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These Tortillas de Harina, or handmade flour tortillas, are inspired by my childhood and easy to make at home without a tortilla press. Use them to make your favorite Mexican recipes, wraps, breakfast burritos, and more and enjoy them in just 30 minutes!
I used to love making homemade tortillas with my grandma as a child. She’d let me roll out the dough and give me cookie cutters to cut the tortillas into whatever holiday shapes I wanted.
I’m not sure why I no longer make them every day. Fresh tortillas taste 100 times better than any kind bought in the store, and best of all – these tortillas de harina aren’t made with pork lard or vegetable shortening.
Table of contents
Corn Tortillas vs Flour Tortillas
Apart from the fact that both corn tortillas and flour tortillas are incredibly delicious and easy to make plant-based, there are a few differences in ingredients, texture, and elasticity.
Corn tortillas are made from masa harina, a type of flour made from corn kernels that have been soaked in lime water then dried and ground into a coarse meal. Corn tortillas have a slightly grainy texture, are typically a bit thicker, and are less pliable, especially when room temperature.
Flour tortillas, on the other hand, are made from wheat flour. They are much softer, thinner, and easy to fold without breakage.
Both are easy to make from scratch with a little practice using basic, affordable ingredients you can pick up at any grocery store. Serve alongside homemade beans, Spanish cauliflower rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, veggie fajitas, and more for a complete meal.
The Ingredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best. Whole wheat flour will work as well, but additional hot water may be needed. I have not tested a gluten-free version of these flour tortillas yet.
- Vegan butter: Use unsalted vegan butter so you can control the salt. If you only have salted vegan butter, it will work, but reduce the added salt to ½ teaspoon.
- Baking powder: Helps the tortillas rise and become light and puffy while cooking on the hot griddle.
- Salt: Adds flavor and helps create a smoother, more elastic dough.
- Hot water: Hydrates the flour and activates the gluten proteins in the all-purpose flour and helps make a smooth, pliable dough that’s easy to roll out and become pliable once cooked.
How to Make Tortillas de Harina
- 1) In a large bowl, combine the flour and unsalted vegan butter using your hands. Massage all of the clumps of vegan butter into the flour, then when it seems they’re well combined, mix in the baking powder.
- 2) In a separate bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water. Pour ⅔ of the water into the flour mixture and mix to combine using your hands. If the tortilla dough seems too dry, add the rest of the water. The final dough should be smooth, not sticky.
- 3) Divide the dough into 10 equal-sized balls of dough, then cover them with a warm, damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
- 4) After 30 minutes of resting time, roll out each ball of dough on a lightly floured working surface using a rolling pin until a round tortilla forms. Repeat until all 10 tortillas are rolled out. Re-flour the work surface as needed to prevent sticking.
- 5) Heat an un-greased, nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place a single, rolled out tortilla directly on the skillet. Cook for 45 seconds, or until the tortilla develops air bubbles and the bottom side of the tortilla has developed golden brown spots. Flip and cook for an additional 45 seconds on the second side, or until fully cooked through.
- 6) Transfer the cooked tortillas to a plate covered with a towel to keep warm. Repeat the process until all remaining tortillas are cooked.
Recipe FAQs
Properly kneaded dough should be smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour. If the dough is crumbly, add additional hot water.
Traditional tortillas de harina are rolled out to about 1/8″ thick. If you like your tortillas extra thin, roll them out to about 1/16″ thick.
Yes. Prepare the dough in advance, tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap or reusable wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to roll out the tortillas, let the dough come to room temperature first, then proceed with the recipe as written.
This recipe makes 10, medium-sized tortillas.
Top Recipe Tips
- Make sure to use hot water. It does not need to be boiling, but should be really warm water (ideally be about 110 degrees F). The hot temperature will help hydrate the dough and make the best, soft and chewy tortillas.
