Homemade Corn Tortillas are so easy to make and once you try a batch, you’ll never buy them from the store again.
Ready in 30 minutes, these two-ingredient corn tortillas will make taco night your favorite night of the week. Making tortillas from scratch is easy and once you try it you’ll never go back to store-bought ones.
It took a while to muster up the courage to try making corn tortillas from scratch, but just like my Best Ever Flour Tortillas recipe, once you make these them at home, you’ll never want to buy store-bought again.
I was inspired to make my own after our 7-day Mexican Riveria Princess cruise where I had the BEST tacos I’ve EVER had. Since then I have been dreaming about tacos.
We’re already planning our next cruise adventure, but until then, this recipe for homemade corn tortillas will have to get me through and you can bet we will be making them weekly. They’re just too easy and have taken our taco nights to the next level.
You Only Need Two Ingredients
- Masa harina
- Water
Masa harina is a gluten-free flour made from corn that is soaked in an alkaline agent and then processed into a fine flour. Cornmeal is different and even tastes different because it doesn’t get the same treatment with the alkaline. So, be sure to use masa harina to make your tortillas. It’s also used to make tamales, too.
Tools You’ll Need
You will need a bowl to mix the dough and I also recommend using a cookie scoop to divide it. This makes it easy to portion the dough so all of your tortillas are the same size.
The key to making the best corn tortilla is using a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t have one, that’s okay but the taste and texture, when made in the cast iron skillet, is the best.
You can roll them out by hand with a rolling pin, but using a tortilla press makes it so much easier. Plus, you get perfectly round tortillas that are the proper thickness each time.
Whether you roll them out by hand or use a press you will also need parchment paper. This ensures the raw tortillas don’t stick. You can also use plastic wrap, but the parchment works really well for me.
How to Make Homemade Corn Tortillas
In a medium bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon masa harina and hot water until thoroughly combined.
Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until pliable and smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if too dry, sprinkle with water. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 15 equal-size balls. I use a cookie dough scooper and generously scoop – sometimes I get less than 15.
Use a press or roll out the dough out with a rolling pin. If you roll them out by hand, place the dough between to sheets of parchment. If you use a press, line both sides with the parchment as I show in the photo here:
Preheat a cast-iron skillet or skillet to medium-high.
Immediately place the tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds or until browned and slightly puffy. Turn it over to brown on the second side for approximately 30 seconds more and transfer to a clean towel. Repeat the process with each ball of dough.
Keep the cooked ones covered with the towel. I just fold the towel in half and place them on one half and cover with the other. This allows them to stay warm and moist until ready to serve.
How to Store Them
We love these corn tortillas freshly made, but they will keep longer as long as they are properly stored in an airtight container.
- Refrigerator: keep them tightly wrapped and they will keep for one to two weeks in the refrigerator. To warm them up, place them between paper towels and microwave them for 30 seconds or so.
- Freezer: fully cool them and then tightly wrap them in plastic wrap. Place the stack in a freezer-safe bag or container and they will keep for a few months in the freezer. Thaw them at room temperature and warm them in the microwave.
Taco Recipes to Try
Once you’ve made your own homemade tortillas you will want to fill them with all of your favorite fillings. Here are some of our favorite taco recipes that you definitely will want to try:
- My Ground Pork Tacos are a quick and easy filling for tacos. Top them with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream for a really easy Taco Tuesday dinner.
- For a delicious weekend breakfast make a batch of Breakfast Tacos with Roasted Habanero Hollandaise Sauce.
- For a twist, make BBQ chicken tacos with my Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken. Top them with cheddar cheese, red onions and a dollop of guacamole.
- My Chile Colorado is a delicious red chile made with chicken and it’s perfect for serving in your fresh-cooked tortillas.
I cannot wait for our next cruising adventure, but I am thrilled that I can make corn tortillas that are as delicious as the ones we had in Mexico. I’m so excited to share them with you, too. I hope you give them a try!
