Corn tortillas or tortillas de maíz are a type of Mexican flatbread eaten by themselves or used to make tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas. They are great for dipping, scooping and wrapping just about any kind of food and it's easy to make tortillas at home.
People always look at me like I have "m a s o c h i s t" tattooed on my forehead when I tell them I make my own tortillas. Then, when I tell them it's less work to make them myself than to go and buy them, they conclude that the tattoo actually says "m o r o n".
But it's true, the nearest grocery store that carries corn tortillas is 3 stops on the subway followed by a 20 minute walk. Plus they only seem to come in bags of 1000, so it's inevitable that I will end up with fuzzy green frisbees at the back of my fridge.
If you consider these facts and weight them against the shelf-life of masa harina and how simple it is to make tortillas at home, it just makes sense... Or at least it does for me, so if you're still not convinced, let me show you of how easy it is with the following step-by-step tortilla tutorial.
Besides the joy of acquiring a new skill, you will marvel at the difference in flavor and texture truly fresh tortillas possess. And if you end up with a few duds you haven't immediately consumed, you can make Migas with them, a popular savory Tex Mex breakfast.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ warm water
Instructions
- Mix the salt and masa harina then add the water.
- Mix the masa harina and water together with one hand. The tortilla dough will start out crumbly, but continue mixing it and it will start to come together. Knead it for 2 minutes.
- After kneading, the tortilla dough should have a smooth texture like playdough.
- Form the tortilla dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for at least an hour.
- After the dough has had a chance to rest, it's time to check the texture. Break off a small piece, roll it into a ball, then press it between your palms.
- If it forms cracks along the edges it's too dry. Knead some more water into the dough a little bit at a time until it looks more like the center picture.
- If the dough sticks to your palms it is too wet. Add more masa harina a little at a time until it doesn't stick anymore.
- Split the dough in half 4 times to get 16 even pieces and roll them into balls (if you're looking for an excuse to use your kitchen scale, the balls should be about 1.5 oz). Be sure to keep the tortilla dough covered with a damp paper towel while you work to keep them from drying out.
- Ideally you'll have a tortilla press, but if you don't, a flat bottomed plate will work. The plate in the photo works out perfectly because it has a very shallow lip that's 5 ½" in diameter, which just so happens to be the exact size these tortillas are supposed to end up. Wrap your tortilla press or the bottom of your plate and counter top with plastic wrap. This makes it easier to remove the delicate tortillas.
- Start preheating a cast iron skillet over medium heat. If you are using the plate+countertop method, put one ball on your counter and line it up with the middle of your plate. Press down evenly on the plate using your body weight to get it about 1/16" in thickness. It will take some elbow grease and practice, but you can always reuse the dough from your mistakes.
- Your pressed tortilla should look something like this. Carefully peel the tortilla onto the palm and fingers of one hand.
- Move over to your preheated skillet and use a sweeping motion to move your hand out from under the tortilla being careful not to burn your hand.
- Flatten out any ruffles in the tortilla and cook while you press your next tortilla (about 1 minute). The tortilla is initially cooked on only one side and should not brown. Transfer it to a pot with a lid lined with paper towels. Repeat until the rest of the dough balls have been pressed and cooked on one side. You can do these steps ahead of time and store the half cooked tortillas in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.
- When you're ready to serve the tortillas, turn up the heat on the pan to medium high. Place a tortilla in the pan, uncooked side down. Gently press the tortilla with a wadded up paper towel. Once the tortilla has a few brown spots flip one last time and press on it some more. This will cause the steam escaping to blow the tortilla up like a balloon.
- The tortilla is done when it has ballooned up and is lightly toasted on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel lined pot with a lid to keep warm until they are all ready to serve.
Ninette says
Thank you for posting tips and tricks to making tortillas. I particularly like the “pre-cook” suggestion. I also appreciate your picture of what is too dry, as I still am learning what the texture of the masa should be.
