If you’ve never had a homemade corn tortilla, you are missing out! Making authentic Homemade Corn Tortillas from scratch is so easy, healthy, and taste a million times better than anything store bought. Follow this step by step guide and take your taco dinners up a level!
If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, you must! There is just nothing like them. Forget about those mass-produced, packaged tortillas you buy at major grocery stores – they can’t hold a candle to a corn tortilla made from scratch right off the griddle.
Making homemade corn tortillas is crazy easy, too, once you do it a few times. Then they become the best cradle for your favorite Mexican dishes like tacos, taquitos, Mexican Lasagna, and Cuban pork. They are healthy and low calorie (unless you eat 30 of them *cough*) and are naturally gluten-free, which is a great option if you can’t have flour tortillas.
You only need two ingredients: masa harina and water! (I also add a pinch of salt, but it’s not entirely necessary.)
What Is Masa Harina?
Masa harina is a special corn flour. It looks similar to finely-ground cornmeal, but it is an entirely different product. The ground up corn kernels used for Masa harina are soaked in a limewater solution that actually changes the structure of the corn, making it way softer. Corn meal or regular corn flour cannot be substituted for masa harina or you will end up with dry tortillas that crack and crumble.
While Masa harina is a special ingredient, it is not hard to find. You can, of course, find it at Latin-American stores. But most large grocery store chains carry it, located with the regular flours or in their ethnic food aisle. If you can’t find it locally, you can always purchase it online from Amazon.
How To Make Corn Tortillas
Once you’ve got your Masa harina and a tortilla press, you are ready to go. Making the dough takes only minutes. (The complete printable recipe is at the bottom of the page.)
1. Put the masa flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in hot water (according to the directions on the package, some masa flour brands may call for different amounts of water).
2. Mix the dough together with a wooden spoon until all the water is absorbed.
3. Knead the dough (like you would bread dough) for a few minutes and form into a large ball. (The dough will be a little gritty at first, but will become more pliable as you knead it. It’ll be a little springy and feel like Play-Doh when it’s ready.) Then transfer back to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and let sit for about 5 minutes. (If at any point the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or masa to the dough.)
4. Pinch off a piece of the masa dough (about the size of a large golf ball) and roll in between your hands to form the balls.
5. Cut the seams of a gallon-size freezer bag and lay one piece on the press.
6. Place a masa ball slightly off-center, towards the closing hinge. Then place another piece of plastic over the masa ball.
7. Close the tortilla press and flatten (the dough should spread to a diameter of 4 to 5 inches.)
8. Open the tortilla press and gently remove the tortilla from the plastic bag by peeling away the bag onto the palm of your hand. (If it’s sticking, there is probably too much water in the dough.)
9. Now you can start putting your pressed tortillas directly onto a hot griddle or nonstick skillet. You can flatten one ball at a time or you can flatten all the balls and stack them on a plate, separated by sheets of parchment paper.
10. Gently place the tortilla onto the hot griddle; flip after 15 seconds. Then flip again after 40 seconds, then one last time for about 40 seconds, until it puffs up and has golden brown specs on both sides. (Those first 15 seconds seal in the heat and result in a lighter, fluffier tortilla, but alternatively you can just cook for 30-60 seconds per side.)
You now have wonderful fresh homemade corn tortillas! I know it’s several steps, but do not feel overwhelmed. Once you do it, you will not believe how easy it actually is. And once you eat one, you’ll want to make them again and again.
Notes for this Corn tortilla recipe
- Add a touch of salt. My dear friend Roxanna (who is Mexican) always uses salt – just a little – so that’s what I do for my corn tortilla recipe. The salt gives them a little bit more flavor.
- Don’t be afraid to add more water if the dough gets dried out. If at any point the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or masa to maintain the right texture.
- What if I don’t have a tortilla Press? You can flatten the dough balls with a heavy clear Pyrex pie plate or casserole dish. Simply place the ball in between two sheets of plastic (and using some muscle!) press down on the handles of the dish as evenly as possible. But I do highly recommend you get a tortilla press – it makes this process so easy, faster, plus fun! It’s a great way to get your kids involved, too.
- Keep the dough covered while cooking the tortillas so they don’t dry out.
- Freshly cooked tortillas are best eaten as soon as possible, but see below on how to keep them warm or store them.
How To Store Corn Tortillas
- Keep them warm: transfer the cooked tortillas to a tortilla warmer lined with a paper towel, or wrap them in a clean tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.
- To store: let any leftovers cool completely, wrapped in a clean tea towel, then transfer to an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: loosely wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and place on a plate. Microwave in 20-second spurts until they’re warm and pliable.
Go make up a batch and take Taco Tuesday up a notch!
What should I use my corn tortillas for? Put them to good use in these recipes!
- Mexican Lasagna
- Chicken Taquitos (Baked)
- Fish Tacos (Grilled)
- Beef Tacos (slow cooker)
- Cuban Pork (slow cooker)
Other homemade bread recipes!
- World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread
- Quick and Easy Pizza Dough
- Easy Homemade Focaccia
- Classic Popovers
*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
I hope you love this delicious and simple recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
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Homemade Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups Masa harina
- 1 1/2-2 cups hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , optional but recommended
Instructions
- Put the masa harina flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in hot water (according to the directions on the package, some masa flour brands may call for different amounts of water).
- Mix the dough together with a wooden spoon until all the water is absorbed.
- Knead the dough (like you would bread dough) for a few minutes and form into a large ball. (The dough will be a little gritty at first, but will become more pliable as you knead it. It’ll be a little springy and feel like Play-Doh when it’s ready.)
- Then transfer back to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and let sit for about 5 minutes. (If at any point the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or masa to the dough.)
- Pinch off a piece of the masa dough (about the size of a large golf ball) and roll in between your hands to form the balls. You should get about 18 balls of dough.
- Cut the seams of a gallon-size freezer bag and lay one piece on the press. Place a masa ball slightly off-center, towards the closing hinge. Then place another piece of plastic over the masa ball.
- Close the tortilla press and flatten (the dough should spread to a diameter of 4 to 5 inches.)
- Open the tortilla press and gently remove the tortilla from the plastic bag by peeling away the bag onto the palm of your hand. (If it’s sticking, there is probably too much water in the dough.)
- {Now you can start putting your pressed tortillas directly onto a hot griddle or nonstick skillet. You can do one ball at a time or you can flatten all of the balls and stack them on a plate, separated by sheets of parchment paper.}
- Gently place the tortilla onto the hot griddle; flip after 15 seconds. Then flip again after 40 seconds, then one last time for about 40 seconds, until it puffs up and has golden brown specs on both sides. (Those first 15 seconds seal in the heat and result in a lighter, fluffier tortilla, but alternatively you can just cook for 30-60 seconds per side.)
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- For tips and a helpful guide, please refer to the full article.
- To keep them warm: transfer the cooked tortillas to a tortilla warmer lined with a paper towel, or wrap them in a clean tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.
- To store: let any leftovers cool completely, wrapped in a clean tea towel, then transfer to an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: loosely wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and place on a plate. Microwave in 20-second spurts until they’re warm and pliable.
Can you fry homemade tortillas for chips like you do store bought ones?
How about if you have a tortilla press?
Hi Kara – you mean what if you DON’T have one? I give you an option in the Notes section.
There is nothing like home made tortillas.