This homemade corn tortilla recipe is easy to make with 3 ingredients and yields the most delicious, soft, foldable, and naturally gluten-free corn tortillas.
After learning how to make homemade flour tortillas earlier this month, it’s time to learn how to make their famous (and naturally gluten-free!) counterparts…
These traditional Mexican-style corn tortillas are easy to make with just 3 ingredients, they are naturally gluten-free, and full of the yummiest toasted corn flavors. But in my opinion, the best thing about fresh homemade corn tortillas is that they are legit-easy to roll and fold!! No cracking, breaking, or complicated re-warming instructions required here. These freshly-made corn tortillas are soft and pliable and will fold up beautifully into your favorite tacos or enchiladas. Or, of course, you can fry any of the leftovers to make tortilla chips, chilaquiles, nachos and more.
So today, I’m sharing my go-to recipe for making classic corn tortillas, plus all of my best tips and shortcuts to make the process a bit easier and more foolproof. I’ve also included an option below for how to roll out these guys out without a tortilla press, if you do not have one. But if you plan to make them regularly, a tortilla press is incredibly helpful with corn tortillas and worth the investment.
How To Make Corn Tortillas:
So here’s the thing about corn tortillas — they are quite easy to make, but it will take a bit of hands-on practice to learn how wet the dough should be, how to press the tortillas, and how quickly they will cook. So if this is your first time making corn tortillas, have a bit of patience with the process, and I promise that you will learn quickly as you go. And of course — the end result will be deliciously worth it! ♡ Here is the basic overview of the recipe instructions (full details in the recipe below):
- Mix the dough: First things first — mixing the dough! Pull out a big mixing bowl and briefly whisk the masa harina and salt together, then gradually stir in 1.5 cups of the hot water until an evenly-mixed dough begins to form. Use your hands to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes in the mixing bowl (or you can knead it on a floured surface) until it’s smooth and forms a cohesive ball. But pay close attention to the texture — it should feel springy and firm, similar to the texture of Play-Doh. If the dough feels too wet and is sticking to your hands, add in a few extra tablespoons of flour. If it feels too dry and crackly, add in an extra tablespoon or two of hot water.
- Rest the dough. Cover the bowl with the dough with a damp kitchen towel (or paper towel) and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- Portion the dough. Then use a medium cookie scoop (my preference!) or a spoon to scoop a 2-tablespoon ball of dough (35-40 grams, or about the size of a golf ball), then use your hands to roll the ball until it is nice and round.
- Press the dough balls. Place the dough ball between two pieces of plastic in the center of a tortilla press. (I use a ziplock bag; see notes below.) Then gently press the dough ball until it forms a 4- to 5-inch flat tortilla. At this point, I recommend doing a quick texture-check of the tortilla. If it peels away easily from the plastic, it’s good to go! If it’s sticky and does not peel away, your dough is too wet, so I would recommend kneading a bit more flour into the batch of dough before scooping out more dough balls.
- Cook the tortilla. When your tortilla is ready to go, heat a non-stick skillet or comal over medium-high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, gently peel the tortilla away from the plastic wrap and lay the tortilla flat in the skillet. Cook the tortilla for about 40-60 seconds per side, flipping it once speckled brown spots begin to appear on the bottom of the tortilla. The tortillas will likely bubble up while cooking, especially on the second side, which is a good sign! Once it is cooked, transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer or a bowl wrapped in a clean kitchen towel, so that the tortillas do not dry out.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas. I recommend keeping the cycle going by cooking one tortilla while pressing the next dough ball at the same time. If you notice that the skillet begins to seem too hot as time goes on, just turn down the heat a bit.
- Serve. The tortillas will continue to soften a bit more as they sit in a stack in your tortilla warmer (or wrapped in a towel). So I recommend using the tortillas at the bottom of the stack first — they will be the softest. Serve however you would like and enjoy! 🙂
Fresh tortillas made with heirloom corn flour will wow you with their flavor, and the process and ingredients are wonderfully simple. Homemade corn tortillas will add so much to your experience of soft tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tlayudas, tostitos and more. Servings 8-10 tortillas Serving Size 1 tortilla Prep Time 50 minutes Baking Time 2 minutes Total Time 52 minutes
It was during that recipe creation that I learned about nixtamalization, an ancient Mesoamerican process of soaking and cooking corn in Cal (calcium hydroxide/lime) and removing some of the hulls. This process improves the nutrient composition of the corn and makes the resulting cornmeal manageable for making tortillas.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Corn tortillas are amazingly flavorful and they have more fiber than refined flour tortillas. These tortillas are made with Masienda’s masa harina, which is nixtamalized white olotillo corn. When I opened this flour bag, I was struck by how delicious and potent it smelled, and this was only multiplied when I added hot water to mix the dough or masa. Masa harina can also be purchased at many grocery stores, or you can make wet masa by grinding nixtamalized whole corn kernels. This process is described here: How to Nixtamalize Corn for Tortillas, Tamales, Posole, and More.
I made tortillas for several years with a rolling pin and a dough ball placed between two pieces of plastic (cut open the sides of a Ziploc bag, wash, and reuse it). In fact, I developed a recipe for fresh-milled corn and wheat sourdough tortillas before I had a tortilla press.
Homemade corn tortillas are quite simple to make and the fresh flavors are more than worth the effort. Tools such as a tortilla press can speed up the process and give you a more uniform shape, but aren’t required.
Make Tortillas Like a Mexican Grandma (The Easy Way)
FAQ
How are corn tortillas traditionally made?
What is the secret to making corn tortillas?
What are traditional Mexican tortillas made of?
How are corn tortillas made?
Corn tortillas are made from masa harina, a special kind of corn flour. Masa harina is made from corn kernels that have been soaked in an alkaline solution and then ground into flour. How do you make corn tortillas from scratch? To make corn tortillas from scratch, you’ll need masa harina, warm water, and a pinch of salt.
Can eating tortilla help with weight loss?
Tortilla can be a good option for weight loss as long as it contains whole grains. As compared to white flour, it has way less fat and calories. It is also important which foods are in the inside; you must prefer lean meats, such as poultry or fish, and use many vegetables.
Where do Corn Tortillas come from?
Corn tortillas are a type of unleavened flatbread that originates from Mexico. They are made primarily from masa harina, which is a type of corn flour produced by treating corn kernels with an alkaline solution, a process called nixtamalization.
How do you make corn tortillas from scratch?
To make corn tortillas from scratch, you’ll need masa harina, warm water, and a pinch of salt. Mix the ingredients together to form a dough, divide into small balls, press into a flat circle using a tortilla press or rolling pin, and cook on a hot pan until lightly browned.