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm so happy to hear this was helpful for you! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Augi says
Have you ever added yeast and / or a little oil to the masa for corn tortillas? If yes, how did the tortillas turn out?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Augi, I've never tried adding yeast to masa. Where you thinking about it as a way to leaven it or for flavor? As for adding oil, the only time I add oil (lard) is for making Tamales and it makes the masa very soft, you might be able to get away with a little bit, but if you add too much, I think the tortilla will have a hard time holding together.
Eileen says
You inspired me to try them !
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks I hope you enjoy!
Kat says
I follow the directions to a t making sure it looked like the picture and my tortillas dont balloon, does anyone have a suggestion on what to try?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kat, there are a couple possibilities for why your tortillas aren't ballooning. The first is that the water to masa harina ratio is a little off. Did you have any trouble flattening the tortillas? If it was crumbly this could indicate you need to add a bit more water. Another possibility is that temperature of your pan. It needs to be very hot to get them to balloon. The last thing I can think of is that maybe you're not pressing on them hard enough? You need to apply a good amount of pressure onto the tops of the tortillas after you've flipped them. I hope that helps.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Tabitha, at what point are they cracking? When you press them or when you're cooking them? If it's when you're pressing them, your dough is too dry (see the 6th photo down). If it's when you're cooking them, can you describe how they're cracking (in the center, along the edges, etc and in which direction).
Tabitha says
I'm making these and they seem to crack. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong?
chicovegano says
Thanks for the pictures with good - short description. Gluten free recently I was craving something bready. Found CASECA masa harina cheap in a local grocery and thought, Why not? Scouted around for a press after finding the hand pressing to be strenuous and slow. First batch turnout ok, but thickness varied. More research, and a few days later I had made a wood press with built in stops for 1/16 inch. This batch was perfectly round, peeled well from the wrap, but did not puff. Now my next batch I will follow your lead and add the recommended amount of water but let it rest. The puffing appears to let it get thinner on the griddle and therefore cook/crisp/brown much more quickly. I will also try the cook each on one side, holding center down to griddle, and hold in reserve until all have one side cooked. I think this last batch ended up with too much water, which if I just let it rest then the dough would have had the correct feel and not crumbled.
Sherry Benninghoff de Lindgren says
Just made a corn-flour tortilla mix. Fill follow your instructions for par-cooking to save time in the kitchen when preparing dinner. Thanks for the tips and photo-instructions. Great page! 🙂
Beachmum says
Great recipe and instructions! Worked first time round!
Latika says
Very nice way of making tortillas I think. I will try making it.
Latika
Latikapatel1956@yahoo.com
rodsmanT says
this tips in making a tortilla is very helpful for us who needs this tips in achieveing our project on making some recipes
Marilia says
Hi I have been trying to make tortilla but find home made ones often lack flavor, possibly just not enough salt. Have you tried tossing herbs like pares.y or basil or oragano in the dough? Celantro? Pamasiana. Have I spelled Anything right? 😉
Jean
Maulina Lien says
hi Marc I am lien from Indonesia, and I will try your recipes.... my first... wish me luck.. thank you
Maulina Lien says
hi Marc.... I am lien from Indonesia. I'll your recipes.... thank you
Sarahk says
thx this was rly helpful.
Kia says
She said that not even herself gets the tortillas to baloon like that, that you're a good chef and congrats...
Gilberttonka says
seams simple enough my brother could make these cause he is very simple..realy he is
Anonymous says
I love LOVE your site and just made tortillas from scratch myself for the first time the other day and was very surprised how easy it was. I totally agree it's less work to just make them from scratch than buy them - particularly as I live in Vancouver (Canada) and it's nearly impossible to find a decent tortilla here. I got very spoiled by the wonderful fresh tortillas available everywhere when I lived in Texas and California, and just really wish I had tried making my own sooner!
Anonymous says
I love LOVE your site and just made tortillas from scratch myself for the first time the other day and was very surprised how easy it was. I totally agree it's less work to just make them from scratch than buy them - particularly as I live in Vancouver (Canada) and it's nearly impossible to find a decent tortilla here. I got very spoiled by the wonderful fresh tortillas available everywhere when I lived in Texas and California, and just really wish I had tried making my own sooner!
