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Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

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Only four basic ingredients are needed for this flour tortilla recipe. Making homemade tortillas is worth the extra effort because they taste so much better than store bought tortillas. Try this simple homemade flour tortilla recipe and you will know exactly what ingredients you and your family will be eating.

You need just four basic ingredients to make this flour tortilla recipe. Making homemade tortillas is worth the extra effort because they do taste so much better than store bought tortillas with no additives. Try this simple homemade flour tortilla recipe and you will know exactly what ingredients you will be eating.

With all the Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers in the garden this year, I know I am going to be sharing several of our favorite Mexican inspired recipes. I wanted to be sure to include my go-to flour tortilla recipe. We use these homemade tortillas for many things from fajitas, breakfast burritos, enchiladas, and soft tacos to simply wrapping up a salad for an easy to eat lunch when we are on the go.

Tips for Making Flour Tortillas

  • A food processor makes it easy to form the dough, but you can also mix and knead by hand. If mixing by hand, knead for at least 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
  • The type of fat I use depends on what I have on hand. I tend to use extra virgin olive oil because it is easier. You can also use butter or lard. Just slice it into pieces and add it to the bowl.
  • After mixing the dough, it is important to let it rest for at least 15 minutes before rolling. This rest period allows the gluten to develop resulting in more pliable dough that will be easier to roll.
  • Make sure to preheat your pan and that it is hot before browning your first tortilla. If you place your tortilla on a cold skillet, it will dry out and stiffen up instead of remaining pliable. If you end up with a stiff tortilla, break it up and use it for dipping into homemade salsa.

How to Make Flour Tortillas

In a food processor, combine the flour and the salt. Add the lard or butter if using and drizzle in the water. If you are using olive oil, combine the oil and water and drizzle it in. Process until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead several times until the dough is smooth. Form into a ball, cover with a towel, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

tortilla dough on a floured board

Divide the dough into eight portions and roll into balls.

tortilla dough divided into eight portions

Sprinkle flour on your surface and rolling pin. Flatten the dough ball, and use your rolling pin to roll each ball into an 8 or 9-inch circle. Sprinkle with flour as needed to prevent sticking.

rolling out the tortilla with a rolling pin on a floured board

Cook the tortillas in a pre-heated skillet. Tortilla is read to flip when it begins to bubble and form light brown spots. Flip and cook on the other side until it is puffy and browns in spots.

cooking the flour tortilla in a hot skillet until it browns on each side

Remove the flour tortillas from the skillet and cover with a clean towel to keep warm until you are ready to serve.

cooked flour tortillas stacked on a plate

4.88 from 31 votes
You need just four basic ingredients to make this flour tortilla recipe. Making homemade tortillas is worth the extra effort because they do taste so much better than store bought tortillas with no additives. Try this simple homemade flour tortilla recipe and you will know exactly what ingredients you will be eating.
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Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

Just four basic ingredients are needed for this flour tortilla recipe. Making homemade tortillas is worth the extra effort because they taste so much better than store bought tortillas.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8 tortillas
Calories: 160 kcal
Author: Grow a Good Life
Ingredients
Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add the lard or butter if using and drizzle in the water. If you are using olive oil, combine the oil and water and drizzle it in. Process until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

  2. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead several times until the dough is smooth. Form into a ball, cover with a towel, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

  3. Preheat a cast-iron skillet, griddle, or frying pan over medium heat.

  4. Divide the dough into eight portions and roll into balls.

  5. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the ball and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into an 8 to 9-inch circle. Sprinkle with flour as needed to prevent sticking.

  6. In the preheated skillet, cook tortillas over medium heat for about 30 to 45 seconds on each side or until you see some light brown spots, and the tortilla is puffy.

  7. Transfer the tortillas to a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm. Yield: 8 tortillas.

That’s it! It should take about a half an hour, and you have fresh homemade tortillas. Store extra in a zipper bag at room temperature for 24 hours or in the refrigerator for longer storage. Warm the tortillas before serving.

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Only four basic ingredients are needed for this flour tortilla recipe. Making homemade tortillas is worth the extra effort because they taste so much better than store bought tortillas. Try this simple homemade flour tortilla recipe and you will know exactly what ingredients you and your family will be eating.

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Comments

  1. I made this recipe for the first time last night! AMAZING! I told my husband we’re having tacos again tonight for supper just because of these tortillias! Yummy!

