Give your Mexican meals a delicious upgrade with these soft and tender Homemade Flour Tortillas! Simply made with just 5 ingredients and about 30 minutes of active time, this easy recipe for authentic flour tortillas has been in my familia for generations! 

stack of homemade flour tortillas loosely wrapped in a blue and white flour sack towel on a wooden pedestal next to a Mexican wooden rolling pin.

These flour tortillas are absolutely delicious, unlike anything you’ll find in the grocery store. Homemade tortillas are softer, chewier, and the flavor is simply unbeatable.

Making flour tortillas with my grandma’s rolling pin always transports me back to her cocina. I remember sitting at the kitchen table watching her roll out dozens of the softest flour tortillas you could imagine. 

Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack as a little girl with her grandma and cousin, eating a homemade flour tortilla.

Here I am as a little girl with my grandma and cousin, eating a homemade flour tortilla.

The best part was when she let me snag one from the top of the stack. Honestly, there’s nothing more comforting than a tortilla still warm from the comal — especially when you slather it in butter! 

hand rubbing a pad of butter on a warm authentic Mexican flour tortilla.

If you’d like to taste a simple slice of my history, come along with me to the kitchen. Seeing these pictures of my mom making flour tortillas from scratch, just as my grandma used to, makes my heart so very happy. Making flour tortillas at home is a labor of love and takes practice, but once you learn how, you’ll never want to buy store-bought tortillas again!

What are Flour Tortillas?

Flour tortillas are beloved Northern Mexican flatbreads that are used for everything from quesadillas, burritos to breakfast tacos and are served alongside dishes like fajitas. 

Why You’ll Love This Mexican Flour Tortillas Recipe

  • Snack. From slathering with butter while warm, to adding a roasted chile strip or salsa, a simple sprinkle of salt, or for a touch of sweetness a dash of cinnamon and sugar. Every kid who grew up on the border or in Mexico has their favorite way to enjoy homemade flour tortillas.
  • No fancy equipment needed. That means no stand mixer or tortilla press. All you need is a mixing bowl, a rolling pin, and a cast iron comal (griddle) or skillet.
  • Authentic Mexican flour tortillas, just like grandma makes! Even restaurants rarely make their own flour tortillas. 
  • No yeast. No need to wait for rising time equals simplicity at its finest!

Ingredients & Substitutions 

The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

flat lay shot of the ingredients needed to make authentic flour tortillas measured out on a white table.
  • All-Purpose Flour: This recipe is made with with basic white flour.
  • Lard: My grandma always used the blue box of Morrell lard, and so do I. Pork lard is traditional for making Mexican homemade flour tortillas, but you can use an equal amount of vegetable shortening for a vegetarian version and I have heard softened butter also works well, but haven’t tried it myself.
  • Baking Powder: A little bit of leavening power allows the tortillas to puff a little bit, which makes them softer and fluffier.
  • Table Salt: A touch of seasoning is essential. Table salt and sea salt should be interchangeable, but if you use kosher salt, you may want to add a bit extra to account for the lower density.
  • Hot Water: Using hot water helps to develop the gluten, which in turn improves elasticity. Make sure it’s warmer than lukewarm, but nowhere close to boiling, either.

How to Make Homemade Flour Tortillas

Step 1: Preheat. Place a comal (or a griddle or cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat and allow it to heat up. Cast iron’s natural non-stick properties mean you don’t have to use any extra fat to cook them. 

Step 2: Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl until uniform. 

hand mixing dry ingredients in a large clear mixing bowl.

Step 3: Cut in the Lard (or shortening) and combine until you have the consistency of small crumbs.

floured hands scooping the lard into the bowl with a finger.

Step 4: Rough Dough. Add the hot water and mix well with your hand just until the dough comes together. The mixture may be a little sticky. 

hand drizzling the warm water into the dry ingredients that have been mixed with the lard.
hand squeezing a ball of flour tortilla dough after gathering it together in a mostly smooth mass.

Step 5: Knead the tortilla dough on a cutting board or smooth counter until the dough is pliable and springy. Sprinkle the ball of dough and your work surface with flour if the dough is too sticky.

hands kneading the flour tortilla dough on a wooden surface.

