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Soft, homemade small batch flour tortillas made with four simple pantry ingredients. This recipe makes 4 to 5 tortillas and comes together quickly on the stovetop, perfect for tacos, wraps, or fajitas.
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“Easiest and best tortilla recipe I’ve ever tried!”
– Steph
Easy Soft Flour Tortillas
This is one of those recipes I come back to again and again. There’s something so satisfying about turning a few simple ingredients into soft, warm flour tortillas right on the stovetop. Freshly cooked, they’re tender, flexible, and far better than anything from a package.
The tortillas are made without yeast and the dough comes together quickly in no time.
I love using these homemade tortillas in single serving ground turkey tacos, chicken enchiladas for one, steak fajitas for one, and even in a turkey wrap.
Plus, the recipe doubles easily if you’d like to make a few more.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch flour tortillas recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- All-Purpose Flour: This is your go-to for making soft, flexible homemade tortillas. Stick with regular all-purpose flour for the best texture.
- Baking Powder (Optional): This ingredient gives the tortillas a little puff and helps them stay tender. You can choose to include it or skip it based on your texture preference.
- Kosher Salt: A must for adding flavor. If you’re using table salt instead, just use half the amount.
- Butter or Vegetable Oil: Both of these fats keep the dough nice and tender. Butter brings a richer flavor, while vegetable oil results in super soft tortillas.
- Hot Water: Using hot (but not boiling) water helps bring the dough together and keeps the tortillas soft and easy to roll out.
Recipe Variations
These easy variations allow you to put your own spin on homemade flour tortillas without altering the basic method.
- Gluten-Free: Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend like King Arthur brand Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour.
- Herb Tortillas: Mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley for added flavor and color. These work especially well for tacos and wraps.
- Seasoned Tortillas: Sprinkle in 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning or homemade Creole seasoning into the flour before mixing. This gives a nice hint of flavor without overwhelming the tortillas.
How To Make Flour Tortillas
These step-by-step photos show how to make a small batch of homemade flour tortillas from start to finish. For exact ingredient amounts and full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. If using butter, work it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Add the Liquids: Pour in the hot water. If using vegetable oil instead of butter, add it at this step.
- Form the Dough: Stir with a fork until the wet and dry ingredients come together and a dough begins to form.
- Knead the Dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. If the dough feels sticky, add a small amount of flour as needed.
- Portion the Dough: Divide the dough into 4 or 5 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
- Let the Dough Rest: Cover the dough balls with a towel and let them rest for about 30 minutes before rolling.
- Heat the Skillet: Heat a cast-iron skillet or non-stick skillet over medium heat until hot.
- Roll the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough ball into an 8 inch round. The shape does not need to be perfectly round.
- Cook the Tortilla: Place the rolled dough onto the hot skillet. Cook for about 40 seconds, until bubbles form on the surface and golden brown spots appear on the bottom.
- Flip and Finish Cooking: Flip the tortilla and cook until golden brown spots form on the second side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Expert Tips
- Fat Choices: This flour tortilla recipe is versatile and works well with butter, vegetable oil, or lard. Add oil with the hot water. If you’re using butter or lard, work it into the flour before adding the liquid.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is optional. If you skip it, your tortillas will be a bit flatter but still soft and flexible.
- Rest the Dough: Allowing the dough to rest helps relax the gluten, making it easier to roll out. If the dough bounces back while you’re rolling, just let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Roll to Your Preference: Roll the dough thin for soft, pliable tortillas. If you prefer sturdier tortillas, roll them a bit thicker; they’re great for wraps or flatbread-style dishes.
- Adjust the Size: You can divide the dough into more or fewer pieces to make smaller taco-size tortillas or larger burrito-size tortillas.
- Heat Control: Keep your skillet at medium heat. If the tortillas brown too quickly or turn stiff, lower the heat a bit.
How To Use Homemade Flour Tortillas
These soft flour tortillas are perfect for a variety of everyday meals.
- Tacos and Fajitas: Load them up with chicken, beef, or your favorite vegetables. They’re especially delicious with chicken fajitas for one, beef fajitas for one, or sheet pan fajitas.
- Wraps & Lunch Rolls: Slather on some homemade hummus, cream cheese, or ranch dressing, then fill them with turkey or vegetables.
- Breakfast Burritos: Stuff with eggs, beans, onions, and garlic for an easy breakfast.
- Beef Enchiladas: Swap these for corn tortillas in your favorite enchilada recipe.
- Tacos: Create beef tacos for one, chicken tacos for one, shrimp tacos for one, or fish tacos for one.
