Corn Tortillas
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This homemade corn tortilla recipe is easy to make with 3 ingredients and yields the most delicious, soft, foldable, and naturally gluten-free corn tortillas.
After learning how to make homemade flour tortillas earlier this month, its time to learn how to make their famous (and naturally gluten-free!) counterparts
homemade corn tortillas!
These traditional Mexican-style corn tortillas are easy to make with just 3 ingredients, they are naturally gluten-free, and full of the yummiest toasted corn flavors. But in my opinion, the best thing about fresh homemade corn tortillas is that they are legit-easy to roll and fold!! No cracking, breaking, or complicated re-warming instructions required here. These freshly-made corn tortillas are soft and pliable and will fold up beautifully into your favorite tacos or enchiladas. Or, of course, you can fry any of the leftovers to make tortilla chips, chilaquiles, nachos and more.
So today, Im sharing my go-to recipe for making classic corn tortillas, plus all of my best tips and shortcuts to make the process a bit easier and more foolproof. Ive also included an option below for how to roll out these guys out without a tortilla press, if you do not have one. But if you plan to make them regularly, a tortilla press is incredibly helpful with corn tortillas and worth the investment.
Alright, well gather up your three ingredients and lets make some homemade tortillas together!
To make homemade tortillas, you will need the following three ingredients (amounts listed in the recipe below):
different
than cornmeal and American cornflour (which is just finely-ground corn meal). Mexican masa harina is made from nixtamalized corn, so if you peek at the ingredient label, it should always include both corn (maíz) and hydrated lime. Maseca is the most popular brand of Mexican masa harina, available in white, yellow or blue. Or if you are looking for an organic masa marina, I would recommend Bobs Red Mill. It is typically available either in the Latin American section or the flour/baking section of your local grocery store.The following equipment is also recommended:
So heres the thing about corn tortillas they are quite easy to make, but it will take a bit of hands-on practice to learn how wet the dough should be, how to press the tortillas, and how quickly they will cook. So if this is your first time making corn tortillas, have a bit of patience with the process, and I promise that you will learn quickly as you go. And of course the end result will be deliciously worth it! Here is the basic overview of the recipe instructions (full details in the recipe below):
Mix the dough: First things first mixing the dough! Pull out a big mixing bowl and briefly whisk the masa harina and salt together, then gradually stir in 1.5 cups of the hot water until an evenly-mixed dough begins to form. Use your hands to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes in the mixing bowl (or you can knead it on a floured surface) until its smooth and forms a cohesive ball. But pay close attention to the texture it should feel springy and firm, similar to the texture of Play-Doh. If the dough feels too wet and is sticking to your hands, add in a few extra tablespoons of flour. If it feels too dry and crackly, add in an extra tablespoon or two of hot water.
Portion the dough. Then use a medium cookie scoop (my preference!) or a spoon to scoop a 2-tablespoon ball of dough (35-40 grams, or about the size of a golf ball), then use your hands to roll the ball until it is nice and round.
Press the dough balls. Place the dough ball between two pieces of plastic in the center of a tortilla press. (I use a ziplock bag; see notes below.) Then gently press the dough ball until it forms a 4- to 5-inch flat tortilla. At this point, I recommend doing a quick texture-check of the tortilla. If it peels away easily from the plastic, its good to go! If its sticky and does not peel away, your dough is too wet, so I would recommend kneading a bit more flour into the batch of dough before scooping out more dough balls.
Cook the tortilla. When your tortilla is ready to go, heat a non-stick skillet or comal over medium-high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, gently peel the tortilla away from the plastic wrap and lay the tortilla flat in the skillet. Cook the tortilla for about 40-60 seconds per side, flipping it once speckled brown spots begin to appear on the bottom of the tortilla. The tortillas will likely bubble up while cooking, especially on the second side, which is a good sign! Once it is cooked, transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer or a bowl wrapped in a clean kitchen towel, so that the tortillas do not dry out.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas. I recommend keeping the cycle going by cooking one tortilla while pressing the next dough ball at the same time. If you notice that the skillet begins to seem too hot as time goes on, just turn down the heat a bit.