Step 6: Shape. Form 2 to 2½-inch dough balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough balls with a rolling pin to form 7 to 8-inch disks. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle board and rolling pin with flour to make it easier to roll out the dough.

two hands rolling dough into balls.
5 balls of tortilla dough waiting to be rolled out on a wooden cutting board.
hands rolling out one ball of tortilla dough into a thin, flat round.

Step 7: Cook. As you roll out each disk, place on the hot comal to cook. After cooking the first side, turn tortilla over and let it cook on the opposite side. When the tortilla starts to form air pockets, gently press down on them with a rolled up kitchen towel (like Grandma did) to release the air. WARNING: Don’t press too much or too hard, or it will make tough tortillas.

Latina woman (the blogger's mom) holding a raw flour tortilla that has been rolled out while another is cooking on the hot comal.
hand putting a raw rolled out tortilla on a flat cast iron comal; small bubbles are beginning to form on the surface.
fresh flour tortilla after being flipped on the comal; there are small golden brown blisters from cooking.

Step 8: Keep the tortillas warm in a tortilla warmer or under a clean dish towel while you roll out and cook the remaining dough balls.

closeup shot of a stack of freshly made flour tortillas wrapped in a clean white kitchen towel with a blue floral pattern.

Check out this video of my mom making homemade flour tortillas to see just how easy it is to whip up a batch.

Serving & Topping Suggestions 

Wondering what to make with flour tortillas next? There are TONS of recipes using flour tortillas so you’ll never get bored. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

  • Tacos: Using flour tortillas for tacos is generally only found in the northern part of Mexico and in Tex-Mex cuisine. My favorites are breakfast tacos filled with migas or machaca con huevo. 
  • Burritos: Spread Homemade Refried Beans on a flour tortilla with some shredded cheese for the best bean burrito. Or make Egg and Chorizo Breakfast Burritos by combining scrambled eggs and chorizo in your fluffy homemade flour tortillas, then wrapping them up for the freezer. They’re the perfect on-the-go meal. For an even heartier option, tuck cheesy Chiles Rellenos and refried beans into a flour tortilla for my all-time favorite road trip meal.
  • Dessert: Want a fun dessert option? Try these Mini Tortillas with Ricotta Cheese and Grilled Peaches for a sweet and savory snack that reminds me of my grandma.
  • Snack: My favorite way to eat a fresh warm tortilla is with butter, but I also love a warm tortilla with a roasted chile or homemade salsa, and rolled into one perfect spicy snack.
  • Side: Steak Fajitas, Sheet Pan Fish Fajitas, or Chicken Fajitas stuffed into fresh flour tortillas with plenty of guac, sautéed peppers, onions, and salsa? You can’t go wrong. Fajitas are always a hit.
hand holding a flour tortilla that has been rolled up with roasted chiles.

Expert Tips & Tricks

  • Hot water and hot comal: Using both hot water and a hot comal is super important! The water should feel hot to the touch, but not so hot that it will burn you. And a preheated comal is essential to getting puffy tortillas with beautiful golden brown blisters. 
  • Roll thin: Roll the tortillas fairly thin — about 7-8 inches in diameter. Don’t worry if they are not perfectly round. Thick tortillas won’t be as tender.
  • Let dough rest: If you try rolling out tortillas and the dough keeps shrinking back, cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes to give the gluten some time to relax.
  • Warning: If your tortillas feel stiff after cooking, you’ve cooked them too long, the heat was not high enough, or you pressed them too many times with a towel while cooking. Cook them only long enough to get some nice bubbles on the surface and a few light brown spots on each side. 
  • Floured work surface: If the tortilla dough is sticky, start with a lightly floured work surface. I also like to lightly dust my rolling pin with some flour.
  • Patience: If it is your first time making tortillas, you might not want to multitask between rolling and cooking since the process goes fast — it will take 1 minute or less on each side to achieve the coveted golden brown spots.
  • Keep covered: Stacking the tortillas allows the tortillas to steam. Keep them covered with a kitchen towel which will help them to be soft and pliable.

Storage & Heating Instructions 

When it comes to these soft flour tortillas, you have a few options: Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat.

