How to Make Flour Tortillas | Vegan, Quick & Easy Recipe
Learn how to make flour tortillas with this easy and homemade vegan flour tortillas recipe. Homemade tortillas taste way better, are much cheaper than buying them at the store and you only need a few simple ingredients. You’ll never want store-bought tortillas again!
What Are Flour Tortillas
Tortillas de harina or flour tortillas are a Mexican flatbread commonly eaten in the Northern states of Mexico. However nowadays, they have become popular throughout the whole country.
These soft tortillas are incredibly easy to make at home. It’s really just mixing dry ingredients with wet ones, forming a dough ball and using a rolling pin to roll out into a thin round tortilla.
Unlike corn tortillas these vegan tortillas are made with all purpose flour and you don’t need a tortilla press to make them.
In my Mexican home growing up they weren’t the traditional tortillas but my mom would treat us to these fresh tortillas now and then.
It’s really not difficult to make your own tortillas, neither flour or vegan corn tortillas, they’re easy to make. They won’t break the budget and you can serve with your favorite fillings or even enjoy with some regular or vegan butter — they’re heavenly plain like this!
Flour Tortilla Ingredients
You only need 4 basic ingredients and they are common pantry items everyone should have in their kitchen at all times.
- all purpose wheat flour
- salt
- water
- a fat (either oil or vegetable shortening…some meat eaters use lard)
My tortillas recipe is not for gluten-free tortillas — if you want that then make my corn tortillas recipe.
Please note that I’ve never tested it out with whole wheat flour or gluten free flour mixes. The main ingredient is regular white wheat flour you find at any grocery store.
For the best results and to get the same soft flour tortillas you see in these photos and video, follow the recipe exactly and also read over all of the tips and troubleshooting information below.
What Makes This Recipe a Vegan Flour Tortilla Recipe
Traditionally many people used lard instead of vegetable oil or vegetable shortening to make flour tortillas. Lard was and still is a common ingredient in a lot of Mexican food.
Of course we don’t want to consume lard, which is an animal fat made from rendered pork skin, so oil is the best vegan option.
My recipe uses vegetable oil and I have also used olive oil and melted or liquid coconut oil with good results. Experiment to find your favorite.
But note that this recipe doesn’t contain any animal products and therefore making it a vegan tortilla recipe
Why Is Baking Powder Used in Flour Tortillas
Some people use baking powder so that the tortillas will have the air bubbles and make them puff up when they are cooking. It’s intended as a leavening agent — much like yeast with loaves of bread or pizza dough.
Do You Have to Use Baking Powder to Make Flour Tortillas
The short and quick answer is a firm no!
Every family has its own flour tortilla recipes and some people like to add baking powder to their tortilla mix, but there are plenty that chooses not to.
I’m one that chooses not to and finds baking powder unnecessary in flour tortillas.
In the many years I’ve made homemade flour tortillas only a couple of times have I ever used baking powder, and I was not happy with the results.
I have found that baking powder actually makes the masa or dough tougher. It dries out the dough and makes it harder to roll out the tortillas into flat disks.
The video and photos you see, I didn’t use any baking powder or leavening agent. The tortillas still puff up very nicely, as you can.
I find that using warm water, making sure the tortilla dough is well hydrated and that the raw dough is allowed to rests in room temperature sufficiently, this will guarantee those nice air bubbles.
How to Make Flour Tortillas
Making flour tortillas at home is one of the easiest Mexican foods you can possibly cook. Best of all the ingredients are easily found all over the World. So there’s no excuse for not making authentic Mexican flour tortillas.
The ingredients are mixed together, allowed to rest, shaped into small balls, rolled out into flat disks and then cook for a few minutes on a hot comal.
It’s truly so easy that even children can learn to make tortillas de harina at home!
How to Make Flour Tortillas Light, Airy and Puffy Tortillas
I have personally found that the key to making flour tortillas light, airy and puff up, is to let them rest so that the flour has a chance to hydrate well.
