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
Ha ha! Fabulous-Fajita Mel is my sister!! She taught me how to make tortillas too! (among MANY other things). I have to agree… there is NOTHING like hot, fresh, homemade tortillas. I learned a funny concept from Alton Brown about tortillas that I thought I’d share… Apparently, after you’ve made homemade tortillas, and have fried them up into tortilla chips, you can actually grind them up after they’ve gone stale and turn them into…. TORTILLAS! Just like a phoenix, they have a never-ending life cycle! Who would have thought!
P.S. Mel introduced me to you guys by giving me your cookbook as a gift… one of the best gifts I have ever received. NO KIDDING – EVERY single recipe I have tried has turned out incredible. Good work!
These are amazing! They will be perfect for a great recipe that my momma and I came up with in which we use the “cook yourself” tortilla’s (as they are much better than the not-so-tasty store bought ones). And I imagine these will make my recipe into the first place recipe it was destined to be (it came in 2nd place on a Utah’s Own recipe contest the news held a few years back). And I must say, I do love that Fabulous Fajita Mel – I just never knew her in such context until she pointed me in the direction of the tortilla recipe on your website when we were discussing how much we adore your cookbook/website.
You’ve ruined me. Thanks a lot! My boys love quesadillas, but we were out of tortillas and live WAY out in the country. I remembered you posting about these back at Cinco de Mayo, so I looked it up and made them. Best quesadillas. Ever. For my lunch, I sauteed some cubed zucchini and potatoes in some olive oil & butter, seasoned with sea salt and a titch of onion powder (I would ordinarily cook some onion, too – but I’m 6 weeks and onions aren’t doing it for me.) I threw that in my amazing tortilla with some cheddar-jack cheese and a scrambled egg. Ohmygoodness. Thank you for this recipe, I’m not sure I’ll go back!
great site. My sisters and I have one where we post our healthy recipes and health info. One we’re going to do a post on is shortening/fat and the healthier versions…if you’re going to use shortening, look into spectrum’s organic non-hydrogenized shortening, if you haven’t yet. 🙂
Do you know anything about Powdered Shortening? I went to the local baking store intending to buy butter flavored shortening for this very recipe, and the lady sold me powdered shortening. It’s kind of soupy when you mix it up. Would that still work in this recipe?
I haven’t tried these yet, but I’m sure they’re amazing.
Better yet- try them for OBB’s Baked Cinnamon Chips!
I think that we may have been separated at birth, except that I am a lot older than you. I LOVE Lyle Lovett and think that everyone who doesn’t listen to him is really missing out on his superior music. I also just read your Mint Brownie/Tim Riggins brownie today and have to say that I love, love, love Friday Night Lights and have watched it since it first came out. I even switched to Directv for it and to get a Tim Riggins fix, Coach Taylor, too! All the recipes I’ve tried from your site have been so delicious and I’m about to buy your book at Costco. Thanks for your wonderful blog!
Oh, see, I LOVE me some Coach Taylor–in fact, I’m kind of more in love with him than Tim Riggins. Coach Taylor’s the guy I’d marry, Tim Riggins, is the guy I’d lust after, and Matt Saracen…oh, Matty, break my heart…
I agree on all counts! I was so sad when I watched the last episode. I admit that a few actual tears may have rolled down my cheeks. I think that it was the most perfect finale of a show ever! If you haven’t already seen it and enjoy something funny, the show “Arrested Development” is also an awesome show! :o)
i put milled/ground flaxseed and chia into it (tried to have a healthier version), everything else according to the recipe… but it turned out pretty hard… not sure if it was the seeds or the temperature… it was between low and middle heat. What should do I do make it nice and soft? I really don’t wanna buy tortillas, want to make them myself. I wonder if I can use coconut oil
I have never made fresh tortellas before. Judgeing from some comments, could one use a flat heavy pan to keep them from bubbling up? My tomatoes are blooming, so I can’t wait for fresh tacos and a BLT or two or three!!!! Yummy!
Thank you for this recipe. I have tried making them in the past with the same experience you wrote about in your first paragraph and had given up. At times I buy the cook kind at Costco but they are so expensive. I look forward to trying this recipe this week.