Simple Flour Tortillas

In my opinion, if you can make it from scratch, you should. And that rule absolutely applies to these vegan flour tortillas. There’s just nothing quite like a warm, homemade tortilla fresh off the skillet. As they cook, they puff up beautifully, creating little pockets of steam and those gorgeous golden-brown blisters that make them impossible to resist. And why should you?

Eat them straight out of the pan, if you’d like! They’re soft and tender with this subtle chew I can’t get enough of. And they’re super pliable, so they roll and fold easily around and over your favourite burrito, quesadilla, and/or enchilada filling. I love that they’re 100% vegan and way easier to make than you might think. You probably have everything you need to make them in your kitchen right now. So go ahead and try it!

Why Homemade Flour Tortillas Are Worth Making

If you’re looking for ways to upgrade your quesadilla or burrito game, these homemade tortillas are your answer. Here’s why:

• A steaming hot tortilla straight out of the pan is something everyone needs to experience at least once. Fresh and slightly blistered, they’re soft, they’re warm, and they smell like heaven. You just can’t buy that at the store.
• It might seem like a chore to make homemade tortillas, but in reality, you’re only going to be spending like 35 minutes of active kitchen time on these. I think it’s totally worth it for the superior flavour and texture.
• As a vegan, tortillas can be tricky because, traditionally, tortillas are made with lard and/or sometimes butter. Making them at home lets you use oil instead and gives you the gift of fresh tortillas without compromising your plant-based lifestyle.

Notes on Ingredients

You’ll only need 4 staple pantry ingredients to make this recipe work (plus some warm water). Here’s your list. Please see the recipe card below for exact measurements.

• All-purpose flour – I’ll often tell you you can use gluten-free flour, but for this recipe, I’d stick with all-purpose. If you decided to try gluten-free flour, you’d need to adjust the water, and the dough would be more difficult to roll into perfect tortillas. It’s possible, just not ideal.
• Baking powder – The baking powder helps make the tortillas softer and lighter, allowing for those signature pockets of air to form while they cook.
• Fine sea salt – Table salt would be fine.
• Warm water – Warm (as opposed to cold or room temperature) water will hydrate the flour a bit better and will also encourage the gluten development for a more elastic dough.
• Neutral oil – I usually go with avocado, canola, or sunflower oil.

Making Flour Tortillas From Scratch

Time to roll up those sleeves and make some homemade flour tortillas. Here’s a quick look at how it’s done (see the recipe card for more thorough instructions):

Make the dough

• Knead the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes).
• Adjust. The dough should feel slightly tacky, but not too sticky. If it’s too sticky, dust the surface with a smidge of flour. Too dry? Knead in more water, 1 teaspoon (5ml) at a time.

Divide and rest

• Divide. Divide the dough into 8-10 equal pieces, shaping each into a smooth ball, tucking the edges underneath.
• Rest. Place the dough balls on a lightly floured surface and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Roll and cook the tortillas

• Preheat. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for several minutes.

• Roll. Lightly flour a work surface and flatten one dough ball with your hand, then roll to 7–8 inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Keep the dough balls covered as you work so they don’t dry out.
• Cook. Place a raw tortilla in the hot, dry skillet and cook for 30–45 seconds. Flip and cook for 20–30 seconds. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, stacking one on top of the other, always covering with a kitchen towel in between.

Tips for Perfect Tortillas

• Knead until smooth. You’ll want to knead the dough for at least 3 minutes, probably 5. But don’t let the timer dictate when you’re done. When the dough feels smooth, soft, and elastic, you can stop.
• Don’t skip the rest. Resting the dough relaxes the gluten. If you skip this step, the dough will be trickier to roll because it will continually shrink back rather than relaxing and spreading into a thin circle.
• Keep things covered. When resting the dough again after shaping it into balls, keep it covered with a clean kitchen cloth as much as humanly possible. You don’t want the dough to dry out.
• Easy on the flour. When working with the dough, use only as much flour as needed. Adding too much will land you with tough, dense, dry tortillas.
• Cook time guidelines. I know I’m telling you to cook the tortillas for a specific amount of time per side, but you really want to look for the visual cues that indicate doneness, rather than the clock. Cook the tortilla (on each side) until the underside has scattered golden-brown spots.
• Adjust the heat if necessary. If the tortillas brown almost immediately, reduce the heat slightly. If they remain pale after about 45 seconds, increase the heat slightly. You may have to adjust multiple times as you work through the batch.
• Trap the steam. Stack each freshly cooked tortilla on top of the previous one and keep the stack wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. This traps the steam, softening the tortillas.

Variations

There are plenty of ways to put your own spin on this flour tortillas recipe. Here are a few ideas:

• Make ’em whole wheat. You can replace 1/2–1 cup (60–120g) of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a slightly heartier tortilla. You may need to add a bit more water (1 teaspoon/5ml at a time) because whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture. Expect a subtle nuttiness, flavour-wise.
• Garlic herb wrap. If you’re interested in using these tortillas as sandwich wraps, I’d add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the dough along with some dried herbs (oregano or Italian seasoning would be my top picks). J
• Sundried tomato tortillas. Blend the warm water with 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (packed in oil, oil drained). Mix 2/3 cup of the mixture into the dough, adding more (gradually) as needed. Your tortillas will come out a rustic orange colour with a subtle sun-dried tomato flavour.

Ways to Use Flour Tortillas

There are endless ways to use these easy vegan tortillas. The obvious picks are things like Vegan Burritos, Quesadillas, and Lunch Wraps. But there’s so much more you can do. I like using them to make homemade tortilla chips (with Guacamole, of course), Vegan Enchiladas, and these out-of-this-world Vegan Crunchwrap Supremes.

You can also make the tortillas a little smaller and use them as the vessels for your favourite tacos. If you haven’t tried my Soy Curl Tacos or these Crispy Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Tacos, you must. Like, now!

Storing and Reheating

• Countertop/refrigerator: Let the tortillas cool completely, then seal them in a freezer bag or an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you store them in the fridge, pop a paper towel in the bag to absorb excess moisture.
• Freezer: Once cool, seal any leftover vegan tortillas in a freezer bag, placing a piece of parchment paper between the tortillas so they don’t all freeze/stick together. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy.
• To reheat: Reheat thawed tortillas in a warm, dry pan over medium heat until warm. I wouldn’t microwave these. They’ll dry out.

More Homemade Bread Recipes

If this easy tortilla recipe inspired you to make more bread-y things from scratch, here are a few more recipes to keep you inspired:

• French Bread Recipe
• Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread
• Homemade Sandwich Bread
• Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
• No Knead Bread (Dutch Oven Bread)

Enjoy friends! If you make these flour tortillas, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!