Everything you need to know about making corn tortillas at home! What you need, step-by-step process from start to finish and how to keep them warm. They’re easy to make and perfect for taco night!
There are a handful of foods that my family eats every single day and corn tortillas are one of them!
Homemade corn tortillas are one of my favorite foods ever. They’re extremely versatile and can be eaten in so many different ways – as a taco, fried or baked to make homemade tortilla chips or as a simple side that’s perfect for soaking up delicious saucy dishes like my chile verde.
They’re way better than store bought tortillas, are healthy (depending on how many you eat, of course) and are a great naturally gluten-free option for those that can’t have flour tortillas.
The first thing you need in order to make corn tortillas at home is masa harina.
Masa harina is a special corn flour made up of just two things – ground up corn and lime. Because the corn is treated and processed differently, corn meal or regular corn flour cannot be substituted for masa harina.
Masa harina can be found in the ethnic food aisle of larger grocery stores or sometimes next to all the other flours in the baking aisle. If you can’t find it in those areas, you may want to take a look at the gluten-free section of your store.
If all else fails and you simply can’t find masa harina in your local area, you can always find it on Amazon. I personally use Bob’s Red Mill masa harina because they’re a reputable brand that I trust, but there are others out there as well. Larger grocery chains sometimes carry MASECA brand and Quaker even has it’s own masa harina.
How to make corn tortillas
Once you’ve got the masa harina, it’s time to make the tortillas.
In a large bowl, mix together masa harina and salt. (photo 1)
Then add olive oil and hot water. (photo 2)
Mix the dough together with a spoon until all the water has been absorbed. (photo 3)
Next, form the dough into a large ball, place it inside the bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. (photo 4)
Next comes the fun part – flattening the dough! Place a large gallon-size Ziploc bag that’s been cut at the seams over your open tortilla press (here’s the tortilla press that I have and recommend from Amazon). Place a ball of dough on the center of the tortilla press bottom. (photo 5)
Close the tortilla press and flatten the masa harina in between the Ziploc bag using the handle. (photo 6)
Open the tortilla press and gently remove the tortilla from the Ziploc bag by peeling away the bag onto the palm of your hand. (photo 7 & 8)
Cook on a griddle or nonstick skillet that’s been preheated over medium-high heat for 20 seconds, then flip it over and cook the other side for 20 more seconds. This will help seal in the heat. (photo 9)
Flip it over again and cook for about 40 seconds or so, until the tortilla begins to puff up/bubble and beautiful brown marks form. Flip it over one last time and cook for a few more seconds until that side has beautiful brown marks. (photo 10)
That’s it! It may seem like a lot of steps at first, but I promise it’s not difficult at all. And once you taste homemade corn tortillas, you’ll never go back to store bought. The time it takes to make them is so worth it!
Don’t have a tortilla press?
Another option is to flatten the dough balls with a large casserole dish like a clear Pyrex dish. Simply place the ball in between two sheets of parchment paper and press down on the handles of the casserole dish as evenly as possible.
How to keep your tortillas warm
To keep your corn tortillas warm and pliable when serving, place them inside a tortilla warmer like this or wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and place them inside a large gallon-sized Ziploc bag to help them retain heat and moisture.
To this day, tortillas are a staple at my parents house and I always have some when I visit. It’s like a big warm hug from my family.
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my recipe for Homemade Flour Tortillas.
Looking for some tortilla fillings? Take a look at these recipes:
- Easy Chicken Tacos
- Carne Asada
- Pork Carnitas
- Chicken Tinga Tacos
- Easy Ground Beef Tacos
- Easy Steak Fajitas
I hope you love this recipe – be sure to give it a review below! To get more easy Mexican recipes delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter. You can also follow Isabel Eats on Facebook, Â Instagram and Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2/3 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups hot water, plus more if necessary
- 1 teaspoon olive oil*
Instructions
- Add 2 cups masa harina and 2/3 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Mix together with a spoon.
- Pour 1 1/2 cups hot water and 1 teaspoon olive oil into the bowl and mix together until all the water is absorbed. Using your hands, form the dough into a big ball. The dough should be firm and springy when touched, not dry or super sticky. If the mixture is too dry, add more water in small amounts until the dough is springy and holds together.
- Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This will help ensure that all the water gets absorbed.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball with the palms of your hands and place them in the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap to keep the balls moist while you're working.
- Preheat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Open the gallon-sized Ziploc bag and cut the seams on each side so that it makes one large rectangular piece of plastic. Open the tortilla press and lay the plastic inside of it so that it covers the upper and bottom parts of the tortilla press.
- Place one dough ball in the middle of the tortilla press, close the top and gently press to flatten it out. Open the tortilla press and peel back the Ziploc bag to transfer the tortilla to your hand.
