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This corn tortilla recipe is the one my mom talked me through over the phone, and it was one of the first traditional Mexican foods I ever learned to make. All you need is masa harina, salt, and warm water. They take about 45 minutes from start to finish and puff up right in the skillet.
I grew up eating corn tortillas every single day, but I didn’t learn how to make them until I was an adult. One afternoon, I called my mom and had her walk me through it. She couldn’t give me measurements, so she described it instead: what the dough should feel like when it’s ready, how thin to press it, how long to leave it alone on the skillet before you touch it. It took me a few bad batches before it clicked.
Now I’m an expert at making them, and my kids eat them faster than I can press them. We use them for everything from tacos to eating them plain, rolled up with a little salt, which is still my favorite way to eat one straight off the comal.
If you’ve got a bag of masa harina in the pantry, sopes and gorditas are the next thing to make with it. And if you’re more of a flour tortilla person, I’ve got you covered there too!
What Is Masa Harina?
Masa harina means dough flour in Spanish, and it’s made from corn that’s been cooked and soaked in limewater, then dried and ground. That step is called nixtamalization, and it’s what gives corn tortillas their flavor.
Cornmeal, corn flour, and cornstarch can’t be swapped in for masa harina. They’re completely different things, and they taste completely different.
I go back and forth between using two brands. Maseca is in most grocery stores, usually in the international foods section or the baking aisle, and it’s what my parents use to make tamales and these corn tortillas. Masienda is a bit harder to find in stores, but in my opinion it has a better corn flavor and is what I use almost exclusively now. For 2 cups of masa harina, I use about 1½ cups of water with Maseca and closer to 2 cups with Masienda.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Masa harina: It comes in white, yellow, red, or blue corn varieties, and any of them will work here.
- Warm water: You’ll need water to rehydrate the masa harina to form a dough. The amount of water you’ll need will vary depending on the brand of masa harina and the overall moisture level in your home. Start with 1 ½ cups, then add more as needed.
- Fine salt: It dissolves evenly into the dough. Coarse salt can leave you biting into a salty spot.
How to Make Corn Tortillas
There are only four steps to these tortillas. Here’s a look at each one, with the full recipe down in the card below.
- Mix the dough. Stir the masa harina and salt together, then pour in the warm water.
- Knead it. Work it with your hands for about 3 minutes, until it feels like soft Play-Doh. Divide into 12 balls and keep them covered.
- Press the tortillas. Press a dough ball between two pieces of plastic or parchment until it’s about 5 to 6 inches across. Get your skillet hot while you work.
- Cook. About 15 to 20 seconds a side for the first two flips, then 30 seconds a side after that. The last flip is when it puffs.
Recipe Tips
- Water content: Getting the moisture level just right is the tricky part, especially your first time. Start with 1½ cups and add more as needed. You want the dough as wet as it can get before it becomes difficult to work with, so if it’s really sticking to your hands and not coming together, it’s too wet. To check, roll a piece into a ball and press down on the middle with your palm. If the edges crack, it’s too dry. It may feel like it doesn’t need more water, but if it cracks, knead in a tablespoon or two at a time until it stops.
- Getting your corn tortillas to puff: The main factor that affects the puff is moisture. The steam created when the tortilla hits the hot pan is what makes it balloon, so the wetter the dough, the better your odds. If the moisture is right, look at your pan next. If one side cooks too long, the tortilla dries out before you flip it. Those first two quick flips create a sear that traps the steam. It takes practice, and the first few are usually duds, kind of like the first couple of pancakes.
- Use a nonstick skillet. A comal works too, but I’ve had the best luck getting tortillas to puff on nonstick, and it’s the easiest surface to learn on.
- If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can flatten the dough with a large baking dish instead. Put it between two sheets of parchment and press as evenly as you can so it’s the same thickness all around.
How to Store and Reheat
These are best the day you make them, but they keep well enough for a few days.
- To keep them warm, stack them in a tortilla warmer, or wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and slide the whole bundle into a large resealable bag. The towel holds the heat and the bag holds the moisture.
- To store, let them cool, wrap them in a towel, and seal them in a bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat, warm them on a hot skillet or comal, or right over an open flame if you have a gas stove. Skip the microwave; it dries them out and makes them crack.
Ways to Use Corn Tortillas
They make the best tacos and quesadillas fresh off the skillet when they’re still soft enough to fold without cracking. My usual fillings are carnitas, carne asada, and chorizo with a spoonful of salsa verde.
Once they’ve dried out a day or two, fry them! Older tortillas make the best tortilla chips and tostada shells, and slightly stale ones are exactly what you want for red chilaquiles or chilaquiles verdes.
Corn Tortilla FAQs
Warm them one at a time on a dry skillet or comal over medium-high heat for about 20 to 30 seconds per side, until they’re soft and bendable. If you have a gas stove, you can do it right over the flame.
You can. A teaspoon or two of lard kneaded into the dough keeps them soft and pliable for a bit longer. Lard is the traditional choice, but olive oil does the same job.
Yes. Masa harina is just corn, so these are naturally gluten-free and vegan. Store-bought corn tortillas sometimes have other things mixed in, so check the label if that matters to you.
A little. White and yellow taste pretty similar, and blue corn tortillas are a bit earthier. All of them work with this recipe.
