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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
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.
Video
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
Esquites
20 mins
Mexican Bean Salad
1 hr 10 mins
How to Make Guacamole
10 mins
Collections
This recipe was originally published March 2015.
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!