These Homemade Corn Tortillas are still the most popular recipe on the site, so if you're new to them please consider giving it a go! I've updated this post with tips for the most common obstacles you'll encounter when making tortillas for the first time -- plus some brand options if you're new to Masa Harina.
Imagine walking into the grocery store early one morning and seeing this:
Cozumel, Mexico -- Photo by Chloe Miller
That's the dough used to make fresh corn tortillas each morning in the markets of Cozumel.
Producers will de-hydrate this corn dough and sell it in bags like this:
This is Masa Harina and it's your golden ticket to easy homemade corn tortillas!
Add some water, a bit of salt, and you've got masa on your hands -- which means you're only a few minutes away from an authentic stack of tortillas. What exactly is Masa Harina?
Making a batch of these beauties comes with two main benefits, the most obvious being a stack of corn tortillas that are good enough to be eaten on their own.
The other, hidden benefit is that your taste buds will now have a built-in tortillameter that you can use to gauge the quality of tortillas sold in your neighborhood.
This will help you stay away from store-bought tortillas that have strayed too far from the original process.
How To Make Corn Tortillas
First things first, get some Masa Harina in the house!
Here are the three brands that are most common in the States: Bob's Red Mill, Maseca, and Gold Mine.
Maseca is the most common brand and it's a worthy starting point. Lately I prefer the flavor of Bob's Red Mill so keep an eye out for that one too. More info on comparing these Masa Harina brands.
Update: Bob's Red Mill also sells an organic Masa Harina. More details on organic Masa Harina options.
Okay, here's your starting recipe:
2 cups Masa Harina
1.5 cups of warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add the 2 cups of Masa Harina and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a mixing bowl.
Add one cup of the warm water and stir until all of the water is absorbed.
It will probably look like this:
Now start adding the rest of the warm water incrementally, a couple tablespoons at a time, and stirring regularly.
The idea is to keep adding water until the flour bits meld into a dough. At that point you can pick it up with your hands and knead it together.
Eventually it will look like this:
Next, separate the dough into golf ball sized chunks, rolling them between your hands to form a smooth ball.
This will make the tortillas about 4 inches across.
You'll need something to put on either side of the dough ball to prevent it from sticking when you flatten it.
You can use plastic wrap, but I’ve found that a large Ziploc bag cut in half works best:
So that’s half a Ziploc bag on either side of the dough ball.
And after flattening it the plastic should peel off effortlessly. If it’s sticking then there's probably too much water in the dough.
Do I Really Need A Tortilla Press?
No, you definitely don't need a tortilla press, so please don't let that stop you from making your own tortillas!
You can use a skillet or any flat-bottomed dish to squish 'em.
Here I'm using a casserole dish and it's just as effective as a tortilla press. Just be sure to put plastic on either side of the dough ball before flattening it.
How To Cook Your Corn Tortillas
Okay, there are two schools of thought when it comes to cooking the tortillas.
The first simply cooks them on each side for about a minute, or until brown spots start to appear on the underside.
The second school flips the tortilla 10 seconds after putting it on the skillet and then cooks each side for about a minute. The idea is that those first 10 seconds will seal in some of the heat and help the insides cook quicker.
I’ve found the second method makes the tortillas lighter and fluffier, so I use that one. It’s a little bit more work, but I think it’s worth it.
So again...heat the skillet to medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and flip after 10 seconds, then cook each side for about a minute or until brown spots form on each side.
Don’t be surprised if they start to puff up during cooking, that’s a good sign!
You can also try pressing down on them with a spatula once you flip to the final side -- sometimes this will make them puff up instantly!
Eventually, you’ll have a stack of warm, steaming corn tortillas.
They are best eaten as soon as possible. If you want some friends for life feel free to share with neighbors.
Tips For Making Tortillas The First Time
There are two main sources of frustration that you should know about before venturing into tortilla land.
First, getting the consistency of the dough right can take some fiddling.
Ideally, you can handle the dough without it sticking to your hands. If it's sticky then simply add a few sprinklings of Masa Harina to dry it out.
And conversely, if the dough is crumbly and not coming together then it means you are low on water. Simply add splashes of water until it forms a cohesive ball.