XOXO San
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
More Mexican Recipes to Try
Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups masa harina
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons hot tap water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon masa harina and hot water until thoroughly combined.
- Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until pliable and smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if too dry, sprinkle with water. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet or skillet to medium-high heat.
- Divide dough into 15 equal-size balls, I use a cookie dough scooper and generously scoop, sometimes I get less than 15.
- Using a tortilla press, I have one but you can just roll out with a rolling pin, I use parchment paper not wax paper but everyone else I know uses plastic wrap or Ziplock bags, use what works for you.
- Immediately place tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 30 seconds, or until browned and slightly puffy. Turn tortilla over to brown on the second side for approximately 30 seconds more, then transfer to a clean towel and Repeat process with each ball of dough. Keep tortillas covered with the towel, I just fold the towel in half and place it on one half and cover with the other. This allows them to stay warm and moist until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Save
Thanks for sharing! They’re so simple, everyone should make their tortillas from scratch.
This will take taco Tuesday to a whole new level!! Could those ingredients be any simpler?!
I never thought to make my own corn tortillas, but they look delicious! Sounds like I need to give it a try!
Alrighty!! I make homemade corn tortillas nearly everyday. It seems to be same with your recipe but I usually add a bit of cinnamon to extra flavor.
Your corn tortillas look absolutely perfect. Remind me of my grandma’s.
These corn tortillas would definitely take taco night up a notch! Yum!
I love how easy these are to make! These tortillas look so inviting!
Great directions! Thank you for this! Excited to try!
Thanks for sharing such a nice and simple recipe.
Of course, enjoy!
WHAT? That easy? I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the recipe!
It really is so easy! Enjoy!
I didn’t realize how easy it was to make your own tortillas! These will be perfect for my chicken fajitas I had planned on making for dinner tomorrow!
Too easy! Enjoy!
These Corn Tortillas are sound delicious! Dangerously good…
Enjoy!
I can’t wait to make these! It will make taco night so much better! They look so delicious and easy! Can’t wait!
They definitely will! Enjoy!
This was so delicious and easy! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
This is awesome and incredibly easy! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you!
So simple, never buying at the store again! Loved these so much better
So glad to hear that!
Always shocked at how easy these are to make! Thanks for the easy recipe!
These are so much better than store bought. We love using themfor tostads!
Simple, yet super tasty and perfect with homemade carne asada. Do you have a quick salsa to go with this?
These Corn Tortillas are mouth watering!
I’m terrified to make tortillas you make it sound so easy!
It really is so easy! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Homemade tortillas sound so good! I would like to try them this weekend!
What *size* (# of Tbls.) dough scoop are you using? Or alternatively, what is the gram weight of each dough ball?
I’m asking because I need to make 6″ corn tortillas, and it seems every recipe I’ve looked at uses different comparisons/methods for determining the size of each dough ball: “golf ball”, “ping-pong ball”, 3″ in diameter, “dough scoop”, etc.
It’s annoyingly inconsistent (none of those are the same size as the others).
The problem with dough scoops is they’re available in an entire range of sizes.
If 6″ is the diameter of your finished tortillas, what size dough scoop are you using to make that size?
I wish I could find a recipe specifying the weight of the dough balls to make a 6″ tortilla, but I haven’t been successful (so far) in finding a recipe stating that information.
The dough scoop used is about 3 tablespoons, but we haven’t ever weighed the dough or measured the tortillas as it can vary by how much water added or how thin you like the tortillas so I can’t say for sure. Your best bet would be trial and error, as it doesn’t hurt to mix the dough back in until you get the right weight for what you’re looking for.
I am definitely going to try this recipe. I buy the best corn tortillas I can find every time I go to the store. I freeze leftover tortillas. Will these do well if frozen and later thawed?
I haven’t tried freezing these, but it should be fine if you wrap them in plastic wrap and put in a tightly sealed freezer bag or container. You can also freeze the uncooked tortillas, placing parchment in between each and then thawing for 30 minutes or so before grilling. I hope you enjoy them!