Homemade flour tortillas are made from 5 Ingredients. They’re soft, easy, and can be used for burritos, tacos, quesadillas, 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!
Easy Homemade Tortillas
Our family eats Mexican food quite regularly. In fact, I’m pretty sure that my family would have no objections to eating it every single day.
We love to use these tortillas to make Enchiladas, Burritos, tacos, and even taquitos! These meals always taste so much better, and more authentic, when they’re made with fresh homemade tortillas!
Believe it or not, flour tortillas are surprisingly simple to make and require just a handful of basic ingredients. While traditional flour tortillas are made with lard, I realize that most of you probably don’t keep that ingredient on hand or prefer not to use it.
I usually make my flour tortillas with butter (unsalted), but vegetable shortening will also work. It always amazes me that such simple ingredients can yield such yummy results!
How to Make Tortillas
I’m telling you this flour tortilla recipe is easier to make than you think!!
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 a large skillet over medium heat.
ROLL. While the skillet is heating up, divide the dough into 12 dough balls. 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.)
Note: Carefully wipe flour out of the pan between batches, otherwise it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
To keep tortillas warm while serving, the easiest way is to use a tortilla warmer. If you do not have one you can use a pot and lid that is slightly bigger than the tortillas.
make These into Tortilla Chips
You can easily turn your homemade tortillas into chips by either frying or baking them.
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, sprinkle with salt, and any other seasonings that you wish, then 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.
Recipe Tips
Making flour tortillas are quite simple, but we wanted to share a few tips to help you out.
Dough. Keep the dough from drying out by draping a damp tea towel over the top.
Butter substitute. If preferred, substitute the butter with an equal amount of lard or vegetable shortening (we prefer not to use vegetable oil).
Thin vs. thick. For thinner tortillas, divide the dough into 14 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide them into 10 balls.
Rolling. To roll tortillas into a round-ish shape, 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
To make them ahead of time, you can either keep the dough in the fridge or the freezer until you are ready to cook them. You can either store the dough in balls or pre-roll them.
- Divide the pre-rolled tortillas with parchment or wax paper. Store in the fridge for up to a week. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking.
- 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. Allow tortillas to cool, separate them with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper, and place them in an airtight container.
- Counter: 2-3 days
- Refrigerator: 6-8 weeks
- Freezer: 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.
Trust Me – Double the Recipe!
When I make this tortilla dough, I typically double this recipe, because it takes only slightly longer to whip up twice as many tortillas once your hands are covered in dough.
These are a dinner-time staple in our house! I hope you now fell like you know how to make flour tortillas!
Recipe FAQ
The tortillas will stiffen a bit as they cool, so be sure to keep them in a tortilla warmer or wrapped in aluminum foil before you serve them. To soften leftover tortillas simply reheat them.
Be sure to follow the recipe as written to get the desired soft and chewy result. Changing the type of flour used or adding too much flour, not letting the dough rest, and not using a pan that is the correct temperature can all affect the texture of the tortillas.
The two ingredients behave in a similar manner when making tortillas so they are interchangeable. The main difference is the flavor and which one you prefer. This recipe uses butter and I love the result.
Use Flour Tortillas in these Recipes:
- Baked Chicken Chimichanga
- Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos
- Green Chile Burritos
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Green Chili Smothered Burritos
- Bean Chimichangas
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Cheese Crisp
Flour Tortilla Recipe
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, baking powder, and salt. 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 a large skillet over medium heat.
- While the skillet is heating up, divide the dough into 12 balls. On a lightly floured surface, use a pastry roller to roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches wide.
- Add one tortilla at a time to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until bubbled and slightly browned on both sides. NOTE: Carefully wipe flour out of the pan between batches, otherwise it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
Video
Notes
**This recipe was updated on 3/28/22 – made it even easier and yummier!
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
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!
delicious dinner my family enjoy !!!
Thank you! There are so many recipes you could have with these 🙂
I do not have a food PROCESSOR do I have to have one for this?
Nope 🙂 You can use your hands!
Have you tried this with whole wheat flour?
I have not, but that is a good idea!
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.
Love this! We love mexican food! Making these asap!
I need to give these a try! I’ve never made them at home but it looks so simple and delicious!
I love how easy this is to make! I’ll never go back to store brought!
have always wanted to make these from scratch, so I really appreciate this recipe, thank you
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.
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!
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!
Super easy to make and they taste deLiCious! my kids loved them!
Thanks Brittany!! My kids could eat them all day long!
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!
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!
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.
Will never go back to store bought tortillas again…husband approved! Loved them!
Once you make your own tortillas store bought will never taste as good.
There is not much better than warm, chewy flour tortillas!
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!
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!
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
They taste so good and are fluffy and soft.
Oh yay! So glad you enjoyed the tortillas.
Awesome I really like and hope to try the recipe is simple to make more grace to your elbow
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.
These are the best tortillas! So easy and taste amazing!
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed them!
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
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.
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!
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
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!