That's why I typically recommend adding the final 1/2 cup of water incrementally -- this will help you find the right consistency quicker.
And the second pitfall is the temp of the stove. You might need to make a tortilla sacrifice to get the temperature of the stove right so don't sweat it if this happens!
For my stove that means a little over medium heat does the job.
This will have brown spots forming on the underside in about 60 seconds or so. This also makes it easy to flip the tortilla with your fingers as it will be sliding around the pan in a matter of seconds when the temp is right.
If it's taking significantly longer for brown spots to form then you'll need to raise the heat. Conversely, if you're getting black spots forming in a matter of seconds then you need to lower the heat.
How To Store Corn Tortillas
These are best eaten right off the skillet! But you can keep them warm by simply wrapping them in a tea towel or by using a dedicated tortilla warmer.
They'll keep for a few days in the fridge, but don't forget that you'll need to reheat them to bring them back to life after they have chilled down.
I always use a dry skillet over medium heat to do this -- simply add as many tortillas as you need to the skillet and give them 30-60 seconds per side to warm up. Using the stovetop will also crisp them up slightly and that's when they are most tasty.
Can I Freeze The Tortilla Dough?
I haven't tried freezing the masa dough but I 've gotten multiple emails saying it doesn't work! Once thawed the masa dough seems to be crumbly. Sure, you could probably add some water to rebuild it, but it would probably be quicker and tastier to start over.
Instead, I will sometimes use only half of the dough to make tortillas and store the rest of it in the fridge where it will keep for at least a few days.
Simply wrap the leftover dough in plastic and foil, and then store it in the fridge. The next day you can pull off a chunk, flatten it, and cook up a warm, homemade tortilla in a matter of minutes 🙂
Okay, I hope this solves Homemade Corn Tortillas for you! For reference, here are some additional articles on my site to fill in any gaps:
- 3 Different Masa Harina Brands To Choose From
- Organic Masa Harina Options
- What the heck is Nixtamalization?
- Trying out the Masa Harina from Masienda
- Homemade Masa Dough Using Dried Field Corn
- Corn Tortillas Made With Fat
- Masa Harina vs. Cornmeal: What's the Difference?
- Masa Harina Cornbread
- Corn Tortillas Made From Popcorn Kernels
- Half and Half Tortillas (Corn + Flour)
Please use this post as permission to just go for it! Making your own corn tortillas is a massive upgrade for your home kitchen -- plus it will give you an expert tortillameter for life 🙂
Buen Provecho.
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Homemade Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups Masa Harina
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cups warm water
Instructions
- Add 2 cups Masa Harina and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of the warm water and stir until the water is absorbed. Add the rest of the water incrementally until the flour melds into a dough. Use your hands to knead the dough into a cohesive ball.
- If the dough is sticking to your hands simply add a few sprinklings of Masa Harina to dry it out. Conversely, if the dough is still crumbly then you can add splashes of water until it becomes cohesive.
- Separate the dough into golf ball sized chunks, this will make tortillas approximately 4 inches across.
- Flatten the dough balls using a flat bottomed pan or a tortilla press. Be sure to line each side of the dough ball with plastic or Ziploc pieces. I usually just cut off the top of a gallon sized Ziploc bag and then make slits down the sides, leaving it connected at the bottom.
- Heat a skillet or comal to medium-high heat. (Lately I use a tad over medium heat on my stove and this will have brown spots forming in about 60 seconds.)
- Add a tortilla to the skillet and flip it after 10 seconds. Then cook each side for about a minute or until light brown spots are forming on the underside.
- Continue cooking the rest of the tortillas. I usually put one in the skillet and flatten the next one to expedite the process. Once cooked you can keep them warm by wrapping them in a tea towel or using a dedicated tortilla warmer. Serve immediately.
- Store leftovers tortillas in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, cook them in a dry skillet over medium heat until warm and crispy.
Notes
This article we wrote on types of tortillas has a current list of all the tortilla recipes we have on our site, including this one for making corn tortillas from fresh masa dough.
We also just used some Masa Harina to make a batch of Tamales.
And our latest post shows how to make a batch of tortillas from dried White Olotillo Corn.
Wondering which Salsa to make first? Check out this page.
