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Homemade Flour Tortillas

BySamantha Skaggs February 12, 2021

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Soft, tender, homemade Flour Tortillas are not only deliciously versatile, but the recipe is surprisingly easy to make with just FIVE simple ingredients!

If you enjoy Tex-Mex recipes, you'll also love Easy Spanish Rice, Instant Pot Refried Beans, Creamy Jalapeño Enchiladas, Slow Cooker Charro Beans, and The BEST Homemade Taco Seasoning!

Have you ever made your own homemade tortillas before? It might sound intimidating, but they're actually super simple to make with just five basic ingredients.

Corn tortillas may be the "original," but I have to admit that I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Flour Tortillas.

Ingredients

While traditional Flour Tortillas are made with lard, I realize that most of you probably don’t keep that ingredient on hand or perhaps prefer not to use it.

I usually make my Flour Tortilla recipe with butter, but vegetable shortening will also work.
Aside from your fat of choice, you'll obviously need flour. I use unbleached all-purpose.
In addition to those two main ingredients, you'll also be using baking powder, salt, and water.

It always amazes me that such simple ingredients can yield such yummy results!

How to Make Homemade Tortillas

Making homemade tortillas may sound intimidating, but if you take it one step at a time, I promise it's totally doable! Take a peek:

Combine the dry ingredients.
Work in the butter.
Knead the dough for a minute until smooth.
Divide into ten pieces and roll into balls.
Roll dough balls into circles.
Cook on first side until bubbles start forming, flip, and cook on second side.

Should you prefer a visual, there's a handy-dandy video accompanying this post to walk you through the steps. 🙂

An Easy Shortcut

As I do with many of my favorite recipes -- from pie crust to shortbread to scones -- I rely on my trusty food processor to effortlessly whip up these homemade Flour Tortillas.

However, don't let that stop you from making them if you don't have a food processor! You can certainly put them together by hand. It's just a matter of blending the ingredients and then kneading the dough.

Rolling 'em Out

Then comes the trickiest part (at least for me)...rolling. The rolling in itself is not challenging, mind you. The aspect I have a hard time with is rolling my homemade tortillas into actual, round-ish circles.

However, I will say that this endeavor gets easier with practice. I will also share that if your Flour Tortilla ends up with a random, Florida-shaped appendage, you have my permission to trim it off with a knife (and nobody will ever be the wiser!). But if you choose to leave it, I can assure you that nobody has ever turned down a soft, warm, fresh-from-the-skillet flour tortilla due to the fact that it wasn't perfectly symmetrical. 😉

Preferred Thickness

While you're working on achieving your circular tortillas, the only variable you’ll need to worry about has to do with how thin or thick you prefer them. This recipe will yield a dozen very thin flour tortillas, or about 10 average tortillas, or about 8 thick ones. How thin you roll your tortillas will also determine how long you’ll need to cook them on each side so that they remain soft but aren’t too doughy on the inside.

Basically, this flour tortilla recipe is pretty darn easy to make. But the first time you attempt it, you will probably need to experiment just a bit to figure out the right temperature and cooking time based on your stove.

I typically cook my homemade tortillas on a big stainless steel griddle. However, you can use a cast iron skillet or even a nonstick pan if you prefer. And when I make tortillas, I typically double this recipe, because it takes only slightly longer to whip up twice as many tortillas once the food processor is already dirtied up.

Freezing Flour Tortillas

If you'd like to make homemade Flour Tortillas in bulk for future use, they actually freeze really well. That being said, it's important to separate each tortilla with a piece of wax paper or foil so that they don't freeze together in one big lump. Once separated, tightly wrap the stack of Flour Tortillas in foil and then place in a freezer-thickness plastic baggie. Freeze for up to six months.

To thaw, pop the bag into the fridge for a day or two.

You can also reheat your tortillas before serving. Simply place a few of them on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for 2o to 30 seconds. Or place individual tortillas in a warm pan for a few seconds, flipping with tongs.

So who’s ready to try this easy homemade tortilla recipe??? Whether you’ve got tacos or burritos on the menu, or whether you simply plan to slather your tortillas with butter or dip them in salsa, you can’t go wrong. I hope these are a hit with your crew!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a stack of warm Flour Tortillas and a vat of queso calling... 😉

Helpful Tips & Tricks

If you prefer, you may substitute the butter with lard or vegetable shortening.
You may make this recipe by hand instead of using a food processor. Mix in the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Then slowly stir in the water. Knead on a lightly floured surface until a smooth and elastic dough is formed.
For thinner flour tortillas, divide dough into 12 balls. For average tortillas, divide it into 10 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide it into 8 balls.
To roll your homemade tortillas into a round-ish shape, roll flattened ball of dough in one direction from the center to the top edge. Turn the dough a quarter turn and roll again from the center to the top. Repeat rolling and turning until tortilla is to desired size and shape.
Do not stack rolled-out tortillas while waiting to cook them or they may become soggy.
Before cooking a rolled-out tortilla, toss it back and forth a bit between your hands to knock off any excess flour.
If flour does start to accumulate in your pan it will burn, so be sure to carefully wipe flour out of pan between cooking tortillas.
Slightly increase the heat if a tortilla doesn't have golden spots after 1 minute. However, decrease the heat if the spots turn dark brown or black.

Recipes Using Flour Tortillas