!
I have been looking for tortillas that I could make and make them into crisp burritos. Is that possible with this and if so how would I do it ?
Yes, I am sure they could. I haven’t made them crispy, but I would maybe stick them under the broiler or you could bake them, but I would need to play around with the bake time & temp.
have always wanted to make these from scratch, so I really appreciate this recipe, thank you
I love how easy this is to make! I’ll never go back to store brought!
I need to give these a try! I’ve never made them at home but it looks so simple and delicious!
Love this! We love mexican food! Making these asap!
Thank you for posting this! i love fresh TORTILLAS! i didn’t realize that you could bake them into chips. i always thought they had to be fried so i’ve never tried.
Have you tried this with whole wheat flour?
I have not, but that is a good idea!
I do not have a food PROCESSOR do I have to have one for this?
Nope 🙂 You can use your hands!
delicious dinner my family enjoy !!!
Thank you! There are so many recipes you could have with these 🙂
Hi, Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’ve found a real difficulty adjusting the salt measurement. I end up making a salty dish every time. Can you suggest me how can I resolve this problem?
Glad to share the recipe. I’m not sure what you are trying to adjust the salt to. It’s just 1/2 teaspoon total. I wouldn’t add more than that. Let me know if I could help more 🙂
My Mom taught me how to make Tortillas at the age of 8. ?
Wow, that’s impressive!
Wow! These look delicious. I’m GF, but my family will love these on taco night. I might try a GF blend too and see how they turn out. Thanks for the inspiration! jen @ http://www.satsumadesigns.com