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Dori
Hi Patrick,
My family recently got some organic corn meal from a local mill. Can I use that for this recipe? I have no idea the difference between that and masa harina!
Patrick
Hi Dori! Corn meal hasn't been nixtamalized (soaked in an alkaline solution) before being ground up so it typically is not used to make corn tortillas, whereas masa harina is always nixtamalized before being ground up.
Nixtamalization not only increases the nutritional content but also makes the corn taste better, so you would probably be quite disappointed with tortillas made from cornmeal!
Hope that helps a bit. Here's some more info on nixtamalization.
Jill
I would like to make these ahead for a shower that I am hosting. Would I be able to freeze and reheat these?
Patrick
Hi Jill! Technically yes you can freeze and reheat them, but I think you would get a downgrade in flavor and consistency. They are always best right off the grill or same day and I've found that they only last a couple days in the fridge.
Amy
So - it turns out I've been making corn tortillas wrong for years.
I've always used 2 cups of masa harina to about 1 1/2 ish cups of water, a little salt. Fry one side then the other, don't get colour on them, just basically heat them.
Today I used your frying method with a slightly different dough method (2 1/2 cups masa harina, 2 cups warm water, 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp salt). Maybe it was too many changes at once to know what for sure did it for me - but this was a winner, and likely the only way I will make corn tortillas going forward.
THANK YOU!!!
Patrick
Awesome, thanks much for your notes Amy, glad you found a keeper combo!
Cyndi
Have anyone tried using this recipe for burrito? Looking for gluten free burrito tortilla. Thank you
Layla
Thanks for the reminder for making these corn tortillas! I used to make several batches a day... Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner... But got lazy the past few years and just bought the daily-made ones from the store. Needed that refresher; now my grandkids will be enjoying the fresh and hot ones several times a week!
Patrick
I hope the fam enjoys the tortillas Layla! I'm the same, I go through periods where I make them all the time and then just hit pause until I get the craving again.
Kirk Johnson
Do you really mean for diameter to be 4” on the balls before flattening? That is a very large golf ball!
Patrick
That is a large golf ball! The diameter of the tortilla, once flattened, will be about 4" if you use a golfball sized round.
Kirk Johnson
Thank you, sorry I didn’t understand the first time. Now it makes sense.
Patrick
No prob Kirk I hope the tortillas treat you well!
Kit
This was my second attempt at tortillas. I have the masa, the tortilla press... but they keep turning out hard and crispy not soft and pliable. What am I doing wrong? Am i just over cooking them?
Patrick
Hi Kit! Hmmm it does sound like they might be on the stove for too long -- about how long do you think they are cooking?
I wonder if maybe the heat is too low. I use medium-high heat and this will have those brown spots forming after about 90 seconds or so.
Also...you're using a dry skillet right, i.e. no oil?
Briana
Hi. I wanted to reply to this thread because I'm having a very similar issue with my last batch. I followed all the steps, but the outcome is dry and crispy without any brown spots. I'm using a dry skillet. Do you think my heat is too low? Also they didn't puff up in the process! Can you please advise? 🙂 thanks for the help!
Patrick
Hi Briana thanks for getting in touch!
Yeah it sounds like the heat is too low if you're not getting any brown spots. My stove prefers somewhere between medium and medium-high and that usually means brown spots in 90 seconds or so.
I only have success getting them to puff up using the second cooking method I mention in the post, i.e the quick flip. So once you plop the tortilla into the skillet, let it cook for 5-10 seconds and then flip it over. This seals in some heat and cooks the interior of the tortilla quicker. Then after that quick flip you cook each side until brown spots are forming, 1-2 minutes per side. Keep in mind that conditions need to be right in order to get the quick flip method to work -- when the heat is right you can use your fingers to slide the tortilla up the side the pan and flip it over. If this is difficult or the tortilla is still sticking to the pan after that first 10 seconds then most likely you need to raise the heat.
Okay, hope this helps a bit. Let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers.
Shirley
I find that they are [liable and moist if I take them out of the skillet when they're just getting little brown speckles on them and then I lay them on top of each other wrapped in a clean teat towel while I continue to cook the rest of the batch. The Steam seems to make them nice and soft .
Gayle Rush
Hi. People will probably yell and scream at me but I put a bit of shortening (yes--softened lard) in as well--just a bit.
