Homemade Corn Tortillas

Name: Homemade Corn Tortillas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1-3/4 cups Masa harina (corn flour); 1/2 teaspoon Salt; 1/4 teaspoon Granulated sugar; 1-1/4 cups Hot water

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Making Homemade Corn Tortillas from scratch is easier than you might think and with just 4 ingredients and a tortilla press you’ll be in business!

Stack of corn tortillas on a yellow plate with a brown tortilla warmer in the background.

My family loves when I take the time to make Homemade Corn Tortillas for taco night. This tortilla recipe is made of just four ingredients including the star, masa harina. Masa harina is a corn flour that is used in traditional Mexican cuisine.

Masa harina tortillas are easier to make then you might think and all you needs is a tortilla press. I picked mine up during a visit to World Market. I break it down step-by-step on just how easy it is to make homemade corn tortillas at home!

In this post you will learn the following information.

Ingredients
Directions
FAQs
Tips & Tricks
Recipes

Ingredients

Masa Harina – This is an authentic Mexican corn flour and the main star ingredient to this recipe!
Salt – I use kosher salt but table salt works as well.
Granulated Sugar – This brings out the sweetness of the corn flour.
Hot Water – It’s very important your water is hot so that it can help bind the corn flour with the water. I’ve tried this recipe with cool water and I didn’t yield the same consistency in dough.

Directions

13 small balls of dough resting on an orange plate with plastic wrap next to plate.

First, you’ll need to mix the dough. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. After the dough was mixed, I let it sit for 30 minutes with a damp towel on top. Once the dough is done resting, I rolled out golf-ball size dough balls. I had 18, you might have less or more depending on what your golf ball shape looks like!

A good tip to practice whenever your working with fresh dough: when your not working with the dough, you’ll want to place a damp kitchen towel over the dough so that it doesn’t dry out.

Red tortilla press, with plastic wrap on press with ball of dough in the middle.

First, you’ll want to place plastic wrap on each side of the tortilla press. You’ll see that this is key to being able to pick up your flattened dough. Place the dough ball in the center of the tortilla press.

Red tortilla press closed, with plate of dough balls on the side.

Press down on the press to flatten the dough.

Pressed dough on plastic wrap sitting on a red tortilla press.

Open up the press, and there you have it… a nice and even flattened tortilla!

7 pressed circles of dough resting on a damp paper towel.

I just placed the flattened dough on to a damp paper towel and then covered it with another damp paper towel when I wasn’t working with it.

Round small tortilla on a frying pan browning.

You’ll want to maximize time and cook the tortillas while your flattening the other dough balls. Depending on the size of your pan will depend if you can cook a few at a time. No need to add oil to the pan–just use a non-stick pan and it will cook in the pan!

Stack of tortillas sitting on white parchment paper in a tortilla warmer.

If you have a tortilla warmer you’ll want to place the cooked tortilla in the tortilla warmer. However, I don’t have one and I just stacked them on a plate and then placed a damp towel on top. It helped keep them warm and steamed the tortillas making them soft and not hard.

Seriously, that’s it. Super easy and oh my gosh, it’s delicious. I’ll be honest, not a big fan of store-bought corn tortillas. But make them fresh and I’ll eat a dozen or so. If your ready to up your tortilla game I challenge you to buy a tortilla press and make this recipe for Homemade Corn Tortillas!

Yellow plate with a stack of tortillas with limes on the side.

FAQs

Why do my homemade corn tortillas crack?

If the tortilla dough is too dry it will crack. It’s very important to keep a damp cloth over the dough as you begin to work with it in the press and heat on the stove.

Do homemade corn tortillas need to be refrigerated?

I rarely ever have leftover corn tortillas. If I do, I will place in a Ziplock bag, and refrigerate for 1-3 days.

Stack of tortillas on a yellow plate with tortilla warmer in background.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making this recipe.

Mix Well – Don’t be alarmed when you first start to combine the dough. It will turn to dough, but it needs to mix for 30-60 seconds until a ball of dough is formed.
Rest – Even though this dough does not have yeast in it, you need to let the dough rest before you start pressing.
Make Ahead – I’ve made these tortillas up to 2 hours in advanced prior to eating. I let them rest in a tortilla warmer and they stayed warm and did not get soggy!
Storing – If you happen to have leftovers, place them in a sealed container or ziplock baggy and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Stack of homemade tortillas on a yellow plate sitting on a colorful cloth.

Mexican Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite Mexican recipes that pair perfectly with homemade tortillas.

Here is a video that shows you just how easy it is to make corn tortillas!

If you make this corn tortilla recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!