Flour Tortilla Recipe
Get ready to whip up some tortilla magic in your kitchen! This flour tortilla recipe is the secret ingredient to turning any meal into a fiesta. Perfectly soft, warm, and with just the right amount of fluff, these babies are the perfect blend of fluffy and delicious. Trust us, once you try this recipe, you’ll forever say goodbye to store-bought tortillas!
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Our homemade flour tortilla recipe can be used for SO many different dishes; tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, and wraps.
It can also be used as a base for an incredible tortilla pizza or as a soft taco shell.
Why you’ll love homemade tortillas
- Fresher and tastier than any store-bought tortilla you could buy.
- Perfect for lunches, snacks, and Taco Tuesdays never tasted better!
- One bite of a homemade flour tortilla, and you’ll be sold; they are that good!
- Double up, cooked tortillas will keep for up to 10 days.
- Al the ingredients are 100% vegetarian and vegan.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make tortillas, you’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
Fluffy, warm, and oh-so satisfying, these homemade flour tortillas are a must-try for any Mexican food lover.
How to make flour tortillas with step-by-step instructions
It’s easy to make our flour tortillas recipe if you follow our simple instructions..
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Add all-purpose flour and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the vegetable shortening and incorporate until it’s a coarse mixture.
In small amounts, add the hot water (you may not need it all) and mix into the flour mixture and mix it together using your hands until it’s coarse.
Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and not sticky.
Return it to the bowl, cover it with a damp kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for 30 – 45 minutes.
Divide the tortilla dough into approximately 16 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Take one dough ball and leave the rest covered with a damp cloth.
Press down on the dough ball with the palm of your hand and then use a rolling pin to roll from the center forward, but not to the edges, and then backward; rotate the dough and repeat until you have a disc shape of around 10 inches. Repeat until all the tortillas have been rolled.
Over medium heat, preheat a cast iron skillet so it’s already hot, and add a tortilla to it.
When the tortilla starts to bubble and brown spots appear, approximately 25 – 30 seconds, flip the tortilla, and the bubbles will appear again, so flip it, and then it will puff out; when it does, remove it from the heat and wrap in a kitchen towel to keep them warm.
Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas.
Serve your soft flour tortillas immediately or store them to use later.
Enjoy your homemade tortillas!
Recipe notes and expert tips
- Lard
Unlike other recipes, we use vegetable shortening instead of lard which isn’t vegetarian-friendly. - Baking powder
We don’t use baking powder in our own tortillas, you could add it, but we don’t feel it necessary. - Weigh the dough
Using kitchen scales to weigh the dough will allow you to divide dough into perfect portion sizes. - Cook later
You can roll the tortillas and cook them up to 3 days later. We recommend placing parchment paper between them, wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap, and storing them in the fridge.
What to serve tortillas with
Use flour tortillas as tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, and wraps.
You can use them as a base for dishes like pizza or serve as a side with dips or spreads. You can fill them with beans, cheese, vegetables, salsa, and sour cream.
They make a great base for pizza or serve as a side with dips or spreads. We love to eat them as a snack, just lightly.
Storing and Reheating Homemade Flour Tortillas
You can store homemade flour tortillas in a plastic bag, plastic wrap, or airtight container and leave them at room temperature for up to 5 days. Storing them in the fridge will last up to 10 days.
To reheat tortillas, place them in a hot non-stick pan and heat for 30 seconds on each side.
After cooking, you can also use a tortilla warmer to keep your tortillas soft and warm.
Do I need a tortilla press to make these?
No, you don’t.
Flour tortillas are best rolled out; corn tortillas are better suited to a tortilla press.
More easy recipes for you to try at home
Why not try these recipes if you’ve enjoyed making flour tortillas?
Flour Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups White flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ cup Vegetable shortening
- 2 cups Hot water
Instructions
For the tortilla
- Add flour and salt to a very large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the shortening and incorporate until it's a coarse mixture. In small amounts, add the hot water (you may not need it all) and mix into the flour mixture and mix it together using your hands until it's coarse. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and not sticky. Return the dough to the bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel for 30 – 45 minutes.3 cups White flour, 1 tsp Salt, ½ cup Vegetable shortening, 2 cups Hot water
- Lightly flour your work surface and divide it into approximately 16 pieces. Take one dough ball and leave the rest covered with a damp cloth.
- Press down on the dough ball with the palm of your hand and then use a rolling pin to roll from the center forward, but not to the edges, and then backward, rotate the dough and repeat until you have a disc shape of around 10 inches. Repeat until all the tortillas have been rolled.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet so it's already hot and add a tortilla to it, when the tortilla starts to bubble and brown spots appear, approximately 25 – 30 seconds, flip the tortilla, the bubbles will appear again, so flip it, and then it will puff out, when it does, remove it from the heat and wrap in a kitchen towel while you repeat the process with the remaining tortillas.
Notes
- Lard
Unlike other recipes, we use vegetable shortening instead of lard which isn’t vegetarian-friendly. - Baking powder
We don’t use baking powder in our own tortillas, you could add it, but we don’t feel it necessary. - Weigh the dough
Using kitchen scales to weigh the dough will allow you to divide dough into perfect portion sizes. - Cook later
You can roll the tortillas and cook them up to 3 days later. We recommend placing parchment paper between them, wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap, and storing them in the fridge.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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