    Reply

  2. Hello – I’m afraid I don’t have a cast iron pan. Will a non-stick pan be OK? And you cook them dry, with no fat in the pan, correct?

    Reply

        • Hello, as a New Mexican living in Australia,what a gift this recipe is. My 13 year old grandson found your recipe and made the best tortillas. He didn’t measure. We used the only fry pan we had and it was just fine. I tried w/ melted butter and they were yucky.We will use your recipe and now we have tortillas! Thank you so so so much!

          Reply

  3. Thank you so much for this recipe. I made these tonight and we love them! So glad I decided to use your recipe. It was using the food processor and the few ingredients that made me try your recipe first. This is THE tortilla recipe for this household. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.

    Reply

    • I like the taste of the tortillas, but they shrink after I’ve rolled or pressed them. As soon as I take them off the rolling board or press, they shrink and thicken, and I have to stretch them like pizza dough.
      Is there anything I can do to remedy this? I Kneed them by hand for about five minutes because I don’t have a dough attachment on my food processor. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply

  6. Hi there, I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your lovely recipe with us. I made this the other night and was amazed at how simple & delicious it was. You’re right, it tastes so much better than store-bought! Recently I’ve been more conscious of the additives and ingredients in the foods I buy, and was shocked to find that all of the tortillas available in my local stores have long ingredient lists filled with strange preservatives, etc. And a homemade one is just 4 simple ingredients!

    Reply

  7. Omg!!!! I just made these…they are amazing Rachel!!! THANK YOU for sharing this super easy and delicious recipe!!!! Let me tell you, I hate baking and always fail making any type of baking…but your instructions and suggestions were so easy to follow! I did everything as you wrote: flour, salt and added my water+oil very slowly while the bread machine was going. Once it was done mixing my dough for me…I let it rest 15 min and then rolled out my tortillas. They were so soft and fluffed up even more while I was frying them…omg! I can not believe that I actually made this! It turned out fabulous and soooo good! It almost didn’t make it to the table cause I was eating them as I was making them…amazing!!!! Thank you…I will never buy them from the store again….this is spectacular!!! I mean YUMMMMM!!!!

    Reply

  8. I’ve found it so difficult to roll the dough ball with the rolling pin. It scatters like a real mess. Can you suggest me any other product to make the dough into a perfect well-shaped tortilla? Thanks in Advance 🙂

    Reply

    • I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean by, “scatters.” Is the dough not holding together? If so, the dough is too dry. Add some water a teaspoon at a time and knead until you get a smooth ball. A rolling pin is really all you need for flour tortillas.

      Reply

        • It’s true that when rolling out the dough it will take on a strange shape that’s not always round. If you want your tortillas to be a perfect circle shape like store-bought ones, what you can do is roll them out to be thin. Then, if you have a silicone baking mat with diameters printed on it, you can use a knife or pizza roller to gently cut out a circle shape. The only downside to this is that you’ll have some excess dough left over, but you can try to take the leftovers and roll them into a smaller tortilla in the end.

          Reply

  9. Hey, I had a hard time with cooking it. I am worried of taking then off too soon. Mine ended up being flat and hard. Any advice? Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Isabella, It sounds like you cooked the tortilla too long. Make sure your pan is hot, and only cook 30-45 seconds each side. You should see the tortilla bubble up a little. Check underneath and flip when you see light brown spots and cook 30-45 seconds longer on the second side. If the tortilla doesn’t bubble up and turn brown within 30-45 seconds, your pan isn’t hot enough. It can take a few times to get a feel for it. I hope you will try it again.

      Reply

  11. I am a newbie at this cooking business but i made these and i LOVED them. They came out perfect and they are so easy to make. Thank you☺

    Reply

  12. I made these with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten-free flour blend. They came out well, but the skillet must be good and hot, and they took longer to cook – at least a minute per side. We used them the next day and they reheated well in the microwave. The texture is a little different, of course, and they’re a little more fragile, but I rolled them thin and they held together. Although the rest time is not needed to develop gluten, I do think they benefited from the extra time and the texture was smoother.

    Reply

  13. I have made these tortillas a few times and they always turn out great!!! I cook them for about 30 seconds per side on my cast iron skillet. I always roll mine out super thin, it works best that way. Try the recipe a couple times and you should soon be a perfect tortilla maker. My family and friends love these tortillas.

    Reply

  15. Followed this recipe and the tortillas came out fantastic. Best flour tortilla recipe ever…thanks for sharing it with the world.

