BEST Homemade Flour Tortillas
These homemade flour tortillas are truly the best. They’re soft and taste so much better than store-bought tortillas!
Best Tortilla Recipe
Homemade tortillas are easier to make than you might think! I’ve been making this flour tortilla recipe for years, and the steps are so simple:
- Minimal kneading: All that’s required is a quick 1 minute kneading of the dough by hand.
- No rise time: You don’t need to let the dough rise, there’s only 10 minute rest time before rolling the balls of dough out into tortillas.
- Start to finish, these tortillas take about 45 minutes to make. Which is pretty quick when it comes to homemade breads!
You’ll need just a few ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, olive oil and water. When you make these homemade flour tortillas, you can feel good about enjoying tortillas made from simple, recognizable ingredients.
You won’t be able to resist these homemade tortillas, fresh and warm from the pan.
How to Make Tortillas
Here’s an overview of the steps to making tortillas from scratch. You’ll find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Combine the ingredients. First whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then mix in the olive oil and warm water.
Knead the dough for 1 minute. Since it’s just a quick knead, I knead the dough with my hands on a lightly floured work surface. You don’t need to use a stand mixer.
Shape and rest. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Let the balls of dough rest for 10 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel. This relaxes the dough so that it will roll out easier.
Heat your pan to medium-high heat. A cast iron skillet works well, but any heavy skillet will work.
Roll out one ball of dough at a time to a 6 to 8-inch round and place in the hot pan.
Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, until the tortillas have a few light brown spots on each side.
Enjoy with your favorite fillings, or as is, warm from the pan!
Do I Need a Tortilla Press?
If you plan to make tortillas often, a tortilla press may be a worthwhile investment. A tortilla press allows you to quickly roll out tortillas with a uniform shape. However, I often make tortillas without a tortilla press. Rolling the tortillas out with a rolling pin is relatively quick and easy, and your tortillas will taste just as delicious even if they aren’t perfectly round.
Can I use Whole Wheat Flour?
This flour tortilla recipe uses all-purpose flour as the main ingredient. I have also tested this recipe using whole wheat flour. If you want to make whole wheat tortillas, I recommend using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. So, you would use 1 1/2 cups of each. If the dough seems too dry, you may need to add a few extra tablespoons of water. Whole wheat flour sometimes requires a bit more moisture.
Storage and Freezer Instructions
Fresh tortillas taste best the day they are made. You can store leftover tortillas, wrapped airtight, at room temperature for 1-2 days.
You can also freeze them for longer storage. Stack the tortillas with sheets of parchment paper in between to keep them from sticking together and store in an airtight container, such as a large zip-top plastic bag with the air squeezed out. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to use the frozen tortillas, set them out on your kitchen counter. They will thaw quickly at room temperature.
Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe Tips
- When you roll the tortillas out using a rolling pin, it helps to lightly flour your work surface. Try to avoid using too much flour.
- If the tortillas aren’t rolling out well, cover the dough and let it rest for a few minutes. The rest will allow the dough to relax so that it won’t shrink back when you roll it out.
- Preheat the pan and wait for it to get hot before cooking the first tortilla. Cook tortillas in a dry, ungreased pan.
- Tortillas are ready to flip when they have a few light brown spots on the bottom side. I usually cook mine for 45 seconds to 1 minute on the first side, and then 30 to 45 seconds on the second side.
- As soon as you take the tortillas off of the pan, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel. This will keep the tortillas soft and warm. You can stack the tortillas on top of each other in the towel.
Serving Suggestions
I especially like to use these homemade tortillas to make tacos or fajitas, where their fresh flavor can shine. Try my Taco Recipe, Chicken Fajitas recipe or Carnitas recipe. They’re also delicious used in enchiladas, burritos or quesadillas. On the side, enjoy Refried Beans, Mexican Rice, Homemade Salsa and Guacamole.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
BEST Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the olive oil and warm water. Mix with a fork and then your hands until everything is well combined and the dough comes together in a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands for about 1 minute. Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Cover the balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a dry (ungreased) cast iron skillet or other heavy pan over medium high heat and let it preheat for a few minutes. Working with one ball of dough at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a 6 to 8-inch round (roll the tortillas smaller for thicker tortillas and larger for thinner tortillas).
- Immediately place the tortilla in the hot skillet. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on the first side and then flip and cook for 30 to 45 seconds on the second side. The tortilla is done when it has a few light brown spots on each side. To keep the tortillas soft and warm, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or place them in a tortilla warmer as they finish cooking. Repeat the rolling and cooking process with the remaining balls of dough.
- Serve tortillas warm, with fillings as desired.
Notes
- You can substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. I recommend using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. You may need to add a few extra tablespoons of water if the dough seems too dry when using whole wheat flour.
- Tortillas can be stored, wrapped airtight, at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the freezer for 3 months. To freeze, stack them with sheets of parchment paper in between to keep them from sticking together and store in an airtight container, such as a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before using.
Can you use gluten free flour?Â
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, but a 1:1 gluten free baking flour may work. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Looking forward to trying this! Have you made the tortillas using a stand mixer with a dough hook? Or do you think stirring and kneading by hand works best? Thank you!
You hardly have to knead the dough at all, so I recommend doing it by hand. I knead it a minute at most. The dough is really easy to mix together by hand, so in this case I’d say doing it by hand is easier (and you’ll have less dishes to wash). Enjoy!
I have made this two times. Yesterday my granddaughter did it with me. Simple and delicious. It is quick to put together as an easy meal. We mashed up hard boiled eggs with mayonnaise, added lettuce and cucumbers and even some hummus to the tortilla. Thank you for the recipe
I am making these but they are shrinking up in the pan and thick..what am I doing wrong?
You might try letting the dough rest for a few minutes and then rolling them out more. Sometimes after a short rest bread doughs will roll out easier. They shouldn’t shrink up in the pan.
Mine are turning out really thick even though I roll them out thin. Is there something I could be doing wrong?
They puff up a little bit as they cook so if you want them super thin, you have to roll them out extra thin. They will taste delicious either way. 🙂
Made these tonight and were delicious. I’ve never made them before so wasn’t expecting success but followed directions exactly and they were easy. Next time will roll extra thin. Thanks for the recipe
This will be my one and only flour tortilla recipe from now on! They are so much easier to prepare and I think using the olive oil made a big difference in the handling of the dough. They were so soft and delish! Thank-you for renewing my confidence that I can actually make homemade instead of store bought….and by the way now more expensive!
Can I use whole milk or coconut milk instead of water
I recommend using water as the recipe suggests. Enjoy!
Easy and yummy!