Leave to rest and cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel or even damp paper towels will work, just don’t let them touch the dough. You could also use plastic wrap.
Then you want to also make sure that you’re mixing the ingredients well. All the kneading will also add air.
Another trick is that when the tortilla is cooking on the comal, use a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. As you see the air bubbles appear you can gently press on then to help more air build up and create more airy tortillas. (Watch the video for a visual guide.)
How to Store Homemade Flour Tortillas
If you have any leftovers you can store them in the refrigerator.
Simply put cooked tortillas in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. A thick freezer bag will also work.
How Long do Homemade Tortillas Last
They’ll keep fresh in the refrigerator for about a week. Just make sure there’s no moisture on them.
Troubleshooting Flour Tortilla Problems
Below are some common questions and problems that may arise when making flour tortillas. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Why Did My Tortillas Turn Out Dry
Too much flour was added when rolling them out or not enough water was added when making the dough. Another reason is not allowing them to rest and let the flour hydrate properly.
My Tortillas Crack When I Fold Them
Again it can be a water or hydration issue. Or if they’re rolled out too thinly they’ll tend to crack.
What if I Don’t Want to Use Oil
You can use vegetable shortening instead. Use 2 to 3 Tablespoons.
Can you Freeze Flour Tortillas
Yes you can! Place a piece of parchment paper between each tortilla so that they don’t stick together and fall apart when defrosting. Additionally you can easier to take out just a few as needed instead of defrosting the whole batch.
How to Keep Flour Tortillas Warm
Place the cooked flour tortillas on a plate and cover them with a cloth or place inside of a partially opened Ziplock bag.
Why Aren’t My Flour Tortillas Perfectly Round
Don’t stress this out, the shape is less important than the taste. It takes a lot of practice getting perfectly round tortillas. Additionally the first tortilla always seems to come out worse than the rest — kinda like the first pancake.
How to Serve Flour Tortillas
Freshly, still warm, homemade flour tortillas are a million times better than those from the grocery store. They taste delicious with just a little salt or some butter spread on them.
Below are just a few of the countless ways you can serve flour tortillas.
- Bean, Spinach & Goat Cheese Burritos
- Zucchini Blossom Quesadillas | Quesadillas De Flor De Calabaza
- Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips
- Make quick and easy burritos with refried black beans and a homemade salsa.
- You can also use these to make burritos or tortilla wraps.
- Soft tacos are another great use.
- Spread with almond or cashew butter
- Spread with peanut butter. I also like to add banana slices with the peanut butter.
Flour Tortillas Recipe | Vegan Flour Tortillas Recipe
Ok amigos, check out my super easy flour tortillas recipe below. Remember it’s quick, easy to make and also a delicious vegan recipe! You’re going to love it and promise the store bought flour tortillas will never taste the same again.
How to Make Flour Tortilla | Vegan, Quick & Easy Recipe
Equipment
- rolling pin,
- comal or griddle a non-stick pan or cast iron pan work too
- clean kitchen towel for covering the cooked tortillas
- bag or container with a lid to store the tortillas
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water maybe less or more*
- extra flour for dusting
Instructions
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl mix the flour and salt until well combined, make a well in the center, and add in all of the oil and half of the water. Mix until well the ingredients are coming together and little by little adding more water until your dough comes together and isn’t sticky. Please notice that depending on the conditions of your home you may need to add more or less water to get the dough to come together. Drizzle just a little bit of oil into the bottom of your mixing bowl, then place the dough back in the bowl, cover and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After 10 to 15 minutes check on the dough. It should be soft, moist, stretchy, and easy to work with. If it isn’t then cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Divide the dough into small even-sized balls around the size of golf balls. Shape them into proper balls then place the little balls back into the bowl and cover. Place your comal/griddle/pan on the stove over medium-high heat. While you wait for it to warm up you can begin rolling out the tortillas.