- Place the flattened tortilla onto the hot skillet and cook for 20 seconds. Flip it over and cook for 20 more seconds to seal in the heat. Flip it over again and cook for about 40 seconds or so, until the tortilla starts to bubble or puff up and beautiful brown marks form. Flip over one last time and cook until beautiful brown marks form.
- Remove the tortilla and place it in a tortilla warmer or in a clean kitchen towel that's placed inside a large Ziploc bag to keep it warm.
- Continue cooking the remaining tortillas.
- Serve immediately or store in a large Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
This recipe was originally posted in 2017 and was updated in April 2019 with new photos, helpful tips and a slight recipe change.
I love these tortillas. I bought a tortilla press and that makes life much simpler. My boys have gotten old enough I now need to double the batch whenever I make them. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
These are great! I had never thought to do this before till I came to this website. It takes some practice to get them just right but the nice thing is they still taste great even if you don’t.
If my tortillas are not puffing up and seem stiff after cooking, could you advise me on what I might be doing wrong. Too dry? I didn’t add the oil. I really want to learn how to do this. I am using Gold Mine organic yellow masa that has been cooked in lime water.
Try adding a little bit of water to your mixture if the tortillas seem a little too stiff. And while the oil isn’t necessary, I find that the tortillas are more pliable when I add it in. Also try pressing them a little thinner and then cook them on a very hot griddle or skillet.
I like Isabels eats some good easy recipes I can not wait to try
I’m happy I found your site. I do hope I soon find tamale recipe. Thank you
I like the taste of the tortillas but when flattening the balls, the masa would stick to the plastic. I think using wax paper might be better to keep flour from sticking so much. I like addition of olive oil. Thanks for this recipe!
Isabel,
From one food blogger to another, thanks so much for this recipe, and all of your detailed tips. This was my first time making tortillas, and they turned out beautifully. We’ve enjoyed tacos with carnitas the last two nights.
I did have to use additional water. I suspect it’s because I’m in the desert where everything is extra dry, probably masa harina on the store shelf too. So I was glad to have your description about how the dough should feel. Thanks again!
I can’t wait to give this a try! Glad I found your site via FBP podcast!
Thank you for sharing. My family of teenagers love the homemade tortillas so much that I cannot keep up with the demand. Do you have any suggestions for making them (partially or entirely) ahead of time and storing for at most a week?
Hi! I’m glad your family enjoys this recipe so much! I think your best bet is to make the fresh corn tortillas and then store them in a plastic storage bag in the fridge for up to 10 days. You could also make a few batches and freeze some of them! Just take them out of the freezer the night before and let them thaw in the fridge.
So glad I found you 🙂 I spent 9 days in Mexico City in 2004. Found out the food was so much different from what we normally get around here in the states. I’ve made both flour and corn tortillas before, but am anxious to try your recipes. I have your Mexican Rice recipe and the Fajita Marinade recipe. I see a Mexican supper night coming to our home soon.
Made at home and it was easy to put together. I need a little practice with the tortilla press but once I get better at that it will be great to have these any time! Made exactly as stated. Thank you!
Used your recipe to make corn tortillas for the first time. These turned out amazing! Thanks for all your hints and suggestions. I tagged you on Instagram! I’m @vin0lady.
Thank you so much, Melissa! I’m so happy you liked it! And thanks for tagging me! 🙂
These came out perfectly and so delicious! So easy to make and too easy to eat too many! Thank you for sharing with all of us.
I’m so glad you liked them, Christina!
If I’m making a double batch to freeze should I griddle them first and then freeze… or just make them and freeze with wax paper in between
To freeze, I would make and cook them first. Let them cool and then freeze.
In the photos that go with your corn tortilla recipes the press is a Victoria cast iron press (not sure if it is the 6″ or 8″). However, when I clicked on the link to Amazon of the press you recommended it shows an IMUSA 6″ Aluminum tortilla press. So, which one do you recommend? And, which size?
Thank you,
Rhonda Jordan
03/20/20
So sorry about that, Rhonda. Thanks for letting me know! I’ve updated that link to the correct 8″ cast iron tortilla press in the post.
I’m in France where corn tortillas are almost impossible to find (good ones at least). I used your recipes and they turned out great!! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much, Jess! So happy you’re able to make your own to satisfy that tortilla craving 🙂
Turned out great!! Thank you, Isabel!!
I’ve made these twice now. They are easy to make and taste very fresh. I put the balls of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and use my cast iron dutch oven to smash it, then finish with my rolling pin (dutch oven’s bottom isn’t quite flat). It will take me a bit more practice figuring out the right amount of water and getting them the right thickness, but are definitely repeaters.