Homemade Corn Tortillas

Homemade corn tortillas are simply the best! No store-bought tortilla can compare to the ultra-soft, heavenly wrap for tacos and quesadillas. The best part? You only need 3 simple ingredients to make this homemade corn tortilla recipe. Make sure to read through the tips and suggestions for the best results!

Homemade Corn Tortillas Recipe

Homemade corn tortillas are like gold in a Mexican household! They truly take your meal experience to the next level. My grandma used to make them from scratch all the time. My grandpa grew corn and brought it home for my grandma to grind down and make into corn flour to make tortillas. Now that is homemade! Now we can buy harina de maíz and make homemade tortillas in a variety of different colors, I’ll teach you how! 🙂

Ingredients

Luckily, you don’t have to grind your own maize to make your corn flour nowadays! You only need 3 ingredients to make this corn tortilla recipe.

Corn Flour

Harina de maíz (corn flour) – also known as masa harina and not to be confused with cornstarch. You can get this at any Mexican grocery store or large grocery such as Foodmaxx, Lucky’s, Albertson’s, Safeway, and Whole Foods. Brands that are Mexican-mom-approved include Maseca, Masienda, Minsa, and Goya.

Harina de maiz (masa harina) is nixtamalized corn flour which is dried corn that has been cooked and soaked in an alkaline solution. This is a special process that was developed by the Mayan and Aztec people. The Nixtamalization makes the corn easier to digest and it also helps nutrients be more readily available. Many corn tortillas made in the United States do not use this process. Look for the word “nixtamalized” when buying corn tortillas or masa harina.

My favorite has been blue harina de maiz lately but you can use yellow/white corn flour which is also very authentic and easy to turn purple or red when using natural dyes from beets or purple cabbage. FUN FACT: blue corn tortillas turn pink if you add an acid such as lime! Super fun to play around with 🙂

Water

You need to use warm water. It should be warm, not boiling or hot. The warm water will create a chemical reaction that will give you the perfect texture.

Baking Powder

The baking powder is optional, but my mom always adds it so I add it to mine too. The baking powder creates fluffy and flaky tortillas with a dreamy texture you will love.

Making Tortillas without a Tortilla Press

I highly recommend investing in a tortilla press to make them more often (trust me, you’ll want to!). Click here for one of my most recommended tortilla presses out there.

If you don’t have one, don’t worry! You can still make this recipe. You can use a heavy baking dish or a rolling pin! Click here to check out more details on how to make tortillas without a press.

Tips to make the BEST Corn Tortillas

1. Use the right kind of corn flour. Look for the word “nixtamalized” when buying.
2. Only use warm water to make these tortillas. Warm water is best used to rehydrate the flour, it helps activate the bits of corn skin, also known as pericarp.
3. Keep warm water accessible to sprinkle on your hands when rolling into dough balls.
4. Use parchment paper or plastic to press your tortillas on a tortilla press.
5. Cook tortillas on medium heat on a griddle (also called comal in Spanish).

Pink or Purple Corn Tortillas

Corn tortillas are very simple to make. You just add warm water to the masa harina. There is only one extra step to making colored tortillas; the color of the warm water. You can dye the water by using natural dye from beets, and purple cabbage. To make pink tortillas use 3 beets, to make purple tortillas use 1 cup of diced cabbage.

1. Blend the beets or cabbage in a blender until the water is a vibrant color.
2. Use a cheesecloth or fine strainer to strain the liquid into a measuring cup.
3. Use your pink/purple water to mix into your white tortilla dough!

Making Homemade Corn Tortillas

Once you get the hand of the process it starts to feel like breathing! Once the masa starts to feel like the texture of play dough, you’re ready to start making each tortilla. You don’t want it try so have a little bowl of water next to you to keep your hands damp.

Storing Them

How do you store homemade tortillas? Since they don’t have preservatives, they won’t last as long as store-bought tortillas. Thankfully, they are so easy to make that you can make a fresh batch each week!

Store your homemade tortillas at room temperature in an airtight bag or container. They will stay fresh for about 3-5 days.

Recipes to make with this Homemade Corn Tortillas Recipe:

• 1-Pan Vegan Potato Chorizo Tacos
• Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos
• Portobello Carne Asada Tacos
• Vegan Quesadillas (with stretchy cheese!)

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