Serve. The tortillas will continue to soften a bit more as they sit in a stack in your tortilla warmer (or wrapped in a towel). So I recommend using the tortillas at the bottom of the stack first they will be the softest. Serve however you would like and enjoy! :)
Are corn tortillas gluten-free and vegan? Yes, this homemade corn tortilla recipe is gluten-free and vegan. But store-bought corn tortillas occasionally include gluten and/or lard, so be sure to always double-check the label.
How to make white, yellow or blue corn tortillas? Just purchase your desired color of masa harina either white, yellow or blue.
How to reheat corn tortillas? Definitely do not microwave leftover corn tortillas (they will dry out and likely crack when folded) or try to reheat them in oil (they will get crispy). To reheat corn tortillas, either heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, and then cook each tortilla for 15-30 seconds per side until warmed through. Or, if you have a gas burner, you can very carefully use tongs to place the tortillas one at a time directly over the flame. Then as soon as a tortilla start to brown, flip and cook it on the second side until browned, then remove from heat. (Keep an extremely close eye on the tortillas if cooking over a gas stove so that they do not burn.) Its important to always reheat corn tortillas one at a time, and immediately transfer them to a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean kitchen towel to store until ready to serve.
How to store corn tortillas? I recommend wrapping leftover corn tortillas in plastic wrap, beeswrap, or storing them in a ziplock bag (with the excess air pressed out) in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. You want to avoid letting the tortillas dry out, so try to minimize excess air being trapped into whichever storage option you choose.
How many carbs in a corn tortilla? If you make 15 tortillas with this recipe, each corn tortilla will have approximately 12.5 grams of carbohydrates.
Corn vs flour tortillas when to use each? Up to you! Flour tortillas are sturdier, and thus are traditionally used for burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, Tex-Mex tacos, Tex-Mex enchiladas, etc. Corn tortillas are traditionally used for Mexican tacos, Mexican enchiladas, flautas, chilaquiles, taquitos, corn tortilla chips, etc. But that said, nowadays many people use corn and flour tortillas interchangeably, so feel free to use them however you prefer.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to use corn tortillas!
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4.8
from48
reviewsPrep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Yield:
15
tortillas1
xThis homemade corn tortillas recipe is easy to make with 3 ingredients and yields the most delicious, soft, foldable, and naturally gluten-free tortillas.
Scale
2 cups
(240 grams
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) masa harina1 1/2
to1 2/3
cups hot water*3/4 teaspoon
fine sea salt
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Mix the dough: In a large mixing bowl, briefly whisk together masa harina and salt. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups hot water, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until an evenly-mixed dough begins to form. Use your hands to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes in the mixing bowl until it is smooth and forms a cohesive ball. The doughs texture should feel springy and firm, similar to Play-Doh. If the dough feels too wet and is sticking to your hands, add in a few extra tablespoons of flour. If it feels too dry and crackly, add in an extra tablespoon or two of hot water.
Portion the dough. Use a spoon or a medium ice cream scoop to portion the dough into a 2-tablespoon ball (35-40 grams, or about the size of a golf ball), then use your hands to roll the ball until it is nice and round.
Press the dough balls. Place the dough ball between two pieces of plastic in a tortilla press. (I use a ziplock bag; see notes below.) Then gently press the dough ball until it forms a 4- to 5-inch tortilla.
Cook the tortilla. Heat a non-stick skillet or comal over medium-high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, gently peel the tortilla away from the plastic wrap and lay the tortilla flat in the skillet. Cook the tortilla for about 40-60 seconds per side, flipping it once speckled brown spots begin to appear on the bottom of the tortilla. The tortillas will likely bubble up while cooking, especially on the second side, which is a good sign! Once it is cooked, transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer or a bowl wrapped in a clean kitchen towel, so that the tortillas do not dry out.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas. I recommend keeping the cycle going by cooking one tortilla while pressing the next dough ball at the same time. If you notice that the skillet begins to seem too hot, just turn down the heat a bit.
