Do you know what is the secret to making the best Tacos, Burritos or basically any Mexican recipe out there that will leave everyone wowed? It is not the meat, not the cheese and not the sauces and spices. The secret is tortilla! You can make a decent Taco out of store-bought tortillas, but if you want to make the absolutely best of the best that will impress even the Mexican grandmas, then you have to make your own tortillas from scratch! Try my gluten free Cauliflower Tortillas
What are Tortillas exactly?
Tortillas in the simplest terms are round, disc-like flatbread made out of flour (corn or wheat), water and salt. They are unleavened bread, which means no yeast or comparable rising agent was used to raise the dough. The closest comparison to tortillas would probably be roti found in Indian cuisine.
Tortillas are found all over Latin America, but they are most common in Mexico where it is staple in their daily lives. Many Mexican recipes like tacos, quesadillas,and fajitas. Also try my homemade Fajita Seasoning.
Nowadays packaged tortillas are readily available in markets, but many people still prefer the homemade variety.
You get fresh, soft and flexible tortillas when you make them by yourself. They will also have much more intense and corny flavour then the market ones.
Lastly, tortillas are very versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. You can even make soups or chips out of tortillas or top your Chilis with it. Try my Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup with homemade Corn Tortillas on top.
What do you need to make Homemade Tortillas?
Tortillas come in many varieties, but the most common ones are flour tortillas and corn tortillas.
What’s the difference between them?
Flour tortillas are made using wheat based flour, and corn tortillas consist of corn flour.
All the other ingredients remain more or less similar. We will tell you the ingredients and making of both these tortillas, so you can enjoy both of them!
Ingredients needed to make flour tortillas
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Any neutral tasting oil
- Warm water
How to make Flour Tortillas?
Flour tortillas are the easiest to make and will hardly take more than 45 minutes! And if you have a stand mixer or dough maker, you can get the dough ready in just five minutes!
So get your mixer and skillet ready because we are going to make some flour tortillas!
1. The first step is getting the dough ready. You can either do this by hand or by using a mixer. Just combine the flour and salt first, then gradually start mixing in the oil and water slowly and not all at once. Knead the mixture until it forms a firm dough.
2. Transfer this dough to a surface that has been lightly floured so it doesn't stick to it. Divide the flour into equal portions of your choice. Make sure that you roll up each portion into a flattened ball.
3. Keep these flattened flour balls separate from each other and cover them with a kitchen towel. Leave them to rest like this for around 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Now comes to part to roll up your tortillas. You will not be needing a tortilla presser for this as these are flour tortillas and thus can easily be rolled out by your rolling pin. Just don't press too hard or too light. You want a tortilla that is thin, but not paper thin. Keep the size of tortilla around six inches in diameter.
5. When all your tortillas are rolled out, it's time to cook them. Heat up your skillet pan on medium heat and cook your tortillas one by one on it.
6. Keep a eye on the surface on the tortilla, flipping it over when it has bubbled up with light brown patches. Cook the other side for about twenty seconds until you see the same air bubbles on the surface. Remove the tortilla from the skillet once it's done with the help of a pair of tongs.
7. Your flour tortillas are now ready to be served. Or can let them cool and store it for future use.
Ingredients needed to make Corn Tortillas
- Masa Harina (Mexican corn flour)
- Warm water
- Salt
How to make Corn Tortillas?
Corn tortillas take a little more work then flour tortillas, but we assure you that the effort is worth it. The only difference here is that you'll need a tortilla presser to press the tortillas into round discs. We also suggest you to knead the Masa Harina by hand, as you won't get the proper flexibility with a mixer.
- Combine the Masa Harina, warm water and salt together and start kneading the dough. Don't add too much water as it'll make the dough too sticky. Knead until its firm and flexible. Then cover this dough with a kitchen towel and leave it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Once the resting time is over, divide the dough into small balls approximately the size of a golf ball. This is the perfect size for any tortilla presser.
- It's time to start pressing the balls into tortillas. Use plastic sheets to make sure the flour ball doesn't stick to the tortilla presser while pressing. Make sure you press the tortillas gently as you don't want it to come out all smashed.
- Heat up a large skittle pan on a medium flame. Cook the corn tortillas for around thirty seconds to one minute on both sides each. Your tortilla should look lightly toasted with air bubbles on the surface.
- Your corn tortillas are now ready! You can use them immediately or keep them in your fridge for later!
Are these tortillas Vegan and Gluten free?
Yes, they are completely vegan! But only the corn tortillas are gluten free. If you want to avoid gluten then don't go for flour tortillas. Also try my homemade Cauliflower Tortilla recipe.
