This easy Homemade Tortilla recipe is the best tasting homemade flour tortillas I have ever eaten and far better than store-bought. You only need 3 ingredients to make your own flour tortillas and it’s likely you already have the ingredients in your pantry!
Homemade Flour Tortillas are great for making your favorite Mexican food. From enchiladas to tacos and burritos, these easy tortillas will be the only way you will ever want to eat tortillas again.
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: This easy tortilla recipe uses only 3 simple ingredients!
Versatile: Traditional flour tortillas are perfect for taco Tuesday to make your favorite soft tacos.
Taste great: Fresh homemade flour tortillas made at home are far better than store bought soft tortillas.
🥘 INGREDIENTS
This is one of the easiest recipes to make. I promise, once you have made this homemade flour tortilla recipe, you will never want to buy them in the store.
- White whole wheat flour
- Solid vegetable shortening
- Salt
- Water
🔪 How to make Homemade Tortillas
Making the dough
- Add the flour and shortening to a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingers until completely incorporated.
- Dissolve the salt in the water and pour ⅔ cup of the salt water over top of the flour mixture. Immediately work it in with a fork. The dough will be in large clumps.
- Scoop the soft dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth, adding more water as needed.
Shaping and resting the dough
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball.
- Set the tortilla dough balls on a plate, cover with sheets of plastic wrap, damp cloth, or damp paper towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Making the tortillas
- After the resting period, heat a cast-iron skillet or a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Shaping by hand: On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough into a 7-inch circle. Flatten a ball of dough with the palm of your hand, sprinkle with a little extra flour, then roll forward and back across it, rotating a sixth of a turn dough and roll forward and back again. Continue until it is a 7-inch circle.
- Using a tortilla press: Using two pieces of parchment paper, place one piece of paper on the press, place the dough ball in the center and top with another piece of parchment. Then press. Lift the tortilla press, and flip the tortilla over (still sandwiched between the parchment. Press firmly one more time. Then remove the tortilla and proceed to cook.
To cook the tortillas
- Lay the first tortilla on the hot griddle. After 30-45 seconds, when golden brown spots show underneath, flip it over. cook another 30-45 seconds more, until the second side is browned. Do not overcook or the tortilla will become crisp.
- Remove and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and stack them on top of each other.
🙋 Recipe FAQ's
It all comes down to flavor and diet. Lard is animal product so if you are vegetarian, use the vegetable shortening, if you want a different flavor profile, use lard.
Wrap the tortillas in a towel and place them in the microwave for 30 seconds. For just 1 tortilla, wrap and heat for 10 seconds. These can also be reheated on the grill for a few seconds on each side.
Tips
- When measuring the flour, stir the flour first to aerate it. Then spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. Do not tap the cup to fill it, this will enable too much flour to pack into the cup and make the tortillas dry.
- Center the dough ball in a tortilla press to make thin tortillas that are more uniform.
- Use a piece of parchment paper to separate the warm tortillas while stacking them after cooking and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.
📖 Variations
- Lard or coconut oil makes a great substitute for the shortening.
- In a pinch, you can use all purpose flour in place of white whole wheat
🍽 Equipment
Tortilla Press or Wooden Rolling Pin
Cast Iron Skillet or large cast iron griddle: I highly recommend the cast iron as it heats evenly and holds heat well. You want the tortillas to cook quickly without getting crisp and I feel the cast iron does the best job.
Use a pastry blender (affiliate link) does the best job cutting the shortening into the flour. You can use a fork if necessary.
🏫 What I've Learned
- Making homemade tortillas is not hard. The first time I made these I knew I would never buy tortillas from the store again. These are just as good, if not better than those you would get from a Mexican restaurant!
- This is an easy tortilla recipe to make with very little effort.
- The tortilla press is awesome! It takes a little effort to learn how to use it at first, but it makes the most perfectly shaped tortillas.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these easy flour tortillas warm as a side to Grilled Avocado with Cilantro Lime Cream. I also like to use them to make this Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe or Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce.