  • Fresh from the pan or stack. Keep tortillas warm and covered. Wrap tortillas in a dish towel or keep them in a tortilla warmer to keep them warm and pliable throughout the day. They can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • Refrigerate. Store any leftovers in a ziplock bag (with the excess air pressed out) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
  • Freeze. You can also freeze flour tortillas for up to 6 weeks. If you go this route, I recommend cooling the tortillas in a single layer, then separating the tortillas with pieces of parchment or wax paper before stacking. This will help them from sticking together in the freezer, so you can just pull out what you need as you need it. 
  • Reheat on a comal or cast iron skillet over medium heat until pliable. I beg you, please do not reheat flour tortillas in a microwave. 
horizontal image of a stack of a dozen homemade flour tortillas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a tortilla and a flour tortilla? Corn vs flour tortillas.

The term “tortilla” can refer to two main types: corn tortillas and flour tortillas. The key difference between them lies in the main ingredient. 
Corn tortillas are made from masa harina, a dough derived from specially treated corn, giving them a distinct corny flavor and slightly grainy texture. 
Flour tortillas, on the other hand, are made from wheat flour and often include a small amount of fat. They are softer, more flexible, and larger than corn tortillas, which makes them excellent for wrapping ingredients in dishes like burritos and quesadillas. Flour tortillas are more common in Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, whereas corn tortillas are more common in Southern Mexico.

What are flour tortillas made of?

It depends on the recipe, but my abuela’s best flour tortillas recipe is made with just all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, lard or shortening, and water.

Are flour tortillas healthy? Are flour tortillas healthier than bread?

“Healthy” is one of those terms that can mean a great many things to different people, and since I’m not an RDN, I don’t feel qualified to classify something as “healthy” or not. What I will say is that these homemade Mexican flour tortillas are made with minimal ingredients, and despite what you may think, lard isn’t all that bad from a nutritional standpoint. If you’re concerned about the fat content, you’re welcome to use just 1 tablespoon of lard or shortening instead of 2; they just won’t be quite as soft if you do. 
As for which is healthier between bread and tortillas, it depends. Homemade flour tortillas probably have fewer ingredients and less sugar than some commercial breads. However, since flour tortillas are usually made with lard or shortening, they can also be higher in calories and fat. 

What type of flour should I use for tortillas?

My mom and grandma always used regular all-purpose flour, so that’s what I use. That said, higher-protein options like bread flour or 00 flour might be great if you prefer a chewier result. 

Can you make flour tortillas with butter? Can I use vegetable oil or olive oil instead of lard?

While I’ve seen some flour tortilla recipes that call for butter or oils, I make my flour tortillas recipe with lard, just like my grandma taught me. For a bit of porky flavor, use fresh lard; for neutral flavor, use shelf-stable lard. You could also use bacon fat if you like, but the bacon flavor will be strong and you won’t need to add any salt. If you want to make vegan flour tortillas, I recommend using vegetable shortening (e.g. Crisco), which can be used as a 1-to-1 replacement for lard. 
So, why not use oil? First, using a fat that is solid at room temperature is key to achieving the proper consistency. Second, using either butter or oils may mess with the fat-to-flour ratio — butter, while solid at room temperature, includes water, and liquid oils have less fat than solids.

Do I need to let the dough rest before rolling out the tortillas?

Since there is no yeast in this dough, there may be no need to let the dough rest. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to. If you try rolling out tortillas and the dough keeps shrinking back, cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes to give the gluten some time to relax.

Can you freeze flour tortillas? 

Yes! Freezing flour tortillas is an excellent way to extend their shelf life. Jump up to the “Storage” section above for more info. 

Are flour tortillas vegan?

Again, it depends on the recipe. This one can easily be made vegan by using vegetable shortening in place of lard. If you’re at a restaurant, it’s worth asking.

Do flour tortillas go bad? How long do flour tortillas last? How long are flour tortillas good for?

As with all good things, flour tortillas can indeed go bad. To keep them in their best shape, refrigerating or freezing is the move. Hop back up to the “Storage & Reheating” section for more info.

Why don’t you use a tortilla press for flour tortillas?