Homemade Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ – 2 cups warm water, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina and salt. Add 1½ cups of warm water and stir until a dough starts to form. Use your hands to knead it together for about 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth and all the water is absorbed. It should feel soft and pliable, like Play-Doh, not crumbly or sticky. If it cracks when you press it, add more water a tablespoon at a time. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more masa harina.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Place them on a plate or in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap so they don't dry out while you work.
- Set a comal or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and let it get really hot. While it heats up, cut the seams off a large zip-top bag to make two pieces of plastic, or grab two sheets of parchment paper.
- Press the tortillas. Lay one piece of plastic (or parchment) on the tortilla press. Place a dough ball in the center, add the second piece on top, then press. You're aiming for about 5-6 inches in diameter. Carefully peel back the plastic and transfer the tortilla to your hand.
- Cook. Place the tortilla on the hot skillet. Cook for 15-20 seconds, flip and cook another 15-20 seconds, then flip one more time and cook for 30 seconds per side. This last flip is where the magic happens, and you'll see it start to puff up. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
- Keep warm. Stack the cooked tortillas in a tortilla warmer, or wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and tuck them into a zip-top bag. This keeps them soft and pliable until you're ready to eat.
- Serve immediately or store tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Storing and reheating: Let them cool, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel, and seal them in a bag in the fridge. Reheat on a hot skillet for 20 to 30 seconds a side, or right over a gas flame, and skip the microwave since it dries them out.
- Adding fat: A small amount of lard or olive oil (about 1-2 teaspoons) can be kneaded into the dough to help keep the tortillas more pliable. Lard is the traditional choice, but olive oil works great too.
- Thumbprint test: Take a piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Press down on the middle of the ball with a finger or the palm of your other hand. If the edges of the flattened ball crack, it’s too dry and needs more water. It may feel like it doesn’t need more water, but if it cracks, trust me – knead in a tablespoon or two of water at a time until it passes this test.
- No tortilla press: If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a large baking dish to flatten the dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. The trick is to press the dough as evenly as possible so that it’s the same thickness all around.
- Tortilla warmer: To keep the tortillas warm and pliable when serving, place them inside a tortilla warmer or wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and place them inside a large resealable storage bag to help them retain heat and moisture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Mexican Recipes
- Birria
- Flour Tortillas
- Mole Sauce (Mole Poblano)
- Chile Relleno
- Barbacoa
- Sopes
- Chile Verde
- Pozole Rojo
This post was originally posted on September 2023 and has been updated with more helpful information and step-by-step photos.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin and Isabel Orozco-Moore.
Isabel, I enjoy reading your posts so much that I have nominated you for a Liebster Award 🙂 Check out my post for the details http://wp.me/p6Am9U-3m
Fabiola, you’re amazing! Thank you so much!
OMG! this is amazing!!! This reminds me of when I used to make tortillas with my grandmother
Yes!
Oh, hey, this looks easy and delicious. Love the idea of these, but I could never justify buying a tortilla press. Hard way it is. >_>
Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely doable without a tortilla press. Try it! Let me know how it goes!
I roll mine inside a plastic sandwich bag, quick and no mess. Just be careful getting it out of the bag, peel the top part of the bag away, stick you hand in and flip it, gently lift the plastic again and slide it out.
Ooh, I’ll have to try that next time! Good tip. 🙂
I find rolling them between two unused ziploc sandwich bags is easier, than trying to roll it within one bag and removing it sounds to be. I use a small sauce pot to push down and flatten the dough ball. Then just peel off the top bag, and then turn the other bag upside down to release the tortilla into your hand or onto the hot pan. We prefer cast iron for cooking. The only tortilla press I had, the handle broke after just the first few tortillas. Must have been a cheap one, I’d like to find a higher quality one. What is the yellow one in your pictures made of?
I love masa. Enjoy your tortillas everybody! 🙂
Hi Jordan, the tortilla press in the photos is made of plastic and though it works just fine, I don’t recommend it. I actually recently purchased a cast iron tortilla press that works beautifully! I found it on Amazon.
Oh I’m so glad you made these! We keep masa harina in our house cause my hubby’s Venezuelan and arepas are always on the menu. I’ve been wanting to make my tortillas from scratch but just hadn’t gotten around to it and didn’t realize how easy they are. Just gotta get a tortilla press and I’m all set. Thanks!
That’s awesome. I love arepas. So good!
I need to get a tortilla press now! These look tasty!
You totally should! it makes it sooooo easy.
Ooooh you make me want to buy a tortilla press! I am sure there are so many other fun things you can do with this. We always buy tortillas but would love to make my own. I sometimes make plantain tortillas but they are never consistent since I don’t have that press! I will have to try your recipe too!
The tortilla press makes it SO much easier. I’ve never made plantain tortillas but I’ve seen many recipes floating around. I’ll have to try to make them sometime!
I love homemade tortillas. I’m going to be trying these!
Me too. So, so much. This particular batch that I made for the post is long gone but posting this makes me want to make some more!
I’ve never made home made tortillas before.. but these look amazing!! I have to try!
-Liz
http://www.TheCleanEatingCouple.com
Do it! And let me know how it turns out!
You make this look easy! Now I have to try it 🙂
Aww, thank you so much. I promise IT IS as easy at it looks! You can do it too!
I’m going to have to try this! I learned how to make tortillas and tamales over 15 years ago and I’ve been craving homemade tortillas recently… but time has taken away the recipes. Thanks for sharing on boosting!
Yes! I’ve actually never made tamales from start to finish by myself. I’ve always helped my parents do it. But I do have a goal to make them one day.