- Dust your work surface with a little bit of dust, and also rub the rolling pin with some flour too. Place one dough ball onto the work surface, use your palm to flatten down. Then begin rolling and stretching out the dough into a circular shape and to 1/8th of an inch thick. Don’t stress it if your tortillas aren’t perfect circles — it’s the taste, not the shape that matters most. Carefully place your rolled out tortilla on the comal/griddle/pan and allow to cook for about 2 minutes or until you see the dough change color and air bubbles begin to form. (Please watch the video for a visual guide).
- Carefully flip over the tortilla and cook for about a minute or less — you’ll see more air bubbles for and it cooks rather quickly so keep an eye on it so that you can take it off the heat. The tortillas should be soft and little golden spots, but not be hard or crispy — they need to bend and roll with ease. Once cooked cover the tortilla in your clean kitchen cloth to keep warm.
- Next, roll out another dough ball into a tortilla repeating step number 3. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to time the cooking perfectly so that you can be rolling and cooking the tortillas at the same time without having to stop. Serve your tortillas warm as desired and store any leftovers in the fridge inside a plastic bag or a sealed container.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Flour Tortillas Are Comfort Food
One of my fondest childhood memories is of my abuelita spoiling, in her own way, her son-in-law, that would be my Papi (father). She would hear that he was coming to visit her and would go into her kitchen to prepare a special treat for my Papi.
She would make him homemade flour tortillas. I never saw her do this for anyone else and often wonder if she ever made them for any other son-in-law of hers.
My abuelita’s tortillas were always so soft, warm and unlike any other I have ever tasted.
You may be wondering what the big deal is about flour tortillas, they are not commonly found in my parent’s hometown. Flour tortillas are not as common as corn on every Mexican table. They seem to be consumed the most in the northern states of Mexico and in Tex-Mex cuisine.
My mother also makes amazing flour tortillas, and it was a special treat we had every once in a while or when we ran out of corn ones.
I would watch my mom prepare the dough, divide it into small balls and roll them out so fast that she could almost keep up with us scarfing them down.
I was too busy eating and being a rebellious teenager to see the exact ingredients and appreciate the work that goes into making tortillas. But at least I could acknowledge that my mother’s tortillas were the best tortillas ever made by anyone in the US, period!
It was because of these fond childhood memories that one day I decided to learn to make my own flour tortillas. It’s been nearly a decade and I can proudly say my own are pretty darn good.
♫Music By♫ Nicolai Heidlas from HookSounds.com
Royalty Free Music from HookSounds https://www.hooksounds.com
(*recipe updated September 2022)
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
Homemade flour tortillas, in my mind, rate better than homemade sandwich bread any day! Also they have such a vast number of ways that you can incorporate them into a meal. That picture of them does look amazing and tasty. Great post.
I would have to agree with you Tina. Thank you!
I just made your tortilla recipe and my tortillas turned out great! I think my mother used to put baking powder in hers, but when I tried making them with the baking powder they turned out dry and hard. Now I did tweak the recipe to make them healthier. I used 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup of all purpose. I also used olive oil. They turned out tender, almost flakey. My husband is going to love me even more!
Hi Mary,
Baking powder is very commonly used but like you I find that makes the tortillas dry and hard. I love your healthier tweaks, thank you for sharing them!
I had no idea flour tortillas were so relatively easy to make myself! I’ll definitely have to try, store-bought just never tastes as good as fresh-made.
Love the story in this post 🙂 There are certain foods that will always evoke my dad and I in the kitchen, me with a way-too-large apron, bursting with pride I was helping him cook.
They really are Kiri. Thanks and I love your memory, sounds so cute:)
What a great story! You are so lucky to have a cooking family. I have made corn tortillas, never flour – I would definitely like to, as I have had homemade (only in restaurants) and you are right, you can’t compare it to the plastic stuff! Well, my mom wasn’t much of a cook so for me nostalgic foods are foods that remind me of her, or things we ate together, or strange store bought things she “cooked” for me but that we ate together … But mashed potatoes I think are number 1. She told me that when she was pregnant with me she ate giant bowls of of them with tons of salt and butter and somehow eating that dish always makes me feel good. Now that she is gone I feel close to her when I eat them! (Too bad she didn’t each something a less carby right? lol)
Hi Trix, Thank you sweetie. Wow, that is so cool and funny 🙂 So one can say that you’ve been comforted by mashed potatoes since you were a fetus, hehe. I’m sorry your mother is gone but here spirit is there with those beautiful memories you’ve formed. Thanks for sharing your story.