Brandon
I make TONS of recipes from the internet, and I never leave reviews. This is one of the best, easiest, most rewarding recipes I've ever used. I'm from Texas. Love me some tortillas. I've tried rolling them (to disastrous results) because I really don't want to buy a uni-tasker like a tortillas press. I have enough cooking junk. The two pyrex pans work incredibly well. The tortillas come out the consistency of flour after resting on each other in a towel. They're perfect. I had to leave a review. Great recipe. Thank you.
Patrick
Thanks much for your feedback Brandon! So glad the homemade tortillas are keepers for you. It's kinda amazing how easy it is to get by without a tortilla press eh? Cheers.
Becky
I was wondering why some recipes online tell you that you need to rest the dough for anything from 10-60 minutes! Is that really necessary? What is the reasoning for it? I notice you skip this step entirely so it doesn't seem like it's an essential part of tortilla making! Thanks!
Patrick
Hi Becky, good question! I think it's probably because flour tortilla dough needs to rest otherwise it's difficult to roll them out, something about the gluten relaxing/developing. And over time this step gets transferred to corn tortillas as well.
But Maseca or corn flour doesn't have actual flour in it, it's just nixtamal in dried form. So even without letting it rest you don't get any of that 'snapback' when pressing out corn tortillas -- they just flatten and hold their shape quite readily.
Hope that helps a bit. Cheers.
Becky
Aha! I suspected that might be the case. Thank you for confirming that it doesn't need to rest!
AJ
Another possibility is that if you allow the dough to rest, the grain can get fully hydrated, making for a more tender tortilla. Just a guess! (My custom is to let the dough rest, and I haven't tried it the other way.)
Sue
Is it ok to make the dough and roll into balls a day ahead? I just made the dough and rolled it into balls. I will not make them until tomorrow.
Patrick
Hey Sue, yeah this should be fine. I would usually just leave the dough in one big clump if it won't be used until the next day, but rolling them into balls ahead of time should work too. Cheers.
Aly
Re: resting dough. Corn does not contain gluten, so that comment is inaccurate; that is actually the reason why you would not see the snap-back in a corn dough that you would see from a flour dough (because wheat has gluten and corn does not). The reason why some people might tell you to rest a tortilla dough is similar to why you would be instructed to rest a pie or tart crust before rolling it out; resting gives your flour time to absorb the water, so it can help prevent the dough from tearing when it’s rolled out.
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
Are these as crumbly as store-bought corn tortillas? These look great! Thanks for all the step-by-step photos. Seems like you could whip up a batch of these pretty quickly!
Patrick
Hey Caroline! No, no crumbly here, they hold together really well. And you're right, they do come together quickly, especially when you add in that you don't really have to let the dough rise at all, ie no yeast. Hope they treat you well 🙂
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
That's awesome! I love the flavor of corn tortillas but hate how they fall apart when you try to actually use them. Do you have any idea why store-bought ones crumble and yours don't?
Patrick
I think they get crumbly when they get older and lose moisture. Now that you mention it this is probably why it's so common to flash fry corn tortillas in 1/4" of oil before using them in enchiladas, etc., as this instantly makes them pliable. There's a few other ways to make them more amenable to being rolled if they are older or brittle: nuke them in the microwave, put them in the oven for 1-2 minutes, or take them into Chipotle or Whole Foods and ask if you can use their tortilla steamer for a few seconds 🙂
Shelby
I know this is really old but I would like to chime in that if your corn tortillas are crumbling you are heating them wrong or not enough. Most white, American people I know will try to microwave them or (gasp!) just eat them cold. If you want to have them come out right the best (and only way IMO) is to heat them right over the open flame on your stove. Couple of seconds each side on high heat. They will get a little black around the edges and will not ever crumble. They become super pliable. You have to heat them like this for any enchilada recipe, etc. Every hispanic I know does it this way.
Patrick
Thanks much for your tips Shelby!
Larry Jamison
Want to be rich try adjusting the receipe to make a bread out of Corn Masa. I'm looking for a consistency close to normal bread, Can't crumble or be like Corn Bread which is like a cake. Something you can make a regular sandwich from. There has to be a way. It makes it adhere to all the new diets out there.