- Keep them warm. As you cook, stack your tortillas on a plate and keep them covered with a clean kitchen towel. This will trap the heat inside and keep the tortillas warm and pliable.
- Use a tortilla press. If you happen to have one, a tortilla press can be very helpful in making thin tortillas with an even thickness.
Ways to Use Tortillas de Harina
There are several ways to use flour tortillas. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to make with these homemade tortillas.
- Plant-based burritos: Bean and Rice Burrito, Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Burrito, Fully Loaded Burrito with Mole Sauce, or these Sweet Potato Burritos
- Veggie tacos: Lentil Tacos, Tacos de Chorizo y Papas, Chipotle Lime Street Style Tacos, Slow Cooker Jackfruit Carnitas, or Cauliflower Tacos
- Vegan quesadillas: Vegan Bean Quesadilla or a Soyrizo Quesadilla
- Plant-based enchiladas: Sweet Potato Enchiladas or Kabocha Squash Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
- Vegan taquitos: Easy Vegan Taquitos
- Veggie fajitas: Vegetable Fajita Tacos or Easy Plant-Based Veggie Fajitas
- Plant-based wraps: BBQ or Buffalo Cauliflower Veggie Wraps, Easy Vegan Hummus Wraps, Buffalo Chickpea Wraps
Storage Instructions
To store homemade tortillas, allow them to cool completely at room temperature, then place them in an airtight container or resealable Ziplock/Stasher bag. Refrigerate tortillas de harina for up to 1 week or freeze for up to three months.
Reheat tortillas on a hot skillet until warm and pliable again.
More Recipes
- Frijoles de la Olla
- How to Make Vegan Tamales
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Lentil Tacos
- Sopa de Fideo (Mexican Noodle Soup)
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Tortillas de Harina – Handmade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 ½ to 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup of unsalted vegan butter (salted will work)
- ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of hot water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the 2 ½ cups of flour, and unsalted vegan butter, making sure to massage all the clumps of shortening into the flour. I usually continuously rub my hands in a back and forth motion to feel that all the vegan butter particles have been broken up. If the dough feels like it’s too wet and sticky, try adding in a little more flour by the tablespoon. When it seems that they're well-combined, mix in the baking powder.
- Dissolve the salt in hot water and pour 2/3 of it into the flour mixture, mix in with your hands. Add the rest of the water if there are still loose flour particles – I sometimes need to add another 1/2 tsp of water to make sure it all sticks. Beware, though, it should be smooth, not sticky.
- Divide dough into 10 equal-sized balls of dough, and cover them with a damp warm towel and let them rest for 30 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Continue to lightly flour the dough if it begins to stick to the rolling pin or surface.
- On a hot un-greased nonstick griddle or skillet, place the rolled out tortilla dough for about 45 seconds or until it has brown spots on the bottom. Make sure it bubbles. Flip over and do it again to the other side.
- When tortillas are finished, stack them on a plate covered in a towel.
Notes
- Make sure to use hot water. It does not need to be boiling, but should be really warm water (ideally be about 110 degrees F). The hot temperature will help hydrate the dough and make the best, soft and chewy tortillas.
- Keep them warm. As you cook, stack your tortillas on a plate and keep them covered with a clean kitchen towel. This will trap the heat inside and keep the tortillas warm and pliable.
- Use a tortilla press. If you happen to have one, a tortilla press can be very helpful in making thin tortillas with an even thickness.
These handmade flour tortillas look so soft and perfect! I love the step-by-step instructions.
One idea to make them even more flavorful is adding a pinch of smoked paprika or garlic powder to the dough. Have you tried incorporating whole wheat flour for a healthier twist? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
That sounds delicious and I’ll definitely give it a try. I haven’t tried it with whole wheat flour but I bet my family would love them. Thanks for the kind words and suggestions!
I was always intimidated to try making my own handmade flour tortillas, but this was very fun and easy … thank you!
There’s nothing like homemade tortillas. So fresh and so good!