Serve. The tortillas will continue to soften a bit more as they sit in a stack in your tortilla warmer (or wrapped in a towel). So I recommend using the tortillas at the bottom of the stack first they will be the softest. Serve however you would like and enjoy! See storage instructions below.
Masa Harina
Buy NowTortilla Press
Buy NowTortilla Warmer
Buy NowIngredient amounts: The amount of hot water needed will vary depending on the brand/type of masa harina that you use. I also recommend weighing the masa harina if you own a kitchen scale, versus using measuring cups, to be sure that you measure the accurate amount.
Plastic wrap instructions: I just use scissors to trim the top (zipper side) and sides away from a large ziplock freezer bag, so that it fit the size of my tortilla press. Alternately you can use beeswrap instead of a ziplock bag.
Peeling away the tortillas: The tortillas should be dry enough that they do not stick to the plastic when you gently peel it away. If they do stick, I recommend kneading a bit more flour into your dough before rolling out more dough balls.
Storage instructions: When serving these corn tortillas during your meal, I recommend always, always keeping them wrapped in a kitchen towel or in a tortilla warmer until ready to eat and enjoy, so that they do not dry out. Corn tortillas are definitely best served within a few hours of being made. But any leftover tortillas can be wrapped in plastic wrap, beeswrap, or a ziplock bag and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Stand mixer option: If you own a stand mixer, you can use a dough hook to knead the dough on medium-low speed for 3 minutes.
Of the three wooden tortilla presses I tested for this buying guide, the Rogue Aesthetic Woodworks Maple Press is, hands down, the smoothest. Honestly, its the smoothest of all of the presses I testedand its very easy to clean because there are no textured surfaces for wet or dry masa to cling to or clump on. Every single component has been sanded down and polished to near perfection. There isnt a single rough edge on this piece.
But this tortilla maker isnt all good looks: Operating it is comparable to working with the winning Masienda model. The lever is very pleasant to grip, and the top plate is heavy enough to do most of the work for you while still allowing for some control over thickness. (Though not quite as much control as the Masienda afforded.)
The bad news? Like all hardwood tortilla presses, this one is pretty bulky. Wood isnt as dense as metal, so the wood versions will always require more bulky designs than their metal counterparts to produce enough pressure to actually make tortillas. But this is the kind of beautiful hand-crafted kitchen tool youd want to give prime real estate on your kitchen countertop, anyway.
This tortilla press also requires a bit of special care. Just like your prized wooden cutting boards, it should be given the occasional coating of mineral oil. But your attention to proper care means youll be rewarded with a tool that will last generations.
Of course, this was the most expensive tortilla press I tried, so it may not be practical for most kitchens. But youre paying for something thats one of a kind. The folks at Rogue Aesthetic Woodworks generally have a few presses in stock on their Etsy shop, but youre also welcome to contact them for a totally custom tortilla press made from the wood and colored resin of your choice. If youre looking for a functional work of artor a special giftthis is the best tortilla press for you.
I used each press to make 25 corn tortillas. I used a fresh quart-size freezer bag that I cut along the seams as the liner (essential in tortilla making). I prefer this method over pieces of parchment paper or wax paperthe moisture leaches from the dough into the paper, which limits how many you make with a single piece of wax paper, whereas you can make dozens of tortillas using a single plastic bag. While pressing each tortilla, I took note of how much force I had to exert to flatten it, how comfortable the handle felt, and how sturdy the equipment felt.
Once I pressed a batch of tortillas, I would sprinkle some dry masa harina all over the tortilla press and then see what it took to get the press completely clean. I repeated this test by smearing wet tortilla dough over different parts of each press, letting it dry/cake on, and then seeing how hard it was to clean the press afterward.
Ease of Use
At the bare minimum, you should be able to put a dough ball on your lined tortilla press and have the top plate do most of the work for you when you flip it over. The lever is there to get you to your desired thickness. Once youve pressed the tortilla, it should be easy to lift that top plate. The handle should fit comfortably in your hand so that youre not cramping up after pressing your 10th, 20th, or even 50th tortilla of the day.
