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You’ll be so surprised at how easy flour tortillas are to make right at home! Fresh, homemade tortillas straight out of the pan are a million times better than any store bought tortillas.

One of the best things about this recipe – you’re only going to need five ingredients! YES. All you need is flour, baking powder, cooking oil, salt, water and a rolling pin. THAT’S IT! Healthy, soft and with no artificial preservatives, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t tried homemade flour tortillas sooner.

Flour fresh Tortillas on a plate.

FLOUR TORTILLAS

Similar to Flatbreads, flour tortillas are extremely versatile and go perfectly with absolutely anything! Think Chicken Fajitas or Carne Asada, Carnitas, Slow Cooker Barbacoa Short Rib Tacos, Quesadillas… the possibilities are endless! Or fry them up and make your very own tortilla chips to dip into creamy Guacamole, Pico De Gallo or Queso dip!

Close up image of Crispy Pork Carnitas.

HOW TO MAKE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Store-bought tortillas will be a thing of the past after you’ve mastered these super easy flour tortillas! If you love cooking and eating Mexican food as much as we do, this flour tortilla recipe is worth trying. All you need is 30 minutes, a bowl and a nonstick pan. Get ready people!

  • Start off by mixing the dough. You need to use hot water, as hot as your hands can handle. NOT boiling, just hot enough to help the dough come together quickly.
  • When you’re done it should be sticky to the touch (the stickier the dough, the softer the tortillas.)
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with about 1 tablespoon extra flour and knead until it forms a smooth, soft, playdough-like, semi-sticky ball. You may want to give up but don’t! Give it a good 2-3 minutes of kneading and it will come together easily.
  • Divide the dough into 8 equal balls for larger tortillas, or 9 balls for smaller sized.
  • Working one piece at a time, flatten one ball out with the palms of your hands to resemble a thick disk.
  • Lightly dust both sides with flour and set them aside.
  • Cover with a clean kitchen towel for 10 minutes.

Roll each ball of dough to an 8-9-inch circle over the edges so that they are the same thickness all around (aim for about 2mm thick). You want a thin tortilla you can pretty much see-through when holding it up.

Collage image on how to make Tortillas: Dough being stored in a glass bowl, rolled into a ball, cut into smaller pieces and rolled into smaller balls. A dough ball is flattened with a palm and rolled out with a rolling pin.

HOW TO HEAT FLOUR TORTILLAS

Use a nonstick pan over a medium-high heat. If you don’t have nonstick, use a frying pan lightly greased with oil or butter.

Cook flour tortillas for about 1 minute on one side and flip them only once. Cook the other side for an additional 30 seconds until you see a hint of browned spots. The tortillas will puff up and cook perfectly.

WHAT TYPE OF FLOUR CAN BE USED

  • All purpose
  • Plain white flour
  • El Rosal (authentic Mexican flour)
  • Bread flour

Holding a Flour Tortilla to show size

TIPS

  • While one of your flour tortillas is cooking, roll the next piece out and repeat steps above (working one tortilla at a time avoids them drying out).
  • Stack your flour tortillas on a plate lined with a clean tea towel and wrap them up to keep them warm and soft while cooking the rest.

Freshly prepared Folded flour tortillas on a plate.

There you have it! They’re actually that easy. Pair your tortillas with your favourite meat, or fry up to make your very own homemade fried tortilla chips.

MORE BREAD RECIPES

Artisan Bread Recipe
Easy Flatbread Recipe (No Yeast)
Easy Soft Dinner Rolls (NO MIXER + EGG FREE)

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5 from 3 votes

Easy Flour Tortillas

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: tortillas
You’ll be so surprised by how EASY flour tortillas are to make right at home! Fresh and warm homemade tortillas straight out of the pan, healthier than store bought.
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Ingredients 
 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup water hot
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Instructions 

  • Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Make a well in the centre. Add in the water and vegetable oil, then mix together so that the water absorbs the flour. Use your hands to bring the dough together. The dough should be workable BUT sticky to the touch (sticky dough = soft tortillas).
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little extra flour if too sticky. Knead to form a smooth, soft and Playdoh-like ball, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 8 equal balls for larger tortillas, or 9 balls for smaller sized. Working one piece at a time, flatten one ball out with the palms of your hands to resemble a thick disk. Lightly dust both sides with flour and set them aside. Cover with a clean kitchen towel for 10 minutes.
  • Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
  • Use a rolling pin to roll out one piece of dough to an 8-9-inch circle about 2mm thick.
  • Cook one tortilla until set and lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until spots appear on both sides, about an additional 30 seconds.
  • While one piece is cooking, roll the next piece out and repeat steps above (working one tortilla at a time avoids them from drying out).
  • Stack them up on a plate lined with a clean tea towel and wrap them up to keep them warm and soft while cooking the rest.

Notes

TO STORE
Cooked tortillas can be stored at room temperature for a day wrapped in cling wrap or a ziplock back, or the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To freeze, let tortillas cool completely. Place a sheet of parchment paper between each tortilla and  wrap them in foil. Transfer them to a freezer bag.
REHEATING TORTILLAS
Place one tortilla on a plate. Cover with a damp sheet of paper towel. Microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this? Leave a comment below!
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5 from 3 votes

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6 Comments

  1. Myriam says:

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe, so simple to make and so yummy!

  2. Ole says:

    “Waistline friendly”

    That is definitely not fitting with regular flour 😉

  3. Lee Salmonsen says:

    5 stars
    Have you used a tortilla press?

  4. IcePonyGirl says:

    Best to use Crisco shortening!

  5. Sandy Rollins says:

    can these be mixed in a stand mixer, kneading is not a strong point for me

  6. Juanita says:

    5 stars
    Finally an authentic recipe that works! Just finished making them and they took me back to my childhood with my abuelita cooking them for us. The smell, the texture and the taste. You nailed them all!