My homemade flour tortillas are incredibly soft and pliable, perfect for folding and wrapping your favorite fillings. You only need 4 simple ingredients for this incredibly delicious tortilla recipe.
These flour tortillas taste much better than what’s sold at the store (promise)! Freshly made, warm homemade tortillas are truly the best. I always jump at the chance of being the tortilla flipper so that I can sneak a tortilla for myself before sharing it with the rest of the family.
The great news is that flour tortillas are really easy for you to make at home, and I bet you already have what you need to make them! If you love corn over flour, take a look at our equally delicious homemade corn tortillas.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for these tortillas, but I have successfully used whole wheat flour in this recipe. Spelt flour works nicely, too.
- Salt: Without any salt, these tortillas won’t taste very good. I use a teaspoon in the recipe.
- Warm water: Using warm water instead of cold water helps the dough come together more easily and dissolves the salt in our dough.
- Fat: To make our homemade tortillas soft and pliable, you need some fat in the dough. Use oil, lard, butter, or shortening.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Flour Tortillas
When I was learning how to make really great tortillas, my first few batches were okay but not great. I kept at it and now want to share all my tortilla secrets with you. These four tips helped us make soft, chewy, bubbly flour tortillas.
- Dissolve the salt in warm water before you add it to the dough.
- Roll the tortilla dough into very thin discs (use a rolling pin!)
- Get the heat right. I use a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high.
- Transfer your cooked tortillas to a towel or tortilla warmer, which keeps them warm and soft.
Ways to Use Homemade Flour Tortillas
Our family loves these homemade tortillas! We eat them for breakfast with scrambled eggs, refried black beans, and a little red salsa. Turn them into lunch for wraps, tuck homemade taco meat inside them, and enjoy them for dinner. I love these when making beef tacos, pork tacos, and turkey tacos!
Some of my favorite recipes that call for these incredible tortillas are fajitas, these green chicken enchiladas, our spicy vegetable burritos, and my favorite vegetable quesadillas.
Easy Soft Flour Tortillas
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Here’s how to make flour tortillas that are soft, pliable, and perfect for folding or wrapping. Our homemade tortilla recipe uses a few simple tricks to get the best texture every time.
Dissolving the salt in warm water before mixing helps season the dough evenly, especially if you’re using a coarse salt. Rolling the dough very thin with a rolling pin and adjusting the pan heat as you cook creates those signature bubbles that make tortillas soft and flexible (watch our video to see just how big those bubbles can get!).
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (260g)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
⅔ cup very warm water (160ml)
5 tablespoons light flavored oil, melted shortening, melted lard, or melted butter (75g)
Directions
1Dissolve salt: Add the salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt dissolves.
2Make dough: In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flour with the oil (or other fat) until it looks crumbly. Pour in almost all of the salt water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more water.
3Quickly knead: When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover with a clean dishcloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. Resting the dough makes rolling it out easier.
4Roll out the dough: Divide the dough into 10 equally sized blobs and shape them into small disks. Use a rolling pin to roll each small disk into an 8-inch round (a rolling pin is better than a tortilla press for this recipe). The thinner, the better. If you get 9-inch tortillas, don’t worry! We also don’t worry too much about making them perfectly round. (See our video to watch us do it.)
5Stack the rolled tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between them. Alternatively, you can roll and cook the tortillas simultaneously. Roll one tortilla out, then roll out the next tortilla while the first one cooks.
6Preheat a skillet: Preheat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
7Cook tortillas: When the skillet is preheated, add the first tortilla. Within 20 to 30 seconds, you should start to see it puffing up with bubbles. When the bottom of the tortilla has some brown spots, flip it and cook until the second side is browned in places and the tortilla looks dry around the edges. Each tortilla will take 1 to 2 minutes to cook. If this is taking a long time, increase the heat. If the pan smokes or browns the tortillas too quickly, reduce the heat.