Flour tortilla dough is softer and more elastic than corn tortilla dough because it contains gluten. The presence of gluten means the dough tends to spring back when pressed, making it difficult to achieve a thin, even shape with a press. Instead, rolling them out with a rolling pin allows for better control over the thickness and ensures that the tortillas are evenly thin and round. 

What to do with leftover flour tortillas? Can I make chips from flour tortillas?

There are tons of options! You can refrigerate or freeze them, or use them in recipes where stale tortillas are a benefit (e.g. for making tortilla chips or chilaquiles). 

More Mexican Basics

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below and leave me a comment to let me know how it turned out!

stack of homemade flour tortillas loosely wrapped in a blue and white flour sack towel on a wooden pedestal next to a Mexican wooden rolling pin.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

4.17 (53 ratings)
This flour tortilla recipe is very easy, and if you've never tasted homemade flour tortillas before, you should really give this a try. When you compare these light and delicious tortillas to store-bought, there really is no comparison.My grandma made the best homemade flour tortillas. It was a way to nourish her family and continue a tradition.
Print Pin Rate
Yield: 13
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Place a
    (griddle or cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat and allow it to heat up.
  • In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Add the lard or shortening and combine until you have the consistency of small crumbs.
  • Add the hot water and mix well with your hand. The mixture may be a little sticky. Knead on a cutting board or smooth counter until dough is pliable and springy. Sprinkle with flour if the dough is too sticky.
  • Form 2 to 2½-inch dough balls. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls to form 7 to 8-inch disks. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle board and rolling pin with flour to make it easier to roll out the dough.
  • As you roll out each disk, place on the hot comal to cook, it will take 1 minute or less on each side. After cooking the first side, turn tortilla over and let it cook on the opposite side; when tortilla starts to form air pockets press down gently on it with a rolled up kitchen towel (like Grandma did) to release the air. Don’t press too much, or it will make tough tortillas.
  • Keep the tortillas warm in a tortilla warmer or under a clean dish towel while you make the rest.

Video

Notes

Expert Tips & Tricks
  • Hot water and hot comal: Using both hot water and a hot comal is super important! The water should feel hot to the touch, but not so hot that it will burn you. And a preheated comal is essential to getting puffy tortillas with beautiful golden brown blisters. 
  • Roll thin: Roll the tortillas fairly thin — about 7-8 inches in diameter. Don’t worry if they are not perfectly round. Thick tortillas won’t be as tender.
  • Let dough rest: If you try rolling out tortillas and the dough keeps shrinking back, cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes to give the gluten some time to relax.
  • Warning: If your tortillas feel stiff after cooking, you’ve cooked them too long, the heat was not high enough, or you pressed them too many times with a towel while cooking. Cook them only long enough to get some nice bubbles on the surface and a few light brown spots on each side. 
  • Floured work surface: If the tortilla dough is sticky, start with a lightly floured work surface. I also like to lightly dust my rolling pin with some flour.
  • Patience: If it is your first time making tortillas, you might not want to multitask between rolling and cooking since the process goes fast — it will take 1 minute or less on each side to achieve the coveted golden brown spots.
  • Keep covered: Stacking the tortillas allows the tortillas to steam. Keep them covered with a kitchen towel which will help them to be soft and pliable.
Storage & Heating Instructions 
When it comes to these soft flour tortillas, you have a few options: Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat.
  • Fresh from the pan or stack. Keep tortillas warm and covered. Wrap tortillas in a dish towel or keep them in a tortilla warmer to keep them warm and pliable throughout the day. They can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • Refrigerate. Store any leftovers in a ziplock bag (with the excess air pressed out) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
  • Freeze. You can also freeze flour tortillas for up to 6 weeks. If you go this route, I recommend cooling the tortillas in a single layer, then separating the tortillas with pieces of parchment or wax paper before stacking. This will help them from sticking together in the freezer, so you can just pull out what you need as you need it.
  • Reheat on a comal or cast iron skillet over medium heat until pliable. I beg you, please do not reheat flour tortillas in a microwave!
Calories: 149kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 203mg, Potassium: 64mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 2mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican

Photos by Jeanine Thurston / Video by Pure Cinematography

Originally published: November 2013. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.