This post may feature affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Don’t you just love eating three-month-old tortillas from the store?
(Mmm…preservatives).
No? Learn how to make corn tortillas at home using just 3 simple ingredients (and 2 of them are salt and water)!
Table of Contents
📖 About
Are you on team corn or flour when it comes to tortillas? If you’re team wheat, you’ve probably never had a warm and authentic corn tortilla hot off the press.
It’s time you did.
History
This thin flatbread made of ground corn has been around for thousands of years (think waaaay back to 10,000 B.C.E.).
During the Aztec times, corn tortillas were eaten plain, dipped in chile sauce, or stuffed with different meats, veggies, and beans.
Originally known as “tlaxcalli” in Nahuatl, Spaniards later gave them the name “tortilla,” which comes from the Spanish word tort (or “cake”).
Corn tortillas (or tortillas de maíz) are a staple in Mexican culture and cuisine and are now widely enjoyed all around the globe!
What are tortillas de maíz?
Simple foods are often the best foods, right? Corn tortillas consist of 3 ingredients — masa harina, salt (sometimes), and water.
Just mix those together, flatten each tortilla with a press, and cook them on a comal or cast-iron skillet to form warm and delicious tortillas de maíz.
You’ll find many Mexican recipes start off with a variation of these ingredients. The dish’s name is often determined by the corn tortilla preparation or cooking method.
For example, sopes are thick tortillas with a ridge around the edge to keep the toppings from falling off. Empanadas? That’s just a corn tortilla folded over fillings and fried up. What about quesadillas? Corn tortillas with melty cheese and fillings inside. And totopos? Those are tortillas that have been cut and lightly fried to make chips.
You get the point.
Are they vegan?
Since the ingredient list is only masa harina, water, and salt, these are gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan!
We promise you won’t be in the kitchen for hours making this corn tortilla recipe either because it’s such a breeze! You need to see for yourself how soft and tender the homemade version is.
You’ll never want to buy them from the store again.
Serving
Enjoy your tortillas hot off the skillet with your favorite taco fillings. We love serving these with tacos al pastor or papas a la mexicana.
You can also try using homemade corn tortillas in recipes like enchiladas or crispy black bean tacos for a more authentic-tasting dish.
Not a taco person? Cut these up and make tortilla chips and guacamole! The options are never-ending.
We can’t stress this enough — do yourself a favor and learn how to make corn tortillas! Everything will taste that much better and give you all the delicious Mexican flavors you’ve been craving.
🍲 Key ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
Masa harina
You’re definitely going to need to understand and master this extremely important and versatile Mexican ingredient.
What is it?
Translated to “dough flour” and often confused with corn flour, masa harina comes from a type of corn that’s been soaked in calcium-rich lime water. This process allows it to absorb calcium and niacin to make it easier on our digestion. The corn is then rinsed and ground into an “instant flour.”
Masa most commonly comes in yellow, white, and blue corn varieties (all work well for making tortillas). You’ll be able to enjoy your tortillas in multiple colors!
Taste
On its own, masa harina has a nutty, almost mineral-like flavor. When cooked, it transforms to slightly sweet with a soft texture.
Health
Since it’s naturally gluten-free, this type of flour is sought after by those with gluten allergies. Masa harina also contains a higher amount of fiber, vitamin A, and zinc compared to wheat.
Where to buy it?
You can find this type of flour at most grocery stores in the Mexican or ethnic aisle. Note: each brand varies in consistency and taste. We used Maseca in this recipe, so you may have to slightly adjust the ratios depending on the brand you choose.
For more information, check out detailed guide on masa harina.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about how to make corn tortillas, don’t forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Dough
Step 1: add the masa harina and salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Then, add in your hot water and mix everything together. You’re going to want to use very warm water, but careful not to burn your hands.
Step 2: begin kneading the dough to form a ball that’s sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep rolling and pressing with your palm for a few minutes to hydrate the flour (like you would when kneading bread dough).
Note: if the dough appears too crumbly, add a small amount of water at a time until you are able to form a texture similar to play-dough. If it becomes too sticky, add in a little more masa harina (it’s all a balancing act).
Rolling
Step 3: once you’ve got the right consistency, start forming small dough balls roughly the size of a golf ball. You should end up with about 14-16 tortillas in total. Store the dough under a towel to keep it moist.
Pressing
Step 4: cut up a freezer bag into a couple of pieces that will fit your final tortilla size (about 5 inches). If you have a tortilla press, grab it out now!
Step 5: open the press and place a ball of dough in the center on one of the plastic pieces. Place the other plastic piece on top and close the press down gently to form tortillas. You can also use wax paper for this.
Note: if you don’t have a tortilla press, don’t worry! You can achieve the same results with a rolling pin, baking dish with a flat bottom, or whatever flat surface you own.
Cooking
Step 6: preheat a seasoned cast-iron skillet starting on low and working your way up to medium-high. Cook the tortillas for a few seconds on the first side, flip and cook for another ~40 seconds, then flip once more and wait for the tortilla to puff up. Wrap them in a tea towel while you cook the rest.
Step 7: when they are done cooking, serve your homemade corn tortillas immediately as a base for tacos, enchiladas, and more!
🌡️ Storage
Keeping warm: while you’re cooking the tortillas, it’s important to keep them warm before serving. Wrap them in a tea towel as you go.
Fridge: these store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you don’t think you’ll use the tortillas up that quick, we recommend freezing them right away.
Freezer: store in a freezer-safe container or bag and they will last for up to 6-8 months. When you need some tortillas, thaw the amount you want in your fridge overnight and they’ll be soft in the morning!
