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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Mexican

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Published: Aug 5, 2020 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Stack of tortillas on a yellow plate with text on image for Pinterest.
Top photo of red tortilla press with dough ball, bottom of a stack of tortillas on yellow plate.
Top photo of red tortilla press with tortilla dough. Bottom photo of stack of tortillas.
Stack of tortillas on a yellow plate with text on image for Pinterest.
Stack of tortillas on a yellow plate with text on image for Pinterest.

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!

Yellow plate with corn tortillas stacked on top.
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Directions
  • FAQs
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Mexican Recipes
  • Homemade Corn Tortillas

Ingredients

Ingredients on marble countertop: masa hariina corn flour, sugar, salt, and hot water.
  • 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.

How many carbs in corn tortillas?

With my recipe there is roughly 1 gram of carbs in a single corn tortilla. Always check ingredients and ingredient packaging for exact amount.

Tips & Tricks

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

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.

Mexican Recipes

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

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

  • Shredded Chicken for Tacos
  • Beef & Green Chile Enchiladas
  • Slow Cooker Chicken & Black beans
  • Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos with Mango and Avocado Salsa
  • Beef & Red Bean Tacos

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!

Homemade Corn Tortillas

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!
4.20 from 5 votes
Print Pin Save Saved! Rate
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 6kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Stand Mixer
  • Tortilla Press
  • Stove Top
  • Frying Pan

Ingredients

  • 1-¾ cups Masa harina corn flour
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Granulated sugar
  • 1-¼ cups Hot water

Instructions

  • Using a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment place the masa harina, salt, and sugar in the bowl. Set the mixer to speed 2 and begin to mix. Slowly pour in the hot water and up the speed gradually (in 10 second incraments) to speed 4, 6, and then speed 8 for 5 seconds. Mix for 30 seconds until the mixture is dough like and mostly sticking together.
  • Remove the soft sticky dough from the bowl and knead to form a ball. *see notes about texture consistency. Place the dough on parchment paper or a plate and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
  • Once the dough is done resting, begin rolling out golf-ball size dough balls. You should have 18. **When not working with the dough, place the damp kitchen towel over the dough so that it doesn't dry out.
  • Preheat a non-stick pan on medium heat. While the pan preheats, place plastic wrap on both sides of the tortilla press. Place one ball of dough in the middle of the press, flatten the dough, and carefully remove. Set the flattened tortilla on a parchment or damp towel lined surface.
  • Place one tortilla in the pan and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute until the edges start to curl up. Flip with a spatula and cook an additional 45 seconds. ***(Every heating element is different so yours may need less or more time. Just monitor it. You will want a golden brown color on each side.) You will want to flatten tortillas and cook them all at the same time. Repeat the flattening step until all the dough is formed into tortillas. And cook until all the tortillas are cooked.
  • As tortillas are done cooking, remove them and place in a tortilla warmer or on a plate with a kitchen towel on top. The moisture will allow them to soften..

Video

Notes

  • Storage – Use immediately once done cooking or store for 1-2 days in an airtight container. Reheat in foil in the oven for 5 minutes to soften.
  • Make in advance – These tortillas can be made up to 2-3 hours in advance. Store in a tortilla warmer to keep soft and warm until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!

« Grilled Chicken Fajitas
Black Bean Corn Tomato Salad »

About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 15 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sara

    September 10, 2023 at 6:58 am

    5 stars
    Came out great. It was my first time, I bought a Victoria 10” cast iron tortilla press. They stuck to the plastic bag in the press the first time so I pressed, peeled one side off, rubbed with a. Teeny bit of masa, flipped the bag and rubbed the other side with a teeny bit of masa. No problems after that. (Pressing twice made them waaay too thin.) I rolled the dough in a plastic wrap log to set, then just divided.. 18 tortillas from this were small ones (like actual street taco size where you get two tortillas per taco?) but I’m not trying bigger ones til I get better at it. We tried some as tacos and fried a couple as tostadas. Both were great. They are so light compared to mass produced corn tortillas. Thank you for the great instructions, this made me decide to pull the trigger and make these. I don’t think I will ever buy tortillas again.

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 14, 2023 at 12:06 pm

      Sara I’m so happy to read you loved this recipe. I agree–once you have homemade it’s hard to go back! Thank you for giving all the details on your process and experience as this may help other readers!

  2. Phil Morrow

    May 29, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    1 star
    Well the tortillas pressed easy enough with the bottom of a platte, looks and smelled great and will make again! My concern/question is, we used the tortilla’s for enchiladas. I mentioned that I used a plate to press and I did get them pretty thin, but after placing them in a Cast Iron skillet flipping after 10 or 15 seconds then rolled the enchiladas they cracked or maybe broke. Help?

    Reply
    • Katie

      June 03, 2022 at 9:19 am

      Hi Phil, thank you for taking the time to leave a 5 star review. I like that you used the bottom of a plate. Sounds like the dough may need just a little bit more of water to keep the tortilla moist. Although, I have never made enchiladas with homemade tortillas so I can’t give you a definitive answer (confidently) without try it myself.

  3. Randy

    April 17, 2021 at 1:40 pm

    5 stars
    I never realized it was so simple. They are amazing. The Taste is unbelievable. I need a better tortilla press I broke it in the process. Everyone should try this.

    Reply
    • Katie

      April 19, 2021 at 11:17 am

      Randy, thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a 5-star review! It means so much to me, and I’m so happy you enjoyed the corn tortillas as much as I do! I don’t like store bought corn tortillas, but LOVE my homemade tortillas!

  4. Purvi

    April 10, 2020 at 1:02 am

    5 stars
    turned out great!

    Reply
    • Katie

      April 10, 2020 at 5:49 pm

      Purvi, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating!

  5. Bill

    December 03, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    I don’t think your measurements are right. 1 3/4 cup of corn flour to 1 1/4 cup of water. When i tried this it look like milk at that amount. There was no way i was going to make balls of dough. Didn’t have anymore flour so I had to throw it out.

    Reply
    • Katie

      July 29, 2020 at 9:13 am

      Hi Bill, I just remade this recipe last night for dinner. Followed my instructions exactly how stated with measurements and my tortillas turned out great. You have to mix the ingredients until they form a dough ball *per instructions. Warm water is key and mixing until combined yields a perfect soft dough to press tortillas. Hope you will give this recipe a try again.

  6. Loraine Ortiz

    May 20, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    I’m not good in the kitchen and I only have a close personal relationship with the microwave lol. These corn tortillas are just a right fit for my skills. I hope mine will turn out delicious too. Thanks Katie!

    Regards,
    Loraine from http://www.gloriousessays.com

    Reply
    • Katie

      May 20, 2016 at 3:27 pm

      Loraine, I think this is the perfect recipe to start with! You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make!

  7. Kayle (The Cooking Actress)

    April 28, 2016 at 9:14 am

    oooh that press looks so convenient! These corn tortillas look perfect!

    Reply
4.20 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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