Forget store bought tortillas, and make your own with this flour tortilla recipe. This homemade tortilla recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you wanted to make larger batches. They freeze perfectly!
Tortillas were one of the first types of bread I learned how to make just because of how easy it is. After making tortillas a couple of times, I slowly worked my way up to more complicated breads. So this is a great beginner's bread recipe to learn from!
If you're new to bread making, this is a great recipe to start with for a couple of reasons.
1) You don't need yeast. Yeast gives you a great piece of bread, but it can be very temperamental and takes a while to relax and rise.
2) This recipe is easy to follow and quite quick. No rise times needed my friends! All you need to do is rest your dough so it's easier to roll out.
3) And even if something goes wrong while making tortillas, you can probably hide it by frying up the evidence and making some flour tortilla chips. A delicious mistake!
These tortillas are made without lard or animal fat, so they're 100% vegan! Lard isn't an ingredient that I like to keep on hand just because I never use it.
I've also tried making tortillas with butter, but I find that butter doesn't give the tortilla as much softness and fold-ability as the vegetable oil. (Is fold-ability a word...?) The softness you get from the vegetable oil is what I think makes this the best tortilla recipe.
Jump to:
How to make tortillas:
To start making your tortilla dough, combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
Add your vegetable oil and warm water to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together until it starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth and soft (about 2 minutes).
Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Roll and shape your pieces into smooth balls. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature to make rolling the dough out easier.
Once your dough has rested, roll your pieces of dough into thin tortillas. I like to roll my dough out until it's under an ⅛ inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. You want these paper thin!
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add your first tortilla and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the first side. You'll know it's time to flip when you start to see some bubbles forming on the top of your tortilla, and the bottom should have golden brown spots.
After your tortilla is cooked, transfer it into a tortilla keeper or a plate lined with a tea towel. Cover your tortillas with either another tea towel or lid. It's very important to keep your tortillas covered until right before you plan on eating them, otherwise they'll dry out and harden.
Repeat cooking until all of your tortillas are done.
Enjoy! Tortillas are best served fresh and warm.
Difficulty rolling out dough:
If you're trying to roll out your tortillas and you find the dough starts springing back and shrinking on you, it usually just means the dough needs to rest. Letting your dough rest helps relax the gluten in it, which makes it easier to roll out.
Whenever your dough starts to give you trouble, try covering it and letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. You should be able to roll it out no problem after that.
How to store tortillas:
Like I mentioned above, tortillas should be covered until right before you plan on serving them (to prevent drying out).
If you don't finish all of your tortillas while they're still warm, transfer them to an airtight container or plastic bag after they've cooled completely to help preserve their freshness. Seal well, making sure to push out as much air as you can if you're using a plastic bag.
Tortillas will keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you don't plan on having them before then, tortillas also freeze very well!
How to freeze tortillas:
To freeze these flour tortillas, let the tortillas cool completely then transfer them to a freezer bag. Push out as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Freeze tortillas for up to 3 months.
To defrost frozen tortillas, set them out at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight to thaw. Before serving, I also like to warm the frozen tortillas in a skillet over medium heat for about a minute on each side, just to make them pliable and soft again.
If you liked these flour tortillas, check out some of these similar recipes!
• ranch chicken wraps
• rolled buttermilk biscuits
• homemade soft pretzels
• dinner rolls
• sandwich bread
• easy no knead bread
Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 & ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 & ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120mL) warm water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
- Add vegetable oil and warm water to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it becomes smooth and soft (about 1 to 2 minutes).
- Divide and shape the dough into 8 even balls. Cover and let the balls rest for 15-20 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough out until it's very thin (under ⅛ inch). Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place on tortilla into the skillet and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the first side. You'll know it's time to flip once the bottom has golden brown spots and the top starts to bubble and puff up.
- Flip your dough and cook the other side until you start to see golden spots (about 30 seconds). Take the tortilla out of your skillet and place it on a tea towel lined plate or a tortilla keeper. Cover the dough with a tea towel or lid to prevent it from drying out.
- Repeat the cooking and covering process with your remaining dough. Make sure you leave your tortillas tightly covered until you're just ready to serve to prevent having them dry out.Tortillas are best served fresh and warm.
Video
Enjoy!
Meaghan says
Mine ended up really hard. Any reason why?
Meaghan says
I guess crispy would be a more accurate term
Mimi says
Hey Meaghan! I'm so sorry the tortillas didn't turn out!! It depends on when you noticed they hardened, but here are a few of the most common problems: If the raw dough was kind of firm and dry, it could mean there was too much weight worth of flour packed in. If the dough was fine, but the tortillas came off the heat feeling hard, then the heat may have been too low, which caused them to dry out before they had a chance to brown nicely outside. If the tortillas felt soft while they were warm, but hardened once they cooled down, they may have been exposed to too much air and may need a tighter cover next time.
Gloria Engdahl says
Can you freeze these?
Mimi says
Yes you can! Let them cook completely then keep stored in an airtight freezer container or plastic bag for up to 3 months 🙂
Debra M says
This is the 2nd time I made these. I do use my standing mixer they turned out great. Home made enchiladas for supper. Great and easy recipe. Thanks!!