Guest says
Thank you for the recipe and great instructions. I just made some wheat flour tortillas that turned out pleasantly good! I love that they can be partly cooked for later use.
Guest says
Thank you for the recipe and great instructions. I just made some wheat flour tortillas that turned out pleasantly good! I love that they can be partly cooked for later use.
Marc Matsumoto says
If you're asking if there are other types of tortillas, there are also flour tortillas which are made a little differently.
Shweta Bansal says
is there any other way to make tortilla
Marc Matsumoto says
I've never tried it myself, but that's how tortilla chips are made, so it should work.
Annewiseman7 says
Could we deep fry these after making them and make them into tortilla chips? We would be deep frying in beef tallow.
Erik says
be english!
Erik says
hellooooooooo loving it 🙂
Muy bonitas tortillitas! says
🙂 ya ni ami me salen asi de infladitas!!!! Buen trabajo chef!!! Te felicito!!!!
Asbruley says
Hi Elizabeth did you find a place where to buy masa harina in Dublin? I'm interested if it's not genetically modified corn. many thanks.
Cindent says
such a good sense of humour. I like the way you simplify the recipe by using a plate. Ingenious! I've been looking for over two months for a tortilla press to no avail. I will now try withou fear.
Thank you very much.
Gayle stewart says
Hi,where in Glasgow did you buy Masa Harina ? Have not managed to find it in Glasgow yet.
Thanks
Gayle
Etowle says
Thanks so much for your detailed recipe for Masa Harina Tortillas. I look forward to making them tomrrow.
Elizabeth
Anonymous says
Max, a marble rolling pin helps.
Marc Matsumoto says
Glad you found it helpful:-) But please be sure you use masa harina. Regular
corn flour or corn meal will not work as it will not hold together. Masa
harina is made by treating dried corn with lye (like Lutfisk) which changes
the texture of the corn making it hold together better.
Larry Anttila says
This is great!
I live in Sweden. The majority of tortillas in the shops are made of wheat flour with emulsifier, conservatives and other chemicals that do not seem to have any purpose. I have found one with corn sprouts, herbs and 30% corn. The rest is (you guessed it) wheat and chemicals. I have been using it only because it tastes better than the others.
I asked a woman working there if they could get corn tortillas. She did not believe anyone made them because they would not stay together. Now I can make some myself and perhaps I will give her one.
Thanks!
Marc Matsumoto says
Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. The pan has to be very hot when
you go to puff them. If there's a little oil from previous use in the pan,
the oil will smoke if it's hot enough. The idea is to heat one side faster
than the other. The heat differential and steam will make a little pocket in
the middle and puff the tortilla up. Also what brand of Masa Harina did you
use?
Zor7 says
That happened to me also and I followed the recipe to a T. They didn't puff up. I wonder what happened. The only difference was that I used a tortillas press and my skillet was those two burner cast iron one vs. your round one.
Wetstone says
Hello Jesse, today I got Masa Harina in Glasgow, so I reckon, if you ask around in Den Haag, you will get pointed in the right direction, the shop I bought at does all things South American, and all things Spanish. However I have lived in the Netherlands, and food diversity is not a strong feature.
Guest says
I've found masa harina at an American shop in Malmo, Sweden, so if you ever make it up this way, you can grab some there 🙂
Jessegxoxo says
Okay, so I'm a California Mexican relocated to The Hague, Holland and have just started a "gluten free" diet. I prepared enchiladas for friends for dinner tonight with home made corn tortillas made without Masa Harina because it isn't sold anywhere near Europe. I used regular corn flour mixed with a little bit of polenta meal. I only wish I'd have seen your recipe tips before I made the attempt (which was successful other than the fact that my tortillas looked like the shape of just about every European country in the EU). Next time I will use the PLATE TRICK! Oh and using the corn flour and corn meal won't allow the tortillas to puff up, but next time I'll use a little bit of baking powder (if it's gluten free)
Jenrules says
loks great can't wait to try it