Try these vegan Tacos
- Crispy Tofu Fajita Tacos {VEGAN}
- 10-minute Vegan Chickpea Walnut Taco Meat
- Crispy Cauliflower Tacos with Yum Yum Sauce
- Zucchini and Bell Pepper Tacos
- Vegan Taquitos - Baked Taquitos
How to store Tortillas?
Use a plastic ziplock bag that or a airtight container to store your tortillas in your fridge. This way you can expect your tortillas to last upto two weeks easily.
How to freeze Tortillas?
Seal your tortillas in a freezer safe airtight bag and keep it inside the freezer of your fridge. You need to absolutely make sure that there is no air trapped inside the bag as it'll spoil the tortillas. Properly frozen tortillas can last upto two months easily without any change in taste or texture.
How to reheat frozen tortillas?
Take out your tortillas from the freezer bag and let them thaw at room temperature. Then reheat the tortillas individually on your skillet. Avoid using a microwave if you can as they can affect the taste of your tortillas.
Some tips for making the best tortillas!
- Tortillas are best made on a heavy bottom skillet pan as it will distribute the heat evenly and not overcook your tortilla.
- Masa Harina flour needs to be kneaded by a hand. It also has a tendency to dry out easily. So make sure you have water in hand when you're making the dough.
- If you want to keep tortillas warm after they are cooked, then wrap them up inside a kitchen towel.
- If you want your tortillas to puff up, then use a spatula to press down the tortilla while it is in its final cooking stage.
Is tortillas good for weight loss?
Corn tortillas will definitely help with losing weight as they contain fat less carbs then any flour based bread. Corn tortillas are also gluten free, which will keep your digestive system healthy!
How to make Tortillas Soft?
The secret to making soft tortillas lies in the dough. The more flexible and stretchy your dough is, the softer your tortillas will be! In addition to this, make sure to not cook tortillas at high heat as that can make your tortillas overcook and go hard.
Try my favorite Taco recipes
- Zucchini and Bell Pepper Tacos
- Crispy Tofu Fajita Tacos {VEGAN}
- Blackened Salmon Tacos with Chipotle Mango Salsa
- Mac and Cheese Tacos
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos
- Baja Shrimp Tacos Recipe
- Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa (just 10-minutes)
- Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Chicken Carnitas Recipe - Mexican Shredded Chicken Taco Recipe
- Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Homemade Tortilla Recipe
INGREDIENTS
for flour tortilla
- 2 cups (240grams) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup any neutral oil avocado oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil
- ⅔ cup warm water
for corn tortilla
- 2 cups cups (240grams) massa harina
- 1 cup warm water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Flour Tortilla
- In a medium sized mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a fork or a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Make a well in the center and pour some warm water and your choice of neutral oil. Start combining until it reaches a shaggy dough like structure.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured kitchen countertop. Knead lightly until your dough is smooth and soft.
- Cover the dough with a soft and clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest for at least 15-minutes at room temperature.
- After 15-minutes remove the towel and bring back the dough to the lightly floured work surface. Use a knife to divide the dough into four equal parts. Now roll out one part into a long rope like dough with about 1-inch diameter. Now cut out equal sized blobs (they don't have to be perfectly sized).
- Roll out each blob into a medium-sized 6 or 7 or 8-inch circles. You can also use a tortilla press. (they don't have to be perfectly round).
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Place rolled out tortilla on the pan and allow one side to get brown for 45-seconds or 1-minute or until the uncooked side turns bubbly. (reduce the heat if you see it browning too quickly). Flip the tortilla to the other side and cook for 15-20 seconds. Your tortillas should be soft and pliable with few light brown spots.
- Stack your tortillas in a container lined with parchment paper. Cover it instantly to keep them soft and pliable. Serve warm.
Corn Tortilla
- In a medium sized mixing bowl combine masa harina and salt. Make a well in the center and slowly pour in warm water. Stir with a wooden spatula or a silicone spatula until it begins to form a dough.
- Use your hands to knead the dough for at least 2-minutes until it is soft and smooth. If the dough feels too wet add some tablespoons of flour. If it feels too wet then add some tablespoons of warm water.
- Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow your dough to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Now cut out small blobs from each portion. It should be a 2 tablespoon ball. Don't worry if it's not the perfect size.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface. in a 6 or 7 or 8 or 9-inch circle. Don't worry if it's not a perfect circle.
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Place the rolled tortilla in the pan. Cook one side for at least 45-seconds or until the uncooked side becomes bubbly. Flip over and cook the other side for 15-20 seconds or until it becomes light brown.
- Once done, transfer to a container lined with parchment paper. Make sure it has a lid. Cover your container with a lid immediately to keep your tortillas soft. Repeat this with the remaining flour blob.
- Once done, you can keep it in the ziplock bag for 24 hours at room temperature or serve immediately.
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