Valentina Ablaev
This flour tortilla recipe makes soft, fluffy, and chewy homemade tortillas using just a few simple ingredients. These easy-from-scratch flour tortillas come together quickly and are perfect for tacos, burritos, and wraps. If you’ve ever wondered how to make the best homemade flour tortillas, this foolproof recipe is for you!
Homemade tortillas are great for everything from classic ground beef tacos and burritos to even homemade chebureki for my Slavic followers!
What Are Flour Tortillas?
Flour tortillas are a thin “flatbread”, typically made with flour and a fat. Traditional recipes call for lard or shortening, but we made the perfect tortilla using just oil!
The best part about making tortillas from scratch is that the entire process is quick and there’s no long rise time.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Clean ingredients. Making flour tortillas at home eliminates the need for the countless chemicals and fillers you’ll find in store-bought packages.
- Better texture and flavor. Just like most things, tortillas taste so much better when made from scratch! Nothing beats a fresh tortilla, hot off the pan!
- Quick process. This recipe requires no long rise time, making it the perfect last-minute addition to your dinner.
Ingredients for Flour Tortillas
All you need are a few simple ingredients for tortillas – pretty much anyone can make them:
- Flour – We use all-purpose flour for these tortillas, making this recipe accessible to everyone.
- Salt – The key to adding flavor to these tortillas, making them delicious on their own.
- Baking powder – A touch of baking powder gives these tortillas a nice rise and chewy texture.
- Water – Warm water is the only liquid you need to make these tortillas.
- Oil – Our choice of fat is olive oil, while many recipes use lard or butter.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Best Fat for Flour Tortillas (Oil vs Lard vs Butter)
Though lard or shortening is the traditional ingredient, it’s not something many people have in their pantries, and I know lots who don’t love using it. Melted butter offers a great alternative, but we find that oil gives you consistent results with great flavor and texture.
Tools for this Recipe
Shop all of Valentina’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and kitchen must-haves!
- All you need to form these tortillas is a rolling pin and a nice skillet!
- Optional: You can also use a tortilla press to make thin, even tortillas.
Pro Tips for Soft and Fluffy Tortillas:
- Roll the tortillas evenly. When shaping the tortillas, roll the dough evenly and flatten the edges to get perfectly thin tortillas.
- Don’t use extra flour. When rolling out each tortilla, avoid using extra flour, as it will make the tortilla dry.
- Keep the dough covered. Keep the dough you aren’t actively working with covered with a towel or a bowl. This keeps the dough moist and workable.
- Use a hot pan. The cooking process is fast, and you’ll want to keep the pan hot. We keep it at a medium/high heat.
- Don’t overcook. These tortillas cook quickly, so be careful not to overcook them and end up with dry and tough tortillas.
- Cover cooked tortillas. As you’re cooking the tortillas, keep the cooked ones covered with a wet paper towel. This keeps them fresh longer.
How to Make Flour Tortillas (Step-by-Step)
- Mix dry ingredients. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Add wet ingredients. Make a well in the center, then pour in the warm water and oil.
3. Form the dough. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 1-2 minutes. For best results, cover and rest the dough for 10-15 minutes.
4. Shape dough balls. Cut the dough into equal pieces.
5. Roll tortillas. Roll each ball out into a thin tortilla.
6. Cook the tortillas. Once the skillet is hot, place a tortilla in the pan and cook until bubbles form around the edges. Turn the tortilla with a spatula and cook for another 45–60 seconds. Remove from the pan and cover to keep warm.
Continue with the remaining tortillas.
Do You Need to Rest Tortilla Dough?
Letting the dough rest for 10-15 minutes will make the tortillas softer and easier to roll.
What Size to Make Tortillas
The number of tortillas you get depends on the size you want:
- 8 tortillas – 10 inches in diameter
- 10 tortillas – 9 inches in diameter
- 12 tortillas – 8 inches in diameter
FAQs
You can skip the baking powder, but know your tortillas may not get as fluffy.
Tough tortillas result from using too much flour, overworking the dough, or overbaking the dough.
To keep the tortillas soft, the key is less air exposure. Once the dough comes together, cover it and let it cook. Once cooked, keep those tortillas covered, too.
When rolling out the tortillas, even thickness is crucial. Do this by applying even pressure with a rolling pin or using a tortilla press.
These tortillas cook for less than one minute per side.
Tortillas are super freezer-friendly. Keep our detailed instructions below for freezing and reheating tortillas.
How to Serve Tortillas
- Tacos: Smaller tortillas are great for tacos! Make simple chicken tacos or even our fan-favorite shrimp tacos with homemade cilantro sauce.
- Quesadillas: Make large tortillas, fill with cheese and your favorite protein, then fold to make homemade quesadillas! Our cheesy steak quesadilla is always a hit, or you can keep it simple with a cheese quesadilla.
- Burritos: You’ll want big tortillas – around 10 inches in diameter to make burritos. Burritos with homemade mexican beef make for an incredible meal.
How to Store and Reheat Flour Tortillas
- Storage. Store cooked tortillas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm up tortillas in a pan or skillet for the freshest taste.
- Freeze. Let the tortillas cool completely before freezing. Arrange the tortillas in a freezer-safe bag with a piece of parchment paper between each tortilla. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat: Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat and add the frozen or thawed tortilla. Cook for 30 seconds per side until warm and soft.
More Easy Recipes
If you enjoyed this simple tortilla recipe, be sure to try our other “from scratch” recipes; here are some of our favorites:
Recipes- Recipes
- Recipes
If you tried this flour tortilla recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe (Soft &Fluffy)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup warm water
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Dry ingredients: Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine.
- Wet ingredients: In the center, create a well, add the water and oil.
- Combine: Mix ingredients until combined, then transfer to a floured counter and knead for 1-2 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and well incorporated. Tightly cover and rest 10-15 minutes.
- Shape: Divide the dough into 8-12 equal parts and shape each part into a ball. Use a rolling pin dusted with flour to roll out to a thin circle, rolling from the center of the ball to the edges.
- Cook: Heat skillet over medium/high heat. Once hot, add the tortilla. Cook until it starts to bubble around the edge, around 30 seconds.
- Turn: Using a spatula, flip the tortilla. Cook for another 45-60 seconds. Remove from the pan and cover to keep warm until serving.
- Repeat: Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Notes
- Roll evenly: When shaping the tortillas, roll the dough evenly and gently flatten the edges to create thin, uniform tortillas.
- Skip extra flour: Avoid adding extra flour while rolling, as it can make the tortillas dry and tough.
- Keep dough covered: Cover any dough you’re not using with a towel or bowl to prevent it from drying out.
- Use a hot skillet: Make sure your pan is properly heated before cooking—tortillas cook quickly and need high heat.
- Don’t overcook: Cook just until lightly golden and puffed. Overcooking will make them stiff instead of soft.
- Cover after cooking: Stack cooked tortillas and cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them soft and fresh.
- Tortilla sizes: The number of tortillas will depend on the size you want. Adjust measurements accordingly:
- Store properly: Keep tortillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat for best texture: Warm tortillas in a skillet or pan to bring back their soft, fresh texture.
- Freeze for later: Let tortillas cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between each one. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, warm in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side until soft and heated through.
