These Homemade Corn Tortillas are so easy, delicious and only require 3 ingredients! You’ll never go back to buying store-bought after you try these!
I won’t lie. I grew up eating the flour tortillas that come IN the taco package you could buy at the grocery store. You know which ones I’m talking about, right? Yeah. Those. And how can you ever say no to a flour tortilla? They’re delicious and soft and lovely. In Mexico City, one of my favorite things I ate was something called “Gringo” – which is a delicious flour tortilla quesadilla with spicy meat and cheese. In case you’re wondering, Gringo translates to someone who is not of Latin or Hispanic descent AKA Americans who love flour tortillas.
TSA + Authentic Taco Press Horrors:
In Mexico City, however, they pretty much only eat corn tortillas. It was mesmerizing watching the women making them in each street food stall we went to. The one souvenir I wanted to bring back was a homemade tortilla press. Several months before we traveled to Mexico, we began making our own homemade corn tortillas but lacked the proper tools (aka we were using a large mason jar to roll out the tortillas). Lo and behold, we found an authentic beautiful one in a market while we were there for only 9 bucks! Score! What wasn’t so much of a score was when Mexico TSA took it from me before we boarded the plane because I didn’t have a checked bag. I cried. And begged. And pleaded. Alas, TSA took it anyway.
SO, long story short, once we made it back, I was staying with my stepmom in the hospital for a day and met a wonderful lady! I had told her the story of losing my tortilla press and she was actually going to get rid of hers! We exchanged numbers/addresses and right near Christmas, I got a package with not only a beautiful, authentic Mexican tortilla press but a full bag of masa flour!
SO….I know that was a long story. BUT. These homemade corn tortillas are one hundred percent worth the extra effort to make. They’re soft, slightly charred and the perfect vehicle to fill with your favorite taco toppings! Let’s get into how to make them!
Ingredients you need for Homemade Corn Tortillas:
- masa flour (corn flour which BTW is naturally gluten free!!)
- water
- salt
- crack of pepper
I recommend getting the masa flour from Aldi! In the Hispanic food section, they have a HUGE bag that’s extremely affordable and delicious!
Step by Step Photos on How to Make Homemade Corn Tortillas:
First, you add the masa, salt and a crack of pepper to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
Then, add in your warm (not boiling!) water. Mix with a spoon to combine. If you mix it and there are dry crumbles like this:
Add about a tbsp or two more water until you get a play-doh consistency. If you accidentally put too much water, no worries! Add more masa a little at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Next, using your hands, form the dough into a ball.
Halve the dough into two balls. Then halve it AGAIN, making a total of 8 small balls that should be around the same size.
Next, get a small piece of parchment paper and place it inside of the tortilla press – covering both sides of the press like this:
Place the ball in the middle of the press and then press it down!
To easily remove the tortilla from the parchment paper, gently flip it over onto your hand and peel it off.
Place it on a plate and repeat. Important: Don’t place each tortilla ON TOP of each other. Separate them with either more parchment paper or a cloth or something like that!
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium/high heat. Don’t add ANY oil. Once the pan is hot and ready to go, place 2-3 tortillas in the pan. Cook on each side for a minute and a half. Use a metal spatula to flip halfway through. Each tortilla will be different, but by seeing the brown spots – you will know when your tortilla is cooked through properly or not.
Continue until you’ve cooked all of your tortillas! Keep them warm by setting them underneath a towel or a tortilla warmer (if ya got one!)
Re-Heating Homemade Corn Tortillas:
They are served best WARM! If you need to reheat them, either pop them back on the oven eye in the pan for a minute or microwave them for about 30 seconds!
My Favorite Recipes to Use Homemade Corn Tortillas:
- Spicy Breakfast Fajita Tacos
- 2 Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken
- Salsa Verde Enchiladas
- Spicy Fish Tacos with Broccoli Slaw
- Refried Sweet Potato Tacos with Lime Crema
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Homemade Corn Tortillas
These Homemade Corn Tortillas are so easy, delicious and only require 3 ingredients! You’ll never go back to buying store-bought after you try these!
Ingredients
- 1 cup masa flour
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cracked pepper
- parchment paper
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix together the masa flour, salt and pepper. Add in your warm water and mix together to form a large ball. If the dough is too dry, add a tbsp or so more water. If it's too wet, add a tbsp or so more masa flour. You want the consistency to become like play-doh!
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Once you have your ball formed, divide it in half. Then divide it in half again. Then one more time! Until you have 8 small lumps. Roll those lumps of dough into balls. Set them aside.
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To your tortilla press, add a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover both sides of the inside of the press. To the middle of the press, add one ball of dough. Press down and flatten the ball, until it forms a tortilla. Lift the parchment paper off of the press and then gently peel off the tortilla into your hand, making sure not to rip it! Repeat until your dough is used, making sure to separate each tortilla with parchment paper!
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Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium/high heat. Once hot, add 2-3 (depending on how many will fit) tortillas into the pan. Cook for 1 and a half minutes on each side. Use a metal spatula to flip them halfway.
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Each tortilla may vary by a few seconds - but you should know it is done when you see no more raw dough and instead see brown char spots.
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Once done, place them either in a tortilla warmer or a towel to keep them warm. Eat immediately! Enjoy!
I really appreciate the step by step process. It was enjoyable to read and look at the pictures. Amazing story about the taco press!
Aww! Thank you so much, Hank! Appreciate all your kind words!
These are perfectly amazing and so simply to make! They make the perfect tortillas. I recommend making her homemade salsa as well. Definitely making these again!
Forgot to leave my stars! Five stars it is for Easy Homemade Corn Tortillas!
Yay!
Thank you so much, Jenn! It was an honor getting to make these for you and Chris the other night! Glad y’all enjoyed them so much! And the salsa of course 🙂
A while back I ate some red spicy tortillas..
How do I do that