Anshirley says
Can you use a stand mixer with a dough hook?
Mimi says
Yes, you can! 🙂
Sidney says
Can you make this ahead the morning of and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to fry? If so, does that change anything about the cooking process/time?
Mimi says
Yes you can! You can portion out the balls of dough and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days (covered tightly with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out). I don't recommend rolling the dough out until you're ready to cook them because it's more prone to sticking and stretching all over the place after a long rest in the fridge! Everything else in the recipe stays the same 🙂
Christina says
Simple and delicious!
Kay says
Made for the first time to have with fajita’s. So easy and delicious. My husband comment about the roundness. Told him I did it on purpose so he could tell the difference between home made and store bought. LOL
Ruth says
The dough was way to wet , almost a liquid. What did I do wrong. I followed instructions carefully.
Katie says
Soooo good!! After reading the ingredients I was not convinced these would turn out... too easy! But they did, and are DELICIOUS!!! Thank you!
Mimi says
Yayy!!! I'm so happy you liked them! ❤️
Jenny says
Unbelievably easy! Not messy to make-I doubled the recipe and they were perfect! This is a go to recipe! Thank you.
Mimi says
You're very welcome! So glad you liked them!! ❤️
Derek says
Have you tried using a tortilla press for this recipe?
Mimi says
Hey Derek! I personally don't love using a press for flour tortillas just because the gluten can make them difficult to flatten to the perfect thinness. A rolling pin is much better for stretching this dough!
Melanie Carr says
I enjoyed your recipe, however, please tell the people to grease their pans. I almost through away my dough. I even have a non-stick pan and just heating up the pan does not work. Just saying.
Mimi says
Hey Melanie! I'm so sorry the tortillas gave you some trouble! I've personally never had an issue with them sticking to the dry pan - the oil in the dough should keep them from sticking (I typically use a stainless steel skillet). Two of the biggest reasons they could be sticking are either because the pan is too cold (and they don't form a crust on the surface quickly enough) or the pan is too hot (and they're browning too quickly in certain points).
Brianna says
These are super thin. The taste is great but compared to store bought they aren’t fluffy they are thin. It’s also very difficult to actually roll into a circle but that’s probably just operator error there
Michelle says
I like to grill my tortillas, has anyone tried it with this recipe?
Jennifer Griffin says
These are AMAZING! I have never made homemade tortillas before and I don’t think I’ll ever buy them again. Only thing are the dough balls supposed to rise while they sit? Mine didn’t and we ended up with 8 tiny tortillas. Want to adjust what I need to because these were the best.
Mimi says
Hey Jennifer! I'm so happy you liked the recipe!! The dough isn't supposed to rise - it's just SUPER difficult to roll out the fresh dough. The rest time is so the gluten in the dough has a chance to relax after all the mixing and kneading so that the tortillas don't keep shrinking in on themselves when you roll them out 🙂
Sydney says
Have you used any oil other than a vegetable oil? I’m thinking butter/olive oil/coconut oil?
Mimi says
Hey Sydney! I've made these tortillas with olive oil, melted coconut oil, and canola oil, and they all make great substitutions! The only thing I'd note is that olive oil and coconut oil will slightly change the flavor of the tortillas, so it just depends on if you'd like that added flavor. I haven't personally tried this recipe with butter before, but I'd love to know how it goes for you if you give it a try!
Rachel says
I was thinking about using avocado oil.. I stay away from vegetable/canola they are so bad for you
Mimi says
Hey Rachel! I've never personally tried making these with avocado oil, but some readers on Pinterest have said they've used it with no problem. I'd love to know how it goes if you do give the substitution a try! ❤️
Harold Evans says
These are the best tortillas I’ve ever tasted #Better than store bought ones
Julina says
Actually I used this recipe for making Apple Pie Style of Chimichangas in an Airfryer. It turned out really delicious and suitable so I will keep this recipe for next time.
Mimi says
Hey Julina. I'm so happy to hear you liked the recipe!! Airfryer apple pie Chimichangas sound AMAZING! I'm so giving that a try 🤤❤️
Cindi says
My first homemade tortillas!! They were amazing and easy. Really nice recipe!!
Mimi says
Hey Cindi!
Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear you liked them 😊
Winterbaby says
I just gott done making these to eat with a green chili stew i prepared they are so soft and delicious thank u i will definitely!! pass this one on!
Mimi says
I'm so happy you liked them! 🙂
Shirley says
Can you use rice flour instead of regular flour.
Thank you
Mimi says
Hi Shirley! I haven't tried this recipe out with rice flour before, so I can't say for sure. I do know that tortilla recipes that use any sort of gluten free flour substitutes are created a little bit different than mine. Although I wish you could try my tortillas, I'd recommend shopping around for a recipe that's crafted with rice flour in mind ❤️
Jane Warren says
Great results first time! Thank you. I'll be using your recipe regularly.
Mimi says
You're very welcome, Jane! I'm glad you liked it 🙂
Paulette Gearhart says
Can you make them and then freeze them
Mimi says
You sure can! Keep them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and they'll keep for up to 3 months in the freezer 🙂
indianeskitchen says
I am definitely trying these! Thank you SO much!
Mimi says
You're very welcome! I hope you like them