Skip the store-bought tortillas and whip up the fastest and freshest recipe for 30-Minute Homemade Flour Tortillas.
How Do You Make Flour Tortillas?
In all my years of cooking and eating Mexican food, that is one question I never realized I would have such a succinct answer for! And that answer is… with four ingredients and in 30 minutes or less.
It’s really that simple. Add a few expert tips and tricks to the equation and you’ll be ditching the store-bought tortillas for good, as you transform your DIY tortillas into burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas and more.
Homemade Tortilla Ingredients
So what exactly do you need to make tortillas from scratch? I’m so glad you asked!
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Water
- Vegetable oil
Let’s break things down a bit more when it comes to the type of flour to use for making tortillas.
When my friend Rosa taught me how to make tortillas, she introduced me to El Rosal flour, which is a Mexican flour that can actually be purchased at several stores throughout the United States, including Walmart!
While I learned to make flour tortillas using El Rosal (and they were incredible), I tested out the exact same recipe and technique using American all-purpose flour. The results were the same! So while El Rosal flour makes absolutely delicious tortillas and is the most authentic route to go, you can still get the same results using any other good quality all-purpose flour from the U.S.
Important Tips for Making Flour Tortillas
As simple as the ingredient list and method of preparing tortillas is, there are a few expert tips and tricks that will guarantee success:
- Mixing the Dough: You must use very hot water, as in, as hot as your hands can stand. The water should not be boiling, however it should be very hot so that the dough comes together quickly and smoothly.
- Rolling the Tortillas: It’s important to roll all the way over the edges of the tortillas so that they are the same thickness all around. The goal is a super-thin tortilla that’s see-through before cooking.
- Cooking the Tortillas: Cook the tortillas for 30 to 60 seconds on one side before flipping them only one time and cooking them an additional 30 seconds. The goal is achieve slight browning in various spots as the tortillas puff and cook.
How to Store Homemade Flour Tortillas
While you are cooking the tortillas, it’s important to keep them warm inside a towel as each one finishes cooking. Stacking them atop one another in a folded towel helps the tortillas stay warm and moist, as the residual heat stays trapped within the towel.
Once the tortillas have cooled completely, store them inside a sealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to one week.
How to Re-Heat Homemade Flour Tortillas
To re-heat the tortillas, you can either use the stovetop pan method (just as you cooked them), or you can pop them in the microwave in between two damp paper towels for 15 to 20 seconds or until they’re warmed through.
When I make the boys’ quesadillas, I add the shredded cheese (and chicken or beans) atop the tortillas then microwave them for 20 to 30 seconds before folding, slicing and serving. So easy and so fresh!
Ready to give it a go? Read on for my recipe for 30-Minute Homemade Flour Tortillas and stay tuned for the corn version coming your way in a few weeks!
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Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 2/3 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Add the water and vegetable oil and using your hands, mix together the dough until it is a cohesive ball and all of the liquid has been absorbed. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. (The dough should be soft and Playdoh-like in texture, but not sticky.)
- Transfer the dough onto your work surface and knead it about 10 times until it becomes smooth all over.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal balls then flat each ball slightly into the shape of a hockey puck. Flour each piece of dough on both sides then set them aside and cover them with a towel.
- Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Roll out one piece of dough into an 8-inch circle then transfer it to the hot pan. Cook the tortilla for about 1 minute then flip it once and continue cooking it an additional 30 seconds or until golden brown spots appear on both sides. Transfer the tortilla from the pan into a towel and cover it while you roll out and cook the remaining tortillas.
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
These were great…thank you!
You are so welcome, Violet! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I received your Cinco de Mayo recipe collection at the perfect moment – thank you! I’ve never tried making tortillas before, but made a half batch for fajitas on CdM for just hubby and myself. We thought the tortillas were great. I let the dough rest quite a while as my water was probably hotter than it should have been (microwaved for 1 minute). The dough was initially a tad sticky, so I followed your suggestion for additional flour and they rolled out beautifully, though less perfectly shaped than yours. Thank you for a sturdy an easy to execute recipe
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Pamela! And thanks for subscribing to the Just a Taste newsletter!
I have tried so many other recipes trying to get THE PERFECT tortilla……THIS RECIPE IS THE BEST. So soft, delicious and beautiful. Rolled out perfectly, great cooked texture and tasty. Good tip about using hot water. Thanks!
WOWZA! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sonja!
Thanks for the recipe — I’ll be making some tonight. One Q tho — what is the best fat to use? An old recipe I have said to use lard, others just oil. One person here used olive oil & said it was good. What do you use?
Hi Dave! You could definitely use lard to make them more authentic however, I just use regular ol’ vegetable oil :)
This was super-easy! I halved the recipe and still had some left over.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Melanie!
I made these today and they came out perfectly. I did have to change the temp to medium-low heat on my electric stove. I can’t wait to make quesadillas tonight with them!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I read all the comments before trying the recipe. The only change I did was add olive oil since I didn’t have vegetable oil. I halved the recipe and made 6 tortillas. After I made the balls, I covered with a kitchen cloth for about 10-15 minutes and made in my cast iron pan and they turned out perfect! I asked my husband if there was a difference between the store bought and this, and he said no. But I felt this was better! Next time I will make more and freeze ! :D
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
You don’t use any baking powder?
Correct! :)
Hi Kelly, This is just fantastic that we can make homemade tortillas, you are a genius! But I do have a question. We don’t buy any because they are loaded with salt, at our senior age we have to really watch our salt intake. So my question is this, can we lower the salt in this or is it needed and will that affect the taste? Thank you so very much dear heart…. Claudia
Hi Claudia! The salt really enhances the flavor, however you can omit it if you must. :)
The flavor of the tortillas was amazing. However, I had lots of trouble after rolling out to get them to maintain their shape. They kept springing back into tiny flats. How do you keep this from happening?
Thanks so much!
Hi Marte! If the dough is shrinking back and hard to roll, I recommend covering it with a towel and letting it rest for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the gluten in the flour to relax, reducing elasticity. If you try rolling them out and the dough still shrinks back, let it rest for another 15-30 minutes. The gluten just hasn’t had enough time to relax. Looking forward to reading your results the next time!