What beautiful food traditions you have! Gorgeous tortillas – why buy them ever with these?
Thank you Belinda 🙂 It’s happened but not proud of it. I wrote about it above ↑
Amazing flour tortillas. It will be next on my to do list 🙂
Thanks Nishi!
This hands down is my fav post from you, (i’m sure there will be more in the future) I love the mention of your papi (we also call our dad papi) and your abuelita, lovely memories. Flour tortillas were one of my biggest hurdles. I so wanted them to taste like my mami’s but when I realized they never would, but still be loved I was happy. Here in South Texas flour tortillas are king!! Thank you for sharing!
Hola Vianney, Thank you and glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 It seems like the most simple dishes are always the hardest.
What a beautiful post. Food can evoke such wonderful memories. I think your tortillas look absolutely perfect to me. They look so light and flaky. When you ask what food brings me fond memories… it’s got to be some kind of rice and curry meal. Yes… what do you expect from a curry girl. My mother is the best Sri Lankan cook I know and I pray that I will get her knowledge in the kitchen. I keep telling her to publish a family cookbook, but she follows no specific recipes. She’s just a pinch here and a dash there kind of cook. So I try to get her to walk me through her recipes and document them the best I can. Somehow there something always missing. She’s just go the magic touch. : ) Have a great weekend. ~ Ramona
Hi Ramona, Thank you so much 🙂 Your mom sounds like an amazing cook. What a treat to eat her food and watch her cook. I’m sure her knowledge is inside of you too. You should totally work on a family cookbook. You too have a great weekend!
I just made these for the first time hadnt had time to post them yours look fabulous and we love them will never buy them again, great job!
I can’t wait to see your tortillas Claudia! I’m so proud of you 🙂
delicious looking presentation of the flour tortillas
Thanks!
What a lovely post! Food memories are just the best, love how your abuelita spoiled your papi, with warm fresh tortillas. You would be proud of me, I am no expert and mine never look as perfect as yours, but i do make my own on many occasions 🙂
Hugs and love, wishing you a perfect weekend…
I am so proud of you Alisha 🙂 I’m positive your tortillas are just perfect and yummy. Thank you and the same to you. Hugs & Love back!
I can only imagine how fabulous these taste! Beautiful photos as always….
Thank you Liz!
You made them like a pro..they look absolutely gorgeous!!! Beautiful photos and such a nice post!!
Thank you Sandra!
Growing up in South Texas, I too have great memories of my abuelita’s home cooking….especially her tortillas. As as an ex-pat living in Germany, I’ve had to fend for myself when it comes to Tex-Mex. I learned to make my own tortillas and I can say that they are just about perfect now. Only took me three years. I know what you mean when you say that making tortillas never gets repetitive. On some Sundays I’ll cook up a batch of tortillas and whip up some chorizo (homemade) and eggs and have an awesome breakfast. MMMM getting hungry just thinking about it.
Hi Paul, Good for you! I’m sure you’d make your abuelita proud. You have made me hungry and now I’ll have to make some chorizo too. Que rico 🙂
Those tortillas are making my mouth water! And you know, I do not know that I’d be able to choose my most nostalgic food! But now I’m totally thinking about it!
Thanks Tifanny! It is tuff and I think it also depends on what one is feeling that moment 🙂
There’s something about food memories that really go straight to the heart, isn’t there? Hard to put into words, like many of our most meaningful experiences…
Yes, Frank I couldn’t agree more.
Homemade tortillas are simply wonderful. You cannot get any better than that. Yours look amazing!
They sure are, glad you agree. Thank you Emily!