    Reply

  16. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve been making tortillas for years with a bit more complex recipe and this one just makes so much more sense. It’s so easy and the perfect consistency. I do it by hand instead of a food processor, but I think your dividing technique is genius. Thanks again!

    Reply

  18. Made this tonight for soft tacos. Delicious and easy to make. I may not be the best at rolling out tortillas, but it work for my family. I will use this recipe again. Thanks! Happy Holidays!

    Reply

  19. I knead by hand for about 5 minutes and let rest for about 15 … I basically make 1 batch then let it rest wrapped in plastic while I make another batch. I added different seasonings to each one to see how well they held flavor and they were great. I really like this recipe a lot and the kids loved helping make them

    Reply

  21. Love this simple and easy recipe. I happened not to have baking powder and the tortillas turned out soft and perfect.

    Thank you?

    Reply

  22. Oh this was MARVELOUS!!! It was easy and made my Sunday meal authentic! I plan on repeating this recipe over and over again. Thank you!!! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Best recipe ever! The tortillas were soft and didn’t have that doughy taste like other recipes I’ve tried before. Follow exact recipe and you will have great homemade tortillas. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

  24. So I feel like mine come out grainy. It’s almost like they’re dry but they’re not. I have tried different fats, kneading more, kneading less, more water, baking powder, and shorter cooking time. Nothing seems to help. I’m looking for a smooth texture after being cooked and I just feel like they’re grainy. Any suggestions?

    Reply

      • Kennedy, Yes, different flours will affect the texture. I use unbleached King Arthur all-purpose flour for a smooth tortilla. Occasionally, I will add a little white wheat flour to the mix and the results is just as you described, slightly grainy. That is because wheat flour is milled using the whole kernel of the wheat grain. It has more nutrition, but has less gluten and won’t be as smooth because the flour isn’t as smooth. All flours have different textures, so your results will vary depending on the flour.

        Reply

  26. Ok,, mine came out sticky,, soo I added flour, put it in my new tortilla press, and it stuck to the parchment rounds,,, do u think I should have let it ball up better, in the food processor?

    Reply

  28. Dee-li-cious!!!

    My first one was too thick, still tasted fine, but i went thinner and the result was perfect! Just like yours.

    Reply

  31. I have a question and I know it will sound crazy but can these be made without salt? The reason is I cook for my father who is a kidney patient and is on a no to very low sodium diet.thanks kim

    Reply

  32. Do the measurements and kneading time change if you use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Michaela, Yes, the dough should be smooth like the photo, not rough. You may need to add a tablespoon of water to the recipe. Different flours can vary significantly in terms of the amount of liquid they absorb. It depends on the brand of flour, how it was stored, bleached or unbleached, how old it is, humidity level in the air, and many other things. You are striving for a smooth dough ball. Then let the dough rest for 15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. This will make rolling easier. I hope you try it again.

      Reply

    • Perhaps your dough is too dry or being too cold can give the sensation of dryness. 31 celcius would be the ideal temperature, this would enable natural leavening too. A higher protein flour 12-15% Gluten will give more elasticity when rested. If you’re mixing in a machine run at high speed for about 4 mins then slowly reduce the speed over the next 4-5 mins.

      Reply

  36. How are you? I have a dilemma 🙁
    I’ve made these 4 times in the past year and I roll out the tortilla until its very very thin but once cooked through they thicken and aren’t pliable, but they taste great I added minced garlic, basil and black pepper this last time because I just knew they would turn out the same so it’s more like a flatbread What am I doing wrong? Could I be over kneading the bread because I do it by hand or what could it be?

    Reply

      • Um , I wonder if after kneading and rolling out the dough, you can then add your meat and stuff and then roll it up and sprinkle floor over it and set if side in baking pan to go in oven. Am thinking to try this. It’s only been about thirty years since I
        made and baked tortillas from scratch

        Reply

  37. I make so many bread type foods from scratch. I love it. I’ll definitely make these.

    Do you have any tips for making corn tortillas? Mine never turn out right even though I have a tortilla press.

    Reply

  38. These look so good! And I hear you about having a lot of peppers – we have anaheim chiles, poblanos, red bells and peperoncinis all blooming and growing! Our favorite way to use flour tortillas is with a diced pepper cooked in scrambled egg and sausage or bacon, wrapped and then grilled (panini style). Yum-O! Thanks so much for this recipe. It’s a little different than one that I have, so I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

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