Durability
Tortilla presses should outlive you and be passed on to future generations. Tostones and flour tortillas need to be pressed down with a good amount of force in order to get the desired thickness, and your tortilla press should be able to help you make thousands of them without breaking down.
How easy is it to clean?
Ideally, since we press tortillas using some kind of liner, like parchment or a plastic storage bag, your tortilla press shouldnt really need much cleaning. Some kitchen messes are unavoidable, though, and its important, especially with cast iron, that your tortilla press be easy to wipe free of stuck-on tortilla dough (or dough for flatbreads, roti, empanadas, or whatever youre pressing).
Footprint
Theres only so much storage space in any kitchen, which means a good tortilla press should only be as big as it actually needs to be to effectively press tortillas. If a big, clunky tortilla press cant outperform a more compact one, why bother making space for it?
Cost
The tortilla presses I reviewed ranged in price from $20 to $300, but most were under $100. I was very curious to see whether the pricier models outperformed the budget ones.
Aesthetics
Not necessarily the most important factor, and totally subjective, but its always a nice bonus when your kitchen equipment is easy on the eyes.
I really liked this model (unlike the aluminum tortilla press from the same company; more on that below). Its the smallest of the 10 I tested, which makes it super easy to store. The red enamel coating means its simple to clean and offers extra protection against rust, so moisture is less of a concern. If you dont have a lot of kitchen storage space, dont want to deal with the upkeep of wood or bare cast iron, and you dont have any ambitions for making tortillas larger than six inches, this is a great little option. As an added bonus, it comes with a servilleta for keeping your tortillas warm.
Verve Culture Artisan Cast Iron Tortilla Press
I love this models two-tone striped wood. It looks cool, and both types of wood are commonly used for kitchen equipment because theyre prized for their durability. This press is well made, but the handle isnt very comfortable to use. It also just doesnt measure up to the Rogue Aesthetic Woodworks model in terms of aesthetics or attention to detail. There are some rough, unpolished edges that masa likes to cling to, making it a little harder to clean than my top pick for wood presses, but it also costs two thirds less. Like the other wood presses, this one is bulky, so youll need more storage space than you would for a metal tortilla press. Still, if youre set on a wood press but want something a bit more affordable than the top pick, this is honestly a great option.
Central Coast Woodworks Hardwood Tortilla Press
I was intrigued by the idea of a mesquite wood press and loved the look of the star-shaped mosaic on top. Unfortunately, the mosaic pieces arent all flush, which leaves lots of grooves for masa to get caught in. There are also a lot of rough edges all over the press. The biggest offense, though? The bottom plate sits on a set of legs meant to keep the press stable. However, the legs arent level, so the entire unit tilts forward every time you press down with the lever, making it a nightmare to operate.
MexGrocer Mesquite Tortilla Press
This has been one of Amazons best selling tortilla presses and Im honestly not sure why. It comes with 100 precut circles of parchment paper, which is a nice bonus, but unnecessary, especially considering that this press costs $10 more than my budget pick. Its also just not as nice as the Victoria tortilla press. It had a lot of rough, sharp edges that would be easy to cut your fingers on. The texture as a whole is much rougher and more porous than the Victoria, making it a real pain to clean.
Uno Casa Cast Iron Tortilla Press
This was the lightest of the presses I tried. In fact, the top plate is so light that you have to physically press it down by hand to get it low enough for the lever to work. For $3 more, you can get the much better Victoria 8-inch press.
This press was the only one that didnt make it through the testing process. When using the lever to press the dough, I noticed that the lever was shaving bits of metal off of the top plate where it made contact. Metal shavings + food preparation = automatic disqualification.
To make your own tortillas, you need a quality pressluckily you cant go wrong with any of our selections. Theres a reason Victoria tortilla presses are so ubiquitous. Theyre well made, and the standard 8-inch model costs less than $30. With proper care, that press will last you many lifetimes. If you want a classic tortilla press with a few small upgrades in the form of smoother cast iron and ergonomic levers and handles, and dont mind an upgrade in price as well, go with its new line of HD Iron tortilla presses.
For more information, please visit Flour Tortilla Equipment.