The best homemade flour tortilla recipe is easy to make with only 4 ingredients. They are soft, tender and perfectly pliable for wrapping burritos or folding quesadillas!
Soft Flour Tortillas Recipe
My family loves Mexican food and recently on taco night we were out of tortillas, so I decided to make homemade flour tortillas from scratch and they turned out so delicious!
These soft flour tortillas taste so much better than store-bought. They are easy to make, too, just like when you make your own homemade pizza dough! I’ve tested a lot of recipes over the past couple of months and this one is the best flour tortilla recipe.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- All-Purpose Flour: I prefer to use unbleached flour. You may substitute with whole wheat flour or use half the amount. This will be used for the dough and on the countertop as a lightly floured surface for rolling the dough.
- Salt: Use fine sea salt for the best flavor.
- Baking Powder: No yeast is needed for this recipe, the baking powder adds lift.
- Vegetable Oil: You could swap this out for olive oil as well. You can also use shortening or lard if preferred.
How To Make Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe
These flour tortillas taste so fresh and like they came straight from a Mexican restaurant!
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Add in oil and slowly add the warm water and stir with a dough hook, pastry cutter, fork, or your hands. Add just enough water until the mixture turns into a soft dough.
- Knead and divide. Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Knead the dough for about 1 minute. Then portion out the dough into 12 to 16 equal portions of dough balls. Press down on each piece of dough to form a small disk (but don’t roll them out yet). Then cover with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the tortillas. Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and begin to roll out with a rolling pin. You can also roll out on a floured surface. Press out a circle from the middle, then turn 45° and turn again. Flip the tortilla then repeat on the other side until it’s circular in shape and about 8 to 10 inches.
- Cook on a pan. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-high heat and cook each flour tortilla until the top begins to bubble and brown spots start forming, about 15 to 20 seconds.
Tips for the Best Ever Homemade Tortillas
- Warm water. Make sure to use warm water and add a little at a time. You don’t want to add the water too fast or the dough will not combine properly.
- Damp cloth. Use a damp cloth to cover the homemade flour tortillas dough and let it rest. This will help the gluten form and make the dough easier to work with.
- Rest longer. If you try rolling the dough and it shrinks back up, let the dough rest for another 20 minutes to relax the gluten furth. Place the tortilla dough under a clean kitchen towel.
- Roll out dough. Use 2 pieces of parchment paper to roll out the dough to prevent it from sticking and adding too much flour. You don’t want to add too much flour or they will be dry.
- Thin discs. Roll out the dough very thin into a 5 or 6 inch diameter circle. If you were to hold the dough up to the light it would be almost translucent. You can also use a tortilla press, but I don’t find it necessary.
- Avoid hard tortillas. Avoid overcooking homemade flour tortillas or they will turn hard. Once there are golden brown spots on the tortillas they have been done.
- Keep tortillas warm. A tortilla warmer is a great way to store the tortillas, while you are cooking. You can also preheat your oven to 175°F and place them on a baking sheet to keep them warm or place them in a pot with a lid.
Ways to Use Homemade Tortillas
Any south-of-the-border recipe is great as well as use them for sandwich wraps!
Soft flour tortillas can be used in so many Mexican recipes from pico de gallo to shrimp fajitas and sheet pan quesadillas.
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Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Make dough. Whisk 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a large bowl. I like to use a stand mixer with a dough hook. You could also combine it with your hands, a pastry cutter, a fork, or a wooden spoon. Then add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and then SLOWLY add 1 cup warm water and mix for one minute. Add just enough water until the dough combines into a soft dough.
- Divide and rest. Knead dough for a minute on a floured surface and then divide the dough into 12-16 pieces. If you want 8-9" tortillas it will make 12 tortillas and 16 6-7" tortillas. Then press down with the palm of your hand to form a smaller disk (don't roll them out yet). Repeat with all 12 tortillas and then cover with a dampened towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough. After the rest, place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to roll out the dough (this will prevent it from sticking and adding too much flour). You're going to use a rolling pin and press out a circle from the middle. Then turn 45° and turn again. Then flip the tortilla and repeat on the other side, until you have a thin 8-10" circle.
- Cook. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 15-20 seconds (or until the top starts to bubble and you start seeing light brown spots), flip, and cook an additional 15-20 seconds on the other side. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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Categorized as: Bread, Cinco De Mayo, Mexican, Quick Bread, Reader Favorites
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Do you think I could use avacado oil instead of vegetable oil?
Yes that should be fine.
Hi, mine came out dense and not soft? I’m not sure what I did wrong? I rolled them pretty thin- also how do I roll them into circles mine look like the shapes of the US states lol
Be sure to roll them out between two pieces of parchment paper not in additional flour which will make them dense. For circles, use short sharp strokes of the rolling pin rather than long strokes. Hope that helps!
I made this recipe this morning. The results were great. I love them. Thanks for posting.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the tortillas Hubert! It’s one of my favs :)