You seem like a professional in cooking, photography and writing. I read your post carefully enjoying every bit of it. Since gluten free I sometimes make tortillas from masa harina flour.
Thank you Balvinder 🙂 Good for you for making your own corn tortillas, that is great.
You got me all hungry for some of your flour tortillas and then I clicked on your link to get your book and I find that the link is NOT WORKING!!! AWWW DARN! HAHAHA! =D
Hi James,
Oops, sorry about the broken link. Try this link, http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?contributorId=764312
Thanks:)
great recipe, and your story to go along with it about your grandma and papi is just beautiful. keep writing your stories, I really enjoy them
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! ❤️❤️❤️
First time making flour tortillas and used this recipe. Pretty impressed.. sooo tasty! Video was very precise!
I just made flour tortillas using your recipe for the first time ever. they turned out perfect. I’m so happy and will not want to get them at the store anymore. Thanks!
Very good recipe its like my Mexican mother made them for me. Thank you now I don’t have to buy them
Thanks so much, Silva and enjoy your tortillas!
Made this today! it was so easy, only problem I had was getting them to come out round, mine where anything but round. other than that they were great. ate them with mushroom fajitas
The shape really doesn’t matter, it’s the tastes that’s more important. Yummy on the mushroom fajitas!
I just made these tonight and I’m never buying store bought again. I’ll post on IG @VEGGIESTRONG_AP the results if you want to see but wow! Amazing.
Thank you so much, Anna!
Thank you so much!
I loved this recipe! I did make just a couple of minor changes to the process so I thought I’d share. I followed the ingredients to a T then after letting it rest, I separated it into 6 equal size balls of dough, which I rolled out to burrito size. After cooking them according to your instructions, I put them in a gallon size bag and sealed it to let them sweat. Doing that made them workable for burritos. They came out AMAZING! Thank you for this recipe! I will never buy flour tortillas again!
Hi Heather! Thank you for the feedback and for sharing your changes, burrito size tortillas are great. Thanks! 🙂
These look like they taste great.
Is possible to make these tasty without the oil?
You won’t get the soft pliable texture that you need to both roll them out and to keep them soft. Thanks!
Made these for breakfast today and they were delicious! Made them with olive oil instead of vegetable oil and turned out well. Can’t go back to eating store bought tortillas. Will make again!
Thank you Ava, I’m so happy to hear this. Once you’ve had homemade tortillas it is very hard to go back to the store bought ones. Enjoy!
Hi Nancy,
This recipe sounded so amazing. Thanks for sharing every details clearly. I couldn’t wait to try for my parents.
Thanks once again!
Hi Emily!
Thank you so much, I’m thrilled you enjoyed the tortillas. Keep on enjoying the.
This recipe was so good will be making this a lot
Thanks Lilley, enjoy!
Thank´s a lot! It was nice to recall… it´s a homemade recipe without a doubt!.
Homemade and with a memory are the best kinds of foods. Thank you!
Made them several times and I am finally happy at how perfect this recipe is. They taste so good just need to practice the perfect shape.
So happy to hear it Mari and don’t worry so much about the shape because the tastes matters more. Enjoy!
I made these for the second time today. I doubled the recipe and made the tortillas a little larger. So easy, so satisfying! So fun, too, when you listen to music while cooking 🙂 Thank you for your easy-to-follow recipe!
Thank you Sondra, so happy to hear this. I also agree with the listening to music while cooking. 🙂
I really tried it and even troubleshoot with your guidelines… and the result was awesome!! Thank you A LOT!!
Thank you Albert, so happy to hear this! 🙂
love how simple this is! now I can make my own burritos and tacos! perfect!
Homemade is the way to go. Thanks!
I love how easy to follow the procedure of making this recipe.
I am so excited to make this at home!
Thank you Amy!
I used gf flour with this recipe and it was amazing!
I will never buy them in the store again!
Thank you!
Hi Antonia, thank you for sharing this I know others will find it useful! 🙂