Small Batch Flour Tortillas

If Authentic Flour Tortillas sound like the kind of thing only someone's abuela or a real tortilleria can make properly, I'm here to change your mind. These taco size flour tortillas use just flour, lard, salt, and hot water, with no baking powder or special equipment, and are ready to taco in under an hour.

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This Small Batch Tortilla Recipe is my way of bringing childhood flavors into my adult kitchen. I grew up knowing what a real flour tortilla could taste like because my best friend's abuela made them when I was a child, and I never forgot how delicious they were hot off the griddle.

Taste memories are funny like that. They can sit quietly in the back of your mind for years, and then the aroma alone can bring me right back to the moment I tasted my first homemade tortilla. I can't wait to show you what I mean.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Small batch - This recipe makes 6 taco size tortillas, which is perfect when you want fresh tortillas without committing to a big batch.
• Simple - You only need flour, fat, salt, and hot water, which is very pantry friendly.
• Soft and pliable- A short rest gives the dough time to relax, making the tortillas easier to roll and tender after cooking.
• Chewy, in the best way - Unlike tortillas made with baking powder, these are not puffy and airy but flexible and pliable and better for making tacos and wraps.
• Flexible - Use them for breakfast tacos and snack wraps, or double the recipe for larger tortillas to use for wraps and burritos.

You are going to love having a small batch tortilla recipe in your back pocket because once you taste one warm from the skillet, grocery store tortillas just won't do it for you anymore.

Ingredients & Substitutions

The photo below shows what you need to make these homemade tortillas. I will go over the major ingredients and how they can be substituted if needed.

• All-purpose flour - Regular all-purpose flour works best here. Measure carefully so your dough stays soft and tacky, not dry and stiff. For a more earthy tortilla, you can substitute half of the flour with whole wheat flour.
• Pork lard - Lard gives these tortillas the classic flavor and tender texture that I love most. Vegetable shortening also works well and gives a neutral flavor. You can also use butter or vegetable oil:
  • Butter - I tested these with butter and it works beautifully, but the tortillas taste more buttery and less traditional.
  • Vegetable oil - Vegetable oil, or even olive oil, works in a pinch and keeps the recipe simple, but the dough may feel a little softer.
• Hot water - Hot water helps hydrate the flour and makes the dough easier to bring together. It should be hot from the tap or recently heated, but not boiling.
• Kosher salt - Salt matters in a recipe this simple. Without it, the tortillas taste flat and you will feel personally betrayed. If using table salt, use half the amount, or just a pinch.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Why no baking powder?

You will see plenty of tortilla recipes that use baking powder, and while they can absolutely be delicious, the texture is more like thick store-bought tortillas. To research my recipe, while in Austin recently, I spent some time in a small tortilleria talking with the owner's mom about how she made hers every morning and she told me why she kept her dough so simple.

With her daughter translating, she told me that where she was from in Northern Mexico, flour tortillas were made without baking powder unless you were cooking at high altitude. In that case, a quarter teaspoon can help keep them from becoming dry or brittle.

Adding baking powder can make tortillas puffier and slightly thicker, which some people like, but her tortillas were more thin, flexible, and tender without puffing up into tiny flatbread pillows. No shade to flatbread pillows. They have their place. Like my flatbread pizza. But not today. Today is about tacos using the best recipe for flour tortillas as taught to me by someone who knows.

Quick Recipe Video

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making flour tortillas is mostly a mix, roll, rest, and cook situation. It's such an easy recipe, even the kids can pitch in. Follow the process pictures and do not overthink the circles. Tortillas are allowed to have personality.

Step 1: Melt the lard and stir in the kosher salt.

Step 2: Add the warm water and stir to combine.

Step 3: Add the flour and mix with a fork or a spatula until you have a shaggy dough.

Step 4: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 5: When done, the dough should be smooth and tacky, but not sticky.

Step 6: Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

Step 7: Flatten each ball slightly and place on a lightly greased plate. Repeat with the remaining dough, then cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Step 8: No need for a tortilla press. Just use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball as thin as possible, about 6 inches across. You can cook as you go, or roll all of the tortillas out first, separate them with parchment paper, and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.

Step 9: Preheat a heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Transfer one rolled tortilla to the hot surface and cook for 20 to 30 seconds, or until bubbles begin to form on the surface and there are brown spots underneath.

Step 10: Flip the tortilla and cook for another 20 to 30 seconds on the second side.

Finish: Transfer the cooked tortillas to a tortilla warmer or pancake warmer lined with cloth napkins or a clean kitchen towel. If you are not serving them right away, keep them wrapped in a towel so they stay soft and steamy.

(note: both flour and corn tortillas need to steam together after cooking to keep them soft and pliable and prevent them from breaking when you roll or fold them.

How to make larger tortillas

This recipe makes 6 taco size tortillas, about 6 inches across. To make larger tortillas for wraps or burritos, double the recipe (there is a 2X button on the recipe card below) and divide the dough into 6 to 8 portions, depending on how large you want them.

Roll them as thin as you can, cook them the same way, and keep them covered after cooking so they stay flexible.

Troubleshooting Flour Tortillas

• If your dough is sticky - Add a tiny sprinkle of flour to your counter while kneading, but do not add too much or the tortillas can turn dry.
• If dough shrinks back when rolling out - Letting the dough rest a minimum of 30 minutes, relaxes the gluten and they will roll more easily.
• If your tortillas are too dark - The pan is too hot. Lower the heat and pull the skillet off the burner for a minute to cool down.
• If your tortillas are pale and not bubbling - The pan is not hot enough. Increase the heat slightly and give the skillet another minute before cooking the next one.
• If your tortillas are dry - You may have added too much flour or cooked them too long. Measure carefully and keep the cooking time short.
• If your tortillas are stiff - They may be too thick, overcooked, or not kept covered after cooking. Roll them thinner and stack them in a towel as soon as they come off the pan.

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