Last Updated on August 20, 2025

If you’ve never made your own homemade flour tortillas, you’re in for a treat. It’s surprisingly simple, requires just four basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, and the results are lightyears better than store-bought.

Plus, you’ll save a little money too. A batch of 10 to 12 fresh tortillas costs about 70 cents to make. Not bad when you consider what you’ll pay for a bag of tortillas at the grocery store that’s been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long.

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Easy Homemade Flour Tortillas

We’ve been making these for years. Back when our kids were little, MaryJo would whip up a stack of tortillas, and before you knew it, there were quesadillas with cheddar cheese and homegrown alfalfa sprouts flying out of the kitchen.

It was the perfect quick lunch in the microwave oven’s glory days. But these aren’t just for tacos and quesadillas — fresh, warm tortillas are perfect for breakfast, alongside a bowl of soup, or even as a snack with a little butter and honey.

You could also make some larger tortillas and make some Crispy Tortilla Wrap Pizzas. Yum!

Why This Recipe Works

The base recipe for homemade flour tortillas is everywhere, but I’ve found a version I like best — simple, fast, and reliable. It uses vegetable oil instead of lard (like some traditional recipes), which makes the dough much easier to mix and work with. And while some recipes skip it, I like to add a teaspoon of baking powder to give the tortillas a little tenderness and lift without turning them into puffy muffins.

This dough is flexible — you can make smaller or larger tortillas depending on what you need, and they’re perfect for everything from wrap pizzas to breakfast burritos.

Tips for Making the Best Flour Tortillas

Use a kitchen scale. Dividing the dough by weight makes it easy to get consistent tortilla sizes. A batch of dough weighs around 770 grams — divide by 10 for medium-sized 8–9 inch tortillas (about 75 grams each).

Don’t stress about perfect circles. Unless you’re a tortilla factory, yours won’t be perfectly round. And that’s fine! The “eclectic” shapes taste just as good, and honestly, I think they look better homemade.

Use a tortilla press. If you have a tortilla press, it is very easy to make the rounds, and they will be as thin as needed.

Adjust your heat. A dry, hot skillet or griddle works best. You want brown spots to appear in 30–45 seconds per side. Too slow? Turn up the heat. Too fast and they burn? Dial it back.

Rest the dough. Letting the dough rest for at least 20–30 minutes before rolling makes it easier to handle and improves the texture.

Ways to Serve Homemade Flour Tortillas

Tacos and quesadillas are the obvious choices for how to serve your tortillas — and for good reason. But here are a few other ways we like to use them:

At breakfast — warm with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a little salsa.
With soup — serve alongside chili, chicken tortilla soup, or tomato bisque.
As a snack — buttered with a drizzle of honey or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Wrap Pizzas — make larger tortillas and use them as a crispy pizza base.
Sandwich wraps — fill them with deli meats, veggies, and cheese for a quick lunch.

Final Thoughts

Once you see how easy and tasty these are, you might never go back to store-bought. The best part? You made them yourself, for a fraction of the cost — and no preservatives or mystery ingredients. Easy homemade flour tortillas for the win.

Here Are Some More Tasty Recipes To Try:

Easy Homemade Flour Tortillas with Only 4 Ingredients

Save some money and make your own flour tortillas. They are fresh and easy!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: bread, Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade flour tortillas, tortillas

Prep Time: 1 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 1 35

Servings: people

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Joe Boyle

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup hot tap water

Instructions

If you're making these by hand, put the dry ingredients in a large bowl. If you use a stand mixer attach the dough hook and place the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl
Add the oil and water all at once and mix well until combined.
Knead by hand or machine until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball.
Place on a lightly flour-dusted surface and cover with a towel to rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, divide the dough into 10 evenly sized balls, (75 to 78 grams each).
Flatten the balls into disks with the palm of your hand and cover again for 30 minutes.
Heat a heavy skillet or griddle pan to medium high, (375° to 425° measured with my laser thermometer)
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough on a floured surface until very thin, then place one tortilla on the hot pan.
Cook about 45 seconds or so, just until the dough bubbles up with medium brown spots then flip and do the same on the second side. This will take about 1 1/2 minutes total in your hot skillet.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the finished tortillas on a plate and cover with a towel.
Serve the warm tortillas right away, or cool and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

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