Serve the soft flour tortillas warm or toasted with your favorite dips. Some of our favorites are Spinach Artichoke Dip, Jalapeno Bacon Cheeseburger Dip and I love to spread Mom's Easy Cheese Ball Recipe on tortillas and make pinwheels.
Storage
Store cooked tortillas in an airtight container or a ziploc bag that has had the air pressed from the bag. Tortillas can be stored up to 3 days on the counter, 1 week in the refrigerator, and 3 months in the freezer.
Related Recipes
Easy Green Chicken Enchilada Recipe - low carb
When you make this homemade tortilla recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe
Equipment
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoon
- Tortilla press
- Pastry blender , or fork
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Ingredients
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 5 heaping tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup hot water
Instructions
Making the dough
- Add the flour and shortening to a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingers until completely incorporated.
- Dissolve the salt in the water and pour ⅔ cup of the salt water over top of the flour mixture. Immediately work it in with a fork. The dough will be in large clumps.
- Scoop the soft dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth, adding more water as needed.
Shaping and resting the dough
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball.
- Set the tortilla dough balls on a plate, cover with sheets of plastic wrap, damp cloth, or damp paper towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Making the tortillas
- After the resting period, heat a cast-iron skillet or a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Shaping by hand
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough into a 7-inch circle. Flatten a ball of dough with the palm of your hand, sprinkle with a little extra flour, then roll forward and back across it, rotating a sixth of a turn dough and roll forward and back again. Continue until it is a 7-inch circle.
Using a tortilla press
- Using two pieces of parchment paper, place one piece of paper on the press, place the dough ball in the center and top with another piece of parchment. Then press.
- Lift the tortilla press, and flip the tortilla over (still sandwiched between the parchment. Press firmly one more time. Then remove the tortilla and proceed to cook.
To cook the tortillas
- Lay the first tortilla on the hot griddle. After 30-45 seconds, when golden brown spots show underneath, flip it over. cook another 30-45 seconds more, until the second side is browned. Do not overcook or the tortilla will become crisp.
- Remove and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and stack them on top of each other.
Lyn Turner
Just wondering if I can use unbleached white flour instead of all purpose? Does it make a difference? I have a lot of unbleached white flour at home and it barely gets used. 🙂
Thanks
honeyb
I think using unbleached white flour would work just as well. Good luck!
Anonymous
I have mine setting up now. I plan on using the tortillas for grilled cheeseburger wraps. Can't wait to try them since I love homemade foods.
Anonymous
i don't have veggie shortening, so will veggie oil work? thanks elizabeth
honeyb
I don't recommend using oil.
Anonymous
Very Quick and Easy:
-Saute onions and peppers in olive oil.
-Add a lot of chili powder and cumin, a little paprika and garlic powder. (I add Cayenne Pepper for an extra kick)
- Add chunks of raw chicken and saute until the chicken is done.
Anonymous
I love home made flour tortillas. In the south, we have gravy and biscuits. When I went to Mexico, I ate home made tortillas, scrambled eggs, and refried beans. It is pretty much the same equivilant Yum yum..
Lillian (My Recipe Journey)
Hi Shelby!!! This is Lillian from AR Allstars! I just found your blog on Pinterest...and I'm so glad I did! Great blog! I'll was looking at this tortilla recipe! I've been thinking about trying them too!
Chivacis
You can also enjoy the flour tortilla as a dessert....simply fry up the pressed tortilla, dust tortilla with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and enjoy. Buñelos are a New Years Eve Tex-mex tradition at my house. Just an FYI ... My mom added a bit of baking soda and baking powder to her flour tortilla mixture. Awh....memories. Thanks for recipe .... And yes you can freeze tortilla after they are pressed out...just place wax paper between each tortilla and freeze.
Chivacis
You can use the flour tortilla recipe and fry them up and dust both sides with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (buñelos) aka fried elephant ears. Fry them up right after you press out...from dough consistency. Super delicious .....it's a Tex-mex New Years Eve tradition at our home. My mom added a small amount of baking soda and baking powder.....awh the awesome memories. Enjoy your buñelos!