8Keep warm: Transfer the cooked tortilla to a dishcloth and cover it, then continue with the remaining tortillas, adjusting the heat as needed.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Measuring your flour: Too much flour makes these dry and crumbly. To properly measure your flour, fluff the flour in its container, then gently scoop it into your measuring cup until slightly mounded. Level off the top with a knife for an accurate measurement. Or measure by weight using a kitchen scale.
- Whole wheat tortillas: You can substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour. The dough may need a little extra water to reach the right consistency.
- Baking powder: Some tortilla recipes swear by adding baking powder to the dough for softer flour tortillas, but after trying them with and without baking powder, we leave it out. If you’d like to try it, whisk 1 ½ teaspoons into the flour before making the dough.
- Storing: Keep leftover tortillas in a resealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for longer storage. Homemade tortillas are softest when warm, so reheat them in a skillet until pliable before serving.
- Freezing: To freeze, stack tortillas with parchment paper between each one and place in a freezer-safe bag or container.
- Make ahead: Divide the dough into ten balls (for 8-inch tortillas), wrap them tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Before cooking, remove the dough from the fridge 30 to 40 minutes ahead so it can come to room temperature.
- Nutrition facts are estimates and include vegetable oil.
Quick, easy and so delish! Just love how minimal this recipe is. No mucking around. The whole fam loves them. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed them, Mel!
This recipe is so easy and the tortillas were great! Thank you!
I never write reviews but had to say something. These turned out great! A couple of them were hard and broke easily until I figured out how to roll them out and cook them. The rest are perfect! I reheated one the next day and it’s very soft and easy to roll. I will be making more to freeze.
Amazing! 🙂
A great recipe. So delicious. Why did I ever buy store bought tortillas? No comparison. Love Inspired Taste recipes.
Can you mix the dough in a food processor
You can.
I made these tonight and they were really good. Will definitely use for my go to recipe. Thanks!
These tortillas were so easy to make and turned out better than any store-bought tortillas I’ve ever had. I couldn’t believe how simple the ingredients were, yet they tasted so fresh and delicious. Soft, flavorful, and cooked perfectly — my whole family loved them. I’ll never go back to packaged tortillas again!
Amazing! We are so happy you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Your tortilla recipe is perfect! The tortillas couldn’t be easier to make, turned out soft and are without all the unhealthy ingredients. The whole family loved them. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. Being from South Africa, up until now I have only made Indian Rotis thinking Tortillas required very expensive Masa Harina – well, I was pleasantly surprised. We used them to make Jalapeno Chicken Wraps & Hubby says they are delicious. Next time I will try using lard.
these came out great. i lieu of fork mixing, i mix the lard/flour with my hands, i think it ensures a more consistent base for the salt water
Great recipe..I can’t believe I made tortillas
Yay! This recipe is so much fun to make 🙂
Such a great recipe and so easy to follow. My family was so impressed that I made “homemade tortillas!” I had some pretty fun shapes! Inspired art.
Yay! The homemade shapes are part of the fun 🙂
Great recipe. Super easy and quick to pull together. I let the dough rest for about 20 mins and then pressed each dough blob between two cutting boards (with parchment) to get the ideal thickness – worked great. Stayed really soft and were perfect for soft tacos.
So happy you tried the recipe!
My tortillas with poof. Am I doing something wrong?
Finally! An easy recipe for the exact tortilla I was looking for!
Hi Lizzy, I am thinking you meant that your tortillas don’t puff. If so, that’s all about the heat of your skillet. Make sure it is preheated (I leave mine over medium heat for a couple of minutes before adding my first tortilla). Then, use that first tortilla to help you dial in the heat from there.
Awesome recipe.Have made lots of bread from scratch,no bread machine.First time making tortillas and they came out easier and better than I expected.Made marinated chicken tacos .The tortillas were tender, held the juices and never tore or broke open. 100% will do again.
Easy recipe. I fried 1 minute each side, they bubbled and were lightly browned. However, they seemed too doughy. Suggestions?
Hi Lynda, try adjusting your heat a little next time to see if you can dial in the doneness vs. them browning too quickly. Or, roll them a bit thinner.
