Flour tortillas
Soft, bendy flour tortillas rolled thin and cooked in a hot dry pan, ready for burritos, quesadillas and fajitas.
Make this once, then cook it into 96 different dishes.
- Time1 hr
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £0.04 a head
- Makes16 flour tortillas about 18 cm across, enough for 8 burritos or 16 soft tacos
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil and rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.
- 2
Add the warm water and mix to a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
30 min - 3
Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, about 44 g each. Roll into balls, cover with a damp towel and rest for 10 minutes.
10 min - 4
Heat a large dry frying pan or griddle over a high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes.
- 5
On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a thin round about 18 cm across and 2 mm thick, turning as you roll.
- 6
Lay a tortilla on the hot pan and cook for 30 to 40 seconds until bubbles form and the base has brown freckles. Flip and cook for 20 to 30 seconds more. Do not overcook or they go stiff.
1 min 10 s - 7
Stack the cooked tortillas in a clean tea towel to keep them warm and soft. Serve hot, or cool and store.
About flour tortillas
Flour tortillas are thin, soft, slightly chewy wheat flatbreads made from plain flour, oil, baking powder, salt and warm water, cooked briefly in a hot dry pan. They are the tortilla of northern Mexico, especially Sonora, and they are the wrapper for burritos, quesadillas, fajitas and soft tacos.
Homemade ones are far softer and more flexible than most packet tortillas and take about an hour, most of it resting time. The dough is like a soft bread dough with no yeast. Resting it makes it easy to roll very thin, and cooking it quickly on a very hot pan gives the characteristic brown freckles and puffed bubbles.
They are dairy free, egg free and vegan with oil in place of lard, though traditional recipes use lard for a more tender result. They are not gluten free, but the tips below give a workable gluten free approach.
Tips
- Rest the dough twice: 30 minutes as one piece and 10 minutes as balls. Without resting, the dough springs back and will not roll thin.
- Roll from the centre outwards, turning the dough a quarter turn each time, to get a round tortilla about 2 mm thick.
- Cook on a very hot dry pan for 30 to 40 seconds a side. A cool pan makes dry, stiff tortillas. Brown freckles and a few puffed bubbles show it is done.
- Stack hot tortillas in a clean tea towel straight away. The steam keeps them soft and bendy.
- For lard tortillas replace the oil with 60 g of lard. Rub it into the flour before adding the water.
- For gluten free tortillas use a gluten free plain flour blend that already contains xanthan gum, add 1 tbsp more oil and enough water to make a soft dough, and roll between baking paper. Expect a more fragile result.
Storing and freezing
Keep cooled tortillas in a sealed bag at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze with paper between them for up to 3 months. Warm in a dry hot pan or microwave under a damp towel until hot.
Dishes you can make with flour tortillas
Burritos Mojados (Smothered Wet Burritos)
EFNFBurritos Bañados en Salsa Verde (Smothered Burritos)
EFNFBurritos de Frijol con Queso (Bean and Cheese Burritos)
EFNFBurritos de Frijol y Queso (Bean and Cheese Burritos)
EFNFVChimichangas de Pollo (Crispy Baked Chicken Burritos)
EFNFHPQueso Fundido con Chorizo y Chipotle (Baked Cheese with Chorizo)
EFNFSincronizadas de Jamon y Queso con Chipotle (Ham and Cheese Quesadillas)
EFNFSincronizadas con Jamón y Queso (Ham and Cheese Quesadillas)
EFNFBurritos Enchilados de Res y Frijol (Wet Beef and Bean Burritos)
EFNFEnchiladas de Atún (Tuna Enchiladas)
EFNFQuesadillas de Jaiba con Salsa Roja (Crab Quesadillas)
EFNFBurritos Ahogados de Pavo (Smothered Turkey Burritos)
EFNFQuestions
Why are my flour tortillas stiff?
Usually the pan was not hot enough, they were cooked too long, or they were not kept covered after cooking. Cook for just 30 to 40 seconds a side on a very hot pan and stack them in a tea towel at once.
Why won't my dough roll thin?
The gluten is tight. Rest the dough balls for at least 10 minutes under a cloth so they relax, then roll again. A very slightly sticky dough also rolls more easily than a stiff one.
Can I use lard or butter?
Traditional recipes use lard, which makes the most tender tortillas. Use 60 g of lard in place of the oil. Butter works too but is not dairy free or vegan. As written, with oil, these are dairy free and vegan.
Can I make them gluten free?
A gluten free plain flour blend with xanthan gum can work with extra oil and water, and more careful rolling between baking paper. The result is more fragile than wheat tortillas and best eaten fresh.
Can I make the dough in advance?
Yes. Wrap the dough balls and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling. They actually roll more easily after a long rest.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.