Homemade Flour Tortillas. If you haven’t, you must. These are incredibly tasty, beyond easy to make, and will be a fast family favorite. I promise.
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A warm, soft flour tortilla is one of my all-time favorite foods. I am not kidding. When I was pregnant with both of my girls, I would eat flour tortillas like they were going to run out. Plain flour tortillas, flour tortillas stuffed with anything in the fridge, flour tortillas covered in cheese and drenched in salsa – I didn’t care as long as I had my tortilla in hand. I think this is why my kids love them so much.
I started making our flour tortillas from scratch recently. Looking at the ingredients list of the store bought variety didn’t make me feel great. I tried it, from scratch, and they are amazing. And, so very simple. I will never go back to the store bought kind again.
These Homemade Flour Tortillas are buttery, soft with the perfect amount of chewiness, and just plain delicious. Whether you want one warmed up for a snack, stuffed with the weekly Taco Tuesday offerings, or even with a drizzle of honey for a sweet treat, you’ve got to try these. You do it this way one time and you’ll never look back.
flour tortillas ingredients
Most of the ingredients in this homemade flour tortilla recipe come straight from your fridge and pantry—just a few basics and you’re just minutes away from the best tortillas of your life!
Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- All Purpose Flour
- Salted Butter
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Hot Water
I told you. You don’t need many ingredients at all!
how to make homemade flour tortillas
This part is so simple you will wonder why you haven’t been making flour tortillas from scratch from the beginning. I use the dough hook attachment on my food processor to really make it easy. And, because I’m lazy, but that’s a story for another time.
the dough
Add all of the ingredients to a bowl (food processor, stand mixer, or regular mixing bowl) and pulse/mix until a shaggy ball of dough forms.
Pour the dough ball out onto a slightly floured surface and knead for just a couple of minutes or until a smooth dough ball forms. Cover the dough ball with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Don’t skip this part, it will make the rolling out process much, much easier.
After the dough has rested, divide the ball into 12 equal wedges. Roll those wedges into balls.
rolling
Roll out each dough ball until it is round-ish (this doesn’t need to be perfect) and is about 8-inches in diameter. Repeat until each dough ball is rolled out.
Do try to get the tortillas rolled out as evenly as possible. Even if you tortilla is in the shape of Delaware, as long as it is evenly rolled, it will be amazing!
cooking
Heat your cast iron skillet to medium to medium-high heat. The skillet needs to be hot, but not too hot or the tortillas will be crispy. We are not trying to turn these things into chips.
Add just a touch of avocado oil to the skillet, using a paper towel to spread it around the skillet evenly. You do not want a visible amount of oil in the skillet. Just enough to keep things from sticking.
Carefully lay out a tortilla onto the skillet, when you start to see bubbles and a few slightly brown spots on the bottom (this takes 1-2 minutes depending on heat), flip it.
Continue cooking until you see brown spots on the opposite side. Depending on how hot your skillet is, this will take anywhere from 20-30 seconds.
steaming
After the tortilla is cooked on both sides, place it on a plate and cover it with a slightly damp dish towel. This will help to steam the tortillas and help them to become incredibly soft.
Repeat until all the tortillas are cooked and allowed to hang out under the dish towel. Enjoy! And, try not to eat them all at one time. This is the hard part for me!
flour tortilla tips and tricks
- Allow the dough to rest for at least 10-15 minutes. This allows the glutens to relax and will make rolling the tortillas much easier.
- If you find that the tortillas spring back during rolling, just the the dough rest another 15-20 minutes.
- Roll the tortillas pretty thin. For this recipe, I roll them to about 8-inches in diameter and they are almost translucent. Any thicker and the tortillas won’t be tender.
- Roll the tortillas as evenly as you can. If you have areas of thick and thin they will cook unevenly.
- I love the flavor of butter in the recipe, but olive oil and avocado would work or any fairly neutral flavored oil you like. I don’t recommend peanut oil or coconut oil just because the flavor is a bit strong.
- Cook the tortillas just long enough to see some nice bubbles and a few light brown spots. If the heat is too high, they run the risk of being stiff after cooking. Medium to slight medium-high heat is a good sweet spot.
- After cooking, keep the tortillas covered with a kitchen towel. They will be able to steam a bit and it keeps them lovely and soft and wonderful and better than any tortillas ever. Promise.
- I store my tortillas in the fridge to make them last longer – not that that has ever been an issue. However, they will be stiff when cold. All you have to do it heat then in the microwave about 15 seconds, covered with a damp cloth or paper towel. They’ll go right back to being wonderful again.
recipe frequently asked questions
The amount of different things I have put into a tortilla should probably embarrass me, but it doesn’t. I have no shame. A flour tortilla can be a vehicle for literally anything. From your regular Taco Tuesday players, to ham and cheese, to a wrap for Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps, you cannot go wrong. A popular breakfast request at my house is to load them up with soft, scrambled eggs and bacon. I have been known to roll them up and dip them in Queso whilst sitting my happy rear end on the couch- this makes me very, very happy.
So, in closing, you cannot go wrong. Eat them plain, stuff them with anything, or dip them in melty cheese and salsa. They’re delicious anyway to choose.
Tortilla comes from the Spanish word “tort” – which means cake. The more you know.
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Homemade Flour Tortillas
Equipment
- food processor with dough attachment or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 3 cups AP flour
- 5 tbsp butter, softened
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1-1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into the bowl of the food processor (or stand mixer or mix by hand). Pulse until a shaggy dough forms.
- Pour dough out onto pastry mat and knead by hand until a smooth ball forms.
- Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes. This allows the glutens to relax. Don't skip this part or rolling the tortillas will be difficult.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll those pieces into balls.
- Roll each piece into thin, even, 8-inch diameter circles.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add just a touch of avocado oil, using paper towel to spread it around the skillet evenly. You do not want a visible amount of oil in the skillet. Just enough to keep things from sticking.
- Carefully lay out a tortilla onto the skillet, when you start to see bubbles and a few slightly brown spots on the bottom (this takes 1-2 minutes depending on your heat), flip.
- Cook until a few brown spots develop on the other side. This will take approximately 20-30 seconds.
- Place the cooked tortilla onto a plate and cover with a slightly damp towel. This lets the tortillas steam and become super soft.
- Repeat until all tortillas are cooked.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Homemade Flour Tortillas recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok! And, please leave a comment or review. I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces. And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
–Rufus
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