I forgot my mother in laws recipe and was too embarrassed to call and ask, I’m so glad I came scross your recipe! So quick and easy, I just have one question, I know she usually uses baking powder, and your recipe does not, I noticed a slight taste difference and I’m wondering if it may be that or if that just affects cooking and not taste? Just curious, I really love them either way! I was confused when I made everything and realized I hadn’t touched my baking powder lol
thank you for this recipe, I had been looking for a recipe to be able to make instead of buying them at the store but all the recipes that I tried did not turn out,These were easy to make and roll out.I was wonderfing why if you use the dough in a tortilla press that the dough shrinks.I have arthritis in my wrists so a press would work faster for me. Another question is can I add some garlic powder to the recipe or would it affect the dough
Hi Sharon, the press is great for corn tortillas, but I don’t find that it gets flour tortillas thin enough.
I made these from a different recipe but will use this one next time! I agree with salt amounts, definitely needs salt for flavour. I made quite decent circles by short rolling clockwise at the edges and then using a plate to cut a round. I reckon it will get better with practise! Can’t wait to try this recipe and freeze a load!
Thanks for sharing your recipe
“Some tortilla recipes swear by adding baking powder to the dough for softer flour tortillas, but after trying them with and without baking powder, we leave it out. If you’d like to try it, whisk 1 ½ teaspoons into the flour before making the dough.” I tried the baking powder this time and I actually find that it makes them crispier! What was your experience?
Baking powder is totally fine and some swear by it, I just usually leave it out for ours.
need some tips on getting them thinner
This is the second time I used this recipe, but let the dough rest a little longer and had a consistent 1 to 2 minute timer while cooking them. They came out great!
I was searching for an Unleaved Bread recipe and came across this one. This was perfect. I adjusted my flour to add 3 more Tablespoons and everything came out great. Thanks so much for this recipe. You officially saved our Passover.
I really like making these and mine came out like crackers but super yummy!! totally better than store bought and will be making them again some time soon!!
After deciding I’m no longer buying tortillas from the store (too many unnecessary harmful additives)I decided to try making my own. This is the best recipe I’ve found. Super easy and the tortillas are the right texture with little fuss to make! Great recipe as always !
Just a quick question can you use salted butter instead of the sea salt
Yep!
Yummmmmmm. I didn’t realize they were so easy and after making one batch I ran out and got a press. I don’t think I can eat store bought ones anymore. I made mine with butter and they are good enough to eat plain!
Great recipe – I made these to make tortilla crackers – but will definitely make them again for other uses. Easy and so delicious. Question – how do you tell when they are fully cooked – it was sort of a guessing game with me. Thank you
I really like, this recipe, it feels like it should be easy, but I think I am doing something wrong. I just can’t get them soft. I managed it once, but have no idea how. They just seem to gets crispy and hard immediately. No one else in the comments appears to have this issue. Can anyone help me please? What am I doing wrong?
Hi Stef, It could be the heat of your pan (maybe too hot?). Or, possibly a little too much flour.
You made me a STAR in finally easy soft and tasty TORTILLAS! OLE’ ! ARIBA! Oh yes. My hubby just LOVED them
The family loved these wraps so I think I’ve made a rod for my own back as they don’t want shop bought now that they’ve tried these! I’ve been trying to make more and more of the staples as I’m fed up with all the ultra processed foods – so happy to have found your site!
I have olive oil, will that work for the fat?
Yes.
You have made our day with this comment! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I wanted to make homemade tortilla wraps for a long time and I decided to do it tonight. It was so easy, quick and worked perfectly.
Used 3T butter and 2T olive oil. So easy and delicious! Double Plus as the ingredients are common staples I always keep. This is all about the process to get a successful tortilla, THANK YOU for this easy to read/follow recipe.
Great easy recipe. I used avocado oil because that’s what I had on hand. I have made these probably 15 times now. Tip for anyone wanting to roll thinner- pour a little oil on your counter and smear it around with your hand. Roll out your tortillas on that. Super thin and peel up easy peasy. I do one at time while one cooks roll out the next. Thanks for an easy delicious recipe!