🌮 Homemade Flour Tortillas
These Homemade Flour Tortillas are incredibly soft, flexible, and delicious. They puff beautifully while cooking and stay tender enough to fold, roll, or wrap around your favorite fillings.
Made with just a few simple pantry ingredients, they’re perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, wraps, or simply served warm with butter.
Soft, fluffy homemade flour tortillas with beautiful golden-brown spots.
🛒 Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil or melted butter
- 1 cup (240 ml) warm water
👩🍳 Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Pour in the vegetable oil and warm water. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until a rough dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5–7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
If the dough feels too sticky, add a little flour. If it’s too dry, add warm water one teaspoon at a time.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20–30 minutes. This makes the tortillas much easier to roll thin.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a thin circle about 7–8 inches (18–20 cm) wide.
Try to roll them as thin as possible without tearing the dough.
Heat a dry skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Do not add oil.
Place one tortilla in the hot skillet and cook for about 30–45 seconds.
When bubbles begin forming, flip it over and cook for another 20–30 seconds.
The tortilla may puff up like a balloon. This is normal and a good sign that steam is forming between the layers.
Flip once more if necessary and cook briefly until you see light golden-brown spots.
Transfer the cooked tortilla immediately to a clean kitchen towel and cover it.
Continue cooking the remaining tortillas, stacking them under the towel. The trapped steam helps keep them soft and flexible.
📋 Recipe Information
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rest Time: 20–30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour
Servings: 12 tortillas
💡 Tips for Soft & Puffy Tortillas
Make sure your skillet is fully heated before cooking. If the heat is too low, the tortillas will dry out before they have a chance to puff.
Don’t cook the tortillas for too long. You want a few brown spots while the majority of each tortilla remains pale and soft.
The 20–30 minute resting period is important because it relaxes the gluten, making the dough much easier to roll thin.
📦 Storage
Store cooled tortillas in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 1–2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To reheat, place them in a hot skillet for a few seconds per side or wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave briefly.
You can also freeze them with parchment paper between each tortilla for up to 2 months.