Frequently Asked Questions
While a tortilla press can make the process faster and help you achieve more uniform tortillas, it’s not a must-have. A rolling pin does the job just fine, and if you’re in a pinch, a floured wine bottle or a tall glass can work too!
A cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet is ideal. Just make sure the pan is nice and hot before you add the dough.
You can warm them up quickly in a dry skillet or pop them in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel to keep them moist.
Keep any leftover tortillas in a sealed plastic bag or an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you want to store them longer, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze them.
To keep your cooked tortillas soft, stack them on a plate and cover them with a clean dish towel. This traps the steam and keeps them nice and tender.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small batch tortilla recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
Small Batch Tortillas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter -softened to room temperature, or use vegetable oil
- ½ cup hot water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. If using butter, work it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Pour in the hot water. If using vegetable oil instead of butter, add it at this step.
- Stir with a fork until the wet and dry ingredients come together and a dough begins to form.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. If the dough feels sticky, add a small amount of flour as needed.
- Divide the dough into 4 or 5 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
- Cover the dough balls with a towel and let them rest for about 30 minutes before rolling.
- Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough ball into an 8 inch round. The shape does not need to be perfectly round.
- Place the rolled dough onto the hot skillet. Cook for about 40 seconds, until bubbles form on the surface and golden brown spots appear on the bottom.
- Flip the tortilla and cook until golden brown spots form on the second side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Notes
- Fat Choices: This flour tortilla recipe works with butter, vegetable oil, or lard. Add oil with the hot water. If using butter or lard, work it into the flour before adding the liquid.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is optional. Leaving it out will produce tortillas that are slightly flatter but still soft and flexible.
- Rest the Dough: Letting the dough rest relaxes the gluten and makes it easier to roll. If the dough springs back while rolling, let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Roll to Your Preference: Roll the dough thin for soft, pliable tortillas. Slightly thicker tortillas are sturdier and work well for wraps or flatbread-style uses.
- Adjust the Size: Divide the dough into more or fewer pieces to make smaller taco-size tortillas or larger burrito-size tortillas.
- Heat Control: Keep the skillet at medium heat. If the tortillas brown too quickly or turn stiff, lower the heat slightly.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Thanks for the great recipe! Delicious! Super easy, and they came out perfectly!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
This was my first time making homemade tortilla shells. very easy to make and my boyfriend was pleased with them. he said they were better than store bought.
This is my go recipe since I’m one person and do small batch. I did Use vegan butter and I did replace half the flour with spelt. It still worked great but I did Add a little bit more hot water since spelt flour needs more water. Usually I do Regular all purpose flour but I’m trying to go healthier here for the new year. Thank you
These came out quite nice, but I divided the dough into 6 portions and wish I had done 8.
If you roll them size, they are quite a bit thicker than the tortillas I used to have in MX.
Mine also needed a bit more salt, but that is probably because I used diamond crystal kosher salt and the recipe didn’t indicate the brand. Morton kosher salt is saltier when measuring by volume.
Overall a good starting point to work with and adjust to your favorite style of tortillas.
I suspect to get then thinner they may need a little more fat based on a conversation I had with my friends mom (from Chihuahua).
I’m glad they worked out well for you. Dividing the dough into more portions is a great way to get thinner tortillas, and you’re exactly right about Diamond Crystal versus Morton. That difference can definitely affect seasoning when measuring by volume. I appreciate you sharing what you noticed and how you adjusted the recipe to suit your preferences.
Can you freeze these once they have been cooked and if so how long can they be stored for?
Yes, you can freeze them once they’ve been cooked. Let the tortillas cool completely, then stack them with a piece of parchment paper between each one so they don’t stick together. Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
They’ll keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to use them, transfer what you need to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight.
I’ve been making these since I was a freshman in college, living at home. It was my favorite late night study snack. Easy, fast, only a few dishes, took long enough to thaw my brain out but not so long that my gray matter melted into mush.
I moved out this year as a senior and it’s been so so hard learning to cook for myself. Like, I know how to cook, but making whole meals every day?? For the rest of my life until I’m senile??? This is a scam. Honestly being a whole entire adult is just so stressful. This recipe is my go to comfort recipe to make life better and makes me feel like I actually know what I’m doing for like fifteen minutes. It makes just enough for two tonight and two tomorrow.
Also these are better than store bought in case anyone wants to know. 10000% better.
Thank you author for this recipe. Please never take it down. If it goes, my sanity goes with it.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m really glad this recipe has been such a reliable one for you, especially during a season that feels overwhelming. Cooking for yourself every day is a big adjustment, and it means a lot to know this little recipe makes things feel easier. And don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere.
So tasty!! I had great success using these. Perfect for fajitas!