Reheating: the best method is to reheat each corn tortilla in a dry skillet over medium for 30-40 seconds per side. You can also wrap them in a tea towel and microwave them if you prefer.
💭 Pro tips
We’d like to share some tips and tricks we learned while experimenting with this corn tortilla recipe:
- Double or triple the recipe. This way, you’ll have tortillas on hand instead of having to buy them from the store.
- Freeze the tortillas. If you aren’t planning on eating these right away, freeze them so they don’t go bad!
- Don’t waste them. If your corn tortillas are going stale, don’t throw them out! Turn them into homemade tortilla chips!
- Let the edges start to curl up. This helps ensure the first side won’t stick when you try to flip the tortilla.
- Keep them warm. Wrap the tortillas in a towel after cooking to keep them soft and pliable.
- Let them puff. If your tortillas don’t puff the first few times, add a little more water to the dough and leave them to cook a bit longer on each side.
🍴 Tasting notes
We think you really need to learn how to make tortillas de maíz because they’re:
- Fresh
- Soft
- Warm
- Tender
- Authentic
If you try this corn tortilla recipe, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
How to Make Corn Tortillas
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowl
- Freezer bag
- Tortilla press or rolling pin
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina ($0.25)
- 1 ½ cups hot water ($0.00)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
Instructions
Dough
- Add the masa harina and salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Then, add in 1 ½ cups (approximately 330 grams) of very warm water to start with and mix together using your hands.
- Begin kneading the dough to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep rolling and pressing with your palm for a few minutes to hydrate the flour (like you would when kneading bread dough).
- If the dough appears too crumbly, add a tbsp of water at a time until you are able to form a texture similar to play-dough. If it becomes too sticky, add in a little more masa harina.
Rolling
- Next, start breaking off pieces of the dough to form small balls (about 40g each). Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth. Note: keep the rest of the dough under a towel so it stays moist.
Tortilla press
- If you have a tortilla press, cut a zip lock bag into 2 pieces that will fit into the press (one for each side of the tortilla).
- Open the press and place a ball of dough in the center on a piece of plastic. Place the other plastic piece on top and close the press down gently to form tortillas about 5 inches in diameter.
Other techniques
- If you don’t have a tortilla press, place your ball of dough between the same 2 pieces of plastic on your counter. Press the tortilla down with the bottom of a baking dish or flat plate, then begin flattening it out with a rolling pin until quite thin (again, about 5 inches in diameter).
- If you don’t have a rolling pin, continue pressing down with a hard, flat surface until your tortilla is the same size as the above methods.
To cook
- Preheat a seasoned cast-iron skillet for starting on low and slowly working your way up to just over medium or medium-high. If you are using a regular frying pan, preheat it with no oil as you normally would.
- Gently add a tortilla to the hot pan and cook on the first side for 10 seconds. Flip and cook for another 40-50 seconds, then flip once more and cook until brown spots are forming and the tortilla puffs up, about 40 seconds.
- Remove your tortilla from the heat and wrap it in a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the rest.
- When they are all cooked, serve your corn tortillas warm with your favorite meals. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The measurements in this recipe are a starting place, but the specific ratios will depend on the brand of masa harina you use, the climate, etc. Play around with the ratios until it feels just right.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For some recipes to use these corn tortillas in, check out our:
- Bean tostaguac: Crispy corn tostadas topped with guacamole, refried bayo beans, and fresh veggies.
- Jackfruit carnitas: A tender, flavorful, and healthy dish made from jackfruit.
- Quesabirria tacos: Messy and delicious tacos (vegan-style).
- Chilaquiles rojos: Spicy and authentic breakfast made with leftover tortillas!
💬 FAQ
If your dough is too sticky, add more masa harina 1 tbsp at a time until it reaches a playdough-like consistency.
If your dough is too dry, add in warm water 1 tbsp at a time until it stays together with kneading.
You don’t have to let the dough rest. Just leave it while you’re getting the rest of your supplies ready and that will be enough time.
No, you do not need a tortilla press to make these. If you think you will make tortillas regularly, it makes sense for you to invest in one since it saves time. Otherwise, using the bottom of a baking pan, casserole dish, or rolling pin will all work.
If your tortillas are sticking to the pan, it likely means you didn’t preheat it enough before putting the tortilla on to fry. This is especially important if you use a cast-iron skillet since it takes a while to heat up evenly.
Use the thin plastic from an empty produce bag to cut circles to fit the tortilla press. Peels away much easier than a thick Ziplock bag. Also the absolute best Masa Harina is sold by Masienda. We purchase Olotillo Blanco corn from them, nixtamalize it and make the freshest masa ever! We purchased the book “Masa”. Now we make fresh WFPB Pozole, Chochoyotes, Sopes, Tamales, etc. They are so fresh tasting. We even have our very own Dona Rosa Tortilla Press!
Hi Vicky,
Thanks for your tips! We completely agree – Masienda is heads above other brands. And so many delicious recipes 😀
Is this serving of 14, meaning 14 tortillas? Cooking for 1 here😉
Can they be frozen? Any thoughts on how long they last in the refrigerator?
Thanks!
Hey Gerry!
Yes, this recipe makes about 14 tortillas. They last about 2-3 days in the fridge and up to 6-8 months in the freezer. Just make sure to keep them in a sealable bag or container.
Thanks for the detailed recipe. I love it and I really want to try it at home.
I wonder that the corn powder u recommand, Maseca is non-GMO?
I heard GMO corn is so common in US and Mexico.
Hi Ranju, we’re happy you want to try the recipe! Maseca does use GMO corn. If you are looking for a non-GMO brand, you can try Bob’s Red Mill.