If you’ve never had freshly-made flour tortillas, you really have to. After I had them the first time, I knew I could never go back. Yeah, there are times when I buy them and I always end up regretting it because I know what flour tortillas can be and a package of Mission tortillas ain’t it.
I tried a couple of times to make my own tortillas, but I always failed–they were always too thick because the dough was so tough that I wasn’t physically strong enough to roll them to the size and thickness and shape that I actually wanted them. And then I met Mel–Fabulous Fajita Mel–and I learned from her how to make my own gen-u-ine flour tortillas. And it’s really not THAT much work. Plus, the results are SO worth any extra effort it might take! I promise you, once you make these, you will never return to store-bought tortillas in good conscience.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- All purpose flour
- Very hot water – The water needs to be hot enough the melt the shortening but not hot enough to make an ooey-gooey mess. I usually get relatively warm water from my tap and then heat it for 45-60 seconds in the microwave.
- Kosher salt
- Shortening – Will this work with butter, coconut oil, lard, or any other fat? I have only ever used shortening in this recipe, but readers have reported luck with butter and other substitutes. If you try out an alternative, come back and let me know how it turned out!
How to Make Flour Tortillas
- First you’ll mix up some flour, salt and shortening in a heavy duty mixer. This mixture will look like bread crumbs.
- Then you’ll add some hot water to bring it all together.
- Portion your dough out into balls.
- When ready to cook, you’ll flatten each ball with your hand, then roll them thin, and pop them into a hot skillet to cook. In my experience dark spots on the tortillas mean they will cool and be a bit brittle. For best results I like to see gentle browning on the bubbled spots and a doughy look to the rest. You want them cooked through but supple.
- Serve immediately!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover tortillas in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days if left at room temp or 5-7 days if stored in the refrigerator.
- That first tortilla is sometimes like the first pancake: a bit of an experiment. Depending on how quickly it cooks, you can adjust your heat for the rest!
- This recipe will make 10-12 fajita-sized tortillas, about 8 medium-sized tortillas, or around 6 jumbo burrito/wrap tortillas.
- If your dough is a bit sticky, try letting it rest for 10 minutes so the flour can fully absorb the liquid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! These make great enchiladas!
You can! For best results, layer them between parchment or wax paper, seal in a zip top bag, and freeze up to 3 months.
You can reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, wrapped in a damp paper towel.
Nope! A rolling pin works well here. A tortilla press is more necessary with corn tortillas.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup very hot water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup shortening
Instructions
- In a heavy-duty mixer, combine flour and salt. Add in shortening and mix until well combined (it will resemble coarse bread crumbs). Add hot water. The water hotness is the key to these being easy to make–it needs to be hot enough to melt the shortening, but not SO hot that the dough turns into an ooey-gooey mess. (I usually get relatively warm water from my tap and then heat it for 45-60 seconds in the microwave.)
- When the dough is fully combined, remove from mixer and divide into portions (see recipe yields in notes) and shape portions into round balls.
- Preheat a non-stick or cast-iron skillet to medium-low heat. If necessary, spray your work surface with non-stick cooking spray; you may not need to because the dough isn’t particularly sticky, but it may be and you also don’t want to add any more flour to your dough. Press your palm against the surface of the dough ball, trying to maintain as much of a round shape as possible. Place rolling pin in middle of flattened dough ball and roll to desired thickness, shaping in a circle as you go.
- Place raw tortilla on preheated skillet. You’re going to be watching for bubbles. If you get little blistery bubbles, your skillet is too hot and you need to reduce the heat. You’re looking for big, fat, slow-bubbling bubbles. When you start to see them, flip the tortilla over and cook for another 30-45 seconds or so.
- If you’re cooking these quickly, you can just stack them on top of each other and they’ll stay warm. You can also wrap them in damp paper towels and then wrap them in foil and keep them in a warm oven (170℉) until you’re ready to use them.
Notes
- Store leftover tortillas in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days if left at room temp or 5-7 days if stored in the refrigerator.
- That first tortilla is sometimes like the first pancake: a bit of an experiment. Depending on how quickly it cooks, you can adjust your heat for the rest!
- Yield: This recipe will make 10-12 fajita-sized tortillas, about 8 medium-sized tortillas, or around 6 jumbo burrito/wrap tortillas.
- Nutrition facts were calculated for one medium-sized tortilla.
Questions & Reviews
I love the raw tortillas from Costco. I say if you can’t make your own, that’s the next best thing!
these look amazing. I love homeade tortillas but have only attempted to make them once. Lately, Ive been buying the raw tortillas at Costco and cooking them myself. They are really good, but I still want to try making my own again. Thanks for the instruction and inspiration.
oh and Sara, Derek and I argue about buying a tortilla press all the time. He thinks it will change my life, but I like my funky, non-circular homemade ones. Someday I’ll cave.
I don’t buy store tortillas anymore! Homemade are SO MUCH BETTER! And not too hard at all!
Hey! I have made my own tortillas but somehow they end up very puffed. Very good, but certainly not a tortilla. I’ll try these soon!
I have made my own tortillas and we loved the taste of them, but they didn’t stay together and fell apart. I’m definitely going to try this recipe! Can you substitute whole wheat flour?
I love these tortillas and I make them with wheat all the time. So much healthier and yummy too.
I love these homemade tortillas…And I haven’t had luck with my tortilla press (but it works great for corn tortillas!)
Alas, my sweet hubby no longer eats white flour, so don’t get to make this kind any more.
Sara–I’ve heard that tortilla presses are a good starting point, but they don’t get the dough thin enough for most people. I figure if it doesn’t work THAT great, it’s one less dish for me to wash! 🙂
Erin, you can SO do this! And think of it this way–if it doesn’t work, you’ll be out about 25 cents (if that!) and 20 minutes; not exactly high stakes here. To answer your questions…
1. I only double the batch if we’re having guests or I need a whole bunch of tortillas. If you’re in an industrious mood, you could make a whole bunch at once and cook them (or not) and freeze them and then use them as you need them. If you freeze them, you just need to let them thaw before you cook them.
2. You can store any uneaten tortillas in the fridge for a couple of days or the freezer for a couple of months. If you’re pulling them out of the fridge, just heat ’em up first so they taste good and they’re soft.
3. As far as rolling/cooking/rolling goes, these days, as long as I don’t have anything else going on, I heat up the skillet, roll a few out, and then cook while I finish rolling out the dough. HOWEVER. I have to get into that rhythm and it’s not something I’d recommend when you’re getting started. If you’re nervous, I’d roll all the tortillas out and then start cooking them so you can give them 100% of your attention.
Hope that helps! You can DO this! 🙂
I am also afraid to try this, but you encouraging Erin kind of encouraged me. i was going to buy my daughter a tortilla press for her 12th birthday (yes she wants a press and a waffle maker for her birthday lol, unfortunately i didn’t have the money to buy her either) so i think i will let my girls try this recipe
I have a tortilla press that has never actually left it’s box. I might have to give it a whirl one of these days!