Anonymous
These sound wonderful, I'm looking forward to trying them out. We love mexican food. For my filling I either use Goya brand marinade OR World Harbors Fajita marinade.
Anonymous
Love this recipe thank you for sharing it. I've used it 2 now. Once with shortening once with butter. Try substituting the shortening for butter the flavor is delicious!
Anonymous
Made these tonight for soft tacos...yummy! Tasted awesome with honey & cinnamon too!
Kim
I've been meaning to make my own tortillas forever, I've just been too hesitant to try it. I'm going to tough it out and try though! Thanks for the recipe!
What a Dish!
I'm going to try your recipe- I actually saw this on Pinterest but the credit wasn't your blog, just Google, for some reason, but luckily I knew it was you from the watermark. Love the pic, btw. Anyway, these look so good and I've only ever made thick and puffy flour tortillas; I want to make some thin ones! Will try this soon! 😉
Muriel
I made these for supper tonight and they were amazing! The flavor was much better than store-bought. A little time-consuming so next time I will cook on the griddle and make a double batch and freeze extras. Also, I didn't have a rolling pin, so I pressed them out with my hands and it worked fine.
Trisha
If I wanted to freeze some for later, should I freeze them before or after cooking??
Jessica
just made these tonight! not the same taste as store bought tortillas, but that was to be expected. these were still delicious for mini quesadillas! the only problems I ran into were not having a rolling pin to roll them out (being a college student, my kitchen isn't very well stocked!) still delicious and easy =]
Paula
You can always use a heavy smooth glass (don't press down too hard), or even a jar of pickles or salsa, or can of veggies...you get the idea. Just try wrapping the item you use in plastic wrap or even aluminium foil so you don't have a dirty label smooshing into your tortillas. Or you could just lay the plastic wrap or foil over the tortillas instead of trying to wrap your choice of "rolling pin". That might be easier.
My Grandma gave me a set of cookbooks for Christmas when I was in the 6th grade and the Mexican Cookbook had a recipe to make tortillas at home. I had no idea that was even possible! I made them and they were so good, I ate them all myself before anyone even knew I made them. (:
Sophia
Great looking tortilla. Try this recipe. It's what I use for fajita fillings!
http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/chicken_fajitas.htm
Marinated grilled chicken is piled into warm tortillas and topped with a bold cheese sauce, chunky Salsa, green onions and buttery avocado.
* 1/4 C. Italian salad dressing
* 6 boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Cheddar Cheese Soup
* 1/2 C. Pace® Chunky Salsa
* 12 (8") Mission® Fajita Size Flour Tortillas, warmed
* 4 green onions, thinly sliced
* 1 small avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced (optional)
Directions
Pour dressing into shallow nonmetallic dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 min., turning occasionally. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard marinade. Grill or broil chicken 15 min. or until done, turning once. Mix soup and salsa in saucepan. Heat through. Slice chicken into thin strips and place down center of each tortilla. Top with onions, avocado and soup mixture. Fold tortilla around filling. Makes 12 fajitas.
Let me know what you think! 🙂
~Sophia
Dawn (KitchenTravels)
Very nice photos, and your tortillas look incredible! I will definitely have to give these a try. We like to set up "build your own" fajitas at the dinner table, with bowls of toppings (salsa, guac, roasted corn, onions, sour cream, etc.) so everyone can customize their own. Grilled fish or shrimp sprinkled with lime, garlic, cumin, chili powder and S&P are two of my favorites! 🙂
Rachel & Dan
Great idea to make tortillas!! I use this recipe for fajitas:
Great idea to make tortillas!! I use this recipe for fajitas: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fajitas-recipe2/index.html
it is so flavorful and has the perfect amount of spice! It's also fun to make 🙂
Mrs4444
Great--It's 10:30pm, and my mouth is watering!